Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan: Analysis

By Charlotte Seddon

The scene opens with a medium close up of Tom Hanks’ character, Cpt. Miller.  He is in the centre of the frame, which brings the audiences’ attention to his character in particular, signifying that he is an important character (the protagonist). The camera then switches to a tracking shot; the camera slowly moves away from his face and gives the audience a view of the other soldiers on the boat. This shows Miller as just another soldier, rather than this heroic symbol of war. He is not as significant as he seems and faces the exact same threat as the other soldiers, this builds tension for the audience because we have been immediately bonded with this particular character at the beginning of the scene and now we see that he is in danger.

The scene is in low-key lighting, with washed out colours that are close to grey. This represents the dark truth of war, the depression and the fear, making the soldiers and the atmosphere around them seem lifeless. This also represents how the film is not representing glory and heroism, but reality and the darkness of true war, and how we should understand how fearful they truly were.

There are multiple close-up shots of individuals on the boat, the camera is on board with them as if you are looking from the point of view of another soldier. Because the camera is so close, it suggests that the condition is very cramped and uncomfortable which creates an uneasy feeling for the audience, as the soldiers seem trapped, like they cannot escape. There is also a sense of claustrophobia in the boat as the close-ups of the soldiers all look uncomfortable and rather too close for comfort, but we also see this as the anxiety of going into war, the camera shows men vomiting to the audience, this emphasises how nervous they are. One of the close up shots show a soldier kissing the cross and praying, showing that the soldiers are fearing for their lives and that all they have left is faith.

The camera is handheld, causing it to shake slightly along with the movement of the boat, this engages the audience and makes them feel a part of the scene, the mimicking of the movement of the boat would emphasise the seasickness the soldiers would be feeling, making the audience feel more physically involved. When the soldiers on the boat are shot down, blood splats on the camera, as if it hit the audience directly, engaging them in the action and making them feel as if they are in the scene. The handheld camera then follows the soldiers, when they jump into the water; the camera jumps in with them, which immerses the audience into the scene, creating a sense of realism.

The camera then puts us in the POV of the enemy, the Nazis, looking down on the soldiers from a high angle. This angle makes them look small and powerless, like ants waiting to be destroyed, whereas our POV is high up and more powerful, giving a sense that the Allies may be losing, creating tension for the audience because they would want the Allies to be triumphant. Compared to the close up shots on the boat which show the soldiers as individuals, the extreme long shot of the soldiers from the POV of the Nazis puts them in a group, showing that they don’t care about them individually, they are not human beings but rather just the enemy, they are there to be killed and nothing more.