A couple WW1 movies off the top of my head. Warhorse, Galipolli, The Blue Max, A Farwell to Arms, The Razor's Edge etc. A brief look says it all. Almost all the WW1 movies are about the survivors having PTSD and not taking the hill, beating the Nazi's, or the Cong or whatever. Even though some of them are very good movies they're not readily remembered because the victories were more subtle. Bill Murry or Brad Pitt regaining their souls at the end of Razor's Edge gives you some closure for the charcter but it's not exactly memorable like Tom Hanks plinking at a Tiger with a 45 as he's dying.
The Critical Drinker for what it’s worth, 1917 is essentially the plot of the third act of the Australian movie Gallipoli, just dragged out over feature length. It starred a young Mel Gibson and is worth checking out.
Agreed... excellent review. I noticed a slightly more somber sign off as well. Reminds me of the rare silent clock from 24 when a significant character died. You don't usually notice it until that moment.
Paths of Glory is more horrifying as it’s about medals and power over lives. This film felt weak because the things that made it great from a technical aspect ruined my immersion. It felt like a Disney theme park ride as I recently was watching the resistance ride. I was seeing these two protagonists go through areas and just say “wow look at that it’s a plane in background and now it’s in the foreground!” I think the moment where it lost me was when Germans were chasing the guy running and shooting while the Brit was in a straight path... Why would a man with a rifle chase the person that is 30 ft away from him? I can understand if they had bayonets but come on!
Try reading some books about the Great War. Start with John Keegan. I got sucked in bc I couldn’t believe the horror. I had to stop about one chapter in on The Somme. WWI changed everything.
That episode has always stayed with me. Cutting from humour to grim reality with the poppies rising in the credits was truely moving. Also cutting edge technology at the time. If people haven't watch Blackadder goes forth they really should.
It’s honestly so disrespectful when people concentrate on representation in honest war movies, it just belittles the men that actually fought and died in the conflicts. It’s like in battlefield 5 there’s a mission based on a true story but they replaced the actual regiment with a mother and daughter taking away all the credit from the soldiers who deserved it most purely for “representation”.
it's worth considering that there were a couple of Indian Sikhs in the transport truck. So the film did represent some minorities without it feeling forced.
One side effect of the amazing single shot sequence is that the audience didn’t actually lose they’re bearings. By the end of the film I still had a pretty good idea of the geography.
While I did like the cinematography, it did greatly underscore the scope of the battlefield. WW1 battlefields were massive. The film did try to address it as well as the shear horror of the battlefields... But sadly, reality is much worse than presented in film.
Most movies would have made him face a challenge of save Blake's life or deliver the message, only for him to do both. But here his friend gets stabbed and he dies, just like what would happen in real life
Indeed, those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it. Yet those who *do* study history are doomed to stand by helplessly watching everyone else repeat it.
@White Chocolate For the most part, you're not wrong 🤣 But in all seriousness I consider myself lucky to have a job where I can put my history degree to good use
@@sulacomarine why do you think war is evil or a mistake meant not to be made again? Is disarming ourselves the solution if so then how will we protect one another? if not should we sit by twiddling our thumbs why our allies are being destroyed their homes and families? If a war progresses humanity as a whole in a new age of technology and improved health is that war not just? Did those fighting in the many wars waste away their lives for a faulty cause?
1917 should have been about the ignorant governments that put these poor bastards in this situation....nothing heroic or glorious about killing and being killed due to criminal stupidity.
There should be nothing offensive about that statement. Men don't cause a fuss when there's movies or articles about the courageous acts women have done - in fact, it highly admirable.
I loved how 90% o the soldiers looked like they were still in high school, not like saving private ryan (I knew a man at Omaha beach, he and his whole posse were 18-20 years old)
The bit with Blake and the German Pilot had me in tears I can't lie. The way he gets visibly paler and its both angry and scared with what's happened is so moving
Same with the gentlemen from Guy Ritchie which was pretty good but some sjw managed to stick their obsessions on this movie, seeing messages about white men afraid to lose their privileges/being homophobic and racist etc. (while they are just characters and are mobsters talking with coarse language like they are supposed to do)
@@craigory8123 It's either good or absolute garbage, that literally nobody would watch, so let's face it. Most of the stuff SJW hate is actually pretty good.
