A couple WW1 movies off the top of my head. Warhorse, Galipolli, The Blue Max, A Farwell to Arms, The Razor's Edge etc. A brief look says it all. Almost all the WW1 movies are about the survivors having PTSD and not taking the hill, beating the Nazi's, or the Cong or whatever. Even though some of them are very good movies they're not readily remembered because the victories were more subtle. Bill Murry or Brad Pitt regaining their souls at the end of Razor's Edge gives you some closure for the charcter but it's not exactly memorable like Tom Hanks plinking at a Tiger with a 45 as he's dying.
The Critical Drinker for what it’s worth, 1917 is essentially the plot of the third act of the Australian movie Gallipoli, just dragged out over feature length. It starred a young Mel Gibson and is worth checking out.
Agreed... excellent review. I noticed a slightly more somber sign off as well. Reminds me of the rare silent clock from 24 when a significant character died. You don't usually notice it until that moment.
As one reviewer pointed out, from this film you can clearly see where J. R. R. Tolkien got his inspiration for creating Mordor. The most terrifying locations of WWI practically feel like they take place on a different planet.
Good point. Also the Tolkien line in LoTR where Gandalf proclaims, you shall not pass, was probably inspired from General Petain when the general took over the Verdun defenses. When asked if the situation at Verdun was retrievable, Petain said, they shall not pass.
Tolkien said that WW1 was other people’s idea of his inspirations. He denied it had anything to do with WW1 and all about his lifetime of study of ancient mythology
Sousabird I’m sure it did, and he lived through a time where many of his peers, friends and students died or were broken by war, but he was pretty adamant that Mordor etc had more to do with the mythology that had been his interest all his life. The biggest supporter from his family of this theory was his author grandson who was writing WW1 books and admitted that having a famous grandfather had helped him getting published.
Paths of Glory is more horrifying as it’s about medals and power over lives. This film felt weak because the things that made it great from a technical aspect ruined my immersion. It felt like a Disney theme park ride as I recently was watching the resistance ride. I was seeing these two protagonists go through areas and just say “wow look at that it’s a plane in background and now it’s in the foreground!” I think the moment where it lost me was when Germans were chasing the guy running and shooting while the Brit was in a straight path... Why would a man with a rifle chase the person that is 30 ft away from him? I can understand if they had bayonets but come on!
Try reading some books about the Great War. Start with John Keegan. I got sucked in bc I couldn’t believe the horror. I had to stop about one chapter in on The Somme. WWI changed everything.
Indeed, those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it. Yet those who *do* study history are doomed to stand by helplessly watching everyone else repeat it.
@White Chocolate For the most part, you're not wrong 🤣 But in all seriousness I consider myself lucky to have a job where I can put my history degree to good use
@@sulacomarine why do you think war is evil or a mistake meant not to be made again? Is disarming ourselves the solution if so then how will we protect one another? if not should we sit by twiddling our thumbs why our allies are being destroyed their homes and families? If a war progresses humanity as a whole in a new age of technology and improved health is that war not just? Did those fighting in the many wars waste away their lives for a faulty cause?
It’s honestly so disrespectful when people concentrate on representation in honest war movies, it just belittles the men that actually fought and died in the conflicts. It’s like in battlefield 5 there’s a mission based on a true story but they replaced the actual regiment with a mother and daughter taking away all the credit from the soldiers who deserved it most purely for “representation”.
it's worth considering that there were a couple of Indian Sikhs in the transport truck. So the film did represent some minorities without it feeling forced.
"Even their rats are bigger than ours." What a brilliant movie overall. So many awesome moments. The Wayfaring Stranger song in the forest was so utterly eerie... you see these young guys sitting motionless and quiet while their fellow soldier sings, and you can feel how desperate they are for a moment of peace, distraction and beauty before they get tossed back into the meat grinder.
Agreed, but, think about it. They'er listening to a song about a dying man about to meet his maker, and hopefully see his departed loved ones again, Moments before they themselves are about to die. That part Hit me pretty hard.
One side effect of the amazing single shot sequence is that the audience didn’t actually lose they’re bearings. By the end of the film I still had a pretty good idea of the geography.
While I did like the cinematography, it did greatly underscore the scope of the battlefield. WW1 battlefields were massive. The film did try to address it as well as the shear horror of the battlefields... But sadly, reality is much worse than presented in film.
I loved 1917. A two hour movie and both my girlfriend and I thought that the movie was over in twenty minutes. It was so good that people around us were literally, not just figuratively, sitting on the edge of their seats in the theater unable to take their eyes off of the screen for even a moment. Can’t wait until the blu-ray release. If you’ve not seen this movie yet make sure that you do. I hope that this movie sparks interest in the Great War. It’s quickly becoming a ‘forgotten’ war and it never should be. I highly recommend the podcast Hardcore History by Dan Carlin. He has a six part series on the First World War called “Blueprint for Armageddon” and you should absolutely download it and listen to it.
Blueprint for Armageddon is without a doubt the most gripping and interesting thing that I have ever listened to. Fascinating stuff and Dan knows how to present stories and information like no other
Another good resource for WWI is the UA-cam channel The Great War. Starting in 2014 they went over events week by week 100 years later, until 2018. They did interwar episodes too and part of the crew is now doing WWII week by week. If you like history I recommend looking them up!
As an older boy than you (I'm sure), it's worth saying that, while the memories of the war are going to the grave one by one (children of veterans are growing very old now), the historiography of it is getting much, much better. When I was primary school age in the 1980s, the school history syllabus covered WW1, but it told the mid-20th C 'agreed-upon revisionist' view, which was the old folk myth of "lions led by donkeys" and a four-year relentless meat-grinder in the mud, with trench foot and (to para-quote Blackadder) the never-ending horror of the poetry. Thing is, we were taught that it was all a blasted, pockmarked, treeless hell with nothing but snipers, mud and frontal charges into machine-guns. This was so wrong it beggars belief. While there was a massive stalemate, there was also as much relief from the front line for the average soldier as could be provided, which it turns out was quite a lot! Maybe a week in the first trench line every two or three months was the reality of it. Yes, the experience was still brutal and combat was horrendous, but the post-war myths have now been swept away mostly and replaced with a far more fascinating, nuanced and - dare I say it - palatable truth. This war is far from forgotten by all, just yet. (And may it never be so, for your children's sakes.) Plus, there were so many other tragedies which are now being better understood and, placed into the proper context, shows you just how universally horrible the WW1 experience was, for families as well as servicemen. You may, or may not, find this enlightening: www.quora.com/What-was-the-most-unexpected-nautical-tragedy-in-naval-military-history/answers/161160054
@@KrillLiberator WW1 is arguably both one of the greatest tragedies in modern history and also a completely unavoidable conflict, as sad as that is to say.
That episode has always stayed with me. Cutting from humour to grim reality with the poppies rising in the credits was truely moving. Also cutting edge technology at the time. If people haven't watch Blackadder goes forth they really should.
I just took my father (a huge history buff) to see 1917 yesterday. We were in absolute shock and awe throughout the entire film. I really enjoyed this video's descriptive detail for this film. Truly the viewer is taken step by step through the mud and blood of no man's land and the horrors that lay within and beyond. As the Drinker Recommends, so too does this lad and his father.
1917 should have been about the ignorant governments that put these poor bastards in this situation....nothing heroic or glorious about killing and being killed due to criminal stupidity.
There should be nothing offensive about that statement. Men don't cause a fuss when there's movies or articles about the courageous acts women have done - in fact, it highly admirable.
My adopted grandfather served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He loved his comrades and spoke about them with such reverence and pride. He had such love for them. I think I learned more about them from him than their own families could ever guess. One thing I learned, is that his generation of heroes were made of infinitely stronger stuff than our generation of cultural saviours.
They were not made of any special stuff, their strength came out when forced under brutal & horrific conditions, if you were to compare them to a people of different time, you need to do the same with that people also
I loved this film. And as for the "representation" aspect of it, there was some actual historical ethnic representation in this film that didn't feel jarring or out of place (a Sikh soldier from India who was separated from his unit and catching a ride with the soldiers in the back of that truck, as well as the rare black soldier that would pop up every now and then amongst the Commonwealth soldiers).
Don't kid yourself. Blacks would not be hob nobbing with English soldiers. At best, they would have been segregated. There was a black regiment in the US army, not British. The French had them, but they would have been wearing French uniforms, not British. The Sikh would have been quiet in the truck in the presence of his betters. British soldiers weren't friendly with them, after the uprisings in India. Total Hollywood pandering!! Oh, and the clip our hero loads into his rifle had roughly 6 shots, yet we never see him reload...
@@thomasmulhall4873 nitpicking, also where im from we had men, black, white and indian who served in WW1 alongside the british. Remember this is 1917 the british were running out of men so they couldnt be extra picky. Also sam medes grandfather who this movie is dedicated to was a Trinidadian, as I am.
Whilst it's true that there were Indian soldiers serving in France in 1915 and into early 1916 (they were sent there to fill the gap before the arrival of Kitchener's volunteers), to the best of my knowledge they had all been withdrawn long before 1917 rolled around. Indian. troops served principally in the Middle East during the Great War. Similar with black soldiers in the British forces, who would have served in the various African theatres mostly. As Thomas Mulhall says, these soldiers would have served in their own regiments, not in the same battalions as the white soldiers.
I loved how 90% o the soldiers looked like they were still in high school, not like saving private ryan (I knew a man at Omaha beach, he and his whole posse were 18-20 years old)
That is actually a politically correct bromide. In WW1 as in WW2 the real enemies were the Germans, who had been heavily influenced by social Darwinist ideas and eugenics. WW1 was a needless war, I grant. Russia and France stupidly turned the conflict between assassination-minded Serbia and revenge-hungry Austria and Germany into a world war. Still, the brutal German invasion of Belgium turned America against the Germans, a strategic miscalculation that would eventually prove fatal to Germany. In a sense, through arrogance the Germans turned out to be their own worst enemies.
Vern Crisler roughly 99% of German soldiers in both world wars were catholic or Protestant, social Darwinism where in vogue among most white people of the time. While hitler was a megalomaniacal madman who may have been an atheist he used the power of the soldiers religious beliefs to make himself the new god figure, religion and it’s unquestioning obedience were what allowed the cult of personality of both hitler and Stalin to wreck havoc Also the real motivator for US involvement was the sinking of the Lusitania and the German switch to unrestricted submarine warfare.
@Smattless Ironic, in that I believe Austria and Germany were justified in attacking Serbia. But when our grandfathers or great-grandfathers fought in WW1, they were fighting Germans.
@@mcamp9445 I like what you say, but I don't think Hitler was a madman. He knew exactly what he was doing -- enacting Darwin's survival of the fittest idea. Darwin of course would have been appalled by how Hitler used his theory.
Same with the gentlemen from Guy Ritchie which was pretty good but some sjw managed to stick their obsessions on this movie, seeing messages about white men afraid to lose their privileges/being homophobic and racist etc. (while they are just characters and are mobsters talking with coarse language like they are supposed to do)
@@craigory8123 It's either good or absolute garbage, that literally nobody would watch, so let's face it. Most of the stuff SJW hate is actually pretty good.
It’s not an analogy for the class system. It’s reflecting how most people view WW1. Most people who study wars only focus on events or major people, such as leaders, generals, or famous soldiers. It’s meant to emphasize that the men of WW1 are often unstudied and ignored.
