THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 18 JANUARY 2020 AWARDS 1
1917:^ FR
AN
ÇO
IS^ DUH
AM
EL/UNIVERSALPICTU
RES(^2 ).^ ME
NDES:^ B
RYAN^ BEDDER/GETTY^
IMAGESFOR^ U
NIVERSAL^
PIC
TURES.A
fter an eleventh-hour shimmy
into the awards race, Sam
Mendes’ seemingly one-shot
World War I epic 1917 has enjoyed
a dramatic last-minute entrance
of which even the director of two Bond titles
would be proud. Following two young British
soldiers (played by George MacKay and Dean-
Charles Chapman) as they undertake a daring
mission across the trenches into No Man’s
Land, the Universal film has been hailed as a
visually sumptuous masterpiece, lauded for
not just its technical wizardry (thanks largely
to Roger Deakins’ cinematography and the
stitchwork of editor Lee Smith), but also its
immersive storytelling and sound.
Already a double Golden Globe winner (for
best picture, drama, and for best director)
and appearing on many critics’ top 10 lists,
1917 has amassed nine BAFTA and 10 Oscar
nominations. Among those preparing a trip
to the Dolby Theatre is Pippa Harris, Mendes’
longtime producing partner and his Neal
Street Productions co-founder. Speaking to
THR, Harris discusses how the production
complexities of 1917 ’s one-shot style made her
a “weather geek,” recalls meeting Taylor Swift
at the Golden Globes (where she also stalked
the Succession team) and reveals which newly
anointed Oscar nominee reminds her of
Kate Winslet.Sam Mendes has talked about how 1917
was inspired by stories that his grandfather,
a World War I veteran, told him. When did he
start speaking to you about the film?
PIPPA HARRIS The funny thing is, we’ve known
each other since we were kids, so I remember
his grandfather, Alfred. He was a great bon
viveur and great raconteur. But it was only
when Sam and his cousins were little kids
and bothering him to tell them stories that he1917
Sam Mendes’ ambitious
World War I epic follows two
British soldiers who venture
into enemy territory in a
race against time — just like
the film’s own dramatic
entry into the awards battle
BY ALEX RITMANstarted really talking about the war. But the
one that really stuck with Sam was this story
of him having to run below the level of the
mist and take a message into No Man’s Land.
In terms of the film, he first mentioned it to
me around three or four years ago, just as a
sort of kernel of an idea. His agent and I both
said, “Well, why don’t you have a go at writ-
ing something?” He did a first draft, which
was really just an outline document, and it
slightly ground to a halt. We chatted again
about it, and I said, “Maybe you should work
with a writer, because otherwise it could be
one of the things that ends up in a file on your
shelf.” And that’s where Krysty Wilson-Cairns
came in. We’d both worked with her on Penny
Dreadful, and Sam had developed two movie
scripts with her — which didn’t see the light
of day, but he loved working with her.BEST PICTUREVITAL STATSSTUDIO Universal
RELEASE DATE Dec. 25
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE
$75.6M (through Jan. 16)
DIRECTOR Sam Mendes
CAST
George MacKay,
Dean-Charles Chapman
TOP AWARDS
10 Oscar noms, 9 BAFTA noms,
2 Globe wins