1917 on France 3: Two soldiers face an urgent mission, by Sam Mendes

Two British soldiers must carry a message through enemy lines to prevent a disastrous attack: 1917 returns to France 3. Sam Mendes follows the mission with George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, who play Schofield and Blake.

Blake’s brother is among the men threatened by the offensive. The screenplay, written by Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns, thus builds the story around a personal as well as a military emergency. Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch round out the cast.

The film unfolds through a series of long, connected shots, creating the impression of following the soldiers without interruption. Roger Deakins shot the film. In an interview published by ARRI, the cinematographer said he used prototypes of the ALEXA Mini LF and Signature Prime lenses for the shoot. The crew worked at Salisbury Plain, among other locations, and built trenches at Bovingdon in the UK.

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