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‘Saving Private Ryan’directed bySteven SpielbergNational 5Revision GuideMs NitschePlot SummarySaving Private Ryan follows the story of several World War II soldiers who are on a quest to find one man who is fighting somewhere else in Europe. This man, Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) of the 101st Airborne, has three brothers who have all been killed at various locations all over the world as American soldiers. This case is brought to the attention of General George Marshall and “he, mindful of the Civil War’s Mrs. Bixby, reads aloud Abraham Lincoln’s noble letter of consolation and orders an immediate search.” Mrs. Bixby had experienced a similar situation where she had buried several sons during the Civil War. (Metcalf) As Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) heads up a squad of men with the primary task of finding Private Ryan, these men grow in friendship purely because of the circumstances that allow them ample time together. Once they finally find Private James Ryan, Ryan is shocked by the news that all three of his brothers are dead. He then refuses to return home with Miller and his crew. He is loyal to his fellow soldiers. Miller, exasperated, stays with Ryan and the whole crew takes up arms against the impending arrival of German tanks who will attempt to capture a bridge. The Germans do arrive and even though the Americans are able to prevent the take-over of the bridge, a number of the company that came to get Ryan died. Captain Miller is shot in defense of the bridge and dies with Ryan by his side. In the end, the audience is taken back to the present-day and the older veteran who turns out to be Private Ryan all grown up. He stands in front of Miller’s grave and pays tribute to him.CharactersCapt. John H. Miller (Tom Hanks)Well-respected, he is a good leader with a good heart, but closed about his personal life.His hand shakes throughout the film, signifying how the war has affected him.Great Leader: tactfully leads the men on during D-Day.Breaks up a fight between Horvath and Reiben not by orders, but by telling something about his personal life.Admits Ryan is just a name, but if this mission gets him to his wife, then he will carry on.He is just as tormented by the war as the lower-ranked privates, but never shows it (weeps for Medic Wade in solitude).Good heart: Upham convinces him not to kill a surrendered German soldier.Self-controlled- required to make good decisions as a leaderBrave and honourableHuman: sense of humour, weeps for lost soldiers (although in solitude).Richard Reiben (Edward Burns)Survivor of D-DayHand-picked by Miller for saving RyanAttempts to return to American lines: Miller convinces him to stay Most vocal: cynical and sarcastic about their missionDoesn’t believe 8 men’s lives should be risked for one random stranger, no better than any of themMulti-dimensional character: on the one hand is closed up as leader (cant get too attached to him), but later on, he confesses to his men he will do whatever it takes to get back home to his wife, which makes him a character the audience can relate to.Private Jackson (Berry Pepper)Talented sniper: brave.Strongly religious: religion is the only thing keeping him going – but even his religion doesn’t save him.Contrast: very religious but nothing loving about him: ruthless.Irony: quoting the Bible, simultaneously slaughtering dozens.Mike Horvath (Tom Sizemore)Miller relies most on him to lead the crew.Horvath convinces Miller to stay and fight alongside the stubborn Ryan: this could turn a negative situation into something positive.Timothy Upham (Jeremy Davies)Translater: never been deployed in battle before.Viewer can identify with him: coward.Most soldiers were civilians not prepared for what combat would bring.War can turn people into monsters: turning point when he kills a surrendered German in cold blood (who just killed his comrade).Private Mellish (Adam Goldberg)Jewish soldier:fighting Hitler and the Nazis.Is handed a Hitler Youth knife by Caparzo.Proclaims it a Shabbat (like the Christian Sunday: day of rest) challah cutter (Jewish Holly bread).Medic Wade (Giovanni Ribisi)Quiet and soft spoken: always eager to help fallen comrades.Tells his personal story: his mother; regrets avoiding her as a child; sends a message to be kinder to your family as you never know when you will be snatched away from them.Other soldiers give him precious morphine as he dies – close up used here to emphasise his pain and fear; an irony in the medic having to be cared for by others?Private Ryan (Matt Damon)Brave and courageous: refuses to leave behind his new and only ‘brothers’ at the Bridge.Will fight on and survives: the mission was worthwhile.He earns his rescue.Although he doesn’t become famous by “inventing a longer lasting light bulb or inventing something”, he fulfils a good life.Proof: Good husband, father and grandfather (his family loves him enough to go with him to see the fallens’ graves in France all the way from America).GenreWhat GENRE do you think ‘Saving Private Ryan is?Why?What characteristics does it have that make you think that?‘Saving Private Ryan’ is what we call a hybrid genre – it has elements of action, war, drama and coming-of-age. Because of this, it will be difficult to have an essay based on the film genre it is – I would perhaps avoid these types of essay question in the exam.Film TechniquesA director uses film techniques to create meaning, in the same way a writer uses language. When analysing these techniques, it is important to break them down and explore how they communicate a certain meaning with the audience.LightingLighting is used by the directors and cinematographer to create MOOD and ATMOSPHERE.Two types of lighting used are LOW-KEY LIGHTING and HIGH-KEY LIGHTING.LOW-KEY lighting is when the lighting of a scene is very dark, with shadows and only a few bright spots. This helps create TENSION in a scene, and indicates that something may be about to happen, or to emphasise a subdued mood.HIGH-KEY lighting is when a shot is evenly lit, with few dark areas. There tends not to be a lot of tension in scenes like this, although sometimes bright lighting can be used to emphasise pressure on a character.Examples in the film:Low-key LightingHere, Wade tells the