As one reviewer pointed out, from this film you can clearly see where J. R. R. Tolkien got his inspiration for creating Mordor. The most terrifying locations of WWI practically feel like they take place on a different planet.
Good point. Also the Tolkien line in LoTR where Gandalf proclaims, you shall not pass, was probably inspired from General Petain when the general took over the Verdun defenses. When asked if the situation at Verdun was retrievable, Petain said, they shall not pass.
Tolkien said that WW1 was other people’s idea of his inspirations. He denied it had anything to do with WW1 and all about his lifetime of study of ancient mythology
Sousabird I’m sure it did, and he lived through a time where many of his peers, friends and students died or were broken by war, but he was pretty adamant that Mordor etc had more to do with the mythology that had been his interest all his life. The biggest supporter from his family of this theory was his author grandson who was writing WW1 books and admitted that having a famous grandfather had helped him getting published.
My adopted grandfather served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He loved his comrades and spoke about them with such reverence and pride. He had such love for them. I think I learned more about them from him than their own families could ever guess. One thing I learned, is that his generation of heroes were made of infinitely stronger stuff than our generation of cultural saviours.
They were not made of any special stuff, their strength came out when forced under brutal & horrific conditions, if you were to compare them to a people of different time, you need to do the same with that people also
WW1 is the War that “started it all”. To understand WW2 and all that followed, WW1 is the key. And yes, there should be more focussed on it. But Hollywood keeps putting out WW2 movies. 1917 is a rare and great exemption.
I think it’s because WWII was both larger and easier to understand on a moral level. It’s obvious in WWII who the bad guys were. This isn’t implying that the Soviets, Americans, and British were angels, just that their enemies were clearly worse. Meanwhile WWI broke out following longstanding tensions of territory disputes, militarism, and nationalism. What should have been an isolated conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia ended up dragging most of Europe into war, and men were forced into the meat grinder of trench warfare to advance mere meters.
to be fair, there were things preceding WW1 that you need to know to understand why WW1 happened and in turn WW2. its history after all. and as the drinker said: it does not lend itself to fast action and clear cut heroes. because thats now what that war was. and Hollywood is not a history class
@@Willie_Pete_Was_Here Nationalism was not the cause of WW1, globalism was, the became what it was because of a interlocking series of treaty's and mutual defense agreements Which dragged country after country into the growing trash fire
@@Willie_Pete_Was_Here you’re right, but the other big reason why ww2 has many more movies is because Americans had a much bigger role in the conflict. In ww1, many Americans didn’t even get a chance to fire their weapons since they joined so late. Hollywood makes the majority of films in the film industry as a whole, and chooses to focus on war movies to do with the USA, since they are from there after all. Therefore, Hollywood leans towards ww2 and other following conflicts much more favourably as opposed to ww1. If Hollywood was European, it would probably be a whole other story.
@@zookerman it's not about Hollywood being in the US but that the US is the biggest market for them. You've probably noticed that there have been an increasingly larger number of movies focused on China and Chinese tropics. That's for the same reason. China is becoming more important.
Thankfully it was not too in your face in this film. That being said....just put the black guys in French uniforms BOOM historically accurate. Have the Indian guy in a whole Indian unit. Maybe have him talk about fighting for the British to earn independence for his own country BOOM perfect
@@braiboo7gaming489 Of course he's joking, are you simple? It's a white mans privileged to die horribly on the front lines, so that you may be free to call all white men privileged. That clearer for you?
The ending was perfection. Something oddly perfect the way the music continues when it cuts to black. Like we followed him through a day of his life, the film ends but he has many more days like it to come. After watching the entire movie it just strikes a chord in you in a way you never expected.
The concept of a movie's runtime all taking place in real continuous time is amazing. I'm surprised more movies aren't made using this tactic. It turns up the intensity and suspense. It really helps the viewer feel the urgency of the mission the soldier is in. Good movies use the location as a character in itself, but movies shot using this time concept also turn time into a character.
