IN THE TRENCHES
1917 trailer, release date, reviews and cast – all you need to know about the film
SAM Mendes' epic war film 1917 is the movie on everyone's lips after winning two gongs at the 2020 Golden Globe awards.
But what is the film about and when is it released in cinemas? Here's all the details you want to know...
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What is 1917 about?
1917 follows two soldiers (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) who are stationed in a trench during WWI when they receive a mission from their general (Colin Firth).
The pair need to deliver a message across enemy lines to another British unit to stop an attack that is ultimately a trap.
If they fail, many lives will likely be lost - including one of the soldiers' brother.
The film follows their nail-biting journey as they encounter numerous roadblocks on their path.
Director Sam Mendes has admitted the film is inspired by the stories his grandfather used to tell him about fighting in World War I.
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What is 1917's release date?
The film is finally making its way to cinemas on January 10, 2020.
It originally premiered on December 4, 2019, at the Royal Film Performance and was released in the US and Canada on December 25, 2019.
It has already won two Golden Globe awards, as well as being named one of the Top Ten Films of the Year by the American Film Institute.
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Who's in the 1917 cast?
The film boasts an impressive cast including:
- George MacKay as Lance Corporal William Schofield
- Dean-Charles Chapman as Lance Corporal Tom Blake
- Mark Strong as Captain Smith
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Colonel Mackenzie
- Andrew Scott as Lieutenant Leslie
- Richard Madden as Lieutenant Joseph Blake
- Colin Firth as General Erinmore
- Claire Duburcq as Lauri
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Is there a trailer for 1917?
There are multiple trailers for the film which show snippets of the two soldiers during key parts of their mission.
The dramatic clips certainly set the mood for the film, emphasising the pressure cooker style of the plot.
You can watch a clip at the top of this article.
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1917 review - what have critics said?
The critics have mainly heaped praise on the film with Alex Godfrey writing: "Although 1917’s filmmaking very much brings attention to itself, it’s an astonishing piece of filmmaking, portraying war with enormous panache. This is big-screen bravado, and then some."
The Sun's film reviewer Jamie East said the film might gain Mendes his second Oscar.
He said it's "as ambitious, dazzling and exciting a war film as you’re going to get".
The Ann Hornaday wrote: "What ensues is a classic race against the clock - made urgent by the fact that the survival of Blake's brother is at stake - as the soldiers encounter perils as well as moments of improbable poetry.
called it "one of the year's mightiest technical achievements" while claimed it was a "nerve fraying rollercoaster of a war movie".
called it "an astonishing piece of filmmaking" and the Geoffrey Macnab praised the way in which it "finds a radical new perspective."
The declared 1917 "a modern war classic and one of the best movies of the year".
But didn't enjoy the film's one-shot style, claiming that "the most thrilling and haunting details here are actively undermined by the chief technical gimmick of the film".
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