1917: Can a Film be Accurate AND Entertaining? No-Spoilers Review

[@BrandonF]

A quick note on my PO box! Please know that I will NOT be making any 'unboxing' videos or livestreams! Please do not send me anything with the express intent of it appearing in a video, etc. but I will, if you send me an email, be sure to reach out and thank you personally. Items may appear in videos/livestreams on an individual basis as appropriate, of course.

[@saintmichaelsarchangel2644]

Brandon F. I once found a German helmet with a sniper plate on it in the Ardens, and a ammunition pouch full of live ammunition in the same position, I believe it might have been a dedicated sniper position or it might have been an MG position, and several undetonated field gun shells

[@keithyork7691]

The cocking pieces on the SMLE Mark III* are correct for time. This movie is excellent, yes it has some very minor details issues...the time is right it is set in that short period between thee the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line and the Battles of Arras, Vimy Ridge and Bullicout. This period in very much overlooked but savage smaller ( for the Great War) unit actions took place. The British Officers are Not stereotypical "donkies leading lions" they care about their men and concered about horrendous casulaties. If this move inspires people to pickup a book or research the Great War then great! This war has had a massive effect on the psyche of the French and British Commonwealth.

[@maverick4037]

Would they have taken their full packs with them on such a mission? It seems it would get in the way or slow them down.

[@tonyt7948]

I worked on 1917 costume department. I'm glad you thought the the uniforms and equipment looked historical correct. Coming from you that's really satisfying

[@marklivingstone3710]

Hi Brandon, have you checked out the DVD Peter Wiers ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’. If not, he was given several hundred hours of WW1 film from which he extracted several hours worth of footage and then set about, using the latest technology, restoring, colorizing and adding audio. He used forensic lip readers to work out what the troops were saying, worked out what regiments they were from and asked locals from that area to read what was said. He had the frames per second expanded to 24 frames per second and meticulously colorized every frame. His reasoning for making the film was to show this was not a war fought in black and white silence with everyone walking funny but ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. For me, the most haunting image was a regiment filmed about 30 minutes before they went over the top….. and we’re wiped out. The look of sheer terror on some of their faces brings a lump to your throat. Good channel, keep up the good work. Cheers Mark from Queensland, Australia😊

[@josephharris4832]

I was an extra on the film and yeah I can tell you they really were concerned with accuracy. There was a military historian on set, Andrew Robertshaw, and he would watch us like a hawk making sure our patches and such were correct. During takes we also weren't allowed to sit with the soles of our feet showing unless our boots had hob nail soles (most boots just had rubber). Our hair had to be cut with short back and sides as an absolute rule and we were encouraged to grow mustaches. As you touched on with rifle etiquette, we had a little boot camp where we were taught how to cycle the bolt and we had a chance to fire some Lee Enfields, and we were drilled on like attack formations and stuff. We did have gas mask parts in the bags, but not the full mask, just the respirator part and the the tube. They also put all sorts of dirt on us, and the detail was crazy. They put stuff on our teeth to make them look yellow which was one thing, but then the make up artists went even further and put fake tobacco stains between the fingers of extras who were smoking the mock up cigarettes! The uniforms were spot on too, we were even given an authentic undershirt even though they were seldom seen on camera. The mess tins were real and we also had real entrenching tools, but the rest of the webbing pouches were just packed with this plastic stuffing. They also made sure specialist soldiers had certain unique bits of gear, for example a mate of mine was part of a Lewis gun team so they gave him round pouches to hold the Lewis ammo drums and his helmet had a chainmail visor. For saying we were just background, blink and you miss sort of thing, they really made sure we looked the part. I'm not surprised its picking up so many awards.

[@jesupcolt]

It really shows, as Brandon pointed out. Y'all did a great job. It also couldn't have been easy with all the long shots.

[@josephharris4832]

@The505Guys A friend of mine shared a casting call on Facebook. The company that hired the extras was called Two10 Casting and they regularly post open casting calls on their website and social media for those who're interested :)

[@bribriskyrocks08]

Thank you so much for sharing this, and for helping them make make a masterpiece. It simply would not be accurate if there weren't men in the background. This movie is perfect in my opinion and I thank you and everyone else who made it happen.

[@iamscoutstfu]

I continue to encourage you to grow a mustache, as I encourage all men and woman, to grow mustaches.

[@Garwulf1]

"There was a military historian on set, Andrew Robertshaw, and he would watch us like a hawk making sure our patches and such were correct." It's a pity the movie got so much wrong, then. Why aren't the British trenches using a traverse system? They didn't use long, straight trenches that you could see down because any direct artillery hit would take out everything within line of sight. Why are the telephone cables above ground and leading to the front-line trenches? By 1917 they were buried to protect them from artillery and didn't go past the support trenches to protect them from evesdropping. Even worse, why the hell are the British attacking using basic human wave tactics without artillery support? That was something that might happen in 1915, not 1917. By 1917 the British were using combined arms platoon combat, and advanced under a creeping barrage. I guess I should be happy that they got the uniforms right, though. (Disclosure: I'm a World War I specialist, and my MA thesis was on the development of doctrine in the British cavalry.)