@@Feyser1970 the Germans were never defeated. Not even close. However, they lost the war of attrition. The German citizen could no longer support those long months in the trenches. Unlike the WW1, in the second one the Germans eventually were annihilated. You know, cuz in WW1 the allies where never gonna get to Germany
Me and my dad went to go see this in the theater and this movie’s more human scenes actually made my Dad cry, cause the movie perfectly captured the World War I stories my great grandfather would tell to him when he was young. My great grandfather and my Dad had a strong bond and my great grandfather often couldn’t go into detail due to the horrible things he did and saw on the battlefield, but he could share the human parts that this movie really tapped into.
"Even their rats are bigger than ours." What a brilliant movie overall. So many awesome moments. The Wayfaring Stranger song in the forest was so utterly eerie... you see these young guys sitting motionless and quiet while their fellow soldier sings, and you can feel how desperate they are for a moment of peace, distraction and beauty before they get tossed back into the meat grinder.
Agreed, but, think about it. They'er listening to a song about a dying man about to meet his maker, and hopefully see his departed loved ones again, Moments before they themselves are about to die. That part Hit me pretty hard.
It’s not an analogy for the class system. It’s reflecting how most people view WW1. Most people who study wars only focus on events or major people, such as leaders, generals, or famous soldiers. It’s meant to emphasize that the men of WW1 are often unstudied and ignored.
@@bigj1905 In WW1 officers and the upper class were synonymous. After that... not so much... because a whole lot of officers led charges into no man's land never to return. The British aristocracy was shrunk by a large amount. After that, being an officer became more of a sign of merit than what school you went to.
@@BHank762 Ah thanks for clarifying that. I read the caption at the end of the movie and wasn't sure if it was a true story about his grandfather, or a story his gradfather had made up and he was just bringing it to film or what the deal was. I noticed none of the characters were called Mendes so I figured it was a work of fiction but wasn't sure.
@@barrygreggs3840 yet another fun "fact". It is very likely, that Hitler was 1/4 jewish. It is known now, that his grandmother had an affair with a jewish man and it is believed that his father was in truth the son of that affair. Back than this was most likely not known, not even to Hitler, but documents available to us now suggest that it is very likely true.
Loved this movie. Took my whole family when it came out. My teenaged daughter, who is a budding 20th century history buff, really enjoyed it. In my opinion the most poignant scene was with the young woman and orphan baby. It was a powerful sliver of humanity amoung the carnage of war.
@@DarthPlato i first heard this line from the cold war nuclear submarine movie. the mc talked about how nuclear war will kills every players. but at the end, we kinda won the cold war by keeping the MAD ......for now
Violence is as obligate to humans as breeding is. War then is inevitable in large populous and societies. Nonviolent movements have only ever succeeded because of the obvious inferring of violence should they fail, thus making violence the motivation to action. Humans must always be prepared: prepared to help and to love, prepared to abandon and to fight.
@@vwsyncro apocalypse now? Platoon? Born on the Fourth of July? Countless more wayy better war movies. This film was essentially a gimmick was shitty acting, contrived scenes and predictable war movie cliches. It looked great but that’s it. There should be more to a movie than just a cool camera trick. This film had 0 depth at all. The characters were like video game characters. The ONLY scene that touched me was the one at the end with the brother but that’s about it.
@@MC-yq6us because its trying to depict the reality of the situation rather than some Hollywood exaggeration to make it interesting. The interactions between the characters is so accurate, just miserable lads wanting to get home and out of the shithole. Yanks love to squeeze the hog with their war movies so its good to see humble depiction of one in 1917.
@@MC-yq6us I'm sorry, but if your think Platoon or Born on the Fourth of July is better than 1917 you are sorely mistaken. Want some good war movies? Watch "Das Boot", a WWII movie about the crew of a German U-Boat, or "Waterloo", which is pretty self explanatory setting-wise. They'll give you a much broader perspective than just simply 'yay America patriot wooooo'
10:15 That's the point, that's why the other person says to him something like "make sure there's someone else in the room when you give it to him," because the leader of that battalion, I think, knew about the Germans but didn't want to back down and wouldn't without direct orders. That's why he sent them out into basically a known slaughter
That is actually a politically correct bromide. In WW1 as in WW2 the real enemies were the Germans, who had been heavily influenced by social Darwinist ideas and eugenics. WW1 was a needless war, I grant. Russia and France stupidly turned the conflict between assassination-minded Serbia and revenge-hungry Austria and Germany into a world war. Still, the brutal German invasion of Belgium turned America against the Germans, a strategic miscalculation that would eventually prove fatal to Germany. In a sense, through arrogance the Germans turned out to be their own worst enemies.
