Different Depictions of Warsaving Private Ryan and The Patriot
Moviemakers have the power to portray the world the way they see it. And because there are so many different directors out there, we as viewers, are presented with a variety of interpretations. If a director sees love as a game, then it is so (at least until their hour and 45-minute tale of two playful lovers comes to an end). If he or she believes society to be corrupt then we will see it as such on her or his recorded picture of the world. And if one director thinks of war as completely disastrous while another sees glory in it then we would find ourselves viewing two contrasting depictions of war. Two recent films that exemplify this circumstance are Steven Speilberg's Saving Private Ryan and Roland Emmerich's The Patriot. Both movies are about an historic war, both were made around the same time, and yet both create an entirely different image of war. With the use of dramatic, literary, and cinematic aspects, Speilberg and Emmerich present their opinions, as well as emotions, on the screen. Ryan takes place during World War II. Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) is given a mission to save Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), whose three brothers were killed in action. The Patriot is the story of
In The Patriot our story begins quite differently. However it is harsh to judge the believability of a movie when comparing it to Saving Private Ryan. After tragic scenes, such as Thomas' and Gabriel's death, and when we find out what Martin's sins were, he uses blue lighting. During the more mellow scenes, for instance during Ryan's (Damon) speech, the camera stays on a fixed base allowing us to feel less anxious. Take Corporal Upham (Jeremy Davies), for example. Not to mention the fact that a the director usually chooses a script that suits them. Like Ryan, we are introduced to the main focus of the film, but unlike Ryan, the focus is a character not a war. When the soldiers are not fighting Speilberg creates a thick atmosphere of tension. Unlike in The Patriot, we never feel at ease. We are first introduced to our protagonist, Benjamin (Mel Gibson), in his home as he comically fails to build a rocking chair. The atmosphere is actually cheery as the actors have their characters enjoy time-out from The American Revolution. The setting in Ryan's opening scene is a veteran cemetery where we are immediately reminded of the result of war: death. Speilberg does not hesitate to plunge into the reality that in war one is either killing or dying. The comfort he finds in talking to others to the fear he feels about the chaos as he asks himself, "What is happening?" are all reactions that an everyday civilian would have to the war. Although the screenplay could account for a film's viewpoint, it is the directing that creates the visual picture.
Common topics in this essay:
Jeremy Davies,
Tom Hanks,
War Moviemakers,
American Revolution,
Robert Rodat,
War II,
Thomas' Gabriel's,
Mel Gibson,
Ryan Speilberg,
Revolution Ryan,
war ii,
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miller tom hanks,
saving private,
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literary elements,
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Acceptance Essays