[@princetonburchill6130]

Being British one thing that struck me most was the general's over-familiarity with the two volunteer privates. The fact that he called them "Gentlemen" instead of "You men" just ring true for me. The yawning gap between a Lieutenant General and a private soldier both in rank and socially for the period wasn't taken into account. From my own experience as a private in the British army in the 1960s, I was the gym orderly one weekend and a major general, no less turned up at the gymnasium to do some circuit training, but nobody had told me, and I hadn't laid out the equipment. I recall standing rigidly to attention as the general paced up and down clutching in his hands his gloves and swagger stick behind his back. Frankly, I was expecting to be put on a charge, but the general noticed some coconut mats had been laid in the corner of the gym. Turning to me the general ordered me to, "Take your belt and boots off and let's have a wrestling match. First one to pin the shoulders for the count of three, three times out of five is the winner!" So there I was, the lowest form of human life in uniform on the planet wrestling with the commander-in-chief, of Northern Command, second only to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff of the British armed forces, and I was being naturally reticent in case I beat him. In a clinch he tapped me on the shoulder saying, "Stop, stop, look, you're not trying hard enough. Forget who I am and pretend you have just caught me fucking your girlfriend!" Anyway, after about half an hour of intensive struggle, the general finally called it a draw. We shook hands and the general asked me about my family and where I came from etc, etc., then he marched off leaving me thinking this a story to tell my mates tomorrow, which I did, but nobody believed me! .

[@Fireoflearning]

I also very much enjoyed this film

[@RarelyTrollingGames]

Ayyy, Fire of Learning. I love your content as well ^^

[@faven5916]

Me as well

[@JohnsonTheSecond]

Critics: Movie historically accurate. "Eh." Veterans: Movie historically accurate. "Ehhhhh." Reenactor: Movie historically accurate. "Ayyyyy"

[@wisemankugelmemicus1701]

Veterans love Full Metal Jacket, Jarhead, and I don't know if you count this as history but also A Grunt's Life and Generation Kill. Vets love an accurate military _experience_.

[@JohnsonTheSecond]

it was a joke, veterans *are* historical accuracy

[@kapitainnemoder5]

There are no ww1 veterans to watch this movie. Troll some body else...

[@JohnsonTheSecond]

@@kapitainnemoder5 you missed the point. Troll some body else...

[@starroving6464]

Really? I thought there were 2 British and 1 German WW1 veteran still alive... Maybe that was like 5 years ago so they're all dead now... Sad.

[@AtunSheiFilms]

One horror-esque scene that really struck me was when the protagonist is running through the bombed out town, and he comes across a soldier without a helmet, completely backlit by fire. The two men just sort of stare at each other for a moment, and the backlit soldier just starts chasing him, shooting wildly. Might have been the most disturbing scene in the movie for me. And I'm 99% sure the soldier chasing him was a Brit.

[@BrandonF]

My heart sunk pretty dramatically when he started running. Something about the imagery just felt so real at that moment, as the rifle was leveled. Watching it in IMAX really helped too- the report of the rifles was immensely satisfying.

[@AtunSheiFilms]

@@BrandonF Yes! Everybody's raving about the cinematography - rightly so, Roger Deakins can do no wrong - but the sound design is the unsung hero of this movie

[@skepticalbadger]

Don't think he was a Brit.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

I think he was the drunken German soldier we see throw up later

[@aaronhale2978]

1917 came to save Brandon's last bit of sanity from The Patriot videos.

[@archdornan1722]

We don't speak of that filth here.

[@AtunSheiFilms]

Had a feeling you would love it. The technical execution was just outstanding, though I have to agree with some critics about the story. It felt very authentic to me, but WW1 isn't my area of expertise, so I wasn't quite sure. Glad to hear it has the Brandon seal of approval.

[@warlordofbritannia]

I still haven’t seen it, I was afraid that we would finally get a Great War movie and it would not be authentic. It sounds like I need not have worried.

[@ptonpc]

@@warlordofbritannia It is essentially 'just another day on the front during the war', which, to me, made it far more compelling. I can't promise you will have fun but you have to experience it.

[@AtunSheiFilms]

@Lt. Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff It wasn't the simplicity of the story I took issue with. It was more the war movie cliches that sometimes bothered me.

[@thurin84]

as i said in my comment it was a familiar story told in an unfamiliar way.

[@Floreal78]

Also the tank that is visible for some seconds as the two main characters advance through no-mans land is a Mark II, which is correct for early 1917. Rather than to simply use one of the modern replica Mark IVs (which became common some months later) that are available for hire they meticulosly recreated a Mark II digitally with the correct long barrel 6-pounder guns and the flip hatch for the Hotchkiss light machine gun for this scene.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

I thought Mark IIs were only used as training tanks?

[@Floreal78]

@@sirboomsalot4902 As intended that is correct, but close to 50 were sent to France in early 1917 and used due to dire need.

[@oddballsok]

some other historian explained that this film time (1916?) there were NOT SUPPOSED to be tanks at all. Or at best only a handfull in the whole of Flanders...not a prop to have it "casually" and in prolonged deterioration just laying about in "some" battlefield.

