Scene of the Week: 1917 Battlefield Run

1917 is a very impressive film. I say that not because director Sam Mendes, cinematographer Roger Deakins and editor Lee Smith managed to use long takes and editing wizardry to make the film appear as two continuous shouts, but 1917 managed to make the World War I, a conflict that saw an estimated 9 million people killed in combat and over 5 million civilians die a must watch event. There is a reason the Great War doesn’t have the line up of outstanding war movies like others (although there are some other personal favorites like Paths of Glory and Gallipoli). 1917 see two British soldiers Will Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) attempting to deliver a message to stop a doomed attack and let’s just say it is not and easy task.

This week’s Scene of the Week focuses on Schofield as he his trying to reach Colonel Mackenzie but sees the trenches too crowded. He wouldn’t be crazy enough to go over the top, would he? The climatic run took two days to film and I can’t get enough of the fact that those times when Schofield runs in to other soldiers were not scripted but MacKay wasn’t hurt so kept getting up and running and they made the final cut.