@@bigj1905 In WW1 officers and the upper class were synonymous. After that... not so much... because a whole lot of officers led charges into no man's land never to return. The British aristocracy was shrunk by a large amount. After that, being an officer became more of a sign of merit than what school you went to.
WW1 is the War that “started it all”. To understand WW2 and all that followed, WW1 is the key. And yes, there should be more focussed on it. But Hollywood keeps putting out WW2 movies. 1917 is a rare and great exemption.
I think it’s because WWII was both larger and easier to understand on a moral level. It’s obvious in WWII who the bad guys were. This isn’t implying that the Soviets, Americans, and British were angels, just that their enemies were clearly worse. Meanwhile WWI broke out following longstanding tensions of territory disputes, militarism, and nationalism. What should have been an isolated conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia ended up dragging most of Europe into war, and men were forced into the meat grinder of trench warfare to advance mere meters.
to be fair, there were things preceding WW1 that you need to know to understand why WW1 happened and in turn WW2. its history after all. and as the drinker said: it does not lend itself to fast action and clear cut heroes. because thats now what that war was. and Hollywood is not a history class
@@Willie_Pete_Was_Here Nationalism was not the cause of WW1, globalism was, the became what it was because of a interlocking series of treaty's and mutual defense agreements Which dragged country after country into the growing trash fire
@@Willie_Pete_Was_Here you’re right, but the other big reason why ww2 has many more movies is because Americans had a much bigger role in the conflict. In ww1, many Americans didn’t even get a chance to fire their weapons since they joined so late. Hollywood makes the majority of films in the film industry as a whole, and chooses to focus on war movies to do with the USA, since they are from there after all. Therefore, Hollywood leans towards ww2 and other following conflicts much more favourably as opposed to ww1. If Hollywood was European, it would probably be a whole other story.
@@zookerman it's not about Hollywood being in the US but that the US is the biggest market for them. You've probably noticed that there have been an increasingly larger number of movies focused on China and Chinese tropics. That's for the same reason. China is becoming more important.
Thankfully it was not too in your face in this film. That being said....just put the black guys in French uniforms BOOM historically accurate. Have the Indian guy in a whole Indian unit. Maybe have him talk about fighting for the British to earn independence for his own country BOOM perfect
8:58 I'm currently doing a master's degree in military history, so I'd like to offer some corrections, if I may, to your points about the battalion's attack and about transport. For starters, the film is set in 1917 during the retreat to the Hindenburg Line, so the idea of a battalion marching for miles into PREVIOUSLY German territory is entirely accurate, as the withdrawal reduced the length of the western front by about 40 kilometers (25 miles) and released c. 14 German infantry divisions. It also removed major cities like Bapaume and Peronnes from German occupation. It's also worth noting that 1000 yards was not considered a strategic achievement, or would certainly not be seen as such in 1914 or 1918 when significant territory changed hands on the Western Front. While the gains in 1915-17 were smaller than in other years, and in comparison to the Eastern Front or Palestine, the strategic aims of offensives like the Somme and 3rd Ypres were pretty much always to breakthrough and END the stalemate, though the density of forces and quantity of firepower made this exceedingly difficult without one side having a significant numerical advantage over the other, as the Germans possessed in Spring 1918 and as the Allied and Associated Powers (Britain, France, Italy and the USA) possessed after Summer 1918. As to motorized infantry transport not being used, this again is not entirely true. When the war broke out in 1914, the German Army's light infantry battalions, or Jaegers, were equipped with trucks and motor cars, as well as bicycles, to allow them to keep up with the cavalry divisions, and the French Army made use of requisitioned taxis, cars and motor buses to transport infantry to and from the front and during the advance in 1914 also. The British Army also had Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport Companies (ASC MT Companies) which each contained about 60 trucks, which were used for transporting supplies and could be used for moving troops. In know for certain that in 1918, during the Hundred Days offensives after 1918, the 4th Guards Brigade was outfitted with lorries and motor buses for swift transport, and was attached to the Cavalry Corps.
This was very informative, and not the type of classic history knowledge that's easily looked up. You should make a video. Here's a clickbate suggestion "MOVIE: 1917, is it accurate? Military historian's perspective"
A person of intelligence!!! I'm happy you chose to pursue a degree in history and not basketweaving or gender studies. May you graduate with honors and top of your class.🏅
Great comment, thanks for such infos, it's kind of hard to get good answers when you're not much knowledgeable on the subject, having someone who studies in it is quite pleasant, if more comments were like this on UA-cam, people might be less assholes in general.
@@Mangaka-ml6xo "if more comments were like this on UA-cam, people might be less assholes in general." You aren't kidding. Unfortunately, the internet has become a megaphone for idiots. And as for the OP, I appreciate the info. I too hope he graduates at the top of his class!
"How are you feeling, Darling?" "Not, all that good, Blackadder. Rather hoped I'd get through the whole show: Go back to work at Pratt & Sons. Keep wicket for the Croydon Gentleman. Marry Dorris...Made a note in my diary on the way here. It simply says - bugger." "Well, quite."
The "Marry Doris" bit always gets me. For me, those lines by Darling are the best and most poignant. It is wonderful writing and beautifully delivered.
@@davidmarshall7390 Always remember how the audience is laughing at Pratt & Sons because its a bit of a pun, but by the time he gets to "marry Dorris" everyone is silent.
@@davidmarshall7390 Also that shot earlier with Melchett where you just see him framed by the silhouette of the driver like the spectre of Death himself is just masterful.
The bit with Blake and the German Pilot had me in tears I can't lie. The way he gets visibly paler and its both angry and scared with what's happened is so moving
The actor who played Blake was the same one who played Tommen in Game of thrones. This really surprised and impressed me. It turns out he could act if he was given the right role.
@@Isildun9 *SPOILERS* Personaly I was really surprised when he died, I was sure he was the main guy in the film, he would save the day and reunite with his brother, glad that the movie went for the more realistic approach
@@BHank762 Ah thanks for clarifying that. I read the caption at the end of the movie and wasn't sure if it was a true story about his grandfather, or a story his gradfather had made up and he was just bringing it to film or what the deal was. I noticed none of the characters were called Mendes so I figured it was a work of fiction but wasn't sure.
@@barrygreggs3840 yet another fun "fact". It is very likely, that Hitler was 1/4 jewish. It is known now, that his grandmother had an affair with a jewish man and it is believed that his father was in truth the son of that affair. Back than this was most likely not known, not even to Hitler, but documents available to us now suggest that it is very likely true.
Probably the most well-photographed war scene of all time. Roger Deakins truly is the best in his field now that Conrad Hall has passed. He also shot Blade Runner: 2049, which is one of the most beautiful films ever made. I wasn't surprised to learn he also filmed 'The Big Lebowski' back in the 90s. If you take the time to notice it, the photography in that film is fantastic!
Most movies would have made him face a challenge of save Blake's life or deliver the message, only for him to do both. But here his friend gets stabbed and he dies, just like what would happen in real life
@@vwsyncro apocalypse now? Platoon? Born on the Fourth of July? Countless more wayy better war movies. This film was essentially a gimmick was shitty acting, contrived scenes and predictable war movie cliches. It looked great but that’s it. There should be more to a movie than just a cool camera trick. This film had 0 depth at all. The characters were like video game characters. The ONLY scene that touched me was the one at the end with the brother but that’s about it.
@@MC-yq6us because its trying to depict the reality of the situation rather than some Hollywood exaggeration to make it interesting. The interactions between the characters is so accurate, just miserable lads wanting to get home and out of the shithole. Yanks love to squeeze the hog with their war movies so its good to see humble depiction of one in 1917.
@@MC-yq6us I'm sorry, but if your think Platoon or Born on the Fourth of July is better than 1917 you are sorely mistaken. Want some good war movies? Watch "Das Boot", a WWII movie about the crew of a German U-Boat, or "Waterloo", which is pretty self explanatory setting-wise. They'll give you a much broader perspective than just simply 'yay America patriot wooooo'
@@DarthPlato i first heard this line from the cold war nuclear submarine movie. the mc talked about how nuclear war will kills every players. but at the end, we kinda won the cold war by keeping the MAD ......for now
Violence is as obligate to humans as breeding is. War then is inevitable in large populous and societies. Nonviolent movements have only ever succeeded because of the obvious inferring of violence should they fail, thus making violence the motivation to action. Humans must always be prepared: prepared to help and to love, prepared to abandon and to fight.
Yep, was thinking just the same thing. Very touching and poignant ending to that series. Perfect use of the musical score by CD to touch on the sadness and grief and pointlessness of WWI
Quite a touch, playing the end theme from “Blackadder Goes Forth,” where a show that gave us so many laughs... ends on such a final, sad note... as the push goes forward anyway.
The movie is absolutely fantastic and as a WW1 buff myself I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying it. I personally went to see it opening night and it's my favorite theater experience so far. However as a WW1 buff that agrees with your stance on the movie, you are wrong about a few things regarding the technology of the time. 1. Radio and telephone communications did exist at the time and was commonly used in the trenches as early as 1914. In the movie you can actually see troops struggling to get a radio wire back up, and the movie also points out that there communication wires were wrecked by the Germans. That's why they chose men to deliver the message instead of doing it over radio. 2. Troop transportation was actually a legit thing again throughout most of the war. Trucks were used to carry both troops and supplies and would travel in caravan as seen in the movie. There were also cars, bikes, and motorcycles used for supplies and troop transportation. 3. The pilot of the plane was on fire and clearly panicking, it's possible he just wasn't paying attention and ran into the barn accidentally. Or the plane itself just lost all control and moved on it's own while falling. Planes were pretty much shit back then so that's what I assumed when watching the film. I hope me pointing those out doesn't make me look like an asshole, just as a buff I couldn't help it.
1) Telephones were common in the trenches, radios however were not. In 1914 the German army had precisely 36 Radios, the entire army. They were usually located at Corps and Army HQ's, not on the front. They were simply too damned heavy, even by 1918 a radio weighed around 2000 pounds and required two trucks to transport. Radios have the advantage they do not require wires, but no radios were small enough to be carried by attacking troops over No Mans Land in 1914 - 1918, miniturisation only really took off after the war during the late 20's and thirties. Telephone wires being cut on an attack especially, where they could not be dug in to provide them some protection against shellfire was however, as you stated, a huge issue, and the reason why runners and pigeons became such an important aspect of communicating with front line forces on the attack. 2) Yes, in the rear areas trucks were very heavily used for troop transport, especially by the British and French. But only behind their lines, Drinker was right when he made the point about getting trucks across no mans land into enemy territory, it was not only all but impossible it was never done. However, the huge use both the British and French made of motor vehicles for supply and troop transport is often overlooked these days. I mean look at Verdun, that whole battle was supplied entirely by trucks on the French side because there were no rail lines near enough to the front lines. 3) If I was in a WWI aircraft and coming down in flames I would be panicking as well! Those things were literal deathtraps. More Sopwith Camel pilots were killed in accidents than in combat, and the Camel was not unique in this regard!
@@amaxamon WW1 troops were known to have sworn so much that when an officer gave them an order without swearing, it usually meant a sense of urgency behind it
@@jackforman4363 "Fuck" was not a widely used curse at the time, sorry! I've been on this subject & the Edwardian era for over 30 years, it was Hollywood bullshit and it pulled me out of the movie.
