Where to watch 1917 (2019)

Trivia & production notes

• Sam Mendes based the screenplay on a story his grandfather Alfred Mendes told him about serving as a messenger for the British Army on the Western Front during World War I.
• Tom Holland pursued a lead role in the film but ultimately couldn't participate because he was contractually committed to reshoots for Chaos Walking in April 2019.
• 1917 was the first film ever shot with the Arri Alexa Mini LF digital cinema camera, which Roger Deakins used specifically because he wanted a large format sensor without the bulk of the original Alexa LF.
• The film's narrative appears to unfold in one continuous take but actually cuts to black when the protagonist is knocked unconscious, allowing the story to transition from afternoon through dusk and night into dawn across two distinct movements.
• The climactic "Schofield Run" sequence required over 500 background extras and took two days to film, with the lead actor running approximately 300 metres through explosions during each take.
• During the second take of the climactic run, George MacKay collided with two extras mid-sprint but continued running; this unscripted moment was kept in the final film.
• Cinematographer Roger Deakins reunited with Sam Mendes for their fourth collaboration on 1917, having previously worked together on Jarhead in 2005.
• Conservationists raised concerns about filming on Salisbury Plain, worried that the production could disturb potentially undiscovered archaeological remains and requested a survey before set construction began.
• Scenes shot near the River Tees in Teesdale were a deliberate reference to the river Styx, and production staff had to post warning signs for local walkers about the artificial bodies and body parts placed around the filming location.
• Thomas Newman composed the score for the film, hired in March 2019 as part of a wave of casting that also brought in Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Richard Madden.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article 1917 (2019 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.