1917

Description

At the height of World War I, two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay from Captain Fantastic) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman from Game of Thrones), are assigned an apparently impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will put an end to a deadly attack against hundreds of soldiers, including Blake's own brother. 1917 is directed by Sam Mendes, who co-wrote the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Showtime's Penny Dreadful). The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: "Striking, immersive, and with impressive technical direction, 1917 captures the trench warfare of World War I with a raw and surprising immediacy." The film's score is composed by Thomas Newman (The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, Road to Perdition). Newman has received 15 Oscar nominations throughout his career, including one for this epic score. Given that the film is designed to be told in a single continuous shot by cinematographer Roger Deakins, Newman's thrilling score often serves as a unique form of editing. The music pauses during dramatic beats, intensifies in battle scenes, and, in a breathtaking moment, becomes almost operatic as MacKay runs through the ruins of war to escape enemy flares.