[@Floreal78]

@@oddballsok Tanks were first used in september 1916, movie takes place in april 1917, there were around 60 operational tanks (15 Mark Is, rest were Mark IIs) with the british army in France/Belgium at that time. Not very many or common at all, that is true, but the tank shown is correct for that time period, which is very unusual for any movie.

[@C0NSTANTINUS]

ODDBALL SOK lmao lol research before you comment

[@NordicUlfr]

Enyone else that thought when the guys reacht the huns trench. Uhm Their trench are more nicer and better then the Brittish trench. My God the level of detail in this movie!

[@Leon-mt6ht]

but they weren't in 1917, that was 15 and 16. in 17 the germans slowly bled out and didn't have those nice clean trenches

[@NordicUlfr]

@@Leon-mt6ht o yes they did. Rather be in a German trench then a Entente trench.

[@Goldy-zw7fp]

@@NordicUlfr German strategy after 1914 was primarily defensive and they put more effort in trench design and construction, British and french strategy was the offensive and did not spend a lot of time constructing their trenches as they didn't plan on staying in one place to to long.

[@Leon-mt6ht]

@ thats right dir 1914 and 1915, but in 17 Things Had changed.germany was Cut of from Most of the trade and so on. Additionally the Entente was backed by US Economy.

[@diegoleonardia5358]

@@Leon-mt6ht This was April 6th, 1917, America had just entered the war, and not only that. Just because they can't make the trenches as well as they did in 1914-15. It does not mean that this was a brand new trench, for all we could know, it could've been up since 1914. This is a fictitious story in a historical setting after all

[@watchdog8891]

Hi Brandon, Two of my ww2 reenactment group were extras in this movie, they all went through ww1 weapon handling, tactics, they actually tested their fitness for getting out of trenches and charging across the battlefield, Weapons were a mix of real and rubber, uniforms were spot on and checked by historians. the trench locations are not far from where I live in Wiltshire. Where actual training back in ww1 took place. keep up the good work Nick

[@rump438]

legitimately the only thing in this movie to bother me is the scene with the pilot. I feel like it was a bit of a stretch that a pilot with shattered legs would suddenly decide to do the thing to people helping him. From what I understand about pilots in WWI they weren't exactly grunts.

[@danielkelly1335]

I think the trauma of being shot down and then being on fire would lead people to act strangely especially if you're being rescued by the representation of the person who just shot you down

[@karlzen86]

Loved the movie, but that scene was dumb...

[@SiegfriedDeniz]

yes totally agree. what happend there was strange, made more sense that it happened later with the sniper.

[@rump438]

@@SiegfriedDeniz yeah if anything that should have been when he died, it'd have made the scene in the basement even more tense.

[@rump438]

@@danielkelly1335 I dunno. I'd buy in in WWII, I attribute the scene to bleed over of WWII into I from a pop culture view. There's way too many examples of prisoner exchanges/respectfully handling enemy pilots during WWI for it to at least not stick out for me.

[@cuthalion4281]

If Brandon F. has good things to say about it, it must be an excellent war film! I watched it a few weeks ago and loved it. Glad to have confirmation that it holds up historically. I am very interested in WWI history, but I by no means have perfect knowledge of the details (especially regarding the uniforms and the way soldiers carry their kit).

[@beautanner8409]

I had no explicit plans to see this film, but this review has convinced me!

[@BrandonF]

Good! It is doing its job, then!

[@anthonyhayes1267]

I was waiting for Father Farb's input

[@alexandersarchives9615]

Honestly, I saw it two days ago and it’s amazing

It is an adventure. That's what I love about that. It feels exactly like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, meaning you are following two simple guys into the hell of the war that will end all wars. You see it all through their eyes, and that's what is so interesting.

[@UbinTimor]

I would disagree, as a prior service member myself, that the plot revolves around a grandiose action that the protagonists are a part of. I think that the advertisements and the beginning of the movie itself frames what Blake and Schofield are doing is a big deal, but the movie is pretty clear at the end that it wasn't the case. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post spoilers- the movie's been out for awhile now so I think at this point anyone watching this would have already seen it, but the officer Benedict Cumberbatch plays makes it clear that Blake and Schofield's journey wasn't a big deal- this sort of thing happens all the time. One minute command will be saying attack this, then hours after the attack they'll say to call it off. I think 1917 is the most personal narrative war movie we've ever gotten because of how real everyone acted. From my experience as a sailor I appreciated how real the message the movie was trying to get across that: in war nothing is important, you're just a cog in a machine that has to function because if you don't do your job many others will die, but in doing so people higher than you will make the calls to lead- not only you, but others to die and no one will care. Multiple times I've been given the talk by high end officers- even the Chief of Naval Operations at the time himself- about how important the ship (and by extension the crew and myself) were to the war effort for the United States. Every time I was given that talk I knew it was bullshit- my ship could have been hit in the first wave of a combined Chinese, Russian and North Korean attack and I would just be another number in a list of casualties and my ship just another lost asset that the American people paid for. I was in Electronic Warfare and Information Dominance at the time I served and as such was required to attend mission briefs and even give presentations to officers on the orders we were given from up top, and after all this time officers haven't really changed from the ones you see in this movie. It's still just a game to some people and I always resented that about my time in. It's worse when you get out and you know that no one cares about what you went through or how close you were to loosing your life, and that's why I fell for this film and "They Shall Not Grow Old" because they both cast a spotlight on how insignificant us service members were and are. Anything we do that would seem like a big deal to someone on the outside is just another order that could get swept over. We can and have given everything and at the end of the day there will always be an officer who will just pat our shoulder and go "good job, now get the fuck out of my office."