Vern Crisler roughly 99% of German soldiers in both world wars were catholic or Protestant, social Darwinism where in vogue among most white people of the time. While hitler was a megalomaniacal madman who may have been an atheist he used the power of the soldiers religious beliefs to make himself the new god figure, religion and it’s unquestioning obedience were what allowed the cult of personality of both hitler and Stalin to wreck havoc Also the real motivator for US involvement was the sinking of the Lusitania and the German switch to unrestricted submarine warfare.
@Smattless Ironic, in that I believe Austria and Germany were justified in attacking Serbia. But when our grandfathers or great-grandfathers fought in WW1, they were fighting Germans.
@@mcamp9445 I like what you say, but I don't think Hitler was a madman. He knew exactly what he was doing -- enacting Darwin's survival of the fittest idea. Darwin of course would have been appalled by how Hitler used his theory.
Probably the most well-photographed war scene of all time. Roger Deakins truly is the best in his field now that Conrad Hall has passed. He also shot Blade Runner: 2049, which is one of the most beautiful films ever made. I wasn't surprised to learn he also filmed 'The Big Lebowski' back in the 90s. If you take the time to notice it, the photography in that film is fantastic!
Easily one of my favorite war movies. No gratuitous action glorifying war. No convoluted plot retconning history. A real, visceral story about overcoming seemingly impossible odds in the face of humanities brutality in order to save a few lives.
Yep, was thinking just the same thing. Very touching and poignant ending to that series. Perfect use of the musical score by CD to touch on the sadness and grief and pointlessness of WWI
I just took my father (a huge history buff) to see 1917 yesterday. We were in absolute shock and awe throughout the entire film. I really enjoyed this video's descriptive detail for this film. Truly the viewer is taken step by step through the mud and blood of no man's land and the horrors that lay within and beyond. As the Drinker Recommends, so too does this lad and his father.
I loved this film. And as for the "representation" aspect of it, there was some actual historical ethnic representation in this film that didn't feel jarring or out of place (a Sikh soldier from India who was separated from his unit and catching a ride with the soldiers in the back of that truck, as well as the rare black soldier that would pop up every now and then amongst the Commonwealth soldiers).
Don't kid yourself. Blacks would not be hob nobbing with English soldiers. At best, they would have been segregated. There was a black regiment in the US army, not British. The French had them, but they would have been wearing French uniforms, not British. The Sikh would have been quiet in the truck in the presence of his betters. British soldiers weren't friendly with them, after the uprisings in India. Total Hollywood pandering!! Oh, and the clip our hero loads into his rifle had roughly 6 shots, yet we never see him reload...
@@thomasmulhall4873 nitpicking, also where im from we had men, black, white and indian who served in WW1 alongside the british. Remember this is 1917 the british were running out of men so they couldnt be extra picky. Also sam medes grandfather who this movie is dedicated to was a Trinidadian, as I am.
Whilst it's true that there were Indian soldiers serving in France in 1915 and into early 1916 (they were sent there to fill the gap before the arrival of Kitchener's volunteers), to the best of my knowledge they had all been withdrawn long before 1917 rolled around. Indian. troops served principally in the Middle East during the Great War. Similar with black soldiers in the British forces, who would have served in the various African theatres mostly. As Thomas Mulhall says, these soldiers would have served in their own regiments, not in the same battalions as the white soldiers.
Visited the little village in Italy where my great grandfather was killed. Actually a very pretty part of a beautiful country. If he hasn't got busy before he left for war, you'd not see my comment.
Dont worry. "The War On Boys" and the rise of virginity to 30% for males in today's world is doing its part to depopulate western nations just as well as any war.
I loved 1917. A two hour movie and both my girlfriend and I thought that the movie was over in twenty minutes. It was so good that people around us were literally, not just figuratively, sitting on the edge of their seats in the theater unable to take their eyes off of the screen for even a moment. Can’t wait until the blu-ray release. If you’ve not seen this movie yet make sure that you do. I hope that this movie sparks interest in the Great War. It’s quickly becoming a ‘forgotten’ war and it never should be. I highly recommend the podcast Hardcore History by Dan Carlin. He has a six part series on the First World War called “Blueprint for Armageddon” and you should absolutely download it and listen to it.
