In the second scene, the ‘instant chaos’ we are introduced to a lengthy sequence in which soldier after soldier is killed, seconds after leaving the sanctuary of the boat. Lives are lost instantaneously, with no progress gained in the overall war effort – which is very realistic in the idea of war. In the famed Battle of Somme, over 60,000 allied soldiers lost their lives over a stretch of land no larger than 100 metres wide. This scene is very representative in this, and is emotive to even the most hardened war film veteran. The audience are thrown directly into the action, as the camera follows the war from the perspective of a soldier. The first frame shows iron hedgehogs placed throughout the sea – somewhat mimicking the opening scene (replacing the gravestones). This causes the transition from present to past, from calm to hysteria occur all the more smoothly. Instantly, we are greeted with the sound of gunfire, and indistinct instructions. This high level of sound is a stark contrast from the opening scene and it’s slow, patriotic, brass-based music, emphasising the chaos and pandemonium of the war. The loud, blaring sounds drown out the instructions relayed by the Captain, and this causes the audience to empathise with the soldier’s situation. The desperation and hopelessness of the mission is also emphasised by this lack of organisation. There are medium and close shots of soldiers being killed – this camerawork brings the audience close to the actions, involving them as much as possible. There are various over the shoulder shots give the German perspective on the hill – showing an advantageous position over the Americans and again emphasising the near-impossibility, against the odds factor of the mission. This emphasises the sheer difficultly of the mission and immense struggle which the soldiers are facing. The soldiers plunge into the sea – looking for safety. The camera angle shows us the intense struggle of the soldiers both above and below the surface. As the soldiers are immersed in the sea, the sound mutes; again showing the perspective of the soldiers so the audience can experience the horrors of war even more realistically. The lighting in this scene is dull, dark, and lifeless – this reflects the depression of war and is again contrasting from the first scene. In the first scene, there is lots of natural light, and the vision is clear and bright. In my opinion, this is used to represent the misinformed perspectives of those not involved in war - from the outside it is bright, shiny, and glorious. However, in reality it is nothing of the sort – with the dark actuality of the war breathing through. This precise use of lighting allows the audience to further understand the soldier’s struggle. The use of a tilted frame is also significant – it reflects the carnage and havoc of the war; it is in no way straightforward and uncomplicated. Following this there is a short sequence where we are introduced to Captain Miller drinking from a metallic flask, and this identifies the main protagonist in the film. The jerky handheld cameras towards the end of the scene where the US soldiers are attempting to reclaim the beach involve the audience in the rush, adding to the general effect of realism. I believe that the overall effect of this scene is to suggest that the Americans are fighting a lost cause, indicating the immense difficulty of the mission. It aims to bring the audience close to the action through the camerawork and sound effects – contributing to the realism. The sense of confusion and mayhem causes the audience to feel as if no one could survive.