[@craftpaint1644]

That line in Saving Private Ryan, "It was a tough assignment. That's why you got it." Always makes me smile like thanks sir your confidence is why I fight, sure.

[@saintmichaelsarchangel2644]

I’ve seen one picture of soldiers of wearing their gas mask bags on their backs and it was while they were marching

[@redf7209]

I'm not sure whether we would expect standardization here. There must have been a taught right way to do it as some point but the issue of masks and their design was a bit hit and miss at first so I wouldn't be surprised if there was inconsistent roll out of training and experience in gas.

[@craftpaint1644]

The one I have is messenger bag style in design.

[@mitsvanmitsvanio6106]

"I am going out of battery" -Brandon realising he is going to lost what remains of his artillery.

[@SchwiegerH]

I'm glad you liked it, Brandon. It's easily in my top 10, perhaps even top 5, all time war films.

[@BrandonF]

I'd say the same!

[@saintmichaelsarchangel2644]

Brandon F. Is that a short mag Lee Enfield or a long mag Lee Enfield?

[@angrycanuck7408]

SchwiegerH it is in my top 3

[@DanneZzZ]

What is your top 3?

[@marcelozerbini5411]

My top 5: Black Hawk Down Saving Private Ryan 1917 We were soldiers Memphis Belle

[@codyanglin3758]

Hi Brandon! In regards to the gas masks on the back of the main characters, some individuals that I know who both reenact WW1 and also participate in the film industry looked into this. Apparently they initially tried having the main characters wear it correctly, but it interfered with the microphones being worn by them. This is why only the main characters (with many speaking roles) were wearing them that way. As for being based on a true story, I believe the director said it was (at least loosely) based on a story his grandfather, the WW1 veteran who it was dedicated to, told him when he was a child.

[@ChristheRedcoat]

Your camera has an excellent sense of comedic timing. I've always had a thing for long-takes in movies - they really have a way of pulling you into the action. I remember there was a long-take towards the end of "Children of Men" that actually caused me to duck down a couple inches in my seat. Same thing happened to me multiple times over the course of this movie. The camerawork was really on-point. As far as pedantic details go, the only thing that struck me as questionable was the part where the guy is balancing on the metal beam whilst wearing hobnails.

[@tomweaverling1366]

I was thinking the same exact thing about the balancing act. Anyone who has worn hob nails and heel plates can can probably agree.

[@shaneminer4526]

In comparison to most historical movies/miniseries or even History Channel (back before aliens and lumberjacks took over) shows, the problem of trying balance on a metal beam with those boots being one of the biggest complaints is quite a feat. I love that for the most part the only complaints I'm seeing about this movie are the details so minute that your average history buff won't pick up on it.

[@historyarmyproductions]

No spoilers? Thank God! I haven't seen the film yet, Thank you my friend.

[@78thgeorge]

Brandon just to let you know that the position of the SBR bag of the two main leads is at the Marching order. This order of the bag was used when moving across lines or on the move to the frount lines from the rear "marching" so to speak. This was done by placing the bag over your head resting on the pack and looping the stap to the waist belt. Rifleman moore has a 1 man's kit video of a Sapper, 5th Field Company Royal Engineers - Bickerath, Germany, 11 December 1918, which shows the SBR bag beigin warn at Marching order.

[@marcgee9630]

Hey Brandon. The film was excellent but I have some observations for you. The rest area in the green field at the start was only a short walk to the front lines, those areas would have been along way back. The dead horses in "No man's land" How would those horses have crossed the trenches and barbed wire to get there? They could not be from a earlier time as the bodies seemed fresh and undamaged by bombardment. The trip wire was set off by a rat. I guess the booby trap would be an explosive like a grenade and set up to cause death and injury to anyone in the immediate area. When the Germans set the booby trap up they would have made sure a rat could not set it off. The bunker started to collapse after the explosion, the bunker was designed to withstand months of heavy bombardment. It would not have collapsed like that after the explosion. The British truck was in German territory. The Germans had pulled back but the British would have never got a truck over the trenches and bomb craters and barbed wire to get there. Both sides would have targeted the roads to make the movement of troops and supplies difficult. It was a unbroken line of trenches, bomb craters, barbed wire, debris and mud that stretched for hundreds of miles. It was not possible just to go around the side. The only trucks in that area would have been German trucks. And the dressing station at the end was only about 3 minutes walk from the front line. Again it was far too close.. I know that it's just a film and these things are just for artist effect ,dramatic effect and time. What do you think?

[@aquastar1182]

He won’t point out any inaccuracies because he’s obsessed with the British. He’s clearly biased and tries to defend the British no matter what the topic is about. Never heard this guy criticize the British ever. And trust me their is plenty of subject matter. Another thing that made no sense in the movie was how no mans land was a lush green field when the reality is it would’ve been destroyed mud barbed wire and the sorts.

