Clear Bell Posted 11 January , 2020 Share Posted 11 January , 2020 Saw it yesterday with only a handful of others in the cinema, two of whom could not bear to turn off their mobiles. Grrrr. Despite this I found it very involving and, yes, moving emotionally or even physically when the action on screen was really intense and up close, or in the intervals between set pieces. Bearing in mind this is a mainstream film with all the compromises needed to attract funding, I found it very effective cinematically from the moment the camera started moving along with the lead characters. Immersive, yes, superbly if you let yourself settle in. Yes, of course, anyone with a special and detailed interest in a particular war is going have hours of fun picking holes in this kind of experience film, and, yes, there are several jarring aspects for me (although other might not agree), but I still thought it was a pretty fine film all things considered. Who knows whether it will become a classic, but the treatment and the narrow focus, are welcome and make it as distinctive in its own way as "Dunkirk". Sorry to say that film was ruined for me by a very restless audience who couldn't keep still, kept wandering in and out, collecting their buckets of food and drink from the foyer.....no chance of "being in the moment" at that showing. Still both these films are best seen on a cinema screen so I would reccommend seeing '1917' while it is on general release - just have to take your chances audience-wise sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart150 Posted 11 January , 2020 Share Posted 11 January , 2020 @ Clear Bell What rotten luck you had! I saw it as one of 20 people in a 300-seat cinema in the Netherlands. Everybody very still, except that two crept gently out halfway through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard_Lewis Posted 11 January , 2020 Share Posted 11 January , 2020 It's £4.50 for all classes of folk in Neath...young, old, in betweens... bargain! We were in the "Pod" which seats about 90 and there were about 50 of Neath's finest burghers in there, I think...none of them were idle. The Neath cinema is situated within a refurbed Victorian theatre, The Gwyn Hall, (named after Neath chap Howel Gwyn who funded it's construction) and can show three films at once (but not in the same room.) Panto finished recently (Oh yes it did!) Seen ballet there, too... As an aside, its opposite what used to be the Conservative Club but, Neath having run out of Conservatives, the Con Club is now a snazzy drinks venue and renamed The Allan Leonard Lewis VC, a chap with some links to Neath who was awarded a VC in 1914-18. His memorial paving stone is in England...here endeth the lesson. Amen. Collection plate is on your left as you leave. Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardsProductions99 Posted 11 January , 2020 Share Posted 11 January , 2020 (edited) I was very excited to see the film, as I was lucky enough to be a background extra (as a Lance Corporal of the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment) in the charge scene that features prominently in the trailers. An experience I shan't forget, going over the top to the eerie trench whistle and the thud of the explosions was exhilarating, moving (due to family links to the conflict) and just incredible in general. Advancing with Lee-Enfield (rep) and full webbing etc was as atmospheric as sitting in a trench full of khaki clad men smoking roll-ups etc. Finally getting to see the film, I was blown away. The cinematography is so visceral and captures the intensity of the situation incredibly. The one-shot mock-up did give a sense of time, and makes one really feel like you are walking with the lead characters, it was uncanny. You are kept on edge throughout, not knowing what to expect. One of the few films I've 'got lost' in I think. The soundtrack helps with this too, rather Dunkirk-esque actually. The production design was pretty astounding, the detail they went to with the trenches both Allied and Axis, the wrecked village (in one of the best sequences in the film I think) etc would take several viewings to appreciate. Having been in it, I can attest to the attention to detail, bar the odd niggle of course. The locations rather challenge the 'just mud' view too, which stands out from previous representations which is admirable. The acting, especially from the relatively 'new' lead actors was actually really good, and believable, forging quite the emotional connection (as least for me). It is a mark of good acting if you really make the audience root for you I think. The big names naturally performed well, with many in surprisingly small parts. There's a lot one can say about the film but overall, it appears one of the most realistic representations of the trenches and surroundings I've seen, and left me feeling really rather moved, speechless in fact. I had to sit for a while after and gather my own thoughts again. Seeing the scene(s) I was in hit me hard as I realised that had it been for real, I probably wouldn't have seen the war's end, unless I'd been very lucky. I think it'll bring the First World War to a whole new generation, which naturally is very important. I would say maybe wider context could be given about what was happening at that moment in the war (Operation Alberich for example) but that said, I think it is definitely worthy of the praise it has got. Edited 11 January , 2020 by RichardsProductions99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 11 January , 2020 Share Posted 11 January , 2020 6 hours ago, Alan24 said: I must admit to a warm fuzzy feeling, when in Dunkirk, the little ships appeared on the horizon as Nimrod reached a crescendo. Alan. That was the sort of cheap, cynical emotional manipulation that really annoyed me. The whole movie was an exercise in playing the audience like a fiddle. 