Andrew McMurtryREVIEW: Saving Private Ryan (1998)
When soldiers were killed in the film “Saving Private Ryan”, their fellow soldiers took the messages that they had left for their loved ones. Most of the time they would have to copy over the letter to avoid the bloodstains. These letters would all explain the hard fought combat, the horrible conditions and the constant state of terror they would all be under. “Saving Private Ryan” is the movie which shows all of this. From the beach landing in the early scenes to the valiant battle for Ramelle in the end, Stephen Spielberg has truly captured the visual and emotional horror of war. This film simply looks at war as if war had not been looked at before. There is no glory in war, only death and destruction.
The film begins and ends with furious battle scenes. In between, despite some minor skirmishes and the loss of one of their group, they follow their objective and look for Private Ryan no matter the cost. Like the soldiers, the audience is never allowed to rest from the frenetic pace of the action.
The film begins with the sight of an elderly man who is returning to a graveyard which houses many of his fallen friends. It then takes him back to the first day he landed. The inspirational soundtrack gives way to the nervous and anxious ships with men vomiting through their terror. The soundtrack then becomes the soundtrack of war with artillery fire and a barrage of gunfire. Basically he remembers walking into hell. This story quickly moves on from the hellish situation of death on the beach onto the main plot of the story, which is following the team sent to recover a Private Ryan, whose three brothers had already been killed in the war so far. This is the story that we are told. The recovery mission and the search for Private Ryan is the main story. While a very serious movie, when they are just walking, the scenes are broken up with witty funny banter from the soldiers. For example, “Hey, Wade, I got a mother, you got a mother, the sarge has got a mother. I'm willing to bet that even the Captain's got a mother. Well, maybe not the Captain, but the rest of us have got mothers.”
The film is divided into several sequences that end up with the finding of Private Ryan. As there is an actor (Matt Damon) who plays Private Ryan, he is obviously found alive but Spielberg creates the suspense around when and where they will find Ryan. In the end, it is a bit of an anticlimax but comes at the end of some ingenious staging from Spielberg.
The visual nature of “Saving Private Ryan” is likely to be remembered for its extremely violent battle sequences. But this is the reality of war realised by Spielberg. It isn’t a walk in the park. It’s violent and bloody and not everyone survives it. The D-Day sequence and the closing battle are both seen as they would have been. The thick blood red water of the ocean when the men get off the carriers and onto shore is stark imagery of all the dead there must have been in just disembarking from the ships. With the booming sound of gunfire and artillery barrages, and the speed at which they have to run up the beach and move on to different positions show the hectic nature of war in a frighteningly frank way. With this film, it was clear that Spielberg was going for a camera style which was hand held and with frantic tracking, giving it the extra documentary feel. It also allows the frenetic pace in which they have to move during the battles.
The back of the DVD case it asks the question “Why are eight men risking their lives to save just one? Surrounded by the brutal realities of war, each man searches for his own answer – and the strength to triumph over an uncertain future with honour, decency and courage.” This is what the film shows. Even though they are in the worst situation imaginable, each man will “triumph over an uncertain future with honour, decency and courage.” all the markings of great men. I'd give this 4 out of 5 stars.
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