1917

Overview

During the First World War, Lance Corporal Shofield (George MacKay) and Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), two young men in the British army, must venture deep behind enemy lines to deliver a critical message that could prevent the massacre of a British battalion in a trap laid by the enemy. At the bidding of their superior officers (Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch), the young privates put their own lives on the line, as it could mean the difference between life and death for 1,600 of their brothers in arms, including Blake's own brother (Richard Madden). Directed by Sam Mendes.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/24/2020
UPC:	0191329125656
Original Release:	2019
Rating:	R
Source:	Universal Studios
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:59:00

Special Features

See how the filmmakers achieved immersive cinematic masterpiece; The Weight of the World: Sam Mendes; Allied Forces: Making 1917; The Score of 1917

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Dean-Charles Chapman	Lance Corporal Blake
George MacKay	Lance Corporal Schofield
Daniel Mays	Sergeant Sanders
Colin Firth	General Erinmore
Pip Carter	Lieutenant Gordon
Andy Apollo	Sergeant Miller
Paul Tinto	NCO Baker
Josef Davies	Private Stokes
Billy Postlethwaite	NCO Harvey
Gabriel Akuwudike	Private Buchanan
Spike Leighton	Private Kilgour
Robert Maaser	German Pilot
Gerran Howell	Private Parry
Adam Hugill	Private Atkins
Richard McCabe	Colonel Collins
Benjamin Adams	Sergeant Harrop
Anson Boon	Private Cooke
Kenny Fullwood	Private Rossi
Tommy French	Private Butler
Nabhaan Rizwan	Sepoy Jondalar
Elliot Baxter	Private Singer
Bogdan Kumshatsky	German Sniper
Kye McKee	German Soldier
Claire Duburcq	Lauri
Ryan Nolan	Private Malky
Ivy-l Macnamara	French Baby
Merlin Leonhardt	Soldat Muller
Taddeo Kufus	Soldat Baumer
Jos Slovick	Wayfaring Stranger Soldier
Ivy-I MacNamara	French Baby
Luke Hornsby	Private Pinewood
Jack Shalloo	Private Seymour
Elliot Edusah	Private Grey
Chris Walley	Private Bullen
Joe Mendes	Private Willock
Jacob James Beswick	Lance Corporal Duff
Michael Jibson	Lieutenant Hutton
John Hollingworth	Sergeant Guthrie
Jamie Parker	Lieutenant Richards
Daniel Attwell	Captain Sandbach
Michael Gibson	Lieutenant Hutton
Ian Wilson	Sergeant Wright
Michael Rouse	Captain Rylands
Benedict Cumberbatch	Colonel Mackenzie
Adrian Scarborough	Major Hepburn
Richard Dempsey	Mackenzie Officer
Phil Cheadle	Mackenzie Officer
Jonah Russell	Captain Morahan
Richard Madden	Lieutenant Joseph Blake
Samson Cox-Vinell	Oderly Dixon
John Lavelle	Orderly Byrne
Kaine Applegate	British Soldier
Scott Andrews	Lieutenant Leslie
Mikel Iriarte	British Soldier
Ibrahim Majid	British Soldier
Todd B. Nurick	Soldier
Mark Oldridge	British Soldier
Josh Sanders	British Soldier
Oliver Simms	Attacking Soldier
David Stokes	Cheshire Corporal Soldier
Josh Turner	Lance Corporal
Fraser Young	Devon Soldier

Technical Credits

Jody Eltham	Special Effects
Sam Mendes	Director
Jeb Brody	Executive Producer
Ricardo Marco Budé	Executive Producer
Ignacio Salazar-Simpson	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

1917 breaks into a crowded genre of World War movies with a one-shot masterpiece following the lives of two young soldiers experiencing the atrocities of war in real time. A race against the clock will save the lives of their allies or send them all to certain death. Lance Corporals Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are messengers among countless British soldiers stuck in the trenches of the Hindenberg Line. While the great war seems nearly over, and there's excitement for one last push to finally route the Germans, General Erinmore (Colin Firth) receives intelligence via aerial photographs that the recent German retreat is a ploy to lead the British soldiers into a well-fortified trap. With the field telecommunications cut off, General Erinmore tasks Schofield and Blake to personally deliver this intelligence to Col. Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch) so that he can call off the impending assault before he and his battalion are mercilessly annihilated. On April 6th, 1917, Schofield and Blake set out on a race against the clock through no-man's-land and booby-trapped enemy trenches to deliver their message. As they dip above and below ground, the weather changes from fair to foul, and the people and situations they encounter grow more maddening, thoughtlessly violent, and sad. Whether or not they accomplish their task, their brave journey leads them on a personal discovery of the true darkness of mankind. Writer & Director Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty) offers something many other films have been unable to capture, uncertain chaos of the horrific reality rather than a neatly ordered summary of why war is bad. The camera neatly whips all over the place to capture the protagonists' reactions to some of the more awful bits of what's in store for them. Co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Penny Dreadful) adds a much-needed woman's touch to humanize the characters. Cinematographer Roger Deakins (Skyfall, Blade Runner 2049) shoots the movie as if it is filmed in one seamless shot, using bleak colors and occasionally an over the shoulder perspective adds a thrilling video game element which engages the audience while building a palpable tension. Whether or not another World War movie was needed, the core of this film is all about communication, and the frantic need for the two heroes to communicate their message so that they can save the lives of countless allies. While this could be an allegory that speaks to the necessity of the endeavor (are the heroes actually running through danger trying to tell the modern audience to stop fighting?) the plot device works best set in 1917, when communication technology was still patchy at best, and decided the fate of many men. Ultimately, 1917 succeeds in every category it was aiming to impress: a noble tale of heroism, a frightening nightmare come to life, a gripping tale of humanity in a world of monsters. It will thus impress a broad swathe of audiences, especially those already drawn to war movies.