The general in the beginning of the film who gave the briefing did specifically say that the Germans had cut the comms lines of the British, and that's why they couldn't send the message calling off the attack.
Drinker, there is a line in the briefing near the start that says "and as a parting gift they have cut our telephone lines...." which means the orders must be hand deliverd.
@@hristokozhuharov2585 no they definitely had telephones in ww1. that was their primary mode of communication, at least in the later parts of the war. pretty sure they would run their own lines and bury them.
The movie is sort of messed up on its history. The battalion was a "light battalion" close following up a German retreat. The danger to it would have been a German ambush rather than it attacking the Germans. And since it was operating ahead of the main British advance, there would have been no physical communication to it. I'm pretty certain that the film is dealing the German planned retreat to the Hindenberg Line in 1917. It gets all the details right, but alot of the explainations of whats overall going on is upside-down.
The concept of a movie's runtime all taking place in real continuous time is amazing. I'm surprised more movies aren't made using this tactic. It turns up the intensity and suspense. It really helps the viewer feel the urgency of the mission the soldier is in. Good movies use the location as a character in itself, but movies shot using this time concept also turn time into a character.
"Who would've noticed another madman around here? Good luck, everyone.". I'll admit, the Drinker caught me off guard with the ending piece of score to Blackadder goes Forth, but it was strangely appropriate.
Just saw the movie .. holy shit … gave myself a bit of headache to not start sobbing and sniffling at many parts. I had gone off movies for the most part in the past several years. I hope this lets Hollywood know what kind of movies they should go back to making if they want to start recovering their audience. There is no agenda shoved down your throat in this movie, and the overall message that war is terrible and desperate is kind of agreed upon by pretty much everyone. This is just a simple but well made story, it grips you and anyone can relate, no matter what your "community". There are actually some Indian Colonial troops shown in the movie briefly, and I liked it actually, there was no push at them being there for diversity. They were shown as no more or less than any of the other British troops. They were really quite the same. joking and chatting as comrades all in the same shitty mess. Oh and I like the subtle Black Adder reference in the music at the end of this video, I do believe its the quiet theme music played at the end of the final "Black Adder Goes Forth".
It’s my birthday this weekend, think I’ll go see this with my dad. Both of us are vets, neither of us watch a lot of war movies, but this, this looks good. Thanks for the review.
The ending was perfection. Something oddly perfect the way the music continues when it cuts to black. Like we followed him through a day of his life, the film ends but he has many more days like it to come. After watching the entire movie it just strikes a chord in you in a way you never expected.
“At the height of western civilisation, millions of young men died in cold, wet holes in the ground, which they had dug with their own hands.“ (G. J. Meyer, A World Undone). I quoted from memory, but am sure it‘s pretty accurate, because that sentence really got me. As serious and gruesome as the subject is, 1917 also has some of the most remarkably beautiful imagery I have seen in a long time. The juxtaposition with the horrors of war only heightens the effect on both sides. Also, the “one continuous shot“ effect is well executed, the music perfect, this is one of the best films in a long time.
The Gay Rascal I watched this movie with school last monday, dang I loved it. Many kids out of my class hated it and I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it more if I didn’t have ten exams that week. But even though I didn’t have time for watching it I loved it. We just talked about ww1 with history so that made teh movie even better. Also one thing that I noticed in this movie was that you could almost never see the enemy. The only time you saw a german soldier was when Blake got killed and when it was dark, this detail shows how there actually was no bad guy in the war. The music indeed was perfect, the high notes capture the cruels of war perfectly. Also that moment when the guy tells Scofield that some guys just wanna fight captures why the war was fought, it were just guys tricked into thinking dying for yout country was an honour.
@@Feyser1970 the Germans were never defeated. Not even close. However, they lost the war of attrition. The German citizen could no longer support those long months in the trenches. Unlike the WW1, in the second one the Germans eventually were annihilated. You know, cuz in WW1 the allies where never gonna get to Germany
The technological advancements during the war were absurd. It began with men trading volleys and charging on horseback, and finished with machine guns, bombs, and tanks. Imagine being Calvary staring down the barrel of a Gatling gun for the first time. Such an alien experience right before being torn to shreds.
Damn...regular viewers can tell the difference in tone and inflection from each of the Drinker's "go away now"s as a clue into how he feels about what he is reviewing. I am eager to see this film.
I just now read an article from insider on why some of the good movies like joker, 1917, Irishman do not deserve it's Oscar nominations. The writer has explained the reasons as well. And the reasons are (drum roll please): lack of diversity, no nomination for women and not giving importance to another period movie depicting LGBT.
Me and my dad went to go see this in the theater and this movie’s more human scenes actually made my Dad cry, cause the movie perfectly captured the World War I stories my great grandfather would tell to him when he was young. My great grandfather and my Dad had a strong bond and my great grandfather often couldn’t go into detail due to the horrible things he did and saw on the battlefield, but he could share the human parts that this movie really tapped into.
I love his work in Blade Runner but I do hope he gets a second. The shorten Oscar season has ruined the possibility of having watched a film with time and input.
@@braiboo7gaming489 Of course he's joking, are you simple? It's a white mans privileged to die horribly on the front lines, so that you may be free to call all white men privileged. That clearer for you?
As a soldier I found this movie paints the interactions and mentalities of the men at war more accurately as any film before it. It was exceptional and heartfelt and I love the attention to detail in the care we take for the men to left and right of us. So often war movies concentrate on the fighting and not the result of the fighting. This is a fantastic movie and should be required screening for anyone who wishes to tell a story in an honest and meaningful fashion. And the score is second to none.
I'm going far to see my mother, And all my loved ones who've gone on, I'm only going over Jordan, I'm only going over home. I am a poor wayfaring stranger, I'm travelling through this world of woe, Yet there's no sickness, toil nor danger , In that bright land to which I go. I'm going there to see my father, I'm going there no more to roam, I'm only going over Jordan, I'm only going over home.
@@ColoradoStreaming Its kinda fucking impressive how Hotzendorf got over a hundred thousand of his men surrounded in Prszemyzl, twice. And also failed to take Serbia even though he sent more men into Serbia than to their front against Russia. And then there's Cadorna's 69th Battle of the Isonzo River. I wonder what would happen if those two retards fight?
Its cus in a lot of stuff, they dont even use blanks for some shots, just a prop gun and the muzzle flash is put in after, sometimes looking absolutely poo like in The Walking Dead
"..everyone looks fucked and pissed off..." Well said my friend. That's one of the most accurately put representations of the first World war I've ever heard.
10:15 That's the point, that's why the other person says to him something like "make sure there's someone else in the room when you give it to him," because the leader of that battalion, I think, knew about the Germans but didn't want to back down and wouldn't without direct orders. That's why he sent them out into basically a known slaughter
From what I’ve seen 1917 has a lot of similarities to one of my favorite movies, Master and Commander: Far Side of the World-it shows the sacrifices, strategies, tough decisions, glories and brutality of naval warfare then, but also the deep brotherhood and camaraderie of men at war, with plenty of historical immersion. Action isn’t at all constant, but when it does come it’s hard and fast. Both movies have 1 simple mission as their goal, but offer much more throughout it. Both movies aren’t/weren’t afraid to show the struggle of MEN-white men even-at war. It’d be awesome if the drinker could consider recommending Master and Commander!
And they actually did a great job of showing what diversity was there. HMS Surprise has the 1 black sailor. Perfectly believable for the era. He was probably recruited or press ganged as the ship was in the West Indies. In 1917 the replacements truck our protagonist gets shoved into has a Sikh soldier amongst men of a good half dozen units including the Tank Corps because the the truck is made up of guys back from hospital trying to return to their proper units and plenty of Indian Army fought in Flanders and France.
Our host is surely already aware of this, but for the benefit of my fellow Americans ... As Americans, even the losses we experienced in the so-called "Civil War" doesn't quite approach the human devastation experienced by the U.K. in World War I. *25%* of men aged 17-35 died in that war. Let that sink in: _One out of four men,_ gone forever. Just breaks my heart to even _imagine_ that level of devastation. I still want (and need) to see _They Shall Not Grow Old._
I didn't know that was the British casualty rate. That's completely fucked up, especially considering they weren't even fighting on their own territory. That's almost as bad as the Serbian casualty rate, but at least they have the excuse of being surrounded by the enemy.
But don't forget, over the whole 20th century, in Europe and North America, it was less than 1% of all men who died in war. If you look at pre-state societies, it's 10% to 60%. The battles are smaller, so it seems less horrific (and it is less horrific in some ways), but it goes on all the time. People like us can't even begin to imagine what that's like.
Those figures seem highly dubious. UK had 880k military deaths out of population of 45.4 million. The oft quoted 60,000 on the first day of the Somme is highly misleading too. It was 20,000 dead and 40,000 wounded. It was the worst day of the war and no other day had remotely the same level of casualties. The entire 4 month battle of the Somme had approx 420,000 casualties (including wounded).
@@martinfeeney6529 3 million males of military age served in the Civil War (no need for quotes it was indeed a civil war). According to the US Battlefield Trust and most CW historians the deaths including combat deaths and DoW (died-of-wounds/disease) is 620,000 though there is good evidence that is closer to 700,000 out of a TOTAL male population 13.4M is 5.2%. The generally accepted KIA/Missing presumed KIA is 20,000 dead for Day 1 of the Somme-which is severe enough. Total UK military deaths for the entire war is generally accepted to be about 2% of the adult male population... So yes the Civil War WAS more deadly soldier for soldier than WW1 just sayin/
Loved this movie. Took my whole family when it came out. My teenaged daughter, who is a budding 20th century history buff, really enjoyed it. In my opinion the most poignant scene was with the young woman and orphan baby. It was a powerful sliver of humanity amoung the carnage of war.
@@PfalzD3 @TheCriticalDrinker give the fans what they want. A film about all those crazy benders you on those dark glasgow nights. From the local bars to the bright lights of the discotech. Show us the highs and lows of The Critical Drinker.
Because USA had very little involvement in the war as well, WW1 was represented in British media pretty well with Blackadder for example and in Turkey with Gallipoli. Since Hollywood is a reflection of American culture it's no wonder why it never were a big thing in Hollywood films.
@@anthot4777 No, we had segregated regiments until after the Korean War. The two blacks were probably from regiments that had been broken apart because of heavy casualties.
I saw this the other day and I loved it. However, even though it’s based on a real story, is more focused on the atmosphere of WW1. Which is fantastic, honestly my favorite scene may be where they are walking through No Mans Land
I would like a comment like this and the others saying it's about men but I don't completely agree with the assessment (which was the drinkers too) since there were plenty of boys too, heck even some of the men were undoubtably still boys who weren't prepared for the war.
@@michaelevans4265 Indeed! My grandfather joined the Royal Navy at 14 years old, in 1914, and served through the entire war, including Jutland. He was called up, as a reservist, in 1940, and served on Arctic convoy duty and minesweeping the approaches to the Normandy beaches.
@@adventussaxonum448 yep. And no disrespect to your grandfather (in the boy part) he was pretty much a boy who had to keep the mental strength of an adult man and had alot expected of him from his young age which he was capable of clearly and acted above his age
The worst thing about war is how you feel like you are on another planet, and everyone else is off living their own lives. This movie communicated that feeling perfectly.
