It’s 6:30am and the landing craft with men led by Captain Miller is about to hit the beach. It is obvious that many of the men are very nervous and some are physically sick at the though of the impending action. The landing craft’s front is released, which then allows the soldiers to disembark. Most are instantly cut down by German machine gun fire. Captain Miller orders the few men still alive to jump over the side into the surf. Bullets continue to streak through the water and we see a soldier drown under the deep water due to his heavy equipment.
Some of the men manage to reach the shore but are pinned down and some are gunned down in the hail of bullets. Shells erupt and tear bodies apart. One man loses his arm and, stunned, looks about and picks it up and advances. Another drags a comrade forward seeking shelter. An explosion behind him throws him to the ground and he gets up and starts to drag his comrade again, only to soon realise that the lower half of his comrade has been blown away. We also see the water turn deep red with all the blood.
The shocked survivors huddle behind whatever little cover there is at the water’s edge. There’s confusion, death and destruction everywhere. The roar of the battle is overwhelming. Captain Miller goes into momentary shock but regains his senses to realise that he and his men are in terrible trouble. He calls on his best sniper to try and take out a machine gun nest. After yet more casualties, including the shooting of some Germans who had surrendered, the target is eventually neutralised and the position is secured.
The battle in the film lasts about 20 minutes (considerably shorted than the several hours it took in real life) and is both frightening and realistic, which resembles real photographs of the invasion in what is deemed to be one of the greatest sequences in film history. You can fully understand why anyone who sees this movie would never want to go to war, yet anyone with a conscience could not feel anything other than immense gratitude for those who did.
‘Saving Private Ryan’ depicts this battle with brutal intensity and frank realism. It is not your typical action war film. Steven Spielberg himself said, “The last thing I wanted to do in this picture was use the was simply as a springboard for action-adventure. I was looking for realism all the time.
It is flawlessly photographed and the battle scenes are both chaotic and frenetic, which helps to give us an insight into how the majority of the soldiers were feeling – lacing experience and badly unprepared for what they were about to face. The camera doesn’t seem like it knows where to turn. Hand-held shots are used and most are low to the ground. This gives the impression that we are one of the many soldiers fighting for our lives and our country on the battlefield. Sound is ingeniously used as well. A near explosion goes off, which temporarily deafens us. Slowly our hearing comes back again. There’s also sad music played at the end of the battle to represent how the remaining survivors are feeling due to the carnage they have experienced.
As important as the visual aspect of the film is the portrayal of the characters. Here we are presented with real people. They are not caricatures but real men and the movie shows how the pressure of a war can change them.
This opening battle scene presents us with a massive attack of colours, sound and horrifyingly realistic pictures. As it’s filmed in a ‘documentary style’, it’s as though you are there with them sharing their experiences. I was understandably shocked by its realism, which has convinced me that a career in the armed forces is definitely not for me.
Spielberg’s ability to capture the complete madness of war borders on the incredible and this movie is widely acclaimed to be one of the tours de force of world cinema. He also understand the reality of war in that being there is not enough and being willing to die is not enough; you also have to be willing to kill for your country. It completely goes against other war movies, which seem to suggest that combat is cool. After watching ‘Saving Private Ryan’, you cannot help but be emotionally challenged by it. It is undoubtedly one of the most challenging films I have ever seen and I recommend it to other people to watch.
Johnathan Barker
1st Draft as at 31/01/2007