Analyse the methods used to make the opening battle sequence of 'Saving Private Ryan' both shocking and realistic, and say how

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Analyse the methods used to make the opening battle sequence of 'Saving Private Ryan' both shocking and realistic, and say how effective you find it as an introduction to the film.

The Oscar winning wartime epic, Saving Private Ryan, produced by Steven Spielberg was set in 1998, with an opening half hour sequence that was shattering in its realism and ruthless in its depiction of violence. Saving Private Ryan breaks some of the traditional conventions of the war film genre as hand held cameras operating at incredibly fast shutter speeds, capture the chaos and confusion dozens of soldiers undergo whilst battling for their lives and nation at Omaha Beach, giving the footage a startlingly quality, which is improved by the use of de-saturated colours, which gave the images an almost surreal, silver-grey look, which had the effect of making events that were saddening and disturbing seem more so colourless, lifeless and cold. This also put the audience not only on the beach but into the perspective of the men of the American forces on that day. This film portrays realism as we witness scenes of death the way it was, actual weaponry used and the setting in Normandy where the war really did take place. The film is strongly brought together by the actors of the film; the main character of the film is Captain Miller, played by Tom Hanks, who plays a very important role in the storyline of the film, leading his squadron on a mission to find the private Ryan. The role of Private Ryan is played by Matt Damon, he is a soldier whose three brothers have died in combat and as such has been requested by a higher authority to be pulled out from the war and sent back home to his mother.

The film opens showing an elderly man walking ahead of a group of people, whom we immediately assume to be his family members. We see both American and French flags at this scene symbolizing a peace between the two. The music accompanying this scene is a calm patriotic melody which would make us, the audience feel calm. We're then shown that the man is rushing towards a grave site as we see an establishing shot of a breath taking number of graves, rows and columns which we recognise to be the gravesite of those whom had died in a war. The elderly man reaches a particular grave, at which he falls to his knees before. The camera at this point is perfectly still from a higher angle view down upon the man and showing his family several feet behind him. The camera just at a still portrays a calm mood. Then the camera focuses on the elderly man's face and slowly progresses into an extreme close up onto his eyes. His eyes seem to fill with thought and possibly memory and the patriotic music seem to rise dramatically. The transition form pat to present then takes place and we are brought to a scene of ocean waves crashing up against iron hedgehogs. The sound had gone from calm to violent crashing, this gives an impression of a turn of events and we recognise that we must have been brought into the past by the fact that the man was elderly.
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Through most of this opening scene we notice that there is little to no dialogue at all. This has an effect of enhancing the visual occurrences and background music as they are all there is to concentrate upon. The image of an endless row of iron hedgehogs signifies a long line of danger. We then have e a long shot of several soldier boats, the camera acts hand held, as an intruder shaking with the boats upon the oceans surface. There is no music but the sound of waves which come across as loud and aggressive accompanied by ...

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