Depending on the area it is quite rare and brave , she had to deal with a mini lynch mob which thaught to if I am correct wish to brutalize the shit out of her and then shoot her ,then throw her in the local Marsh luckily the cops and funny enough a priest helped stop it
I mean, nobody should have to live in a world where the 'standard' is having to slaughter one another. That said, I do agree that most people don't realise how incredibly well they have it (in most places) these days.
Don't let the sad scum who replied to you put you off - these men were forced - sometimes willingly, sometimes not really - to do their duty, even if it led to their death. This was the fate of men. And, sad to say, will be again.
Kinda missing the whole point of his channel. He explains why he likes something, what's good about it, so you can decide if it's for you. Don't be a fucking drone.
Wow. Just saw it an hour ago and I can honestly say that 1917 is the best war drama I have ever seen. The acting, cinematography, set design, pacing, and soundtrack are top notch. Drinker is 100% right. The first act of the movie sets the scene and has an unexpected twist I did not see coming. It's like a slap in the face. The scene in no mans land sets the tense atmosphere and depressing tone for the rest of the movie in which the destruction and lifelessness is compounded by the orchestral soundtrack and cinematography. The brief scene not long after in which Schofield explains why he hocked his war medal was so emotional due to the script and the actor's emotion he conveys just through his eyes alone made me tear up. 1917 was a very intense, emotional experience for me, which is rare with the trash that gets released these days. See it in theaters while you still can, this is a caliber of movie that only gets made once every ten years or so. Thank you Drinker for convincing me to pull the trigger and experience this movie in a theater while I had the chance!
I've watched this movie with two friends thanks to your recommendation and we all really liked it. Thank you for bringing this masterpiece to my attention.
I legit downloaded Crave so I could watch this movie after your review. You did a great job dude. I know I'm a year late to the review but it just goes to show the lasting impact YOU can have. Keep it up man!!
@@spethmanjones2997 I read a really superb account of the Battle of Neuve-Chappelle (1915) from one of the Indian soldiers who was there fighting for the British Empire.
One additional thing that you missed about this movie (and I wholehearted agree with your assessment of the movie)- the musical score. To me, the musical score can either make or break a movie or show. That's why, for instance, it's one of the big reasons why I really liked the Lord of the Rings movies and the Hobbit (although in the latter case, I understand the criticism). In 1917, the musical score is absolutely OUTSTANDING, and whoever was in charge of the score (I can't remember the name) did an amazing job of having the right style and blend of music at the right times. It was one of the reasons why I was on the edge of my seat for almost the entire movie, and I plan on seeing it again soon. Outstanding movie. Very intense; it's not a film I would recommend taking a lady on a first date to (LOL), but very well-done and well-choreographed. And given what you said near the end of your review, about how it's a movie about MEN, I wager it won't get more than one nomination for a major movie award. Thanks as always, Drinker, for a well-done review. Take care. EDIT- I just saw that it did in fact receive close to a dozen nominations for the Academy awards. My apologies for my error.
Totally agree. If the movie directors invest in good music and decent cinematography (visuals) they can cut corners on dialogs and and even the story itself. Instead, they hope some movie stars will save their over-budget underdeveloped stories.
Easily one of my favorite war movies. No gratuitous action glorifying war. No convoluted plot retconning history. A real, visceral story about overcoming seemingly impossible odds in the face of humanities brutality in order to save a few lives.
Nice one using the last episode of black adder music...the finest most respectful ending to a TV programme ever...kudos for that mate...and I will now watch the movie given your review ...ta
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Watch Mel Gibson in ‘Gallipoli’
A couple WW1 movies off the top of my head. Warhorse, Galipolli, The Blue Max, A Farwell to Arms, The Razor's Edge etc. A brief look says it all. Almost all the WW1 movies are about the survivors having PTSD and not taking the hill, beating the Nazi's, or the Cong or whatever. Even though some of them are very good movies they're not readily remembered because the victories were more subtle. Bill Murry or Brad Pitt regaining their souls at the end of Razor's Edge gives you some closure for the charcter but it's not exactly memorable like Tom Hanks plinking at a Tiger with a 45 as he's dying.
The Critical Drinker for what it’s worth, 1917 is essentially the plot of the third act of the Australian movie Gallipoli, just dragged out over feature length. It starred a young Mel Gibson and is worth checking out.
Drinker, I'd be happy to support you but I'd prefer to buy merch than give money to to the woke folk at patreon.
I've noticed the drinker's "Go away now" is much less angry when he reviews a movie he likes
He's oddly poignant during those, like the movie really got to him
Agreed... excellent review. I noticed a slightly more somber sign off as well. Reminds me of the rare silent clock from 24 when a significant character died. You don't usually notice it until that moment.
The differences between "review" and "recommends" are subtle.
Who cares?
I was thinking the same thing. It was more like "go away, I have other things to do" than "Fuck off" this time.
As one reviewer pointed out, from this film you can clearly see where J. R. R. Tolkien got his inspiration for creating Mordor. The most terrifying locations of WWI practically feel like they take place on a different planet.
Good point. Also the Tolkien line in LoTR where Gandalf proclaims, you shall not pass, was probably inspired from General Petain when the general took over the Verdun defenses. When asked if the situation at Verdun was retrievable, Petain said, they shall not pass.
@@DarthPlato in the battle of the Somme. Lord of the Rings portrayed through the swamp that Frodo and Sam go through.
Tolkien said that WW1 was other people’s idea of his inspirations.
He denied it had anything to do with WW1 and all about his lifetime of study of ancient mythology
@@mr.dalerobinson While that's true, he still lived through WW1 and it probably seeps its way in, just like all writer's experiences do.
Sousabird I’m sure it did, and he lived through a time where many of his peers, friends and students died or were broken by war, but he was pretty adamant that Mordor etc had more to do with the mythology that had been his interest all his life.
The biggest supporter from his family of this theory was his author grandson who was writing WW1 books and admitted that having a famous grandfather had helped him getting published.
This film basically confirmed that WWI was a real-life horror movie.
@Stripey Arse Agreed, but apparently I hadn't seen enough until now.
Paths of Glory is more horrifying as it’s about medals and power over lives. This film felt weak because the things that made it great from a technical aspect ruined my immersion. It felt like a Disney theme park ride as I recently was watching the resistance ride. I was seeing these two protagonists go through areas and just say “wow look at that it’s a plane in background and now it’s in the foreground!”
I think the moment where it lost me was when Germans were chasing the guy running and shooting while the Brit was in a straight path...
Why would a man with a rifle chase the person that is 30 ft away from him? I can understand if they had bayonets but come on!
Every war...
Try reading some books about the Great War. Start with John Keegan. I got sucked in bc I couldn’t believe the horror. I had to stop about one chapter in on The Somme. WWI changed everything.
Elites scripted it.
Like a wise man once said, “There is no enemy, there is no victory. Only boys who lost their lives in the sand.”
Although it's generally better to have victory than sand.
Different battle, but a good quote
Or, in Sting's words: there's no such thing as a winnable war
@Naikomi Sabaton - Gallipoli
@@juttamaier2111 what are Sting's qualifications to speak on war? Doesn't he make music?
Indeed, those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it.
Yet those who *do* study history are doomed to stand by helplessly watching everyone else repeat it.
well said men
Damn that was deep
@White Chocolate For the most part, you're not wrong 🤣
But in all seriousness I consider myself lucky to have a job where I can put my history degree to good use
@@sulacomarine why do you think war is evil or a mistake meant not to be made again? Is disarming ourselves the solution if so then how will we protect one another? if not should we sit by twiddling our thumbs why our allies are being destroyed their homes and families? If a war progresses humanity as a whole in a new age of technology and improved health is that war not just? Did those fighting in the many wars waste away their lives for a faulty cause?
justin allen most wars are fought over ideology’s, use to be religion.
Bit like the far left in the uk atm and all over the media
It’s honestly so disrespectful when people concentrate on representation in honest war movies, it just belittles the men that actually fought and died in the conflicts. It’s like in battlefield 5 there’s a mission based on a true story but they replaced the actual regiment with a mother and daughter taking away all the credit from the soldiers who deserved it most purely for “representation”.
It gets so much worse when you consider that there were actual, legitimate, true stories of badass female participants in WWII.
thats how you avoid getting sued.
You mention the men who died. NEVER forget the men who lived.
it's worth considering that there were a couple of Indian Sikhs in the transport truck. So the film did represent some minorities without it feeling forced.
sorry ww1
"Even their rats are bigger than ours."
What a brilliant movie overall. So many awesome moments. The Wayfaring Stranger song in the forest was so utterly eerie... you see these young guys sitting motionless and quiet while their fellow soldier sings, and you can feel how desperate they are for a moment of peace, distraction and beauty before they get tossed back into the meat grinder.
Agreed, but, think about it. They'er listening to a song about a dying man about to meet his maker, and hopefully see his departed loved ones again, Moments before they themselves are about to die. That part Hit me pretty hard.
Lucky for them the Germans in this movie shoot worse than stormtroopers and are twice as dumb so they'll be fine.
@@Cl0ckcl0ck No. They were Twice as Drunk.
@@PfalzD3 That 'sniper' too?
@@Cl0ckcl0ck Probably. At Least he hit his target. It was a grazing shot, but it counts.
One side effect of the amazing single shot sequence is that the audience didn’t actually lose they’re bearings. By the end of the film I still had a pretty good idea of the geography.
Well said.
their*
their*
Yep their
While I did like the cinematography, it did greatly underscore the scope of the battlefield. WW1 battlefields were massive. The film did try to address it as well as the shear horror of the battlefields... But sadly, reality is much worse than presented in film.
I loved 1917. A two hour movie and both my girlfriend and I thought that the movie was over in twenty minutes. It was so good that people around us were literally, not just figuratively, sitting on the edge of their seats in the theater unable to take their eyes off of the screen for even a moment. Can’t wait until the blu-ray release. If you’ve not seen this movie yet make sure that you do.
I hope that this movie sparks interest in the Great War. It’s quickly becoming a ‘forgotten’ war and it never should be. I highly recommend the podcast Hardcore History by Dan Carlin. He has a six part series on the First World War called “Blueprint for Armageddon” and you should absolutely download it and listen to it.
@Time Code Battlefield 1 shits the bed on historical accuracy though. As does many, many popular games such as Ass Creed.
Blueprint for Armageddon is without a doubt the most gripping and interesting thing that I have ever listened to. Fascinating stuff and Dan knows how to present stories and information like no other
Another good resource for WWI is the UA-cam channel The Great War. Starting in 2014 they went over events week by week 100 years later, until 2018.
They did interwar episodes too and part of the crew is now doing WWII week by week. If you like history I recommend looking them up!
As an older boy than you (I'm sure), it's worth saying that, while the memories of the war are going to the grave one by one (children of veterans are growing very old now), the historiography of it is getting much, much better. When I was primary school age in the 1980s, the school history syllabus covered WW1, but it told the mid-20th C 'agreed-upon revisionist' view, which was the old folk myth of "lions led by donkeys" and a four-year relentless meat-grinder in the mud, with trench foot and (to para-quote Blackadder) the never-ending horror of the poetry.
Thing is, we were taught that it was all a blasted, pockmarked, treeless hell with nothing but snipers, mud and frontal charges into machine-guns.
This was so wrong it beggars belief.
While there was a massive stalemate, there was also as much relief from the front line for the average soldier as could be provided, which it turns out was quite a lot! Maybe a week in the first trench line every two or three months was the reality of it.