5 hours ago, Heid the Ba said: I’m not entirely sure he was talking about it happening at the pictures . . . Why ... what did you think I was talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandy hall Posted 11 January , 2020 Share Posted 11 January , 2020 @RichardsProductions99 Due to your connection with the film, you may be interested to know that Andy Robertshaw has put on Twitter today that he has props from the film for sale. I am also just back from seeing the film and I really can’t make up my mind about it. It felt like something and nothing, I can’t explain it. My other half thought it was brilliant, I feel like we watched different films. Ticket price in Bognor Regis £4.00 plus extra 50p for booking online and the cinema was nearly full. We even had to queue outside to get in and everyone around us was munching. Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 11 January , 2020 Share Posted 11 January , 2020 1 hour ago, RichardsProductions99 said: I think it is definitely worthy of the praise it has got. With all respect, you're hardly a disinterested observer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 11 January , 2020 Share Posted 11 January , 2020 1 hour ago, Bernard_Lewis said: It's £4.50 for all classes of folk in Neath...young, old, in betweens... bargain! We were in the "Pod" which seats about 90 and there were about 50 of Neath's finest burghers in there, I think...none of them were idle. The Neath cinema is situated within a refurbed Victorian theatre, The Gwyn Hall, (named after Neath chap Howel Gwyn who funded it's construction) and can show three films at once (but not in the same room.) Panto finished recently (Oh yes it did!) Seen ballet there, too... As an aside, its opposite what used to be the Conservative Club but, Neath having run out of Conservatives, the Con Club is now a snazzy drinks venue and renamed The Allan Leonard Lewis VC, a chap with some links to Neath who was awarded a VC in 1914-18. His memorial paving stone is in England...here endeth the lesson. Amen. Collection plate is on your left as you leave. Bernard Bernard Where is A L Lewis’s paving stone? There is a statue commemorating him in Hereford although I don’t fully understand why, as he was born in Brilley which is less than a mile from the Welsh border and about 20 miles away from Hereford. I realise that Hereford is the county town but Kington would have been closer to his roots and to Wales, where he lived and worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart150 Posted 11 January , 2020 Share Posted 11 January , 2020 @RichardsProductions99 I also found it a magnificent representation of the Western Front. Taking part in this film is certainly something for you to be very proud of. I agree that there should have been a bit more about the context of Operation Alberich. It is annoying that a number of reviewers (not on this forum) didn’t quite understand the context and still don’t. Some reviews talk of ‘a mission behind enemy lines’ and the Germans ‘setting a trap’. The difficulty from the film-makers' point of view is that if the context had been made more clear then the essential absurdity of the main plot would have become more apparent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
better ole Posted 11 January , 2020 Share Posted 11 January , 2020 1 hour ago, Steven Broomfield said: With all respect, you're hardly a disinterested observer. Im assuming you have not seen it yet Steven? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffMcN Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 I was waiting for the milk pail to explode, booby trapped. But none spilt, so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardsProductions99 Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Steven Broomfield said: With all respect, you're hardly a disinterested observer. With all respect, that's as maybe, but I'm allowed to have my views, which many critics seem to agree with. Also, with double respect, at least I can be proud I took (albeit a small) part in a Golden Globe Winning, and a potential Oscar winning film. I didn't see you there? But then there were a few of us extras on set Edited 12 January , 2020 by RichardsProductions99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardsProductions99 Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 3 hours ago, mandy hall said: @RichardsProductions99 Due to your connection with the film, you may be interested to know that Andy Robertshaw has put on Twitter today that he has props from the film for sale. Thank you for mentioning that, I've sent him an email. I wondered where the props went, I thought some must've ended up with someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barney5042 Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 (edited) My wife and I watched '1917' with about 100 in the audience. The audience applauded at the end of the film. We've had the AMC Stub A-List movie pass since April and get to see up to 3 movies per week. Consequently, we've seen nearly every wide-release movie since then. She and I both thought it was the best, most well-crafted movie of 2019. The editing to make it look like a single long-shot was brilliant (I can't believe that the longest shot was reportedly only 8 1/2 minutes according to the director), and the cinematography was visually stunning. We will be disappointed if '1917' does not win Best Picture, although I suspect 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' might win. My wife was bored by 'Once ...'