10 Most Ambitious War Films Ever Made

You probably remember 1917, since it was only released last year. The film was co-written and directed by Sam Mendes. It follows the journey of two young soldiers during World War I. The soldiers are tasked with delivering a message to call off an offensive attack that is doomed to fail.

Through all sorts of special effects wizardry, 1917 was shot to look like a handful of extremely long takes. These shots had to be expertly choreographed and involved very complicated, sweeping camera movements. The film crew also had to dig over 2,500 feet of trenches to accurately depict trench warfare.

For the film, British Army veteran Paul Biddiss was employed as a military technical adviser. Biddiss ran the actors through a boot camp, instructing them on the proper ways to salute, and how to handle their weapons. He consulted with military manuals of the era to ensure accuracy.

Biddiss would also give background actors specific jobs that would have been accurate to trench warfare. Some actors were tasked with checking soldiers for signs of trench-foot. Other extras maintained the trenches by digging or filling sandbags.