1917 (2019 movie)

1917 is an American-British 2019 epic war movie.

1917
Directed by	Sam Mendes
Written by	Sam Mendes Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Produced by	Sam Mendes Pippa Harris Jayne-Ann Tenggren Callum McDougall Brian Oliver
Starring	George MacKay Dean-Charles Chapman Mark Strong Andrew Scott Richard Madden Claire Duburcq Colin Firth Benedict Cumberbatch
Cinematography	Roger Deakins
Edited by	Lee Smith
Music by	Thomas Newman
Production companies	DreamWorks Pictures Reliance Entertainment New Republic Pictures Alibaba Pictures Mogambo Neal Street Productions Amblin Partners
Distributed by	Entertainment One (United Kingdom) Universal Pictures (United States)
Release dates	December 4, 2019 (2019-12-04) (London) December 25, 2019 (2019-12-25) (United States) January 10, 2020 (2020-01-10) (United Kingdom)
Running time	119 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$90–100 million
Box office	$384.9 million

Production

It was directed and produced by Sam Mendes, who wrote the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. The movie stars George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, with Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch in supporting roles. The movie is inspired by a story told to Mendes by his paternal grandfather, Alfred Mendes, about his time serving in World War I.

Plot

Taking place soon after the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and Operation Alberich, the movie is about two young British soldiers who were given a mission to deliver a message calling off a doomed offensive attack. This message is especially important to one of the soldiers because his brother will be part of the attack.

Schedule

The project was officially announced in June 2018. MacKay and Chapman signed on in October and the rest of the cast the following March. Filming took place from April to June 2019 in the UK, with cinematographer Roger Deakins and editor Lee Smith using long takes to have the entire movie appear as two continuous shots.

1917 premiered in the UK on 4 December 2019 and was released theatrically in the United States on 25 December by Universal Pictures and in the United Kingdom on 10 January 2020 by Entertainment One. The movie received widespread critical praise and was a box office success, grossing $384 million worldwide.

Awards

The movie had ten nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, and three wins, for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Mixing. It was the last movie to win the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing before the category was combined with Best Sound Editing as a single award for Best Sound. The movie also won Best Picture at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, 73rd BAFTA Film Awards, and PGA Awards, while Mendes won Best Director at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and DGA Awards. The movie was also chosen by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute as one of the top ten movies of 2019.