other soldiers about his relationship with his mother. The low-key lighting highlights how intimate this scene is, as he tells such a personal story, and the darkness emphasises the sombre tone of the scene – Wade is full of regret over how he treated his mother when he was a child, knowing he may never see her again.High-key LightingIn the final scenes, the soldiers defend a bridge in a German town. Despite the brutal battle that takes place here, high-key lighting is used – the bright light actually serves to further emphasise the ruins of the town, making it far more obvious to the audience, and shows clearly how much suffering and destruction is taking place. The light is also cold in its brightness -= this is not a warm and comfortable situation; the deaths of the soldiers here are brutal, and the high-key lighting effectively provides no escape for the audience witnessing this.SequenceIn the same way that you know the code for getting words in a sentence in the right order (you don’t say, for example. ‘Name my John is’), the film maker has codes for conveying his messages. A film-maker’s ‘sentence’ is a sequence of shots; and to make sense they come in a definite order.Camera ShotsLong ShotsOften used at the start of a film to tell you where a film is set.A long shot is taken from far away and shows a big picture.Just one image instantly sets this film in a particular place.Think of the long shot of the beach landings at the beginning of the film – emphasises vastness of the battle and how many soldiers are involved.Medium ShotsThis is often used to show characters in a background.It highlights the character AND their setting.When Miller recruits Upham – see how unsuited he is in such a hectic environment compared to Miller’s calm resolve.Close UpsThese are often used to show how a person is feeling and emphasise emotions.A close up can also focus in on a thing to emphasise it.Wade’s death – the close up creating a claustrophobic effect – we cannot escape his pain, fear and suffering, same as him.Extreme Close UpsIt is when the camera focuses very closely in on a subject.This is to emphasise details.Various wounds in the battle scenes – inescapably realistic and brutal.Camera AnglesA high camera angle – when the camera looks down on a person or thing.A low camera angle – when the camera looks up at a person or thing.High Camera AngleThis creates an optical illusion, making the subject appear smaller than it actually is – often a director uses this to make a character seem weak or vulnerable.Think of Upham afraid to climb the stairs to help Mellish in the final scenes, the high camera angle emphasises his fear and (possible) cowardice compared to the reckless bravado of soldiers like Horvath.Low Camera AngleThis has the opposite effect – in looking up at a subject, they appear larger, which has connotations of strength or power.SoundThis covers anything you can hear in a film, including:Music (soundtrack – non-diegetic - and background music - diegetic)Sound effects (SFX)- thunder, car horns, ringing bells or any other soundBackground noise (people talking, traffic)Accent (the accent that characters have)Dialogue (what characters say)MusicThe soundtrack of the film, particularly in the battle sequences, is fast-paced and dramatic – this serves to emphasise the action and frenetic nature of warfare.Sound EffectsA lot of sound effects are used to create the battle sequences in this film – cow carcasses were shot at with live ammunition to create realistic sounds of soldiers being shot. The explosions, sounds of guns and shells also serve to create a frantic, tense environment – interestingly, these are not reduced during dialogue, further enhancing the realism of the scenes.DialogueThe personal stories the men tell each other help to humanise them and make them individuals – it can be easy to get confused by a group of men, all in the same job, all in the same uniform, but this background helps to humanise these soldiers, and emphasises the human cost of war.Mise-en-scèneThe arrangement of everything that appears in the framing – actors, lighting, décor, props, costume – is called mise-en-scène, a French term which means “placing on stage.” The frame and camerawork also constitute the mise-en-scène of a movie. It basically means everything what you see in each scene of a film, including:Setting and props.Costume and make up.Lighting and colour.The way items and people are positioned.ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS CAN TELL US MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS, SETTING AND PLOTSetting and PropsIn the movie, the soldiers are thrust into a well-planned, military mission that is incredibly dangerous.Some of the PROPS that emphasises this are the soldiers’ weapons:Costume and Make-upThe men all wear the same uniform, not only for historical accuracy, but to emphasise the bond between them.Also, Captain Miller often removes his helmet when he becomes affected by battle scenes – this could emphasise the humanity within him reacting to this brutal violence, rather than his mind-set as a soldier.PositioningThe most important thing in a shot is usually placed IN THE CENTRE.Our eye naturally falls to the centre of a frame.Film makers use this to their advantage and place what they want us to focus on most in the middle of the shot.In this shot, the gunfire and multiple bodies of soldiers are placed in the middle, emphasising the danger and extreme obstacles the soldiers face.ColourDirectors will often use colour to SYMBOLISE meaning within a scene.In this scene on the beach, the sea water has become bright red with blood, clearly showing the death and trauma of this battle. The uniforms have become almost black with the damp, as well, which could symbolise the death and sombre tone that this shot reinforces, as well as the human cost behind this offensive.SymbolismA symbol is an object, action or idea that represents something other than itself, often of a more abstract nature.Often, a film will use symbols to emphasise a movie’s themes, ideas and issues.Symbolism in the film includes weapons (violence, soldier’s role), Captain Miller’s shaking hand (the trauma of war, human cost), Private Ryan (hope of survival, importance of family). ................
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