Sam Mendes’ WWI epic 1917 has emerged as a Best Picture favorite at the Oscars, and at least part of the reason why is that the film takes place as one continuous shot. How Mendes and his team were able to pull off such a feat had been the film’s most tantalizing mystery, but now a new featurette is pulling back the curtain on just how the one-shot sausage was made.
As it turns out, the movie isn’t actually one-shot, but rather is made up of several very long takes that give the impression of one continuous shot — which is still impressive. The film’s unorthodox production proved to be a challenge in just about every way. From uncooperative weather and a lack of lighting to space restrictions and constantly moving cameras, the making of this war epic looks like it was extraordinarily difficult. Mendes estimates that the movie took five times as much planning as a typical movie, and after watching the featurette, that seems like a pretty conservative estimate. The video also shines a light on the film’s cinematographer, Roger Deakins, who seems destined to take home another Best Cinematography Oscar next year for his work. Deakins had been nominated for the award 14 times before finally winning in 2017 for Blade Runner 2049, and he certainly has to be considered the frontrunner for 2019. Take a look at the featurette below to see just how much care and planning Mendes and Deakins put into the filming of 1917.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers — Blake’s own brother among them.
1917 opens in select theaters on Christmas Day, and everywhere else on Jan. 10.
Thanks to James Bond, the spy movie genre is commonly associated with a refined air of sophistication. Bond’s tuxedo, Aston Martin, martinis, and pretty much everything else about his style speaks to the classy upper-crust of British society. But Mark Wahlberg is about to turn our idea of spy movies on its head by playing...
Read More
Michael Mann’s 1995 crime thriller Heat is best remembered for being the first film in which screen legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino share a scene together. The two have since performed together a couple more times, most recently to critical acclaim in last year’s The Irishman. We’re thinking Mann must be a fan...
Read More
It’s hard to picture nowadays, but back in the ’80s, Mel Gibson was a bonafide action star. With starring roles in the Lethal Weapon and Mad Max franchises, Gibson was just as significant to the decade’s action movie explosion as his more muscular counterparts Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. In recent years, Gibson has focused...
Read More
A handful of films are considered all-time classics. These movies are so iconic that no one in their right mind would ever dream of trying to reboot them. Films like The Godfather, Star Wars, and It’s a Wonderful Life. There will only ever be one version of these movies because trying to recreate their magic...
Read More