About The Great War Movie
Post 771:
We’re getting into the technical masterclass called 1917 today. I don’t think it’s crazy to say that, in general, most people know a little bit more about WW2 than WW1, otherwise known as The Great War. They called it that before the second one came along, because obvious.
When I was a kid, the First World War was something more in touching distance. Now it’s a hundred years away… man…
That’s like a century plus or whatever.
Let me say spoilers. There’s only one plot point that offers any real surprise (at least for me) and I’m going to get into it. So go on if you haven’t seen it. I’ll say that it’s worth a viewing. There’s a decent amount of characterization and enough kinetic energy to keep the thing going. All right, here we go.
When one of the two protagonists gets stabbed and eventually bleeds out, it was powerful for several reasons. First, he seems the more likely hero of the story, so there’s a tinge of disbelief as his breaths become shallower and shallower. I was riveted and a little disappointed to see him pass on. It seemed like such a crap way to die, especially after they’d survived a horrific ordeal in the trench tunnel system.
Second, it happens fairly early in the film. I was just getting around to being invested in the young soldier. Too bad. He’s gone. It’s up to his (seemingly) more jaded buddy to carry on the mission and get the message to the front lines, warning them off a trap by zeh Germans.
If senselessness was what they were trying to convey in this death scene, spot on.
Now here I do the thing where I talk about history instead of just story. The First World War was a ridiculous conflict started for ridiculous reasons. The dominoes in Europe started falling and nobody had the sense to say enough. The old alliance system of the 1800s crumbled like termite-infested balsa wood. Just when things were winding down and the sides had punched themselves out, the USA came in and put the boots to the enemies of England and France. Many argue (and I agree) that this was the reason for the overly harsh terms outlined in the Treaty of Versailles, which many argue (and I agree) precipitated in the rise of the Bolsheviks and the Nazis and led to an inevitable second conflict. (Which it did)
This scene really brings into focus what a waste of brave good life The Great War was. This doesn’t mean they were “bad” or doing the wrong thing. That’s a simple-minded way of looking at it. They were fighting for what they thought was right, pushing each other on and on under the slightest hope that it might one day end.
1917 left me feeling hollow and worn out, but I was grateful for the experience. One sort of negative: For all its realism, it feels a bit like a video game toward the end. Our hero becomes quite a bullet dodger and waterfall diver and rapids swimmer. Not such a big deal, as the conclusion was satisfying enough to give some of the unreality a pass.
It’s quite an education. Technically, I don’t know how they did it. The one continuous shot bit is getting a little stale for me, but take nothing away from the work that went into it. Decent enough acting. Brilliant set design and cinematography. I could’ve used another wrinkle or two in the plot, but as I said, there’s just enough character development to keep you in there.
Have a watch if you haven’t. Stay safe out there. Cheers and see you after.