Yes, the experience was still brutal and combat was horrendous, but the post-war myths have now been swept away mostly and replaced with a far more fascinating, nuanced and - dare I say it - palatable truth.
This war is far from forgotten by all, just yet. (And may it never be so, for your children's sakes.)
Plus, there were so many other tragedies which are now being better understood and, placed into the proper context, shows you just how universally horrible the WW1 experience was, for families as well as servicemen. You may, or may not, find this enlightening:
www.quora.com/What-was-the-most-unexpected-nautical-tragedy-in-naval-military-history/answers/161160054
@@KrillLiberator WW1 is arguably both one of the greatest tragedies in modern history and also a completely unavoidable conflict, as sad as that is to say.
"Don't forget your stick Lieutenant"
"Righto sir. I'd hate to face a German Machine gun without it"
Thank you. You're a Darling for adding that line
Lol.
BAAAAH!
"And if you shall falter, remember that Captain Darling and I are behind you."
@@frankishempire2322 yes about 35 miles behind you
"Giving up their tomorrow so we can have our today". Thank you Drinker.
Bit sad to know it was all for shit, huh
Ayyy that be the Black Knight Satellite
"Good luck, everyone."~ Captain Blackadder before going over the top.
So the poor old ostrich died for nothing.
Man of culture
That episode has always stayed with me. Cutting from humour to grim reality with the poppies rising in the credits was truely moving. Also cutting edge technology at the time. If people haven't watch Blackadder goes forth they really should.
@@gymmaniac Will we ever find out what Baldricks plan was?Or what Doris/Dorith looked like?
Or how nasty that splinter really was?
@@NashmanNash Or, how many birds chained themselves to Lord Flasheart's railing and "suffered a jet movement?"
I just took my father (a huge history buff) to see 1917 yesterday. We were in absolute shock and awe throughout the entire film. I really enjoyed this video's descriptive detail for this film. Truly the viewer is taken step by step through the mud and blood of no man's land and the horrors that lay within and beyond. As the Drinker Recommends, so too does this lad and his father.
Aye, I'll drink to that too.
@@KrillLiberator fuck yeah
"In short, 1917 is about men." Could not agree more, sir.
1917 should have been about the ignorant governments that put these poor bastards in this situation....nothing heroic or glorious about killing and being killed due to criminal stupidity.
@@julianmarsh1378 shut up. They wanted to show the pain of the men who fought during WWI
@@Aryan_Karadkar then do it right.
There should be nothing offensive about that statement.
Men don't cause a fuss when there's movies or articles about the courageous acts women have done - in fact, it highly admirable.
@@julianmarsh1378 shut up
The drinker gives up his liver’s tomorrow for our reviews of today.
@@bv5998 Nah, it'll be fine.
My adopted grandfather served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He loved his comrades and spoke about them with such reverence and pride. He had such love for them. I think I learned more about them from him than their own families could ever guess. One thing I learned, is that his generation of heroes were made of infinitely stronger stuff than our generation of cultural saviours.
Amen.
100%
I think it’s more the case that we haven’t been forced to fight in wars at the same level. And that’s just in the west.
@@theperson8539 There's a lot of reasons they're weaker today.
They were not made of any special stuff, their strength came out when forced under brutal & horrific conditions, if you were to compare them to a people of different time, you need to do the same with that people also
Totally outraged that this movie downplays the role of all the gay women of colour who fought and died for their country in WW1. Oh wait...
like Battlefield 5
Lmao . Bond . James Bond.
😄
Respect you tried man. Maybe if they come out with a half black, half white, asexual, young female looking thing then everyone will be happy 🤣
Yea! Why didn't they have a blind deaf, pansexual, gay, indian, black, asian, french, jew that doesn't identify as a person?
Now go watch Peter Jackson's documentary They Shall Never Grow Old.
Yup!
YES!!!! I stumbled upon this video and was looking for a comment like this!!! Phenomenal documentary and movie
The funny thing is I watched both on an intercontinental flight back home. Sobering, it was.
Yeah that was just f'ing excellent. I need to watch it again actually.
That documentary
is the most sobering thing I have ever seen.
I loved this film.
And as for the "representation" aspect of it, there was some actual historical ethnic representation in this film that didn't feel jarring or out of place (a Sikh soldier from India who was separated from his unit and catching a ride with the soldiers in the back of that truck, as well as the rare black soldier that would pop up every now and then amongst the Commonwealth soldiers).
Don't kid yourself. Blacks would not be hob nobbing with English soldiers. At best, they would have been segregated. There was a black regiment in the US army, not British. The French had them, but they would have been wearing French uniforms, not British.
The Sikh would have been quiet in the truck in the presence of his betters. British soldiers weren't friendly with them, after the uprisings in India. Total Hollywood pandering!! Oh, and the clip our hero loads into his rifle had roughly 6 shots, yet we never see him reload...
@@thomasmulhall4873 nitpicking, also where im from we had men, black, white and indian who served in WW1 alongside the british. Remember this is 1917 the british were running out of men so they couldnt be extra picky. Also sam medes grandfather who this movie is dedicated to was a Trinidadian, as I am.
I can only hope you forgot to mention the stunning and brave transgender muslim women winning the war.
Whilst it's true that there were Indian soldiers serving in France in 1915 and into early 1916 (they were sent there to fill the gap before the arrival of Kitchener's volunteers), to the best of my knowledge they had all been withdrawn long before 1917 rolled around. Indian. troops served principally in the Middle East during the Great War.
Similar with black soldiers in the British forces, who would have served in the various African theatres mostly. As Thomas Mulhall says, these soldiers would have served in their own regiments, not in the same battalions as the white soldiers.
@Anti-Federalist 1776 You do realize that the most decorated infantry regiment is US military history was entirely made out of ethnic Japanese, right?
I loved how 90% o the soldiers looked like they were still in high school, not like saving private ryan (I knew a man at Omaha beach, he and his whole posse were 18-20 years old)
Pretty impressive having Lance Corporal ranks
@@aurorapaisley7453 When you start running out of bodies to fill the ranks. You take what you can get
"the only real enemy is war itself" - well said mate.
That is actually a politically correct bromide. In WW1 as in WW2 the real enemies were the Germans, who had been heavily influenced by social Darwinist ideas and eugenics. WW1 was a needless war, I grant. Russia and France stupidly turned the conflict between assassination-minded Serbia and revenge-hungry Austria and Germany into a world war. Still, the brutal German invasion of Belgium turned America against the Germans, a strategic miscalculation that would eventually prove fatal to Germany. In a sense, through arrogance the Germans turned out to be their own worst enemies.
@@VernCrisler Funny... my ex has the exact same issue...
Vern Crisler roughly 99% of German soldiers in both world wars were catholic or Protestant, social Darwinism where in vogue among most white people of the time. While hitler was a megalomaniacal madman who may have been an atheist he used the power of the soldiers religious beliefs to make himself the new god figure, religion and it’s unquestioning obedience were what allowed the cult of personality of both hitler and Stalin to wreck havoc
Also the real motivator for US involvement was the sinking of the Lusitania and the German switch to unrestricted submarine warfare.
@Smattless Ironic, in that I believe Austria and Germany were justified in attacking Serbia. But when our grandfathers or great-grandfathers fought in WW1, they were fighting Germans.
@@mcamp9445 I like what you say, but I don't think Hitler was a madman. He knew exactly what he was doing -- enacting Darwin's survival of the fittest idea. Darwin of course would have been appalled by how Hitler used his theory.
"If SJWs hate it, it's good". Sane people, let this good principle guide you, please.
Same with the gentlemen from Guy Ritchie which was pretty good but some sjw managed to stick their obsessions on this movie, seeing messages about white men afraid to lose their privileges/being homophobic and racist etc. (while they are just characters and are mobsters talking with coarse language like they are supposed to do)
thats the dumbest shit ive ever heard
@@craigory8123 It's either good or absolute garbage, that literally nobody would watch, so let's face it. Most of the stuff SJW hate is actually pretty good.
Another example is joker
MJR, how does your comment pertain to the movie? Are SJWs hating on it? I must have missed that in the review.
I love the decision to cast A listers for tiny roles as officers. Good modern analogy for the class system.
It’s not an analogy for the class system. It’s reflecting how most people view WW1.
Most people who study wars only focus on events or major people, such as leaders, generals, or famous soldiers. It’s meant to emphasize that the men of WW1 are often unstudied and ignored.
@@bigj1905 In WW1 officers and the upper class were synonymous. After that... not so much... because a whole lot of officers led charges into no man's land never to return. The British aristocracy was shrunk by a large amount. After that, being an officer became more of a sign of merit than what school you went to.
In no way. Push your dodgy politics somewhere else.
Andrew Scott absolutely steals the show in his 2 minutes. The most memorable thing about the movie for me.
@@jordangould4763 Yeah he's just broken to the point of not giving a shit.
WW1 is the War that “started it all”. To understand WW2 and all that followed, WW1 is the key. And yes, there should be more focussed on it. But Hollywood keeps putting out WW2 movies. 1917 is a rare and great exemption.
I think it’s because WWII was both larger and easier to understand on a moral level. It’s obvious in WWII who the bad guys were. This isn’t implying that the Soviets, Americans, and British were angels, just that their enemies were clearly worse.
Meanwhile WWI broke out following longstanding tensions of territory disputes, militarism, and nationalism. What should have been an isolated conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia ended up dragging most of Europe into war, and men were forced into the meat grinder of trench warfare to advance mere meters.
to be fair, there were things preceding WW1 that you need to know to understand why WW1 happened and in turn WW2. its history after all.
and as the drinker said: it does not lend itself to fast action and clear cut heroes. because thats now what that war was. and Hollywood is not a history class
@@Willie_Pete_Was_Here Nationalism was not the cause of WW1, globalism was, the became what it was because of a interlocking series of treaty's and mutual defense agreements Which dragged country after country into the growing trash fire
@@Willie_Pete_Was_Here you’re right, but the other big reason why ww2 has many more movies is because Americans had a much bigger role in the conflict. In ww1, many Americans didn’t even get a chance to fire their weapons since they joined so late. Hollywood makes the majority of films in the film industry as a whole, and chooses to focus on war movies to do with the USA, since they are from there after all. Therefore, Hollywood leans towards ww2 and other following conflicts much more favourably as opposed to ww1. If Hollywood was European, it would probably be a whole other story.
@@zookerman it's not about Hollywood being in the US but that the US is the biggest market for them. You've probably noticed that there have been an increasingly larger number of movies focused on China and Chinese tropics. That's for the same reason. China is becoming more important.
“What about my representation?”
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.
.
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“What about it?”
I love this.
Even I, a black guy, LOLed at that. Gimme a good story over a token (*cough* **Finn**) any day.
@@leonrobinson8180 -- Seriously.
Thankfully it was not too in your face in this film. That being said....just put the black guys in French uniforms BOOM historically accurate. Have the Indian guy in a whole Indian unit. Maybe have him talk about fighting for the British to earn independence for his own country BOOM perfect
@@leonrobinson8180 I'm Hispanic. Also don't give a flying fuck about representation. Give me a good damn story. I'm set. Simple
Awesome moment.
8:58 I'm currently doing a master's degree in military history, so I'd like to offer some corrections, if I may, to your points about the battalion's attack and about transport.
