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Blitz (2024 film)

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Blitz
Release poster
Directed bySteve McQueen
Written bySteve McQueen
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyYorick Le Saux
Edited byPeter Sciberras
Music byHans Zimmer
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • October 9, 2024 (2024-10-09) (BFI)
  • November 1, 2024 (2024-11-01) (United Kingdom and United States)
  • November 22, 2024 (2024-11-22) (Apple TV+)
Running time
120 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish

Blitz is a 2024 fictionalised war drama film written, produced and directed by Steve McQueen. The film stars Saoirse Ronan and Elliot Heffernan (in his film debut) in the lead roles, along with Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, and Stephen Graham in supporting roles.

Blitz had its world premiere as the opening film at the BFI London Film Festival on October 9, 2024, and was released in select cinemas in the United Kingdom and United States on November 1, 2024, followed by a streaming release on Apple TV+ on November 22, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

Premise

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In London during World War II, when a young boy is sent away to evacuate the city amidst the Blitz, he instead defiantly goes on an adventure to return to his mother, only to find himself in immense peril from a succession of Dickensian characters.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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In October 2021, it was announced that McQueen would write, direct and produce a new feature film titled Blitz for New Regency, with Lammas Park producing alongside Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films.[3] In March 2022, McQueen confirmed his next project was going to be about Londoners during the Blitz of World War II and that he had discussed this with Anne, the Princess Royal, as she had awarded him his knighthood at Windsor Castle.[4] In June 2022, it was announced that Apple TV+ had picked up the distribution rights. Producers are New Regency's Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer.[5]

Casting

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In September 2022, it was announced that Saoirse Ronan would be heading the cast and Adam Stockhausen leading the production design.[6] In December 2022, Harris Dickinson, Erin Kellyman, Stephen Graham and Kathy Burke were added to the cast, along with singer-songwriter Paul Weller in his feature film acting debut.[7] Later that month, Benjamin Clementine, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, CJ Beckford, Hayley Squires and Sally Messham were announced in additional acting roles.[8]

Filming

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Principal photography began in London in November 2022.[9] Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden was used as a base.[10] In January 2023, filming took place close to the London Waterloo station. Later that month, special effect crews simulated bombs hitting the water in the River Thames in Wapping. Filming also took place in the London borough of Greenwich.[11] In February 2023, reports were that the production moved to Hull's old town with a filming schedule of two weeks.[12]

Music

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“The idea behind the whole thing is the story of a child who is trying to get through war-torn London, which has been bombed all the time, and trying to find his mother again. What I wanted to do is, I wanted the grownups – you, me, the grownups – to feel the same sort of disassociation, being completely lost in the world, being illogical, not knowing how to get there, not knowing how to get home, not knowing how to find home, and having that horror, that fear that you’ll never find it again; the horror of these massive bombs coming down. So the only way I could think of doing it was to write music which was so brutal and so absolutely violent.” - Hans Zimmer

While Hans Zimmer has previously ventured musically into the realm of World War II with films like Dunkirk and Pearl Harbor, working on Blitz allowed him to look at the era, and a facet of his own family history, in a way he never had before. My mother was a refugee in England during the Second World War, and Steve McQueen gave me one direction. He said ‘After you watch this film, you will understand your mother better,’” Zimmer revealed during an Deadline’s Sound & Screen event. “That’s all he said. And I knew all the stories, and as I was working on the film. I started to feel her stories. So he was absolutely correct.” Indeed, the story moved Zimmer to create a musical score to reflect the unrelenting chaos and brutality of the blitz: “This score is unmitigatedly horrendous,” he conceded. “It is an absolute horrible score, it’s so dissonant, it’s so committed to this atonality.“[13]

Release

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Blitz premiered as the opening film at the BFI London Film Festival held at the Royal Festival Hall on October 9, 2024, McQueen's third directorial effort to do so after 2018's Widows and 2020's Mangrove, which was part of his Small Axe anthology series. The film was then released in select cinemas in the United States and the United Kingdom on November 1, 2024, before streaming on Apple TV+ on November 22.[14]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 133 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "A surprisingly old-fashioned tale of survival from director Steve McQueen, Blitz's examination of British society under wartime is given a beating heart by Elliott Heffernan and Saoirse Ronan's lovely performances."[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[16]

Critics praised Yorick Le Saux's "stunningly captured" images for their "stark beauty".[17][18]