[@VIClER99]

9:33 Yes a lot of the actors in this film were part time/former soldiers in the British army. A friend of mine is an extra in the film and apparently it was one of the requested attributes of extras that they had spent time in the miliatary

[@richardg8376]

The comments on positioning of the respirator system reminded me of one of my favourite war films: Journey's End. There is a passing comment between an experienced Lieutenant and a fresh one out of training where he explicitly tells him to keep it tucked up right under his chin. For those unfamiliar with this film, it is set in 1918 a few days before the German "Spring offensive", and deals with the emotional and mental breakdown of the commanding officers knowing that a big attack is coming any day and they have no means to put up any meaningful defence. It's adapted from a 1928 play, so is more heavy on the drama than action, though there is some action too. Highly recommend it.

[@Boilerz1]

That's a great film I have to say. More accurate I must say. Even the dialogue has much more early 20th century than most films. The smaller focus of the film probably helped a lot there.

[@CharlieSkellon]

That ending was golden.

[@firearmsaremagic]

Your criticism of the placement of the gas mask is incorrect, this was a common way of wearing it when behind the lines, as Blake and Schofield were at the beginning of the film. Due to their haste one can assume they decided not to move it to the front. Also you mention that the gas mask hose was visible inside the bag, one small farb is that it was clearly too long, indicating the use of a later gas mask.

[@1985rbaek]

Thanks, I was looking for this comment. As for the main characters being on patrol, gas attack wouldn't be a major danger. Getting close to ground is however more important in such situation to avoid direct enemy fire, a gas mask on the chest would have prevented that, and sometimes a quarter of an inch is enough. It is something taught to soldiers today too, keeping the front of your body clean, however today a lot of mechanized units have combat vests as to get in and out of vehicles fast.

[@zionrios2205]

One thing I liked is in certain open scenes you could see smoke billowing in the distance to show the various front lines

[@lexington476]

25:00 I like your view on the common man of history, I like to think of it as if I had been in the war, I most likely would have been an enlisted soldier. Although I probably would have tried to get into the Navy first 😀.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

lexington476 Tries to get into the navy *gets assigned to the Invincable*

[@lexington476]

@@sirboomsalot4902 one ship out of how many in the Royal Navy 🤓? Not likely. I think i would have been on a patrol boat in the Channel 😎.

[@phredphlintstone6455]

One of those u-boat hunters in a row boat, with a blacksmith, and a hammer

[@lexington476]

@@phredphlintstone6455 I would be on the front left oar 🙂😀🧐.

[@phredphlintstone6455]

@@lexington476 😄

[@zombielizard218]

Hands down the best WW1 film I've ever seen.

[@colton2680]

Whenever the bullets went off in the chase scene in the town I flinched every time lmao

[@bruvamichal7437]

now we know that Brandon would play imperial guard. I guess Praetorian Guard regiment

[@jaxsonh.266]

1:18 Western or Eastern?

[@BrandonF]

Oh, shame on you...

[@pashico7082]

I had the same reaction to it! Hahaha

[@dastemplar9681]

There were more than two buckaroo...

[@gewehr36c89]

who you think the BRITISH were on

[@JanoTuotanto]

the BRITISH were on a front east side of Britain

[@CivilWarWeekByWeek]

I have never seen Brandon-senpai so happy

[@Ajc-ni3xn]

16:54 If the officer was from Ireland/Kerry “If you find 15 dead bodies, you’ve gone too far, now what you want to do is take a right and a right and another right and then a left and a right and then spin around, do 3 hops, cry for an hour, take 4 rights, take 15 lefts and you’ll be grand.”

[@kueller917]

Oh man your comments about the "extraordinary" and the callout of Battlefield I (I believe). I was so very annoyed with its story mode that every mission the game was rushing to get you alone to stealth or rambo your way through the war. For a game with such astounding sound and set design it feels wasteful the only mass scale battle was in its prologue. Even the Call of Duty of the following year had some more large scale battle (Omaha and the Bulge). I do credit 1917 though for avoiding the "rambo" nature of the lone soldier. The only gunfight the main character experiences is among the tensest moments of the film and it was just a 1v1.

[@meinimoe1346]

I had the same experience! I slammed my right fist into my left palm when the main character put his hand through "you know what" (wont spoil) :D ..fairly new to this channel, but I will stay forever.

[@sonnyocad287]

Loved the film so much. The only thing that particularly bothered me was the sharpshooter scene, because I struggle to believe that someone with that job could miss so many times.

[@Tom-2142]

The German looks quite young when you see his dead body, so it’s probable he was a fairly new soldier, and not a very good shot.

[@sonnyocad287]

@@Tom-2142 That makes sense. Next time I see the film I'll try to get a better look at his face!

[@MrDecelles]

Love this. Are there an official order on how to put the equipment? I'm curious about that gas mask system at this point and how or why did they do this like this? I was very impressed.

[@TransJLM]

I really enjoyed the movie; I saw it with my father and we agreed it was as good as Saving private ryan.

[@glencochrane901]

I enjoyed it too. I'm glad it did well the first weekend. Maybe it will get some people interested in history.