For starters, the film is set in 1917 during the retreat to the Hindenburg Line, so the idea of a battalion marching for miles into PREVIOUSLY German territory is entirely accurate, as the withdrawal reduced the length of the western front by about 40 kilometers (25 miles) and released c. 14 German infantry divisions. It also removed major cities like Bapaume and Peronnes from German occupation. It's also worth noting that 1000 yards was not considered a strategic achievement, or would certainly not be seen as such in 1914 or 1918 when significant territory changed hands on the Western Front. While the gains in 1915-17 were smaller than in other years, and in comparison to the Eastern Front or Palestine, the strategic aims of offensives like the Somme and 3rd Ypres were pretty much always to breakthrough and END the stalemate, though the density of forces and quantity of firepower made this exceedingly difficult without one side having a significant numerical advantage over the other, as the Germans possessed in Spring 1918 and as the Allied and Associated Powers (Britain, France, Italy and the USA) possessed after Summer 1918.
As to motorized infantry transport not being used, this again is not entirely true. When the war broke out in 1914, the German Army's light infantry battalions, or Jaegers, were equipped with trucks and motor cars, as well as bicycles, to allow them to keep up with the cavalry divisions, and the French Army made use of requisitioned taxis, cars and motor buses to transport infantry to and from the front and during the advance in 1914 also. The British Army also had Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport Companies (ASC MT Companies) which each contained about 60 trucks, which were used for transporting supplies and could be used for moving troops. In know for certain that in 1918, during the Hundred Days offensives after 1918, the 4th Guards Brigade was outfitted with lorries and motor buses for swift transport, and was attached to the Cavalry Corps.
This was very informative, and not the type of classic history knowledge that's easily looked up.
You should make a video. Here's a clickbate suggestion "MOVIE: 1917, is it accurate? Military historian's perspective"
A person of intelligence!!!
I'm happy you chose to pursue a degree in history and not basketweaving or gender studies. May you graduate with honors and top of your class.🏅
Great comment, thanks for such infos, it's kind of hard to get good answers when you're not much knowledgeable on the subject, having someone who studies in it is quite pleasant, if more comments were like this on UA-cam, people might be less assholes in general.
@@Mangaka-ml6xo "if more comments were like this on UA-cam, people might be less assholes in general."
You aren't kidding. Unfortunately, the internet has become a megaphone for idiots.
And as for the OP, I appreciate the info. I too hope he graduates at the top of his class!
No
"How are you feeling, Darling?"
"Not, all that good, Blackadder. Rather hoped I'd get through the whole show: Go back to work at Pratt & Sons. Keep wicket for the Croydon Gentleman. Marry Dorris...Made a note in my diary on the way here. It simply says - bugger."
"Well, quite."
Poignant.
That episode was heartbreaking...
The "Marry Doris" bit always gets me. For me, those lines by Darling are the best and most poignant. It is wonderful writing and beautifully delivered.
@@davidmarshall7390 Always remember how the audience is laughing at Pratt & Sons because its a bit of a pun, but by the time he gets to "marry Dorris" everyone is silent.
@@davidmarshall7390 Also that shot earlier with Melchett where you just see him framed by the silhouette of the driver like the spectre of Death himself is just masterful.
The bit with Blake and the German Pilot had me in tears I can't lie. The way he gets visibly paler and its both angry and scared with what's happened is so moving
The actor who played Blake was the same one who played Tommen in Game of thrones. This really surprised and impressed me. It turns out he could act if he was given the right role.
wow I didn't even notice that. That's really funny considering his brother was played by Richard Madden (Robb Stark)
Don't forget to feed Ser Pounce.
Poor kid just cannot catch a break. He setting himself up to be the next Sean Bean.
@@Isildun9 *SPOILERS*
Personaly I was really surprised when he died, I was sure he was the main guy in the film, he would save the day and reunite with his brother, glad that the movie went for the more realistic approach
Comrade Sam you could say, it was a subversion that was actually good.
Fun fact: the director movie said that the 1917 movie was based on his grandpa story
Close. He made a fictional story based off of the stories he heard from his grandfather.
@@BHank762 Ah thanks for clarifying that. I read the caption at the end of the movie and wasn't sure if it was a true story about his grandfather, or a story his gradfather had made up and he was just bringing it to film or what the deal was. I noticed none of the characters were called Mendes so I figured it was a work of fiction but wasn't sure.
A good war story is always a bit of both fact and fiction.
His grandad had the same role as Hitler. Hitler was a trench runner.
Another fun fact, Hitler was awarded his Iron Cross from his jewish officer.
@@barrygreggs3840 yet another fun "fact".
It is very likely, that Hitler was 1/4 jewish. It is known now, that his grandmother had an affair with a jewish man and it is believed that his father was in truth the son of that affair.
Back than this was most likely not known, not even to Hitler, but documents available to us now suggest that it is very likely true.
I'll never forget the impact of the scene where you see the destroyed French town at night illuminated by flares with a swelling musical score.
Probably the most well-photographed war scene of all time. Roger Deakins truly is the best in his field now that Conrad Hall has passed. He also shot Blade Runner: 2049, which is one of the most beautiful films ever made. I wasn't surprised to learn he also filmed 'The Big Lebowski' back in the 90s. If you take the time to notice it, the photography in that film is fantastic!
Yeah, that was surreal, and scary as hell - if not hell itself.
I was on the edge of my seat expecting a squad of enemy soldiers to pop out and chase Schofield
This movie is a masterpiece. Blake's "am I dying?" and Schofield's reply .. tears.
I lost it watching the change of emotion on Richard Madden’s face!
Most movies would have made him face a challenge of save Blake's life or deliver the message, only for him to do both. But here his friend gets stabbed and he dies, just like what would happen in real life
When I left the theater this old woman said to her husband "that was horrible!" I'm like "...yeah... that's the idea... that's what it was like."
I think she meant it was shitty movie and she would be right
@@MC-yq6us if you call this a shitty movie…what do you call a good movie?
@@vwsyncro apocalypse now? Platoon? Born on the Fourth of July? Countless more wayy better war movies. This film was essentially a gimmick was shitty acting, contrived scenes and predictable war movie cliches. It looked great but that’s it. There should be more to a movie than just a cool camera trick. This film had 0 depth at all. The characters were like video game characters. The ONLY scene that touched me was the one at the end with the brother but that’s about it.
@@MC-yq6us because its trying to depict the reality of the situation rather than some Hollywood exaggeration to make it interesting. The interactions between the characters is so accurate, just miserable lads wanting to get home and out of the shithole. Yanks love to squeeze the hog with their war movies so its good to see humble depiction of one in 1917.
@@MC-yq6us I'm sorry, but if your think Platoon or Born on the Fourth of July is better than 1917 you are sorely mistaken. Want some good war movies? Watch "Das Boot", a WWII movie about the crew of a German U-Boat, or "Waterloo", which is pretty self explanatory setting-wise. They'll give you a much broader perspective than just simply 'yay America patriot wooooo'
"The only real enemy is war itself."
Sounds like apathy. St Augustin said that the goal of any war ought to be peace. So it seems humanity declines.
@@DarthPlato i first heard this line from the cold war nuclear submarine movie. the mc talked about how nuclear war will kills every players.
but at the end, we kinda won the cold war by keeping the MAD ......for now
@@Spider-Too-Too Reagan refused to give up SDI--that was a factor also.
what about the guy shooting at you?
Surely he's an enemy as well, no?
Violence is as obligate to humans as breeding is. War then is inevitable in large populous and societies. Nonviolent movements have only ever succeeded because of the obvious inferring of violence should they fail, thus making violence the motivation to action. Humans must always be prepared: prepared to help and to love, prepared to abandon and to fight.
Blackadder ending music theme from series 4 gets me every time.
Who would have noticed another madman anyway?
Same.
Bugger.
Yep, was thinking just the same thing. Very touching and poignant ending to that series. Perfect use of the musical score by CD to touch on the sadness and grief and pointlessness of WWI
It was an incredible ending for a great show.
"Hurray, we have lived through it, the great war of 1914 to 1917"
I hear you, playing the Black Adder theme tune from the last episode of Goes Forth just at the end there. Respect.
I wondered how far down I'd have to scroll to see this mentioned xD
@@greebj Dude, I was thinking the exact same thing! I'm glad that at least someone other than myself picked up on that. Well done, Drinker!
So that's what that was.
What a show it was
Quite a touch, playing the end theme from “Blackadder Goes Forth,” where a show that gave us so many laughs... ends on such a final, sad note... as the push goes forward anyway.
The movie is absolutely fantastic and as a WW1 buff myself I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying it. I personally went to see it opening night and it's my favorite theater experience so far. However as a WW1 buff that agrees with your stance on the movie, you are wrong about a few things regarding the technology of the time.
1. Radio and telephone communications did exist at the time and was commonly used in the trenches as early as 1914. In the movie you can actually see troops struggling to get a radio wire back up, and the movie also points out that there communication wires were wrecked by the Germans. That's why they chose men to deliver the message instead of doing it over radio.
2. Troop transportation was actually a legit thing again throughout most of the war. Trucks were used to carry both troops and supplies and would travel in caravan as seen in the movie. There were also cars, bikes, and motorcycles used for supplies and troop transportation.
3. The pilot of the plane was on fire and clearly panicking, it's possible he just wasn't paying attention and ran into the barn accidentally. Or the plane itself just lost all control and moved on it's own while falling. Planes were pretty much shit back then so that's what I assumed when watching the film.
I hope me pointing those out doesn't make me look like an asshole, just as a buff I couldn't help it.
1) Telephones were common in the trenches, radios however were not. In 1914 the German army had precisely 36 Radios, the entire army. They were usually located at Corps and Army HQ's, not on the front. They were simply too damned heavy, even by 1918 a radio weighed around 2000 pounds and required two trucks to transport. Radios have the advantage they do not require wires, but no radios were small enough to be carried by attacking troops over No Mans Land in 1914 - 1918, miniturisation only really took off after the war during the late 20's and thirties. Telephone wires being cut on an attack especially, where they could not be dug in to provide them some protection against shellfire was however, as you stated, a huge issue, and the reason why runners and pigeons became such an important aspect of communicating with front line forces on the attack.
2) Yes, in the rear areas trucks were very heavily used for troop transport, especially by the British and French. But only behind their lines, Drinker was right when he made the point about getting trucks across no mans land into enemy territory, it was not only all but impossible it was never done. However, the huge use both the British and French made of motor vehicles for supply and troop transport is often overlooked these days. I mean look at Verdun, that whole battle was supplied entirely by trucks on the French side because there were no rail lines near enough to the front lines.
3) If I was in a WWI aircraft and coming down in flames I would be panicking as well! Those things were literal deathtraps. More Sopwith Camel pilots were killed in accidents than in combat, and the Camel was not unique in this regard!
All the f-bombs and every platoon being mixed race didn't bother you? Lots of fake bullshit in this movie.
@@amaxamon WW1 troops were known to have sworn so much that when an officer gave them an order without swearing, it usually meant a sense of urgency behind it
@@jackforman4363 "Fuck" was not a widely used curse at the time, sorry! I've been on this subject & the Edwardian era for over 30 years, it was Hollywood bullshit and it pulled me out of the movie.
The general in the beginning of the film who gave the briefing did specifically say that the Germans had cut the comms lines of the British, and that's why they couldn't send the message calling off the attack.
Drinker, there is a line in the briefing near the start that says "and as a parting gift they have cut our telephone lines...." which means the orders must be hand deliverd.