Blueprint for Armageddon is without a doubt the most gripping and interesting thing that I have ever listened to. Fascinating stuff and Dan knows how to present stories and information like no other
Another good resource for WWI is the RU-vid channel The Great War. Starting in 2014 they went over events week by week 100 years later, until 2018. They did interwar episodes too and part of the crew is now doing WWII week by week. If you like history I recommend looking them up!
As an older boy than you (I'm sure), it's worth saying that, while the memories of the war are going to the grave one by one (children of veterans are growing very old now), the historiography of it is getting much, much better. When I was primary school age in the 1980s, the school history syllabus covered WW1, but it told the mid-20th C 'agreed-upon revisionist' view, which was the old folk myth of "lions led by donkeys" and a four-year relentless meat-grinder in the mud, with trench foot and (to para-quote Blackadder) the never-ending horror of the poetry. Thing is, we were taught that it was all a blasted, pockmarked, treeless hell with nothing but snipers, mud and frontal charges into machine-guns. This was so wrong it beggars belief. While there was a massive stalemate, there was also as much relief from the front line for the average soldier as could be provided, which it turns out was quite a lot! Maybe a week in the first trench line every two or three months was the reality of it. Yes, the experience was still brutal and combat was horrendous, but the post-war myths have now been swept away mostly and replaced with a far more fascinating, nuanced and - dare I say it - palatable truth. This war is far from forgotten by all, just yet. (And may it never be so, for your children's sakes.) Plus, there were so many other tragedies which are now being better understood and, placed into the proper context, shows you just how universally horrible the WW1 experience was, for families as well as servicemen. You may, or may not, find this enlightening: www.quora.com/What-was-the-most-unexpected-nautical-tragedy-in-naval-military-history/answers/161160054
@@KrillLiberator WW1 is arguably both one of the greatest tragedies in modern history and also a completely unavoidable conflict, as sad as that is to say.
Depending on the area it is quite rare and brave , she had to deal with a mini lynch mob which thaught to if I am correct wish to brutalize the shit out of her and then shoot her ,then throw her in the local Marsh luckily the cops and funny enough a priest helped stop it
I mean, nobody should have to live in a world where the 'standard' is having to slaughter one another. That said, I do agree that most people don't realise how incredibly well they have it (in most places) these days.
8:58 I'm currently doing a master's degree in military history, so I'd like to offer some corrections, if I may, to your points about the battalion's attack and about transport. For starters, the film is set in 1917 during the retreat to the Hindenburg Line, so the idea of a battalion marching for miles into PREVIOUSLY German territory is entirely accurate, as the withdrawal reduced the length of the western front by about 40 kilometers (25 miles) and released c. 14 German infantry divisions. It also removed major cities like Bapaume and Peronnes from German occupation. It's also worth noting that 1000 yards was not considered a strategic achievement, or would certainly not be seen as such in 1914 or 1918 when significant territory changed hands on the Western Front. While the gains in 1915-17 were smaller than in other years, and in comparison to the Eastern Front or Palestine, the strategic aims of offensives like the Somme and 3rd Ypres were pretty much always to breakthrough and END the stalemate, though the density of forces and quantity of firepower made this exceedingly difficult without one side having a significant numerical advantage over the other, as the Germans possessed in Spring 1918 and as the Allied and Associated Powers (Britain, France, Italy and the USA) possessed after Summer 1918. As to motorized infantry transport not being used, this again is not entirely true. When the war broke out in 1914, the German Army's light infantry battalions, or Jaegers, were equipped with trucks and motor cars, as well as bicycles, to allow them to keep up with the cavalry divisions, and the French Army made use of requisitioned taxis, cars and motor buses to transport infantry to and from the front and during the advance in 1914 also. The British Army also had Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport Companies (ASC MT Companies) which each contained about 60 trucks, which were used for transporting supplies and could be used for moving troops. In know for certain that in 1918, during the Hundred Days offensives after 1918, the 4th Guards Brigade was outfitted with lorries and motor buses for swift transport, and was attached to the Cavalry Corps.