. However, its numerous nostalgic references to 1969 Hollywood will greatly appeal to the typical Academy voter. Edited 12 January , 2020 by barney5042 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 12 January , 2020 Admin Share Posted 12 January , 2020 How come he delivered the letter in pristine condition after his journey down the rapids? ( which incidentally rather reminded me of the trip down in toilet in Trainspotting) Also did officers tell the men to F off? Thought Holmes and Moriarty looked uncomfortable in their uniforms. Probably because more use to seeing them in contemporary clothes, though Moriarty looked the part in Band of Brothers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Michelle Young said: Also did officers tell the men to F off? That was Moriarty's alter ego, The Hot Priest, talking. Edited 12 January , 2020 by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbem Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 21 minutes ago, Michelle Young said: his journey down the rapids 17 hours ago, jonbem said: A little of the filming at the Tees Barrage https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/1917-did-film-tees-barrage-17544659 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastaircox Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 I thought it a very good film, well worth watching in the cinema and, like Dunkirk, an Imax cinema preferably. I watched it in a packed cinema and the audience were completely absorbed with the film from start to finish, not a crisp packet to be heard! My gripes were all very minor, the pick of them was that the whether the soldiers were in the Cheshires or the Devons, they all spoke with the same distinctly 'esturine' accent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norrette Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 2 hours ago, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said: That was Moriarty's alter ego, The Hot Priest, talking. Very good. So when is it set? When I saw no snow in the trailer I presumed it would be summer battles and not Arras/Vimy. No wonder my local flicks are mostly empty, nothing less than £9.75 in West London. Might wait for the DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Norrette said: So when is it set? "Early April 1917" I think. (There are earlier threads that relate to the amount of leaf on the trees, and hay meadows heavy with grass seed). Presumably south of Arras, half way to Bapaume. Edited 12 January , 2020 by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, alastaircox said: ... My gripes were all very minor, the pick of them was that the whether the soldiers were in the Cheshires or the Devons, they all spoke with the same distinctly 'esturine' accent. Possible in 1917... My broad Irish-Lancashire-accented grandad was one of many drafted from the Loyals posted to the Herefords to make up losses in 1917... So Esturine English in a non Esturine regiment not a problem Edited 12 January , 2020 by trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 25 minutes ago, trajan said: Possible in 1917... My broad Irish-Lancashire-accented grandad was one of many drafted from the Loyals posted to the Herefords to make up losses in 1917... So Esturine English in a non Esturine regiment not a problem Trajan Please let me know your grandfather’s name and service number so I can see if he is on my Herefords database. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 46 minutes ago, Norrette said: Very good. So when is it set? When I saw no snow in the trailer I presumed it would be summer battles and not Arras/Vimy. No wonder my local flicks are mostly empty, nothing less than £9.75 in West London. Might wait for the DVD. The date 6th April appears at the start of the film. It’s worth seeing on a large screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan24 Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 (edited) Saw it this morning in Eastleigh for £4.99. Excellent is all I can say, but then I'm no expert. My GGF was killed on 12th April whilst his unit were following the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line at St.Quentin. Reports say it was bitterly cold and snowing. Incidentally, his last diary entry was 6th April. Alan. Edited 12 January , 2020 by Alan24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 12 January , 2020 Share Posted 12 January , 2020 14 hours ago, better ole said: Im assuming you have not seen it yet Steven? Not yet. Hoping to go this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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