There could not have been telephone lines. Not there. Ww1 used pigeons as ways of communication. It was even in Blackadder
@@hristokozhuharov2585 no they definitely had telephones in ww1. that was their primary mode of communication, at least in the later parts of the war. pretty sure they would run their own lines and bury them.
There were telephone wires, many of them. The Royal engineers often had the hated job of fixing breakages in the wire from water and explosions
The movie is sort of messed up on its history. The battalion was a "light battalion" close following up a German retreat. The danger to it would have been a German ambush rather than it attacking the Germans. And since it was operating ahead of the main British advance, there would have been no physical communication to it.
I'm pretty certain that the film is dealing the German planned retreat to the Hindenberg Line in 1917. It gets all the details right, but alot of the explainations of whats overall going on is upside-down.
They could have sent the message by aeroplane though. Landed the message in the open field. But then I wouldnt have a movie.
The concept of a movie's runtime all taking place in real continuous time is amazing. I'm surprised more movies aren't made using this tactic. It turns up the intensity and suspense. It really helps the viewer feel the urgency of the mission the soldier is in. Good movies use the location as a character in itself, but movies shot using this time concept also turn time into a character.
The ending of Black Adder Goes Forth was rather sad.
After all the laughs, the ending was depressing.
@@heroesytumbas It was poignant, as was its intent.
Television has seldom been more masterful than that last episode. The last five minutes are just cruel.
Bugger :(
"Who would've noticed another madman around here? Good luck, everyone.". I'll admit, the Drinker caught me off guard with the ending piece of score to Blackadder goes Forth, but it was strangely appropriate.
Just saw the movie .. holy shit … gave myself a bit of headache to not start sobbing and sniffling at many parts. I had gone off movies for the most part in the past several years. I hope this lets Hollywood know what kind of movies they should go back to making if they want to start recovering their audience. There is no agenda shoved down your throat in this movie, and the overall message that war is terrible and desperate is kind of agreed upon by pretty much everyone. This is just a simple but well made story, it grips you and anyone can relate, no matter what your "community". There are actually some Indian Colonial troops shown in the movie briefly, and I liked it actually, there was no push at them being there for diversity. They were shown as no more or less than any of the other British troops. They were really quite the same. joking and chatting as comrades all in the same shitty mess. Oh and I like the subtle Black Adder reference in the music at the end of this video, I do believe its the quiet theme music played at the end of the final "Black Adder Goes Forth".
It’s my birthday this weekend, think I’ll go see this with my dad. Both of us are vets, neither of us watch a lot of war movies, but this, this looks good. Thanks for the review.
Thank you and your dad for your service. Happy Birthday too!
audge thank you
@@audgester Are you American?
The ending was perfection. Something oddly perfect the way the music continues when it cuts to black. Like we followed him through a day of his life, the film ends but he has many more days like it to come. After watching the entire movie it just strikes a chord in you in a way you never expected.
War does not determine who is right. Only who is left.
A line like that sends chills to my spine...
Not white people
A quote that's not even in the movie but in fact from Call of Duty? Why?
Michael Evans wait, that’s were it’s from? Just sounds interesting :P
Dam great quote
“At the height of western civilisation, millions of young men died in cold, wet holes in the ground, which they had dug with their own hands.“
(G. J. Meyer, A World Undone). I quoted from memory, but am sure it‘s pretty accurate, because that sentence really got me.
As serious and gruesome as the subject is, 1917 also has some of the most remarkably beautiful imagery I have seen in a long time. The juxtaposition with the horrors of war only heightens the effect on both sides. Also, the “one continuous shot“ effect is well executed, the music perfect, this is one of the best films in a long time.
The Gay Rascal I watched this movie with school last monday, dang I loved it. Many kids out of my class hated it and I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it more if I didn’t have ten exams that week. But even though I didn’t have time for watching it I loved it. We just talked about ww1 with history so that made teh movie even better. Also one thing that I noticed in this movie was that you could almost never see the enemy. The only time you saw a german soldier was when Blake got killed and when it was dark, this detail shows how there actually was no bad guy in the war. The music indeed was perfect, the high notes capture the cruels of war perfectly. Also that moment when the guy tells Scofield that some guys just wanna fight captures why the war was fought, it were just guys tricked into thinking dying for yout country was an honour.
When the Germans lost the war, the Kaiser abdicated and went into exile. He didnt kill himself. Neither did Jeffrey Epstien.
Actually, they didn't lose it. They forfeited it.
Lol
@JoeRingo118 the kaiser died in 1942, in the Netherlands
@@hristokozhuharov2585 that s what means '''to lose ''
@@Feyser1970 the Germans were never defeated. Not even close. However, they lost the war of attrition. The German citizen could no longer support those long months in the trenches.
Unlike the WW1, in the second one the Germans eventually were annihilated. You know, cuz in WW1 the allies where never gonna get to Germany
Actually, trucks were used during WW1. The British used GMC trucks for carrying troops, supplies, and doing reconnaissance.
The technological advancements during the war were absurd. It began with men trading volleys and charging on horseback, and finished with machine guns, bombs, and tanks. Imagine being Calvary staring down the barrel of a Gatling gun for the first time. Such an alien experience right before being torn to shreds.
Damn...regular viewers can tell the difference in tone and inflection from each of the Drinker's "go away now"s as a clue into how he feels about what he is reviewing. I am eager to see this film.
I can count on one hand the number of times I've disagreed with Drinker and still have fingers left over
I just now read an article from insider on why some of the good movies like joker, 1917, Irishman do not deserve it's Oscar nominations. The writer has explained the reasons as well. And the reasons are (drum roll please): lack of diversity, no nomination for women and not giving importance to another period movie depicting LGBT.
That's dumb, ignoring quality over those stupid things smh
@@NoOne-hl2eo Agreed, but such reasoning is not at all surprising.
1917 was probably the best film of 2020. I watched it twice in the cinema. I don't take any of those awards seriously.
Say sSay sike right now, please, for my sanity.
As someone who doesn’t even love 1917 that is the dumbest shit ever
I'm terribly disappointed by the lack of a single member of One Direction in the cast.
Joe Bryant true, but I would have liked to hear Mark Strong belting out some John Denver
Indeed, how do they expect us to care about the characters if there are no teenage heartthrob protagonists for us to moon over?
Needed more Alpa Chino for the representation and to promote Booty Sweat.
to do Umm...Richard Madden I guess
Too busy playing football lol
Me and my dad went to go see this in the theater and this movie’s more human scenes actually made my Dad cry, cause the movie perfectly captured the World War I stories my great grandfather would tell to him when he was young. My great grandfather and my Dad had a strong bond and my great grandfather often couldn’t go into detail due to the horrible things he did and saw on the battlefield, but he could share the human parts that this movie really tapped into.
One thing's for sure: Roger Deakins ought to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Some stunning visuals in that film.
Unfortunately in this award season being good at your job is no longer important.
If you look at his resume you'd think he should have won it for every single film he shot. What an epic list.
I love his work in Blade Runner but I do hope he gets a second. The shorten Oscar season has ruined the possibility of having watched a film with time and input.
Joker is still much better
@@izidororaziel4918 No.
There aren't many movies that make me nearly cry. 1917 is one of them
You must have never seen Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. :-)
Same bro. Same
"The Passion" makes me cry. 😢
You could see all the white male privilege in those trenches.
lol, how sadly true, regards the interpretation of the twisted.
Sandman wtf are u saying?
I hope your joking?
Ouch
@@braiboo7gaming489 Of course he's joking, are you simple? It's a white mans privileged to die horribly on the front lines, so that you may be free to call all white men privileged. That clearer for you?
Watched this last night again.
Cinema gold, it was beautiful to look at and the camera work and that kids acting is brilliant
10/10
As a soldier I found this movie paints the interactions and mentalities of the men at war more accurately as any film before it. It was exceptional and heartfelt and I love the attention to detail in the care we take for the men to left and right of us. So often war movies concentrate on the fighting and not the result of the fighting. This is a fantastic movie and should be required screening for anyone who wishes to tell a story in an honest and meaningful fashion. And the score is second to none.
Then you have not seem many war movies!
@@kinglicks5646 *"A s a s o l d i e r"*
Great review.
CD, you're quite possibly the only person I might trust a review by, these days.
I'm going far to see my mother,
And all my loved ones who've gone on,
I'm only going over Jordan,
I'm only going over home.
I am a poor wayfaring stranger,
I'm travelling through this world of woe,
Yet there's no sickness, toil nor danger ,
In that bright land to which I go.
I'm going there to see my father,
I'm going there no more to roam,
I'm only going over Jordan,
I'm only going over home.
Man, that's about the saddest song I've heard.
What is the name of this song?
@@gregorytokas8721 ua-cam.com/video/fp7mdSMNQB0/v-deo.html
The way how the film comes full-circle by ending the same way it started is just amazing for me
There was actually a unit that ended up forward without support. Look up “The Lost Battalion”
"captain where are our troops?"
"they argonne"
WEAPON IN HAND AS THEY MADE THEIR STAND A DISREGARDED DEMAND
The amount of insane fuckups by the command in WWI is staggering. Especially the Hungarian and Italian generals.
@@ColoradoStreaming Its kinda fucking impressive how Hotzendorf got over a hundred thousand of his men surrounded in Prszemyzl, twice. And also failed to take Serbia even though he sent more men into Serbia than to their front against Russia.
And then there's Cadorna's 69th Battle of the Isonzo River.
I wonder what would happen if those two retards fight?
@@aaroncabatingan5238 Hotzendorf vs Cadorna- When a stoppable force meets a movable object..
The thing I hate about most war movies, or just movies in general: there's no recoil when most firearms are fired.
Right? Unless the plot requires recoil.
Blame blanks for that.
Its cus in a lot of stuff, they dont even use blanks for some shots, just a prop gun and the muzzle flash is put in after, sometimes looking absolutely poo like in The Walking Dead
El Roo The Walking Dead is the worst. To top it off they do it so lazily that there’s no shells coming out of the gun.
@@JoJoJoker just looks really crap with cartoon muzzle flash
"..everyone looks fucked and pissed off..." Well said my friend. That's one of the most accurately put representations of the first World war I've ever heard.
10:15 That's the point, that's why the other person says to him something like "make sure there's someone else in the room when you give it to him," because the leader of that battalion, I think, knew about the Germans but didn't want to back down and wouldn't without direct orders. That's why he sent them out into basically a known slaughter
This film was a pleasant surprise. You hardly see any films like it nowadays.
From what I’ve seen 1917 has a lot of similarities to one of my favorite movies, Master and Commander: Far Side of the World-it shows the sacrifices, strategies, tough decisions, glories and brutality of naval warfare then, but also the deep brotherhood and camaraderie of men at war, with plenty of historical immersion. Action isn’t at all constant, but when it does come it’s hard and fast. Both movies have 1 simple mission as their goal, but offer much more throughout it. Both movies aren’t/weren’t afraid to show the struggle of MEN-white men even-at war. It’d be awesome if the drinker could consider recommending Master and Commander!
And they actually did a great job of showing what diversity was there. HMS Surprise has the 1 black sailor. Perfectly believable for the era. He was probably recruited or press ganged as the ship was in the West Indies. In 1917 the replacements truck our protagonist gets shoved into has a Sikh soldier amongst men of a good half dozen units including the Tank Corps because the the truck is made up of guys back from hospital trying to return to their proper units and plenty of Indian Army fought in Flanders and France.
