My favourite scene in 2015's Spectre is the opening shot. The camera starts above a crowded street in Mexico, pushing forwards and down until it finds James Bond. Bond sets off, the camera following him into a building, up an elevator and into his room where upon he lives his female accomplice and steps out onto the rooftop with a gun in hand before setting up to eavesdrop on his targets. It runs at four minutes and supposedly contains four 'cuts' that are seamlessly woven together. The movement of the camera, combined with the score and Bond's casual yet assured physicality, makes for an utterly immersive start. It was achieved through the ambition and precision of its director, Sam Mendes, and its cinematographer, Hoyte van Hoytema. Over four years later and that scene just looked like a trial for the one shot technique, as Mendes' new film, 1917, pulls out the stops to appear as one or two shots.
Hoyte van Hoytema did not return for the war film, with Mendes opting for the legendary Roger Deakins who he had previously used on Skyfall and Revolutionary Road. Fans of Deakins will know that he is a man of the silhouette and a man of orange light with a greater focus on handsomely crafted stills. Single takes or one shots do not often appear in his work, instead Emmanuel Lubezki is best known for long tracking shots that are invisibly stitched together. When it comes to tracking shots used to tell entire movies there are several examples: Hitchcock's Rope, 2014's Best Picture winner Birdman (Lubezki) and Victoria (2015) are all told in 'one' shot. But Deakins adds another string to his quite entangled bow by not only accomplishing the continuous shots in this film, but by doing it on an entirely different scale.
With huge sets, swarms of extras and a lot of action, one can only imagine the preparation and rehearsal that went into the shoot. Mendes has how outdone himself here, achieving a technical prowess on the level of Nolan or Kubrick. It is seriously impressive and, most importantly, immersive. This is not a gimmick rather a method or tool to enhance the storytelling. The story tells of two young men sent on a mission behind enemy lines to deliver a message that will save 1,600 soldiers' lives, including the brother of one of the two. But in reality, there are three soldiers. The audience becomes more than a spectator; they are a third soldier following the other two around, taking cover when they do and wincing when they do.
Much like Dunkirk, every aspect of filmmaking involved is masterful. From the period correct sets to Thomas Newman's trembling score (with a little whiff of Hans Zimmer's work from The Thin Red Line), to the hidden editing and intense sound design. But before the camera there is also a brilliant performance from George McKay, and Dean Charles Chapman continues to fashion himself a hopefully bountiful career post-Game of Thrones. There is also a cornucopia of British talent in small supporting roles: Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong and Richard Madden all step in and leave some sort of impression.
Towards the end of the film there is an utterly fantastic piece of direction where the audience realises the non-verbal decision playing in a character's head, leading to whitened knuckles as the music begins to rise. It is one hell of a cinematic moment.
And whilst the more learned film viewers may find themselves trying to look for the joins and cuts in Deakins' camera (and therefore lose some of the intended immersion), the overall look, feel and sound of the film is a transcendent experience. The film has been out a week but to see the cinema gradually get filled out with families of all ages, and to hear the excited conversations as they left afterwards, is magical. There is a beauty to this film and whilst it does not have anything overtly new to say about war, the messages and the way they are emotionally executed is potent enough to draw a tear from the eye.
By default, one of the best WW1 films going.