[@danielhatcher9840]

2:02 YESSS I'm not the only one who saw that

[@tobiasbourne9073]

I loved it, few things were wrong in it but to those that are crying about it being unbelievably inaccurate 1 compare it to other WW1 films 2 get a grip 3 no film will be 100% accurate

[@christinaiiinowell5649]

As a viewer of the movie it was beautiful, I legitimately cried

[@simontemplate]

I bought the Blu-ray a third of the way through your review! Your infectious enthusiasm galvanised me into action. Coincidentally some of the scenes for this movie were shot right down the road from where I live in Teesdale and at the time I paid very little attention to it. Keep up the great work Brandon!

[@pablogfmovil]

18:00 What you are saying there, when I was watching that part it DID remind me of James Cameron´s Terminator movies, the futuristic judgment day battles in the trenches, of course without the lasers and giant tank-robots, but the exact same "feeling" of danger and dread (even the moment when the two airplanes fly over them and they hide in terror, it was very similar to the flying ships in terminator, looking for things to kill!)

[@KaptenKrupp]

One thing that struck me about this movie is how the shots were sometimes a bit reminicent of art from the time depicting the horrors of war. Sometimes it felt almost like looking at a painting.

[@BigBird-pc5bc]

I'm pretty sure alot of the extras were either ww1 reenactors or just reenactors in general. So guys that would actually care and take pride in getting it as right as they can.

[@demomanchaos]

So basically the Great War's "Gettysburg"?

[@angrycanuck7408]

Can you do a video on the early life of sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill I also suggest you read early life by Winston and watch young Winston -a Canadian

[@robdavies8254]

The only thing that made me chuckle was when "the hero" carefully walked down the metal rail of the collapsed bridge, Covered in mud, wet and slippery metal in hob nailed boots. Ever tried walking on anything slippery in hob nailed boots ?

[@gaslightstudiosrebooted3432]

I've heard it described as a play which happens to be on film...

[@gaslightstudiosrebooted3432]

@@aquilatempestate9527 It's like a play in the sense that each scene (pretty much each scene is a single shot) has to be done with or without errors, and the shots don't "stop". They explain it well in the making of featurette.

[@user-or6qv8kc1u]

I think here analysis is spot on! The way that the storyteller use such an atypical situation to showcase the more mundane but horrifying aspects of the conflict is great. It's funny but it got me to thinking of this as the World War I version of Apocalypse Now. In both movies we watch our protagonist meander through the chaos of war for some objective that is deemed to be super important.

[@philipfoster7269]

Just a point about how soldiers wear their equipment and bear in mind my experience is from the 1980s and 90s. No two soldiers looked exactly the same. Not on the front line at least. You see the problem back then is that the issued equipment was less than ideal. Very uncomfortable and made little sense. Webbing for example. We would swap out the kidney pouches for extra water bottle pouches which would carry everything leaving only our ammo pouches as issues kit. We would ditch the large pack for a commercially bought rucksack, it just needed to blend in with the rest of your gear, mine was a big Bergheus Bergen in standard DPM. I've still got it. Our boots were rarely standard issue, neither were our smocks which were usually windproof or para smocks bought from local army and navy stores. The list is almost endless, we'd customise everything to make it more comfortable and efficient. My point is to beware what a soldier should look like in your estimation. With us, you'd need to look close because the kit we bought with our own money still had to fall within guidelines but it was usually very different from one soldier to the next.

[@kryoruleroftheninthcircleo4151]

I love the soundtrack especially. Amazing film.

[@theblackprince8264]

Is it bad I watched one scene and looked at how they walked with their rifles and thought Brandon is going to be very happy

[@secretbaguette]

Nope. In the first ten minutes, we actually see the use of a periscope rifle. A bloody periscope rifle! I'm kinda dissapointed he didn't mention it.

[@andymoore9977]

The big reality issues for me are very senior officers being in forward trenches and then actually explaining the reasons behind their orders to mere junior NCOs rather than just telling them what to do.

[@synovialpig9983]

You know what made it really good? The guns sound real. Like actual firearms, they are painfully loud in the cinema.

[@vinnieandhispizza6299]

Well, I now have not a single reservation about watching this movie! I'm going to see it as soon as I can.

[@fireline4765]

In talking about the emergence of the film, your are correct in saying that you feel like your actually there. The one downside to that I've found, is that my anxiety was elevated to the point where I had to separate myself from my family, calm down and watch something positive and fun afterwards to ward off potential nightmares. (Yes i do suffer from PTSD, and watching someone go through a traumatic experience like that and feeling it as it were is very difficult for me. I still can't watch the ending of "Deep water horizon ")

[@douglasdea637]

My grandfather, an American from the Boston area, was a soldier in World War 1. He was in France, in 1917, for only a few months when he was gassed in an attack. He was all screwed up by it. Sent to a hospital where he stayed for several months then sent back to America. Later became a post master in his town.

[@SRP3572]

I watched it in the theater 4 times while I was home on home time(im a truck driver) and I was glued to the screen. On the first viewing i had my wife with me and she told me afterwards that " I think I only saw you blink maybe twice" and I told her I haven't seen a movie this good and worth watching in several years. I have the blu-ray version and I have it downloaded to my phone. I love this movie and now sits on my list of top 10 war films. Right now it sits at number 10 and kicked off Enemy at the Gates.

