1917

How this film uses it

The entire film was designed to look like one continuous tracking shot, where the camera travels along with the action. It is built from 2 long continuous takes joined at a cut to black. The camera follows Schofield through sets built to be crossed in order.

Where to see it

The sequence through the ruined French village at night. It is lit entirely by flares, and the camera moves through collapsing buildings in what looks like a single unbroken shot.

How this film uses it

Thomas Newman's score and the sound design work together to make the Western Front a place you hear all around you. The mud, the wire, the distant artillery and the silence all become one continuous feeling of threat.

Where to see it

The German trench sequence. You hear distant gunfire, dripping water and a German soldier moaning, and it makes you feel completely exposed.

How this film uses it

The mission has a deadline, since the attack begins the next morning. The camera stays with Schofield almost without a break, so every obstacle is also a minute lost. Survival becomes a race that you can feel.

Where to see it

The final sprint across open fields under artillery fire. The dawn light lets you actually see the deadline arriving.

How this film uses it

Deakins drains the Western Front of color (the mudscape, the ruined villages, the grey-white sky). He saves warm light for the rare moments when people connect. That is, the contrast is what makes those moments precious.

Where to see it

The cellar in the ruined French town. A single candle and a crying infant give the film its only lasting warmth.

How this film uses it

The film begins with Schofield asleep under a tree, with no setup and no backstory. Within minutes, he is on the mission. You feel the urgency before you get any context.

Where to see it

The opening shot: the 2 lance corporals resting under a tree, then right away the call to receive their orders. The story starts exactly when it has to.