With awards season coming up, various films were nominated for the Oscars. From crime dramas like The Irishman to period pieces like Little Women, it is safe to say there is variety. However, amongst all these films is the unique one-shot war epic movie, 1917.
For those who are not familiar with the 1917 film, it focuses on the first World War set on the same year. The movie revolves around two soldiers set to deliver a message across the German frontline to the second battalion ordering them to call off the attack as the Germans have set a trap for them.
However, the brilliant thing about 1917 is that the movie was filmed to be viewed by the audience as a one-shot take. The entire film is presented to make it seem like no cuts were made.
This is of course impossible in reality as some cuts were actually made but it is done so seamlessly that the audience would not know the difference.
This style of direction scored Sam Mendes the Best Director nomination while 1917 received Best Picture nomination.
First assistant director, Michael Lerman, revealed Mendes was inspired by James Bond movies. Before Sam Mendes directed 1917, he filmed two Bond films, Skyfall and Spectre. In the 2015 film Spectre, the director made the famous one-shot take at the beginning of the movie.
Lerman said it was this take that inspired him to make the film.
“Doing that sequence on Spectre had to have something to do with where Sam got the idea. We had a great experience shooting that opening sequence in Spectre. I think it’s a very strong point of that film in general,” he explained.
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It is obvious that a lot of time and effort went into planning this from the beginning and it’s amazing to see how the one-shot from Spectre was made into a feature-length movie. Fans of 1917 can only hope that Mendes wins for Best Director and Best Film of 2019.
What do you think of the similarities between 1917 and James Bond’s Spectre? Let us know in the comments below!