[@jingram58]

While there are any number of reviews, critiques and documentaries on this film, this one is by far the best I have come across. This movie just blows away every other World War I film I have ever seen. Up until I saw this film, what I knew of World War I was the little they talked about in high school, and films like "All Quiet On The Western Front". Now I am obsessed, studying up on Verdun, the Somme, Ypres, Passchendaele, etc. All I can say is, wow!

[@HumphreyHorsehead]

You questioned how accurate the story's premise could be. My great grandfather was involved in a very similar instance. His unit had been completely cut off by the enemy and they needed to get word of their location and situation to command. He was dispatched as one of a pair of runners to deliver the message, and he made it, but the other guy didn't. Unfortunately he was long dead by the time I was born and wasn't the type to write a diary or memoirs so details are scarce however I know the story is true since we still have the medal it earned him.

[@aaronsuever2532]

One extra little level of detail I thought was impressive (and maybe I'm looking more into this than they intended) with the loading the weapon scene was that in addition to turning the magazine cut off lever off before loading, he only loads 1 clip. This means that he was likely carrying the rifle with 5 rounds in it already. Which is something that would make sense in the trenches because it allows you to load 5 rounds into the gun, push the rounds below the cut off, and then have an empty chamber but a loaded magazine so if you were suddenly attacked or raided you could just open the cut off and rack a round into the gun. But if you loaded all 9 rounds that would fit below the cut off, you'd have a loose round floating around you would lose constantly. So it makes a lot of sense that you'd load 1 clip then cut it off and close the bolt on an empty chamber to keep your gun battle ready.

[@iskandartaib]

A couple of interesting discoveries.. the first was the Brodie helmet was a lot bigger than I thought it was, and that British officer uniforms had those fancy cuffs with rank insignia embroidered in.

[@TemporaryHeroJayLaw]

"...the players..." Methinks someone plays tabletop RPGs. Seems strikingly familiar.

[@BrandonF]

Oh, yes!

[@TemporaryHeroJayLaw]

@@BrandonF Hah! We should chat. If I understand what you've said in the past correctly, we're fairly local to each other, too.

[@BrandonF]

Facebook is the best way to reach me directly

[@xclonejager6959]

Gotta say I loved how this movie had the balls to do what most other films could never dream off, The fact the film made you think Blake was the main character and then killed him off so quickly was so interesting to see. And just the level of detail from the trenches to the gruesome horror off nomans land. I honestly think it’s a contender for one of the best war films ever made just behind Saving private Ryan

[@MrKarlMANno1]

Would you consider to review the Australian miniseries ANZACS from 1985? It is one of my favorites. It is similar to Band of Brothers, but with fictional characters. It shows the entire Australian involvement in WWI.

[@edmundscycles1]

Doesn't it have Jason donovan in it ? I think I remember that series .

[@stevejauncey3086]

@@edmundscycles1 No but Paul Hogan is in it Worth watching online.

[@edmundscycles1]

@@stevejauncey3086 I remember it on bbc1 at 6:30 on a sunday night

[@KiwiForce123]

Brandon liking this movie and giving it his tick of approval is honestly making me so happy.

[@brickproduction1815]

I thought the second main character uses a different kind of webbing like that rare Canadian one

[@eshaanbidarakoppa5738]

I agree, I feel like we don’t get films about ordinary soldiers at all. Probably one of the only films was all quiet on the western front. Say, they should make a reboot of that!

[@theblackprince1346]

Personally I really loved the film and ended up seeing it twice in one week.

[@DogWalkerBill]

Wasn't the messed up messages thing already done in 1981 film Gallipoli?

[@WiseSnake]

This film clearly had a lot of heart put into it. Which doesn't surprise considering what the film was inspired by.

[@paulstonepaul879]

Hi Brandon, in your mention about the position of the gas mask ie they put it on their back, well I think it was a personnel preference as The Germans would use gas in a big offersives against a mass of troops and not just 2 men, snippers machine guns would do that. But when they got to their destination ie a mass of troops waiting to attack the Germans then the gas mask would be made ready. But for most of their mission they would need to bring their rifle quickly into the firing position have easy access to their ammunision and bayonet and be able to get low to the ground for cover so as an ex soldier I would have positioned my equipment the same as gas would be less of a threat as apossed to being shot. But love your stuff! And this is only my opinion!

[@JJfromPhilly67]

This movie caused me to discover how a non-commissioned officer would have a brother as an officer. Thus, I learned about Temporary Gentleman which was the British army's way around the traditional rules that officers must be gentlemen.

[@MrRobot151]

Just wanted to say that the reason for the gas mask being on the back was likely so it didn’t smack the runners in the face when they were running. For example have you ever run with a back pack and not held the straps while you run? It jumps around all over the place therefore they likely put the gas mask on the back to avoid it from getting in the way.

[@taylorlbritton]

Ive watched the patriot twice since your serialized reviews started. and I will watch it and enjoy myself every time a new video drops

[@luggilu7864]

That immersion was also very true for dunkirk on imax as well. When that MG in the opening scene opened up ich shrunk down in my seat. I twitched every time a round was fired. Similar thing for 1917. Very well done movies.