Our host is surely already aware of this, but for the benefit of my fellow Americans ...
As Americans, even the losses we experienced in the so-called "Civil War" doesn't quite approach the human devastation experienced by the U.K. in World War I. *25%* of men aged 17-35 died in that war. Let that sink in: _One out of four men,_ gone forever.
Just breaks my heart to even _imagine_ that level of devastation.
I still want (and need) to see _They Shall Not Grow Old._
I didn't know that was the British casualty rate. That's completely fucked up, especially considering they weren't even fighting on their own territory.
That's almost as bad as the Serbian casualty rate, but at least they have the excuse of being surrounded by the enemy.
@@aaroncabatingan5238 They lost over 60,000 men on the first day of the battle of the Somme alone.
But don't forget, over the whole 20th century, in Europe and North America, it was less than 1% of all men who died in war. If you look at pre-state societies, it's 10% to 60%. The battles are smaller, so it seems less horrific (and it is less horrific in some ways), but it goes on all the time. People like us can't even begin to imagine what that's like.
Those figures seem highly dubious. UK had 880k military deaths out of population of 45.4 million.
The oft quoted 60,000 on the first day of the Somme is highly misleading too. It was 20,000 dead and 40,000 wounded. It was the worst day of the war and no other day had remotely the same level of casualties. The entire 4 month battle of the Somme had approx 420,000 casualties (including wounded).
@@martinfeeney6529 3 million males of military age served in the Civil War (no need for quotes it was indeed a civil war). According to the US Battlefield Trust and most CW historians the deaths including combat deaths and DoW (died-of-wounds/disease) is 620,000 though there is good evidence that is closer to 700,000 out of a TOTAL male population 13.4M is 5.2%.
The generally accepted KIA/Missing presumed KIA is 20,000 dead for Day 1 of the Somme-which is severe enough. Total UK military deaths for the entire war is generally accepted to be about 2% of the adult male population...
So yes the Civil War WAS more deadly soldier for soldier than WW1
just sayin/
Loved this movie. Took my whole family when it came out. My teenaged daughter, who is a budding 20th century history buff, really enjoyed it. In my opinion the most poignant scene was with the young woman and orphan baby. It was a powerful sliver of humanity amoung the carnage of war.
If the Drinker recommends this, Then it looks like i only have one choice to make "Go Away Now"
"Go Away Now" A five star masterpiece.
@@PfalzD3 Indeed that would be the name of the documentary behind my favorite Drinking Critic. "Go Away Now: A Drinkers Story"
@@ELcoyote576 Make it so.
@@PfalzD3 @TheCriticalDrinker give the fans what they want. A film about all those crazy benders you on those dark glasgow nights. From the local bars to the bright lights of the discotech. Show us the highs and lows of The Critical Drinker.
@@ELcoyote576 Aye. And add plenty of Diversity. Diversity of Scotch Whiskey , that is!
Your ending words were profound and thoughtful. I salute you, sir.
"The first WW has never really gotten much attention from Hollywood" - JEEE I WONDER WHY lol
Haha well played Sir.
Cool it with the anti-Semitic remarks.
Because USA had very little involvement in the war as well, WW1 was represented in British media pretty well with Blackadder for example and in Turkey with Gallipoli. Since Hollywood is a reflection of American culture it's no wonder why it never were a big thing in Hollywood films.
My heart felt like I just ran 10 miles when this movie was over. It was so damn intense.
1917: men fighting trench warfare
2020: SJW soy boys shouting at the sky.
Hey.
They do attack with soy lattes in paper cups, you know.
@Mark Smith How?
@Mark Smith When?
@@anthot4777 No, we had segregated regiments until after the Korean War. The two blacks were probably from regiments that had been broken apart because of heavy casualties.
@@anthot4777 Only in a very tiny way. My biggest problem was the letter being intact after he was submerged in water.
oh that ending, i love how he used the music from the end of Black Adder, was such an emotional ending for such a light hearted show
Using that Black Adder theme did seem a little Over The Top. (Well Goodbyeee )
"Even our generals are not so mad that they fire artillery on their own troops.
They think it's much more sporty to let the enemy do it"
I saw this the other day and I loved it. However, even though it’s based on a real story, is more focused on the atmosphere of WW1. Which is fantastic, honestly my favorite scene may be where they are walking through No Mans Land
Excellent touch to add the Blackadder Goes Forth piano melody at the end. Excuse me, my eyes are filling with some kind of liquid...
"1917 is a movie about men" -
YIPPEE! Count me in. I am SO tired of women taking over every movie. (And I'm a woman.)
I would like a comment like this and the others saying it's about men but I don't completely agree with the assessment (which was the drinkers too) since there were plenty of boys too, heck even some of the men were undoubtably still boys who weren't prepared for the war.
@@michaelevans4265
Indeed! My grandfather joined the Royal Navy at 14 years old, in 1914, and served through the entire war, including Jutland.
He was called up, as a reservist, in 1940, and served on Arctic convoy duty and minesweeping the approaches to the Normandy beaches.
@@adventussaxonum448 yep. And no disrespect to your grandfather (in the boy part) he was pretty much a boy who had to keep the mental strength of an adult man and had alot expected of him from his young age which he was capable of clearly and acted above his age
Yesica1993 well said 👍
Me too! Except this woman noticed the inaccurate firearms the film used.
Game of Thrones: medieval characters move thousands of miles in ten minutes
1917: early 20th century characters move less than 10 miles in two hours
More like 100 yards
In reality, less than a few miles for years on end...
...ok?
They only really travel ~9 miles over the course of the film
Drinker was so kind and compassionate with his "Go away now", today.
I absolutely love how you used the slowed down Blackadder theme from the end of “Blackadder goes forth” at the end.
The worst thing about war is how you feel like you are on another planet, and everyone else is off living their own lives. This movie communicated that feeling perfectly.
No Man's Land looked like the Moon, covered in death.
Took my mom to see this for Mother’s Day. We absolutely loved it. The Rat scene scared the shit out of us. Way more than any horror movie.
Incest is hot.
This was the standard for heroism back then. Now, the standard for heroism is coming out as gay.
In a culture where gays are praised.
and then beating up girls in an octagon
Depending on the area it is quite rare and brave , she had to deal with a mini lynch mob which thaught to if I am correct wish to brutalize the shit out of her and then shoot her ,then throw her in the local Marsh luckily the cops and funny enough a priest helped stop it
I mean, nobody should have to live in a world where the 'standard' is having to slaughter one another. That said, I do agree that most people don't realise how incredibly well they have it (in most places) these days.
nah its coming out as a white male.
George McKay should have had an Oscar for this one. Brilliant role in a brilliant movie
I cried like a baby with this masterpiece for manliness
I actually laughed at how dumb some scenes were.
@@scratchy996 and you wonder why he said: "Now fuck off Lance-Corporal." What you said? That's why.
Don't let the sad scum who replied to you put you off - these men were forced - sometimes willingly, sometimes not really - to do their duty, even if it led to their death. This was the fate of men. And, sad to say, will be again.
@@scratchy996 like which?
The drinker recommends......
Thats all the convincing I need to check something out.
Same here m8
Kinda missing the whole point of his channel. He explains why he likes something, what's good about it, so you can decide if it's for you. Don't be a fucking drone.
It's called having a laugh you boring bitter bastard
@@mcmarkmarkson7115 Christ dude who took a dump in your cornflakes today?
Exactly my thoughts Dizzy well put lol
Wow. Just saw it an hour ago and I can honestly say that 1917 is the best war drama I have ever seen. The acting, cinematography, set design, pacing, and soundtrack are top notch. Drinker is 100% right.
The first act of the movie sets the scene and has an unexpected twist I did not see coming. It's like a slap in the face.
The scene in no mans land sets the tense atmosphere and depressing tone for the rest of the movie in which the destruction and lifelessness is compounded by the orchestral soundtrack and cinematography.
The brief scene not long after in which Schofield explains why he hocked his war medal was so emotional due to the script and the actor's emotion he conveys just through his eyes alone made me tear up.
1917 was a very intense, emotional experience for me, which is rare with the trash that gets released these days. See it in theaters while you still can, this is a caliber of movie that only gets made once every ten years or so.
Thank you Drinker for convincing me to pull the trigger and experience this movie in a theater while I had the chance!
11:45 The use of the Blackadder Goes Forth ending theme is a wonderful touch.
Would this brilliant plan involve us getting out of our trenches and walking very slowly towards the enemy, sir?
I've watched this movie with two friends thanks to your recommendation and we all really liked it. Thank you for bringing this masterpiece to my attention.
Well done, you notoriously logical bastion of common sense.
I legit downloaded Crave so I could watch this movie after your review. You did a great job dude. I know I'm a year late to the review but it just goes to show the lasting impact YOU can have. Keep it up man!!
Just got back from seeing it. 5 stars a moving tribute to the soldiers of the first world war.
Brutal as fuck. Seeing how, idk, simple combat in those times were hit home most.
There's not nearly enough strong African women in this film.
Reeeee!
It was cool seeing some Indian forces mixed in throughout the British forces! When diversity is authentic rather than contrived, it is really cool!
@@spethmanjones2997 I read a really superb account of the Battle of Neuve-Chappelle (1915) from one of the Indian soldiers who was there fighting for the British Empire.
Das Krapital so you woke you today and thought it was a good idea to post a racist comment.
@@StudioBlackSankara You are hilarious. You make The Drinker's point perfectly and you don't even know it.
No women and no minorities on your avatar. You disgusting racist and misoginistic pig!
One additional thing that you missed about this movie (and I wholehearted agree with your assessment of the movie)- the musical score.
To me, the musical score can either make or break a movie or show. That's why, for instance, it's one of the big reasons why I really liked the Lord of the Rings movies and the Hobbit (although in the latter case, I understand the criticism). In 1917, the musical score is absolutely OUTSTANDING, and whoever was in charge of the score (I can't remember the name) did an amazing job of having the right style and blend of music at the right times. It was one of the reasons why I was on the edge of my seat for almost the entire movie, and I plan on seeing it again soon.
Outstanding movie. Very intense; it's not a film I would recommend taking a lady on a first date to (LOL), but very well-done and well-choreographed. And given what you said near the end of your review, about how it's a movie about MEN, I wager it won't get more than one nomination for a major movie award.
Thanks as always, Drinker, for a well-done review. Take care.
EDIT- I just saw that it did in fact receive close to a dozen nominations for the Academy awards. My apologies for my error.
Totally agree. If the movie directors invest in good music and decent cinematography (visuals) they can cut corners on dialogs and and even the story itself. Instead, they hope some movie stars will save their over-budget underdeveloped stories.
For anyone wondering, Thomas Newman was the composer for 1917. A perfectly atmospheric musical score which accentuated the visuals hugely.
Easily one of my favorite war movies. No gratuitous action glorifying war. No convoluted plot retconning history. A real, visceral story about overcoming seemingly impossible odds in the face of humanities brutality in order to save a few lives.
that last scene had me in tears, thanks for not spoiling it
"But Drinker, you say, wha'about ***MORE REPRESENTATION???***
...
...
...
What about it?"
Like a boss, for the win.
Nice one using the last episode of black adder music...the finest most respectful ending to a TV programme ever...kudos for that mate...and I will now watch the movie given your review ...ta