WATCH: Sam Mendes takes us into the making of his new World War I film

Cape Town - Sam Mendes, the Academy award-winning director of Skyfall, Spectre and American Beauty, brings his singular vision to his World War I epic, 1917.

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers— Blake's own brother among them.

Speaking about the making of the movie, Sam says: "The first World War stars with literally horses and carriages and ends with tanks. It's the moment where modern war, you can argue begins.

"From the very beginning, I felt this movie should be told in real-time, every step of the journey, breathing every breath of these men felt integral. There is no better way to tell this story than with one continuous shot."

SEE SOME BEHIND-THE-SCENES PICS HERE:

The film releases in SA cinemas on Friday, 17 January.

Compiled by Leandra Engelbrecht. 

(Photos supplied: Empire Entertainment)