There are war movies and then there is 1917, Sam Mendes’ Oscar-winning epic about two young British soldiers sent into No Man’s Land to deliver a message that could potentially save thousands of lives, or cost them if they fail. And as intense as a cinematic experience the film ended up being, some of the behind-the-scenes facts about how it all came together are just as, if not more, insane than what we saw in the final cut.
From the decision to present the film as a continuous one-shot that only breaks from the action for a specific reason to the way the production team had to secure a license to possibly exhume bodies while filming to the meaningful story behind the narrative, there’s a lot to unpack regarding 1917, so let’s not waste any more time and get this thing going.