Spielberg uses many characters to play different roles but each role is just as important such as Captain Miller played by Tom Hanks. Captain Miller played a very important role in the opening battle scene by showing there were reasons to be scared he shows this by having very shaky hands. He showed a lot of potential by showing a lot of concern for his own troops by trying to save one of his own troops whilst being shot at by the faceless Germans along the beach dragging this body which then ends up being blown to bits by a mine. He also shows a lot of intelligence by making a mirror to see the Germans at the top of the hill he makes this by using a knife as a stick and chewing gum to stick the tiny bit of mirror he had in his top pocket. We see him show a lot of resourcefulness by making this mirror and also we know he had a job as a teacher so this tells us where he gets his intelligence from, which must be why he is such a trusted Captain. We also see him having a laugh and a joke with Sgt Horrath; this tells us that he is still willing to fight even though he is scared inside.
Sgt Horrath played a very different role to Captain Miller in the way of being confident while shouting orders and also looking like a typical solider. He works well with Captain Miller but he also calms himself down by chewing tobacco which shows he is very nervous at the beginning of the battle.
Private Daniel Jackson played by Barry Pepper is a very religious man. You see him on a boat at the start of the film kissing his crucifix and speaking in foreign language. He must have been very nervous he shows this by grabbing his gun tightly. We also see him when he is asked to take out four men with his sniper rifle but every time he goes to shoot he says “god is my strength” then he shoot his gun and kills all the men he had to kill then he kisses his crucifix one more time which makes us feel a very strong role of religion in the war.
Dr Wade played by Giovanni Ribisi played not such an obviously important role. We only see him when something is wrong or when he is trying to save someone. Every time we see Wade we know something is wrong. As a professional Wade should be able to hold in his feelings but war has reduced him to swearing like a lout or a yob.
There are many dead and dying people on the beach in the opening battle scene. There are many dying and bleeding men, men who are already dead. There were men saying their prayers, some of them saying their last words. The amount of dead people made me feel sympathy for there families.
The Germans were very faceless people; they just shot the English and the French down. We don’t see much of them because Spielberg wanted them too seem like nasty animals that have no feelings for others so that we would not like these people. We don’t have any affection for these ruthless people.
The sound is very important because it sets the scene. There was silence for a while with the sound of bullets hitting the water. There were men being sick on the boats, the rain, the explosions, a whistle, bullets ripping skin, bullets hitting metal, screaming men, the splashing of water hitting the shore, many people breathing heavily, screaming and crying.
There are many camera angles in the film. There are over head views to show the entire beach and all the men scrambling around like ants. They also use a camera view from behind the Germans gunner’s shoulders so we see what they see. Spielberg uses a few close ups on the dead and the dying and also the Sergeant and the Captain. The camera even gets blood and sand over it. The camera work made the film more interesting in a big way as you felt you were involved.
The main aim of Spielberg was to make the film as realistic as possible. It made me feel like I was there on the beach. He spent a lot of money and time on the film and it paid off. He used a variety of good characters, sound effects, and camera work. Spielberg was very exceptional in keeping fear and suspense in the opening battle scene.
