At the beginning of the film the camera is solely concentrating on the American flag. This could be symbolizing patriotism and loyalty to their country. This gives the audience the main theme of the film. The flag flutters and falters slightly; this could show that Ryan was also beginning to falter. The flag also looks grey and has a lack of colour; this could also mean that Private Ryan is becoming old. The weather is also grey and dull which gives a feeling of remorse and sadness. After this the camera goes to the older Private Ryan, he walks very stiff and you can tell by the way he walks that he is old, he walks on his own without the rest of his family which shows that he is in his own world and probably remembering John Miller’s death. On arriving at the cemetery he stops at a particular grave stone which the audience presume is someone dear to him such as his wife however they learn later that it is most probably John Miller’s. The camera then zooms into his eyes; you can see that he is deep in thought and remorseful. As the camera continues to zoom in the sound of the sea begins to grow louder. All of these techniques gives the opening a good feel and you can understand what the film is about.
As I have mentioned before the main part in this film is the invasion at the Omaha Beach head. When they are heading towards Omaha Beach John Miller who is the leader of his regiment is shaking even though he is the leader, this shows that although they are scared they are still fighting for there country. Other soldiers are vomiting or kissing the cross which shows that they know their life is on the edge and that they could die within the next minute or so, when they land there is a lot of gun fire and the camera shows the view from both sides. Soldiers are dieing everywhere and some of them even jump over the edge of the boat with all their equipment thinking they are safe, but even then some of them are shot and killed, one of them even drown. All of these add up to the tense atmosphere in the movie. All the deaths give the impression that the assault is suicide. Spielberg uses visual effects such as one of the soldiers insides pouring out of his body, these gruesome details show how much these soldiers go through and the possibilities of death they face. During the battle one of the soldiers uses a dead soldier’s body as a human shield which shows the height of desperation they are in. In the battle there is no respect for the opposing forces, for example there is the scene where two Nazi soldiers come out from where they are hiding and tell the soldiers that they surrender, the American soldiers act like they cant here them and shoot them. This shows the bitter hatred for each other and the lack of respect for each other even though both people are fighting for there home country. Another example is when the American soldiers flame throw the Nazi bunk house. This shows the hatred and contempt between the soldiers as they could have thrown a grenade in which would have been quick and less painful for the Nazi soldiers. The soldiers out side on the beach are about to shoot the Germans that had caught fire and were falling out of the bunk house but the leader of that regiment says “don’t shoot them, let them burn” this shows the hatred for them as being burnt to death is slow and will be very painful were as a bullet to the head is swift and there would not be as much pain experienced. In the battle there is a moment when a bullet hits one of the soldiers helmets and reflects off it, one of the other soldiers say “you lucky bastard” after this the soldier that the bullet had deflected off took his helmet off and was immediately shot on the head. This could mean that something as small as taking off your helmet could be the difference between life and death. In the battle scene before the American soldiers land, the camera shows a soldier kissing the cross that he wears around his neck, this shows that the soldiers know that their life is purely in god’s hands. This same soldier is the sniper that kills the machine gunner, you also see him kissing the cross before he sprints to the rubble that he would use as cover where he will sniper the machine gunner. Before the sniper shoots the Nazi soldier the audience can hear him muttering something, he prays to the Mother Mary and god to aid him, after saying this he gets the shot and kills the Nazi soldier. This would appeal to Christians and people would respect the character more. During the opening battle there is sound effects such as the sound of bullets, this gives makes the audience feel as if they are actually at the battlefield which in turn keeps their interest.
After the battle scene the director takes the camera to London in the place where all the telegrams where sent and they were then sent to the relatives of the soldiers or soldiers who had dies during battle. The change in the mood and sound of the place is the total opposite of the battle scene, it is quite and calm. Curiosity is a good technique to gain the audiences interest and Spielberg uses this many a time throughout the film. An example of this is when the audience see two people talking, however there is no sound. This makes the audience wonder what they are talking about. Afterwards you learn that three of the Ryan brothers have been killed and that the mother would be getting the telegram of all three deaths at the same time. This makes the audience become emotional and feel sorry for the woman who will receive the telegram, however the general is informed that there was on more Ryan brother currently missing in action somewhere in France. This arouses hope and the audience wonder how what the general will do and how they will find the last Ryan brother. The change in the atmosphere and feeling of the film from misery to hope also attracts the reader and pulls them into the film. This is another example of Spielberg making the audience curious. After this the camera shows the house of the mother of the four Ryan brothers. The mother is washing up and sees the car coming from a distance and immediately knows that something is wrong. She comes outside and drops to the floor in shock even before the men step out, she already knows what has happened. The audience would pity her but know that there is still one more Ryan brother and they would want to see her reunited with her last remaining son. This keeps the audience’s interest to the end of the film.
Throughout the film the director plays certain tunes in the background which matches the mood. When the mother of the four Ryan brothers receives the bad news the tune in the background is gloomy and miserable. When the fighting is going on it is more vibrant and active. The music in the background gives a feel to the film and helps the audience understand the feelings in the film.
Overall Spielberg catches the audience’s interest and keeps it throughout the film effectively. He uses many techniques to do so such as background music, making the audience curious and changing the mood of the film which will also change the mood of the audience. The first 30 minutes is one of the best opening 30 minutes I have seen.