The True Story Behind '1917'

Along with "Parasite," one of the most acclaimed movies from last year was "1917."

Directed by Sam Mendes, the hit Hollywood film is set in Europe during World War 1.

World War 1 was an intense conflict that shook the Western world.

Throughout much of the war, the British and German forces engaged in a brutal battle in the trenches.

Millions of soldiers huddled in the dirt and shot at each other.

"1917" realistically captures the terrible conditions of trench warfare, though its main story is fictional.

The movie centers around two fictional British soldiers, Blake and Schofield, who are given an important mission.

They must run out from the trenches and cross into German territory.

They have to deliver a message to a nearby British company that was preparing for a major offensive the next day.

This British company thought the Germans were retreating and vulnerable.

However, the German forces were only pretending to retreat.

Instead, they were getting in a better position to attack the British troops.

So, Blake and Schofield must race against time to deliver their message.

In reality, no such dramatic battle took place in 1917.

Rather, the movie's story is loosely based on the experiences of the director's grandfather, Alfred Mendes, who was a British soldier during the Frist World War.

In 1917, Alfred Mendes volunteered to undertake a dangerous mission.

He ran out of the trenches and into the battlefield.

There, while dodging enemy fire, he located the position of missing soldiers and somehow reported back to his superior.

The elder Mendes later told the story of this dangerous mission to his grandson.

The filmmaker said his grandfather's account is what inspired him write and direct "1917."

 

• acclaim əˈkleɪm 칭송하다, 환호를 보내다 / 찬사[칭찬]  conflict 갈등[충돌]  intense ɪnˈtens 극심한, 강렬한 (=extreme)

• shake - shook 흔들리다, 흔들다  Throughout much of 의 대부분에 걸쳐  force 폭력, 힘,  군대 /  ~를 강요하다   warfare ˈwɔːrfer 전투

• huddle ˈhʌdl 옹기종기 모여 서 있는 것 center around ~에 중점을 두다   company (군대의 편성 단위) 중대  vulnerable ˈvʌlnərəbl   (~에) 취약한, 연약한

• offensive əˈfensɪv 모욕적인, 불쾌한 (↔inoffensive) / (군사적) 공격 (=strike)  retreat rɪˈtriːt 후퇴[철수/퇴각]하다 (↔advance)   troop truːp 병력, 군대

• a race against time 시간(과의) 싸움 race against time 시간과 싸우다, 촌각을아끼다  rather 꽤, 약간, 상당히  loosely ˈluːsli  엄밀하지 않게, 막연히

• volunteer ˌvɑːlənˈtɪr 자원 봉사자 / 자원[자진]하다, 자원 봉사로 하다  battlefield ˈbætlfiːld 싸움터, 전장  dodge dɑːdʒ  (몸을) 재빨리움직이다[비키다/피하다]

• somehow ˈsʌmhaʊ 어떻게든   locate ˈloʊkeɪt  …의 정확한 위치를 찾아내다  account əˈkaʊnt 계좌 ,설명[이야기/말] / 간주하다, 여기다