'1917' Trailer: Time Is The Enemy In This Sam Mendes World War I Drama

You wouldn't know it from this trailer, but 1917 is meant to unfold in one long, continuous shot. Director Sam Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins worked hard to make the entire film resemble one long take, and I remain a bit perplexed as to why the trailers aren't playing this up, since it's one of the more interesting elements behind the movie. But this trailer is loaded with cuts – lots and lots of cuts. I get that a trailer needs to be paced a certain way to excite an audience, but still, you'd think there would be some hint of the one-shot set-up here. "I felt this movie should be told in real time," Mendes said. "Every step of the journey, breathing every breath with these men felt integral and there is no better way to tell this story than with one continuous shot."

In 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."

While World War II has been covered extensively on film, World War I has had only a smattering of cinematic stories, which makes 1917 a bit more interesting than the average war flick. That, coupled with the one-shot element, might be enough to put this one over the top. At the very least, the cinematography from Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049) will look amazing – there are several stunning shots peppered into this trailer.

1917 opens in limited release on December 25, 2019 – just in time to qualify for awards season – and wide on January 10, 2020.