1917 

    1917, a war film directed and written by Sam Mendes, with Krysty Wilson-Cairns as a co-writer, was released in 2019. It stars Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay, who play two British soldiers— Lance Corporal Blake and Lance Corporal Schofield, respectively— tasked with delivering a message to Colonel Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch). If they fail, thousands of lives will be lost, including Lance Corporal Blake’s brother. 1917 is particularly notable for its unique cinematography, such as the film appearing to have been done in only two takes. I would like to highlight a few things that really stood out to me about the specific choices made concerning the camera and what it showed, and the effect they have on the viewer’s experience. Specifically, the way the cinematography confuses the viewer about the true protagonist, the waterfall sequence, and the mirroring of the first and final scenes.

    1917 opens on a meadow, and the first person we see is Lance Corporal Blake.  The camera continues to zoom out, and Lance Corporal Blake fades out of focus, while Lance Corporal Schofield is revealed to the audience. I thought this was an interesting choice, since my initial assumption was that, due to being the first person shown, and also the person initially tasked with the mission, Lance Corporal Blake must be the protagonist. When the camera finished zooming out, I second guessed myself, because Lance Corporal Schofield was the only one in focus, and then the camera stayed with him despite Lance Corporal Blake’s conversation in the background, and even after Blake got up. However, the film doesn’t make it easy to tell who the protagonist is. Soon after helping Lance Corporal Schofield to his feet, Blake is in front and the camera seems to favor him, but then Schofield catches up, and they share center of the screen and switch off who leads. It seems to alternate between following Blake and Schofield throughout the film, right up until Lance Corporal Blake’s death. This was a unique way to keep the audience wondering who would survive, if either, and meant Blake’s death was unexpected.
    Secondly, I would like to talk about the scene where Lance Corporal Schofield is in the river and headed for a waterfall. I thought it was an interesting choice to keep the focus on Schofield, rather than show us the waterfall like many films would. It played off of the viewer’s knowledge of tropes, through showing the rushing water, the large rocks in the path that are narrowly avoided, and the desperate attempts to grab onto a tree branch, all of which are common sequences in the Inevitable Waterfall trope (TV Tropes), especially after the waterfall has already been shown. The first time we saw the waterfall was right as Lance Corporal Schofield went over it, and though it wasn’t a surprise when he did eventually go over, knowing the waterfall was inevitable without knowing when he’d reach it built tension in a way I didn’t expect.
    Lastly, I wanted to talk about the mirroring of the beginning in the closing. This is more common than the other two, but I love when movies do this. In the beginning shot, Lance Corporal Blake and Lance Corporal Schofield are seen in a meadow, and Schofield is sitting up against a tree, while Lance Corporal Blake is laying on the ground with his helmet covering his face. Schofield, on the other hand, does not have a helmet on. Likewise, in the end, Schofield is in a meadow once more, leaning against a tree, without his helmet. In both shots, he has his eyes closed. Upon watching, my first thought was of how it was a mirror of the first scene. It felt bittersweet, to see him back under a tree, resting, this time without Lance Corporal Blake.
    To summarize, 1917 is notable for its unique cinematography, which caused it to appear to be done it only two takes. However, I think there are other, smaller things, that are important to notice as well. The first is how the cinematography confuses the viewer about the true protagonist and allows Lance Corporal Blake’s death to come as a shock, the second is the decision to leave the waterfall unseen until the last moment, and the third is the decision to have the ending scene mirror the first. Though they are small things, they make a significant impact on how the viewer experiences the film.