Whilst on the boats they were all terrified for their lives. Steven Spielberg said that he wanted it to be “the hits of the sets like a newsreel cameraman following the solders into war”. The space on the boat was so unbelievably small there was even not enough room to move. The floor was disgusting because of the amount of sick. This shocks the viewer and takes us into a horrific world of suffering and pain. We can almost smell the sick.
The film begins with present day: An elderly James Ryan visits the graves of the US solders at Colleclle – sur- mer which is in Normandy (France). Then there is a flashback to June 6th 1944 as the army prepares to land at Omaha beach which is also in France. The camera slowly zooms in on Ryan’s face to a big close up of his eyes. Here is when we see all of the Drama slowly and we are put in a solders eye point of view. Eyes show us clearly the emotion of the person involved.
When the boat doors open the soldiers are shot and killed within seconds of leaving the boat. One solider was killed by having fire over him. This was partially shocking we were not expecting the instant massacre. The sounds that we hear are other soldiers screaming and shouting. The main thing that we hear is the drilling noise of gunfire. This use of sound effects adds to the realism of the film.
The hand-held cameras put us in touch with the battle in real-life. This makes it even more realistic.
Captain Miller’s confusion starts when Captain Miller staggers out of the bloody sea. He stumbles and falls because of the shock. While this happens the camera pans in a complete circle and you see what is going on around him and you see it from Captain Miller’s views and thoughts. This is called a point of view shot and is effective for making the viewer feel the pain and confusion of the character. Over the shoulder shot also gives the Audience Captain Millers perspective. The film goes into slow motion and is silent for several moments. After that several moments it starts to return to normal speed but increases slowly. This builds tension. Then we see Captain Miller picking up his helmet filled with blood and puts it on his head. The blood runs down the head and onto the dusty wet armour. To the audience this is the part of horror of the war.
The battle sequence ends with Captain Miller resting. We again see the shaking hand just like what had earlier happened on the boat. While this is going on we hear gentle music in the background but the voices get cut out. This adds to the drama and tension of the scene and creates a sad feeling. The sounds of the waves is peaceful after the prolonged noise, chaos and destruction. The melancholy music adds a sense of quiet relief whilst we see the solemn images of the blood filled water. This is a grim, emotional sight for the audience. It has been tiring to see the death and destruction and we are reeling in shock at the number of people who have been killed. This prepares the audience for the main plot in the film.
The final shot shows the name of Ryan on a small brown pack strap to one of the soldier’s back. This ends the scene on a sad and personal note.
Craig Waters 10DL