This was very informative, and not the type of classic history knowledge that's easily looked up. You should make a video. Here's a clickbate suggestion "MOVIE: 1917, is it accurate? Military historian's perspective"
A person of intelligence!!! I'm happy you chose to pursue a degree in history and not basketweaving or gender studies. May you graduate with honors and top of your class.🏅
Great comment, thanks for such infos, it's kind of hard to get good answers when you're not much knowledgeable on the subject, having someone who studies in it is quite pleasant, if more comments were like this on RU-vid, people might be less assholes in general.
@@Mangaka-ml6xo "if more comments were like this on RU-vid, people might be less assholes in general." You aren't kidding. Unfortunately, the internet has become a megaphone for idiots. And as for the OP, I appreciate the info. I too hope he graduates at the top of his class!
Nice one using the last episode of black adder music...the finest most respectful ending to a TV programme ever...kudos for that mate...and I will now watch the movie given your review ...ta
Damn...regular viewers can tell the difference in tone and inflection from each of the Drinker's "go away now"s as a clue into how he feels about what he is reviewing. I am eager to see this film.
The actor who played Blake was the same one who played Tommen in Game of thrones. This really surprised and impressed me. It turns out he could act if he was given the right role.
@@Isildun9 *SPOILERS* Personaly I was really surprised when he died, I was sure he was the main guy in the film, he would save the day and reunite with his brother, glad that the movie went for the more realistic approach
I legit downloaded Crave so I could watch this movie after your review. You did a great job dude. I know I'm a year late to the review but it just goes to show the lasting impact YOU can have. Keep it up man!!
"How are you feeling, Darling?" "Not, all that good, Blackadder. Rather hoped I'd get through the whole show: Go back to work at Pratt & Sons. Keep wicket for the Croydon Gentleman. Marry Dorris...Made a note in my diary on the way here. It simply says - bugger." "Well, quite."
The "Marry Doris" bit always gets me. For me, those lines by Darling are the best and most poignant. It is wonderful writing and beautifully delivered.
@@davidmarshall7390 Always remember how the audience is laughing at Pratt & Sons because its a bit of a pun, but by the time he gets to "marry Dorris" everyone is silent.
@@davidmarshall7390 Also that shot earlier with Melchett where you just see him framed by the silhouette of the driver like the spectre of Death himself is just masterful.
"Who would've noticed another madman around here? Good luck, everyone.". I'll admit, the Drinker caught me off guard with the ending piece of score to Blackadder goes Forth, but it was strangely appropriate.
As a small child I remember all the men in my family had fought in WW1 or WW2 or Korea, and the Vietnam was was starting. To a small child it seemed that all men did was go to war. The WW1 stories were the most horrendous and the men laughed them off (and drank a lot). They were tough bastards. This concept is totally foreign to Gen X.
A detail I was told about: Schofield cuts open his hand on barbed wire, and then has that same open wound plunged into a rotting corpse. I'm no expert on healthcare, but even though there were means of combating infection, there's still a chance that hand has to be amputated, further adding to the tragedy of the movie.
Quite a touch, playing the end theme from “Blackadder Goes Forth,” where a show that gave us so many laughs... ends on such a final, sad note... as the push goes forward anyway.
Drinker, there is a line in the briefing near the start that says "and as a parting gift they have cut our telephone lines...." which means the orders must be hand deliverd.
@@hristokozhuharov2585 no they definitely had telephones in ww1. that was their primary mode of communication, at least in the later parts of the war. pretty sure they would run their own lines and bury them.
The movie is sort of messed up on its history. The battalion was a "light battalion" close following up a German retreat. The danger to it would have been a German ambush rather than it attacking the Germans. And since it was operating ahead of the main British advance, there would have been no physical communication to it. I'm pretty certain that the film is dealing the German planned retreat to the Hindenberg Line in 1917. It gets all the details right, but alot of the explainations of whats overall going on is upside-down.
Don't do what I did and watch this after taking three hits of acid. That scene where dude was bleeding out had me thinking I was dying to. So goddamn real I became dead
I love his work in Blade Runner but I do hope he gets a second. The shorten Oscar season has ruined the possibility of having watched a film with time and input.
