Author: Catherine Shoard (The Guardian)
Translator: csh
The translation was first published in "Gyro Movie"
Translator's note: What most people didn't expect was that Sam Mendes' "1917" became the biggest winner of this Golden Globe Award, winning two awards for Best Picture and Best Director. In the best film section, it beat "The Irishman", "Marriage Story", "Joker" and "The Pope's Inheritance", all of which are the hottest works of 2019.
"1917" is based on the real experience of Mendes’ grandfather Alfred Mendes. It uses the First World War as the historical background, and adopts the same "Pseudo One Mirror to the End" shooting method like Birdman. Dozens of shots are connected with complicated techniques to present a highly coherent look and feel.
Mendes, who was once famous for films such as "American Beauty" and "Road to Revolution", seems to have lost a certain reputation because of the two "007" that he later directed-this time, "1917", maybe he A long-lost work with all-out efforts, this time I can be upset and win the prize, which can also be said to be unexpected and reasonable.
In this "Guardian" in-depth interview article, the author interviewed the film’s director Sam Mendes, screenwriter Christie Wilson-Keynes, photographer Roger Dickens, actor George McKay, and Dean Charles Chapman, Colin Firth, and others, each of them shared their experiences and thoughts when shooting this film. It may allow us to realize its charm in advance before seeing this film.
When Sam Mendes was young, he laughed at a habit of his grandfather-grandfather always washes his hands. So, grandfather pulled him aside. "This is because he will always remember the mud in the trenches," he said, "so he will never be able to become clean."
So Sam stopped his laughter. Then, his grandfather in his seventies told him more stories about the war. His grandfather kept silent about this for nearly fifty years, "but he finally broke down. He told us a lot of stories. Especially after he had a few glasses of rum, He talks more. His narration is very exaggerated, charming, and Edwardian. His ears are not good anymore, so he rants at everyone."
Alfred Mendes joined the army when he was sixteen. He was very excited at the time because he was able to participate in such a "just stand and go well" war. However, when he came to the western front, "he couldn't believe what he saw. His story is not about courage, but about the impermanence of everything." His shorter height means he Often take on the mission of an intelligence officer. "That little man, wandering in the vast, misty landscape, this scene has always been with me."
After the war, Alfred moved to Barbados, became a civil servant, wrote a socialist novel, and died in 1991 at the age of 94. At the age of 34, Sam won the Oscar for Best Director for his debut work "American Beauty"; twenty years later, a film inspired by Alfred's story may help him win this again. Awards.
This work, titled "1917", is Mendes's first feature film after "007: The Great Destruction" and "007: Ghost Party". He apparently regards it as an antidote to 007. He said that the two Bond films were "two chaos". They kept making noises, spawning protracted logistics and high-altitude shooting, all of which forced him to suffer migraines and compromise.
The whole "1917" is composed of a main line narrative and a long shot-well, there are actually dozens of shots, but they are all quietly stitched together by photographer Roger Dickens. Two young privates Schofield (George McKay) and Black (Dean-Charles Chapman) were summoned to their general (Colin Firth) and took over A task. They must climb into canoes, travel through no man’s land (and pay attention to barbed wire, artillery fire, rats, craters, and corpses), walk along (possibly abandoned) enemy trenches, and pass through France full of booby-traps. Village, find an adjacent camp, and let them cancel an attack that they planned to launch at dawn, otherwise they will step into a trap. If these two people fail, 1,600 people will die, including Blake's brother.
Fairs said that at the beginning, his scene was more cruel: When the two boys went to perform this almost mortal mission, an orderly lay out a white linen tablecloth in order to make The chief enjoys afternoon tea. The scene was eventually cut out. "The military's indifference to these two young people is obvious. We don't need to use this scene to emphasize this," Fairs said. "We also don't need to emphasize the coldness of specific generals."
"The tasks performed by these boys have a certain cruel necessity, and of course they are mixed with tragedy-because the war itself may not be necessary." Firth's scene is only a few minutes, but even if it is filming Such a short scene also made him rethink his feelings. "People need to realize the powerlessness and horror of young people. They cannot decide their own destiny, but can only obey the tasks assigned by the old men."
It is wise to cut off that tablecloth scene. In terms of genre, the understatement of "1917" makes it unique. "Once you decide to use this method," said Christie Wilson-Keynes, the screenwriter of the film, "you lose most of your audience. Anyway, this kind of story doesn't make much sense in Scotland."
Wilson Keynes is a 32-year-old from Glasgow, and she looks radiant in the jumpsuit. This is her first film. Her most important film experience occurred in 2003, when she was still a young girl: "I watched "Charlie Girl 2", this is a movie that shocked me. From then on From then on, I realized that I would either become a Charlie girl or work in the film industry. And Mr. Charlie did not accept external applications."
She pointed out that considering the theme of "1917", her gender may be somewhat surprising. Then, she grinned and said, "But I have already negotiated with my vagina." But she does have doubts. This phenomenon means that the genre element in this film has been tilted: the character's goal is not To slaughter as many enemies as possible, but to go home. "You are not holding your breath to see if he will shoot, but you know that if he doesn't shoot, he will never be able to see his family."
One of Wilson Keynes's grandfathers would educate Christie about warfare, although he did not serve in the military. "He told me that understanding history is the only way to avoid future disasters. The First World War was the stupidest thing humans have ever done to each other."
"Despite the misleading elements, those men are still fighting for a free and unified Europe. But somehow, this is also threatened by sheer madness, stupidity, and political interests. Peace is so fragile. I pray to God, hoping that we will not go to the same result."
