Portrayal of Ohama Beach in Saving Private Ryan

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Portrayal of Ohama Beach in Saving Private Ryan

In my essay I have been asked to discuss how realistic the portrayal

of the Omaha beach landing is in Saving Private Ryan.

Saving Private Ryan was made in 1998 and was directed by Steven

Spielberg. The film is about a private called James Francis Ryan who

is fighting in the Second World War against Germany. Ryan's three

brothers were also fighting in World War two but were tragically

killed in combat. Having lost three of her sons, the army set out to

find Private Ryan to reunite him with his mother and his remaining

family.

Winning many awards including five Academy Awards, Best Actor,

Cinematography, Sound and Sound Effects and a Golden Globe Award,

Saving Private Ryan was, and still is, a very successful film.

The sequence that I am focusing on is the Omaha Beach landing, this is

the opening scene of the film. The scene opens with a view over the

sea. Boats are carrying troops towards the shore. The camera pans to

capture the expressions on the soldiers' faces. The soldiers are

young, apprehensive and visibly scared. The technique that Spielberg

uses here evokes in the audience an empathy with the soldiers. In the

close ups the audience gets the opportunity to feel what the soldiers

are experiencing.

The hand held cameras cause the film to have a rocky motion, this adds

to the feeling of sea sickness that the audience feels along with the

soldiers. As the camera moves among the men we feel and see the dread

within the soldiers

Spielberg continues to use the hand held camera when the soldiers

arrive on the beach. The movement is erratic and we experience the

panic, chaos and mayhem that is all around. The soldiers are

bewildered, terrified and there appears to be no control.

When the boats get to shore they are immediately being shot at from

the German strong holds in the hills. Some of the men are diving into

the water and trying to swim to safety, but their kit weighs them

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