I thought I had a fairly good idea of what to expect when I saw 1917 (written by Sam Mendez and Krysty Wilson-Cairns), but I was wrong. From the opening scene the film commands your attention through the very specific choice of mostly depicting a single moment in the Great War, rather than a story (I’ll get there later).
It was brutal, it was withering, it was cinematographically a masterwork, but I want to draw your attention now to the structure of this moment, a simple story that would be mere backstory for a more typical war film.
Two Halves, Mirrored
What sets 1917 apart from other war films (and aligns it in similarity to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk), I think, is that in tone it focuses on a single moment in the war, ‘just another day’ so to speak, a writing choice that no doubt influenced its single-take style. Whether this makes for a good story, it’s an interesting choice. So let’s take a look at the bones of the movie.
There is exactly one cut in 1917, and it’s right in the midway when our leading man Schofield gets knocked out. This bisects the film neatly in half, and accentuates something fairly unconventional about the film – 1917 is not structured in the traditional three-act style, but rather in two acts divided by Schofield blacking out, and these acts are presented in such a way that they are mirrors of each other.
1917’s structure ensures that every plot beat has a callback later on, reminding us of what we have seen in the first hour. There is contrast as well with what is basically the same thing – a picturesque countryside scorched with ugly artillery scars and bodies, and in the second half – a town on fire, apocalyptic in other films, but in this film, a strangely beautiful sight.
And while 1917 begins with showing us the aftermath of a battle, in the form of the hideous wasteland of No-Man’s Land, the climax shows us the process of having a place get to that point in the first place – with soldiers charging over the trenches towards their deaths, and Schofield running for his life to save them.
And how does it end? With Schofield walking to a tree, and taking a nap – ending the film how it begins. Just all in reverse.
Mirror Structuring
Book-ending is a technique that can create a great payoff with the audience by, at the end of the film, reminding us how far we’ve come by presenting us with a scenario that is very reminiscent if not identical to the opening. 1917’s mirror structured-plot shows that you can take that technique and go to even grander heights, with an entire second half of plot that reminds the audience, in nearly every moment, of different beats in the first half but through a different understanding.
Is this structure ideal for most films? Well, it really depends. But it is a lesson to take home in writing a screenplay where, whether visually or thematically, the audience is given a reminder of the beginning of the journey.