Skip to main content

1917

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

This past weekend my wife and I went on a date.  We saw a great movie and spent some quality time together.

We saw the new movie called 1917.  Wow!  This movie is based on an old story/tale/fable that may have elements of truth but none has been proven.  I am a huge fan of the military, and specifically military movies (Saving Private Ryan, Blackhawk Down, Platoon, Band of Brothers, Saving Chance, etc.).

1917 is based in World War 1 and the story is quite simple, the mission is not.  A soldier is asked to pick someone and carry a message from the General across enemy lines, within a short timeframe to stop an assault on the Germans.  If they do not make it on time, 1600 soldiers will die including his brother.  Think about that when you have to meet a deadline at work.  Seems kind of petty doesn’t it?

First, as the movie evolves with the simple choice of a soldier asked to pick a friend to go with him.  Imagine choosing someone to potentially die on a dangerous and risky mission.  What a choice.  To be fair the soldier didn’t know what his mission was before he chose his friend.

As the story unfolds in a wonderful cinematic way, it appears that the camera work and movie is one long shot from beginning to end.  It is meant to be that way, but in fact, there were perfectly timed edits to allow the actors to rest, with the longest scene being shot in 9 minutes.  The movie won multiple awards for cinematography. You are literally with the main characters from the opening scene until the very last scene.  They are in every scene.  No breaks, no back story, no cut scenes, just following them from the front, side and behind all the way through this 2-hour movie.  As they cross streams, go up and down hills, through mud, on trucks, walking through buildings you are right there with them the whole time.  This is storytelling at it’s finest.

So what did I like love?  First and foremost the look of the film.  Like my favorite recent photograph (see above), this movie had a look that I could describe as a 70’s or 80’s look I am trying to achieve with my own photography.  The colors are muted, very slight grain, and even though much of the movie is in the daylight there is the mood conveyed by overcast days that I enjoy.  Next, the fact that the movie was emotionally powerful to me made me enjoy it.  I am always amazed at how soldiers accept missions and do their best to follow through.  No questions asked.  This is one of those films.  Then like most of my favorite movies in the military genre, this involved a small group of soldiers (2) that you follow throughout the film.  I quickly became invested in the characters and felt a bit of what they felt during the movie.  Great directing does this as well as superb acting.

I highly recommend watching this film, especially in theaters, without distractions.  The blood and gore are very minimal, and the emotions are high. “In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.” – Winston Churchill

Until next time,

Tim

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Love to get your feedback on what you read!

Popular posts from this blog

Nobody's Listening

  I recently had conversations with two people I know that had experienced a sudden rash of acute anxiety. One was medication related, the other was situational. Both stated that they now had a better understanding of what I have been dealing with. With the recent changes to my medication, Although I still feel anxiety, it no longer takes control of my emotions like it did in the past. However, I know acutely that it still lurks on the fringes, patiently awaiting its chance to pounce on me. During my recent visit to Dr. Erin, she assigned me an exercise where I had to jot down three things each day that I felt I excelled at. This is proving to be difficult for me. The parameters are straightforward and easy to understand. “Anything I do well that day,” she said. As I continued with this exercise, I began thinking of a song by Linkin Par called Nobody’s Listening. I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress Handful of anger held in my chest And everything left’s a wast...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tested

  Life is a series of tests, pushing us to our limits and forcing us to grow. All blessings originate from a God, yet they manifest through different circumstances, encounters, and individuals. Throughout the past six weeks, I have encountered a myriad of these tests. This is part of the reason I have not written in a while - the constant distractions that have consumed my time and focus. Balancing my mental state and warding off anxiety has consumed my attention, leaving no room to articulate my thoughts through writing. My journey began recently when, with the advice of a medical professional, I began taking Trintellix at its lowest dose of 5mg per day. Gradually I increased to 10mg a day and now am at 20mg a day. During this time, my anxiety has lessened quite a bit, but recent events have put this medication to the test. Our initial challenge was to carefully research vans, searching for ones that would be ideal for safely transporting our furry companions. The cramped spac...
Post a Comment
Read more

Waiting for the End to Come

  I have been in a funk lately. I am adjusting to my anxiety medicine, and I feel it is working, but maybe too well. Last week I met with Dr. Erin. She, of course, asked me how I was feeling and honestly, I told her I was not really feeling anything. We dug deeper, and she explained that my anxiety prior to the medicine was like a roller coaster. I had extreme highs and extreme lows. Now with the medicine it is more of a flatter track. I am not hitting the lows; Like I was before (which is good), but also not hitting the highs either. I feel like I am purely existing. Little desire to do much of anything. It’s true my passions are hiking and photography, which I do little of in the summer because of ticks, heat, and snakes. I know fall is approaching and I hope that helps me get out of this funk somewhat. I will also speak to my psychiatrist about lowering my dosage to see if that helps. Even my writing has been affected. I have not had the desire to write. Music, however, ha...
Post a Comment
Read more