“At the height of western civilisation, millions of young men died in cold, wet holes in the ground, which they had dug with their own hands.“ (G. J. Meyer, A World Undone). I quoted from memory, but am sure it‘s pretty accurate, because that sentence really got me. As serious and gruesome as the subject is, 1917 also has some of the most remarkably beautiful imagery I have seen in a long time. The juxtaposition with the horrors of war only heightens the effect on both sides. Also, the “one continuous shot“ effect is well executed, the music perfect, this is one of the best films in a long time.
The Gay Rascal I watched this movie with school last monday, dang I loved it. Many kids out of my class hated it and I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it more if I didn’t have ten exams that week. But even though I didn’t have time for watching it I loved it. We just talked about ww1 with history so that made teh movie even better. Also one thing that I noticed in this movie was that you could almost never see the enemy. The only time you saw a german soldier was when Blake got killed and when it was dark, this detail shows how there actually was no bad guy in the war. The music indeed was perfect, the high notes capture the cruels of war perfectly. Also that moment when the guy tells Scofield that some guys just wanna fight captures why the war was fought, it were just guys tricked into thinking dying for yout country was an honour.
The movie is absolutely fantastic and as a WW1 buff myself I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying it. I personally went to see it opening night and it's my favorite theater experience so far. However as a WW1 buff that agrees with your stance on the movie, you are wrong about a few things regarding the technology of the time. 1. Radio and telephone communications did exist at the time and was commonly used in the trenches as early as 1914. In the movie you can actually see troops struggling to get a radio wire back up, and the movie also points out that there communication wires were wrecked by the Germans. That's why they chose men to deliver the message instead of doing it over radio. 2. Troop transportation was actually a legit thing again throughout most of the war. Trucks were used to carry both troops and supplies and would travel in caravan as seen in the movie. There were also cars, bikes, and motorcycles used for supplies and troop transportation. 3. The pilot of the plane was on fire and clearly panicking, it's possible he just wasn't paying attention and ran into the barn accidentally. Or the plane itself just lost all control and moved on it's own while falling. Planes were pretty much shit back then so that's what I assumed when watching the film. I hope me pointing those out doesn't make me look like an asshole, just as a buff I couldn't help it.
1) Telephones were common in the trenches, radios however were not. In 1914 the German army had precisely 36 Radios, the entire army. They were usually located at Corps and Army HQ's, not on the front. They were simply too damned heavy, even by 1918 a radio weighed around 2000 pounds and required two trucks to transport. Radios have the advantage they do not require wires, but no radios were small enough to be carried by attacking troops over No Mans Land in 1914 - 1918, miniturisation only really took off after the war during the late 20's and thirties. Telephone wires being cut on an attack especially, where they could not be dug in to provide them some protection against shellfire was however, as you stated, a huge issue, and the reason why runners and pigeons became such an important aspect of communicating with front line forces on the attack. 2) Yes, in the rear areas trucks were very heavily used for troop transport, especially by the British and French. But only behind their lines, Drinker was right when he made the point about getting trucks across no mans land into enemy territory, it was not only all but impossible it was never done. However, the huge use both the British and French made of motor vehicles for supply and troop transport is often overlooked these days. I mean look at Verdun, that whole battle was supplied entirely by trucks on the French side because there were no rail lines near enough to the front lines. 3) If I was in a WWI aircraft and coming down in flames I would be panicking as well! Those things were literal deathtraps. More Sopwith Camel pilots were killed in accidents than in combat, and the Camel was not unique in this regard!
@@amaxamon WW1 troops were known to have sworn so much that when an officer gave them an order without swearing, it usually meant a sense of urgency behind it
@@jackforman4363 "Fuck" was not a widely used curse at the time, sorry! I've been on this subject & the Edwardian era for over 30 years, it was Hollywood bullshit and it pulled me out of the movie.
The general in the beginning of the film who gave the briefing did specifically say that the Germans had cut the comms lines of the British, and that's why they couldn't send the message calling off the attack.
Duncan McOkiner idk man. Maybe he’s referring to the like two black guys in the entire movie. And I wouldn’t consider that tokenism or an attempt at racial representation; as far as I know the British didn’t have segregated battalions like the US did, so it would make sense for them to be in the picture somewhere
@@anthot4777 No, we had segregated regiments until after the Korean War. The two blacks were probably from regiments that had been broken apart because of heavy casualties.