In the third scene ‘Captain Miller’s confusion’, we are introduced to the main protagonist (Captain Miller) and the role he plays in the mission. He staggers out of the crimson red sea, stumbling and falling as he does so. This image is quite Christ-like, and is deeply similar to ideas revolving childbirth. As a result of this, the image of Miller rising from the sea is a much brighter image on deep examination; it shows that perhaps there are some positive results of war. For example, one historian’s theory is that governments plan wars in order to produce a new generation of war heroes – in an attempt to raise a nation’s moral. As he emerges, the camera pans to a close up of Miller, with alternating jerky/slow motion shots of Miller. These slow motion shots can be linked to real-life quite effectively. In traumatic events such as this, everything does seem to go slower, taking a lifetime to finish. This reproduction of real life through slow motion is a credit to Spielberg’s expertise, and is a clear attempt and success of emphasising realism. The camera switches to an over-the-shoulder shot, and this allows the audience to understand the war from Miller’s perspective and relate to his situation – we see the confusion, the turmoil, and the shock through the expressions in his face. We are re-greeted with a close up of him, emptying the vivid, bloody water from his helmet and replacing it; this makes him look blood spattered. This gives the audience time to ‘rest’ from the commotion of the war. In this scene, muted sound accompanies slow motion camera shots – seemingly alienating Captain Miller from his surroundings; he cannot do anything to help. As the soundtrack is muted, we hear the agonising cries of the wounded, we can hear them burning, we can hear the final bullets being fired. The muted soundtrack enhances the effect of this – they stand out to the audience. The fact that they can hear the soldiers burning is incredibly emotive – through human instinct, they are desperate to assist in any way they can. Spielberg is again involving the audience as much as possible in an attempt to contribute to the realism of the film. The camera then pans to a close up of a young soldier screaming desperately at Miller for instructions – again emphasising the futility of the mission; if instructions cannot be relayed, then how can the soldiers possibly succeed? This again leads the audience to empathise with the soldier’s situation – the audience are desperate to assist the young soldier – they can see the terror in his facial features. Sound then returns; we can hear the soldiers screaming over the numerous explosions and extensive gunfire – and this to me represents the fact that, despite the probability of success being slim to none, there is still a slim hope of survival. Overall, this scene is used to plunge the audience alongside Captain Miller, so we can experience the senseless carnage through the perspective of an experienced recruit. Despite being an experienced recruit however, he is nevertheless shocked beyond belief. As Miller comes to his senses and resumes his responsibilities the audience can reflect through this insight upon the true horrors of war.
The fourth and final scene which I will be analysing is the ‘end of the battle’ scene. We see Captain Miller at rest, and his sergeant, Sergeant Horvath states ‘that’s quite a view’ – a sentiment which is echoed by Miller. There is a close-up of Captain Miller’s hand shaking – mimicking the recurring image from the first scene. We see that, despite the battle being over, the fear remains, and the memories will never evaporate. The camera zooms to an extreme close up of Miller’s eyes – again a media technique which was used previously in the film to show the scene from a soldier’s perspective, and emphasise the emotions they are feeling. The camera then cuts to show a long shot of vivid red, bloody water running over the corpses of soldiers, and then close ups of soldier’s boots. This gives a personal element to the film – those boots are the boots that the soldiers have had since the beginning, and it shows a sense of belonging. The boots however, cannot be used by a corpse, and so I believe that the boots are subject to a close up as a way or remembering individual soldiers, and their importance to the war. The camera then pans a a long shot of the lake, and gradually zooms in on the wording on the backpack of one soldier (again giving a personal element). The single word of the backpack is one with huge effect – ‘Ryan’. This relates to the title, and in a way foreshadows the mission – ‘who is this soldier, and why is he important?’ The fact that it gradually zooms in is also very significant – the audience don’t know what to expect as they approach the backpack, and the fact that it holds the words ‘Ryan’ is a sort of climax in the scene. Gentle, calming music quietly fades in. This is very tranquil, following the prolonged exposure to constant explosion, bedlam and devastation. The sombre tone of the music adds to the solemnity of the images, and is a welcome relief for the audience after the exhausting tension of the battle. Overall, this scene is very effective in striking the enormity of the battle; the huge number of casualties and fatalities is shocking and disturbing. The final shot of ‘Ryan’ on the backpack establishes a link between the lengthy battle sequence and the title – as well as clueing the audience in on the nature of the mission.
To conclude, I believe that the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan is incredibly effective in making the film both shocking and realistic. Spielberg stated that he wanted to ‘put chaos up on the screen’ (aforementioned in the introduction) and I believe that he achieved this aim. The ‘instant chaos’ scene is particularly effective in achieving this aim – it involves the audience significantly through the jerky, handheld camera movements and the various sound effects which both contribute to the realistic approach of the film. In my opinion, I believe this to be a good film, despite not being an advocate of the war film genre. I thoroughly enjoyed it throughout, and I feel that the opening sequence does prepare the audience well for what happens in the rest of the film. By thrusting the audience directly into the action in a way so they feel they are actively contributing to the war effort the audience are lead to brace themselves for the rest of the film.
