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The Analysis of Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg Essay

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The Analysis of Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg Analyse he methods used to make the opening sequence of ‘Saving Private Ryan’ both shocking and realistic, and discuss its effectiveness as an opening to a film

The film ‘Saving Private Ryan’ was released on September 11th 1998; the film was directed by Steven Spielberg, and was produced by Paramount pictures along with DreamWorks. Steven Spielberg has directed many films, such as: Jaws in 1975, Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 and Minority Report in 2002. Spielberg had never directed a war film before, and this one showed that he had the ability to do so. In 1999 the film won five awards …show more content…

At the start of this scene, as James is heading toward the graves it is mainly close up shots of James, and then it begins to include shots of James’ family as well. These shots indicate that his family are supporting him and the shots of him show that he is the main subject. As James and his family are walking along the path towards the graves a very patriotic orchestral music is being played, the rhythm is based on their footsteps,

every step James takes there is a beat of a drum. As they enter the grave yard the camera rises up above the grave stones and shows the vast number of graves. The camera then moves to the graveyard and whilst this is happening the music is still the same orchestral music but the beat of the drum is heavier. As the camera moves over the grave stone American flag, this shows how patriotic this event is. The effect of this is it hits you as to how many people have died pointlessly and a feeling of empathy for James because of the loss of his friends. Then James Ryan falls to his knees in front of one gravestone and he begins to cry. This is a close up shot of him then the transition begins. The camera falls into James’ eyes and then you can hear the ocean, the waves crashing and the sound of engines. This gives you a feeling of what it is like to be where they are. This sets the scene for this moment; the camera comes onto a troop carrier, the camera

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