1917 May be the Best Film Ever Made

1917 is possibly the best picture I’ve ever watched.  It’s at least the best film I’ve seen over the last decade.  I can’t imagine how it could ever be passed over for Best Picture of 2019.  The movie has won every awards ceremony to date.

Having Monday as a day off from work, I went to the 11 o’clock matinee at Magic Valley Cinema.  I had a seat center theater.  The big screen experience captures the scenery in a way TV wouldn’t do justice.  The sweep of a city ablaze, carnage of “No Man’s Land” and trenches are as much characters as the soldiers being played by actors.

The action is edited to look like one continuous shot.  As a viewer you feel as if you’re along for the mission.

Some early reviews labelled 1917 an anti-war story.  I disagree.  It’s a film about friendship, loyalty and duty.  If you’ve not yet caught a viewing, I won’t try and spoil your day, however.  It’s a bittersweet tale and we’re left wondering at the end about the unlikely hero.  Where does he go after completion of a mission he never wanted?  Does he make it home to his family?  Does he receive another medal?

There’s a hint during the picture that he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his service in a previous battle.  The equivalent of our Medal of Honor.

World War One is underrepresented when it comes to movies.  It was a horrific event and didn’t have the moral clarity of defeating Adolf Hitler a generation later.  1917 is a memorial due for more than a century.