In a Hollywood that has all but shunned artistic freedom for directors this past decade, it must have been hard for Sam Mendes to find the right project to satisfy his creative juices. Alas, that’s why his upcoming WWI film “1917” (12.13.19) should be a cause for celebration. The film stars Mark Strong, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch and will have the luxury of being shot by DP extraordinaire Roger Deakins.
“1917” is also the last of the four major Oscar contenders to have been screened this year. "Bombshell,” “Richard Jewell” and “Little Women” have all now been shown to press in the big cities. (I’m sorry, I just can’t count “Cats,” the trailer was ridiculed to no end and even went viral online for all the wrong reasons).
“1917” was finally shown this afternoon, for New York press, to a mostly positive reaction from critics. A source who caught a test-screening last month praised “1917” as a film filled with “stunning sequence after stunning sequence,” not to mention “surprises at every turn.” He added that it also, as was rumored, uses magic trick editing to make it look as though the film was shot in a single take by “hiding cuts through shadows, going up hills and outside blockades” a la “Birdman,” “Gravity” and “Rope.”
Because I haven’t seen “1917” yet I am not ready to weigh in on its Oscar chances, but, judging by these first tweet reactions, it will have many ardent fans who will push it for awards consideration. Whether it is a serious contender will also depend on how glowingly it will be reviewed by critics.
I’ll be catching '“1917” this coming Monday. Stay tuned.
I briefly mentioned Ben Affleck's "Animals" yesterday, but I need to get more into it, because this thing, now streaming on Netflix, is one of the most baffling efforts I've seen from a serious director in a long time.