New trailer for Sam Mendes’ 1917 brings the drama of World War I to life

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

We recently learned that Sam Mendes' upcoming 1917 will be following in the footsteps of movies such as Alfred Hitchcock's ROPE and Alejandro G. Iñárritu's BIRDMAN as it will appear to have been shot in one continuous take. That's exciting, particularly as 1917 has been shot by the great Roger Deakins, who has worked with Mendes on JARHEAD, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, and SKYFALL. 1917 tells the story of two young British soldiers who are given the seemingly impossible mission of crossing into enemy territory in order to deliver a message which will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers. Universal Pictures has released a new trailer for the film, which gives us another glimpse into the World War I action and drama which Mendes has in store for us.

 Sam Mendes has said that it was "fundamentally an emotional choice" to have 1917 play out in real time. "I wanted to travel every step with these men—to breathe every breath with them. It needed to be visceral and immersive. What they are asked to do is almost impossibly difficult. The way the movie is made is designed to bring you as close as possible to that experience," Mendes explained.

The official synopsis for 1917:

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s own brother among them. 1917 is directed by Sam Mendes, who wrote the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Showtime’s Penny Dreadful).

1917 will see a limited-release on December 25, 2019, before opening wide on January 10, 2020.