Both she and Mendes pointed out separately that they wanted to use this film to revise the past war discourse that served chauvinism and isolationism. "The kind of people who are obsessed with some kind of nostalgic vision will trace these wars back to victories," Mendes said. "Actually, they are just tragedies."
"This kind of kidnapping common cultural memory and pride is very subtle and very easy to do. In the present, such things are happening constantly.'We have to go back to the past and become ourselves again! This It is the spirit of the two world wars!'This is the problem we have to face now.'
Mendes believes that although this cunning discourse is constantly increasing its volume, it just means that the values that make people give their lives have been eroded. Today, only extreme environmental activists will do similar things.
"Sacrifice is obsolete," Wilson Keynes said. "The concept that puts something above you, the concept that makes you die for it, has become an old concept. Essentially Now people have become more selfish and more narcissistic."
The two directors of "1917" both stated that if they are in the same environment as their characters, then they hope they can do the same. But: I pray that there will be no chance to test this. Chapman said that if conscription begins today, "then Twitter will be a mess."
The 22-year-old actor, who has previously appeared in "Game of Thrones", is also the youngest and most energetic in the cast-he is also the one who has the least connection with war before the filming begins. Bit. In the process of making the movie, he said, “I have many practical considerations:'Oh my God, this doesn't seem easy!'” Later, he read a collection of diaries of the same generation during filming, especially What impressed him was the diary written by an armored soldier who was shot in the hip and was paralyzed in no man's land for four days. "I finally found out that he was my great-great-grandfather! Later, he went to work in a poppy factory in Richmond." Chapman was proud and awed, but he did not investigate further.
The 27-year-old McKay behaves mildly and decently, and he maintains a cautious attitude towards the condemnation of his generation-or any generation. He said that we do not understand the practice of giving up everything now. He also talked about wanting to grow his own vegetables. He said that if you can only feel comfortable, then you cannot understand what is "difficult".
"We seldom come into contact with the really important things, because we are not in a stretched position. This film will put you in a real desperate situation. You don't want to stay in a place with only necessities. However, we may It’s been too long on the other end of the scale, and we need to stop before we run out of everything."
In this film, neither Blake nor Schofield expressed their feelings. They don't need to be like that-they really don't have time. Many American audiences were surprised by this, and therefore regarded it as a unique British film, Mendes said he was surprised by this. "The challenge it deals with is how we can continue to tell the truth in the face of great difficulties. "Meeting Hate Late" can be regarded as a classic precedent, which is a unique way of dealing with strong emotions."
McKay said that during the process of watching the movie, he "was very clearly aware of who I want to return to my life with and who is the most important person to me." He also said that in the usual situation Next, watching himself on the screen is not an easy task, but this is the first time he can be immersed in it-this may be thanks to the filming style. "You will advance and retreat with those people. It is of great significance to me to participate in this film. However, the same is true for watching this film."
The most striking thing about "1917" is the film coup initiated by this image style. It creates an uncomfortable look and feel and a weird modernity, which is reminiscent of Laszlo Nemes’s Holocaust film "Sol the son of". The audience could not move their sights elsewhere and could not avoid this brutal disaster. Although most of the World War I movies present the slow burning claustrophobia and numbness, this work presents a disgusting dynamic image: a terrible roller coaster that will lead you through that nightmare. Catastrophe.
However, not everyone will be persuaded. Some critics have found that this single-shot style is too fancy, it looks like an image experiment of form and form, like a demonstration of technical ability, it will distract people from the plot. Mendes mocked this view: "The camera never goes through the keyhole, nor through the glass, let alone following the trajectory of the bullet." For him, this is just a complaint from the "filmmaker". Not something that practitioners should worry about.
Dickens was frustrated by the comments of these critics. "It's a pity," he said. "Some people tell me that they are clearly aware of the existence of the camera." When I pointed out that this might be a condemnation of the conservative, his eyes sparked more hope. . "I hope this film can attract the younger generation who grew up in video games, because this kind of image can be more immersive," he said. "This is not the kind of classic movie."
However, when a friend of Chapman's really told him that the film was reminiscent of a first-person shooter, he still felt a little hesitant. "In that kind of game, you can control tense. But in this movie, you don't have that kind of control. That's why it looks so terrible: you can't escape."
Wilson Keynes's statement is as candid as ever. "The whole point of this film is that you will live 115 minutes in another person's life. If you notice the camera, then we will all fail. We made this film not to make you sit in a chair. You don’t look at your phone because you appreciate the background of the war — certainly not to make someone in a certain place make a lot of money.”
She said that what she wants most is realism. The main task of some historical dramas is entertainment. She feels indifferent to the "freedom" in some works, such as "Queen Mary" in 2018: color-blind casting, narrative that glorifies facts, and untimely dialogue. She said it’s inappropriate to put these things there. “We must pay tribute to the reality these people experience. We don’t want it to expand or shrink. People live this kind of life. This is not a spaceship, this is not a fantasy. .
However, Dickens's view is slightly different. "This is not naturalism," he said. "If you really show the real look, then in five minutes, the cinema will be empty." Nevertheless, towards the end of the film, when they When filming the scene of the emergency tent, he was inspired by Mendes. "He said,'We can't be in a hurry. We have to film this scene fairly.' I remember what I said at the time:'I think we have got this kind of justice. From this perspective, we have done it. '"
So, what would Alfred Mendes think? What would he think of this movie, this work from his stories? His grandson paused, and then said: "I think he will look very uncomfortable. But I'm sure he will appreciate the existence of this movie."
View more about 1917 reviews