It’s my birthday this weekend, think I’ll go see this with my dad. Both of us are vets, neither of us watch a lot of war movies, but this, this looks good. Thanks for the review.
Drinker, you've become my favorite Guy on RU-vid recently, binged all of your reviews. Had good laughs, got angry with you. But dude this video in the end made me tear up a little. GJ my man!
Never had a chance to watch the movie or thought about renting it. However, your recommendation has changed my mind. I thought it was a over dramatized movie of what Hollywood thought WWI was. Your review makes the movie look thought provoking and insightful! Thank you Drinker!!!
same here, had it downloaded months ago but never watched it. Holy cow, not a drop of SJW placation in this war movie, about white male privilege in the trenches of WWI.
@@marc80s I thought it was overrated. The cinematography was really the only thing that I found neat. There are a lot of moments in the movie that are cliché and the main character has plot armor that puts some Marvel characters to shame. Make you own opinion on it though. Better than going in with bias
I just now read an article from insider on why some of the good movies like joker, 1917, Irishman do not deserve it's Oscar nominations. The writer has explained the reasons as well. And the reasons are (drum roll please): lack of diversity, no nomination for women and not giving importance to another period movie depicting LGBT.
Just saw the movie .. holy shit … gave myself a bit of headache to not start sobbing and sniffling at many parts. I had gone off movies for the most part in the past several years. I hope this lets Hollywood know what kind of movies they should go back to making if they want to start recovering their audience. There is no agenda shoved down your throat in this movie, and the overall message that war is terrible and desperate is kind of agreed upon by pretty much everyone. This is just a simple but well made story, it grips you and anyone can relate, no matter what your "community". There are actually some Indian Colonial troops shown in the movie briefly, and I liked it actually, there was no push at them being there for diversity. They were shown as no more or less than any of the other British troops. They were really quite the same. joking and chatting as comrades all in the same shitty mess. Oh and I like the subtle Black Adder reference in the music at the end of this video, I do believe its the quiet theme music played at the end of the final "Black Adder Goes Forth".
Yes, this was a great film. “Gallipoli” is another outstanding WWI movie. One of Mel Gibson’s earliest roles and a standout work from the Australian New Wave era. “1917” borrowed a few queues from it, in fact.
Love the fact that you have the "Blackadder" theme in the background at the end of your monolog, as a homage to the old classic "Blackadder goes forth". And considering it's also used at the last episode at the end of that series finale where they goes out into the no-man's-land makes the use of it here just perfect.
@@ColoradoStreaming Its kinda fucking impressive how Hotzendorf got over a hundred thousand of his men surrounded in Prszemyzl, twice. And also failed to take Serbia even though he sent more men into Serbia than to their front against Russia. And then there's Cadorna's 69th Battle of the Isonzo River. I wonder what would happen if those two retards fight?
"..everyone looks fucked and pissed off..." Well said my friend. That's one of the most accurately put representations of the first World war I've ever heard.
Of all the reviews you've done & I've commented on, this is my favorite review of yours. Your attention to cinematography is why I'm begging you to review Children of Men, please drinker. Pretty please.
As a soldier I found this movie paints the interactions and mentalities of the men at war more accurately as any film before it. It was exceptional and heartfelt and I love the attention to detail in the care we take for the men to left and right of us. So often war movies concentrate on the fighting and not the result of the fighting. This is a fantastic movie and should be required screening for anyone who wishes to tell a story in an honest and meaningful fashion. And the score is second to none.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae
@@peakdennis1 Yes this is why it was "reminiscent". Times have changed and movies are now more technically brilliant. It was powerful in it's era. The theme song was from Jene-Michel Jarre's"Oxygene" who holds the world record for the largest attended concert in history at 3.5 million people.. I think some people may remember that..
I'm going far to see my mother, And all my loved ones who've gone on, I'm only going over Jordan, I'm only going over home. I am a poor wayfaring stranger, I'm travelling through this world of woe, Yet there's no sickness, toil nor danger , In that bright land to which I go. I'm going there to see my father, I'm going there no more to roam, I'm only going over Jordan, I'm only going over home.