[@darthdarthius4672]

Thanks for this review so I don't have to watch all of the 1,916 previous movies.

[@kryoruleroftheninthcircleo4151]

You must’ve watched Smiminal for this profile pic.

[@thurin84]

i see what you did there and insist you sign a war guilt clause.

[@thurin84]

oh and no fokker D7s either.

[@censorshipbites7545]

Brit actor Laurence Fox was complaining about "diversity" being shoe-horned into entertainment today. He mentioned the Sikh soldier in 1917, and SJWs attacked him for downplaying the role of non-whites in WWI, and Sikhs in particular. He later got a little more time to explain his point: a single Sikh soldier was a nod to diversity, while a whole unit of Sikhs would have been far more accurate. And he's absolutely right.

[@censorshipbites7545]

@Mae ! You are correct, the casuals truck was not unit-specific. But the Sikh solider was a replacement *for an entire Sikh unit* , so the implication is that the Sikh unit suffered only 1 casualty, which is implausible at best. Moreover, all of the Brit units were preparing for a massive push, so anyone and everyone possible would have been sent forward.

[@zion653]

I was an army officer. My father was a combat engineer. We both enjoy going to see War films together. This film put my father to sleep, and I found myself nodding off through several points of the film. That should tell you something about the overall plot and its execution. Take this for what it's worth.

[@thevioletskull8158]

There's a lot of war movies this year so far,there's Jojo rabbit,there's 1914 witch your reviewing,there's the last full measure,there's also greyhound (coming out) and I could go on,this will be hard to catch up to!

[@tobiasbourne9073]

When you were talking about the SBR, behind the lines it was common to wear it how they were wearing it, however when they got to the front line they should’ve either fixed it to the front of their chest or had a higher ranking NCO or an officer tell them to put it on their front.

[@history_loves_anime8927]

I wonder if you ever watched 'Beneath Hill 60' based off the ANZAC tunnelers in Messines.

[@paulmk2290]

I haven't seen the film yet, but mention of the Dorsets and the cap badge got me thinking. I was aware that my grandfather was in a similarly named regiment, but I thought it was the Devonshire and Dorsetshire regiment - which as it turned out was not formed until 1958. I found the only picture that I have of him, which happens to be in uniform and, sure enough, he has a Dorsets cap badge. I have yet to work out exactly where the film is supposed to be set, but my grandfather lost a leg at Ypres.

[@ThisTrainIsLost]

Here's something very ordinary: my uncle caught a machine gun burst across the belly during the Continuation War during the very last days of that conflict. It took him three days to die but he did come home. His grave is about a half hour's walk away.

[@Mike-im5bo]

I saw "1917" and I liked it, BUT they did get the aircraft wrong. The movie takes place in April 1917. The two British aircraft are Sopwith Camels, which were not introduced to the front until the summer of 1917.

[@19606869]

That was brilliant, well done Brandon. 1917 is a fantastic movie.

[@Richard500]

The uniform worn is called "Service Dress" not fatigues (I'm sure you know that though), the Sergeant in the trench with a pistol in one scene is indeed wearing his respirator on his chest and I was thinking that the soldiers were wearing an item called "a Small Pack" and their respirators are on their hips. Getting hold of webbing equipment these days must be hard.

[@flamebird2218]

I've never seen this film because I didn't have the time, but your review makes me want to see it even more

[@bruceismay5440]

My great great grandfather was a stretcher barer in the western front in 1915, he was gassed and sent home, died in the 60s

[@thorsteinj]

Never have I ever seen a movie review more depraved of the movie's content, but still so enhanced by its consciousness, as usual, nothing but first class from our reviewer-in-charge.

[@BrandonF]

I wanted to avoid ruining anything- but I give more detail in my 'spoilers' review!

[@lordspaghettiyetithe1st513]

I just found this and i wanna say i beat you to counting because i immediately was looking for how many bullets were fired

[@jimvargaco.6344]

I'm not saying you're wrong regarding the bags but one possible explanation - being on a mission through largely unoccupied territory where shelling is unlikely, perhaps the need for a gas mask is far less pressing than the need to be able to throw yourself onto the ground with nothing in your way and get as low as possible to avoid gunfire from some german crouching in the brush. Just a thought.

[@robertorlove613]

I was impressed to see them actually load their rifles before climbing out of the trench. The Lee-Enfield MK III holds 10 rounds, not 5 rounds as shown in the movie. I appreciated the attention paid to the uniforms and kit but the story line is beyond absurd.

[@SNAFUD-DAY1944]

One thing I found out after the film was about the whole scenario in the destroyed town. The town was Called Escout-Sainte-Mein which ironically was taken in April 1917 by the 8th Battalion/Devonshire Regiment (same unit as the 2 runners in the movie)

[@m.a.t.a.s]

Honestly, I like to see both perspectives: The leader who commands a division to move to a position, or executes some kind of a plan and a regular soldier who executes the order and what does he (she) feel after receiving such order.

[@DaveScurlock]

Asked a friend who was in the paras what he made of it. His gripe wasn’t the inaccuracies so much as the decision to make up a story when there are so many real tales to tell