Accolades

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Award/Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Montclair Film Festival 27 October 2024 Visionary Director Award Steve McQueen Honored [19][20]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards 20 November 2024 Best Original Song – Feature Film "Winter Coat" – Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen & Taura Stinson Nominated [21]
Original Score – Feature Film Hans Zimmer Nominated
Song – Onscreen Performance (TV Show/Limited Series) "Winter Coat" – Saoirse Ronan Nominated
Camerimage 23 November 2024 Special Award for Outstanding Director Steve McQueen Won [22][23]
Golden Frog Yorick Le Saux Pending
Winter IndieWire Honors 5 December 2024 Wavelength Award Steve McQueen and Adam Stockhausen Won [24]
Celebration of Cinema and Television 9 December 2024 Director Award Steve McQueen Won [25]

References

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  1. ^ "Blitz (2024)". BBFC. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  2. ^ "Blitz (12A)". BBFC. October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  3. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 9, 2021). "Steve McQueen Sets Next Film 'Blitz' At New Regency, Where He Made Oscar-Winner '12 Years A Slave'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  4. ^ Hennessey, Ted (March 15, 2022). "Sir Steve McQueen discusses new Blitz film at Windsor investiture ceremony". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  5. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 6, 2022). "Apple Lands Steve McQueen's Next Feature Film 'Blitz'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "Saoirse Ronan To Star In Steve McQueen's 'Blitz' For Apple Original Films And New Regency". Deadline Hollywood. September 22, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  7. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 6, 2022). "Harris Dickinson, Elliott Heffernan, Erin Kellyman Among Those Joining Ensemble Of Steve McQueen's 'Blitz' At Apple". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  8. ^ Yossman, K.J. (December 13, 2022). "Steve McQueen's World War 2 Feature 'Blitz' Rounds Out Cast With Benjamin Clementine, Leigh Gill and More (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  9. ^ "Blitz Production List". Film & Television Industry Alliance. October 10, 2022. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  10. ^ "What's On Screen and Filming in London: December 2022". Film London. December 7, 2022. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  11. ^ Doyle, Emma Doyle (January 13, 2023). "Greenwich 'finally gets a London Underground station' after film crew spotted building set for blockbuster movie". MyLondon. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  12. ^ Ingham, Harry (February 6, 2023). "Old Town transformed into Blitz Britain as filming starts for Apple TV". Hull Daily Mail. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  13. ^ https://deadline.com/2024/11/hans-zimmer-blitz-composer-interview-sound-and-screen-1236165225/
  14. ^ Ntim, Zac (July 1, 2024). "Steve McQueen's 'Blitz' To Open London Film Festival As World Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  15. ^ "Blitz". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "Blitz". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  17. ^ Travers, Peter (November 15, 2024). "Review: Blitz finds its grieving heart and a spirit that soars". ABC News. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  18. ^ Romel, Stephen (November 14, 2024). "Steve McQueen's wartime drama Blitz has stark beauty and a gripping story". The Australian. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  19. ^ Lewis, Hilary (September 19, 2024). Moody, Nekesa Mumbi (ed.). "Montclair Film Festival: Conclave to Open, The Piano Lesson to Close, Unstoppable as Fiction Centerpiece (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. ISSN 0018-3660. OCLC 44653726. Retrieved September 23, 2024. …Montclair Film will honor Nightbitch director Marielle Heller with the festival's Director Award, after a screening of her film about Amy Adams's mother character…
  20. ^ —. "The Montclair Film Festival Announces 2024 Opening, Closing, Centerpiece, Honors, & Creator Spotlight | Montclair Film". montclairfilm.org. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  21. ^ Willman, Chris (November 6, 2024). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Noms Led by 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Blitz,' With Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Scores More Among the Nominees". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  22. ^ "STEVE McQUEEN TO RECEIVE THE EnergaCAMERIMAGE OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR AWARD – EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2024". camerimage.pl. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  23. ^ "EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2024: BLITZ TO OPEN THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL! – EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2024". camerimage.pl. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  24. ^ Jones, Kate Erbland,Marcus (November 14, 2024). "Denis Villeneuve, Pamela Anderson, Steve McQueen, and More to Be Celebrated at IndieWire Honors". IndieWire. Retrieved November 15, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "The Critics Choice Association Announces Full Slate of Honorees for the 7th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema and Television – Critics Choice Awards". Retrieved November 10, 2024.
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