Constructing history:
film as history
Saving Private Ryan
By Nikola Andrijevic
Brief outline of the chosen film:
Saving Private Ryan was released in theaters on the 19th of November 1998, featuring the lead actor Tom Hanks as Captain Miller in the film, directed by Steven Spielberg. The film uses the United States army to portray the brutality of war based on Normandy (D-Day) June 6th 1944 in Omaha beach, Northern France. Saving Private Ryan starts off with Ryan visiting the grave of Captain Miller as an old man with his family. The scene switches to Captain Miller’s perspective as he lands on the beach via. A Higgens boat, when he lands, the lingering MG 42 gun fire is blasted at them killing multiple people. Miller proceeds to jump off the boat, somehow surviving. The men eventually capture the dog-green sector, allowing troops to enter the mainland. From there on Miller is received an order to search for private James Francis Ryan, finding himself in all different troubles along the way.
Opinion on the chosen film:
Saving Private Ryan uses various cinematic effects to make you feel affected within the film, such as the motif of the American flag waving in the wind at the start and end of the film, along with the irony of killing multiple men just to save one. Therefore in my opinion it deserves 4.5 stars out of 5.
Directors interpretation of the film:
Opening scene Omaha Beach
Saving private Ryan shows the perspective of warfare in the Omaha beach scene as hell. This emphasis of hell is more notable when the men land on the beach, the conditions of warfare in this scene were kept at a bare minimum with limbless corpses flying around and the water filled with blood. The scene also made you feel included, encouraging a very uncomfortable start to the movie with zero music and constant camera shaking and switching towards the perspectives of the men. The Higgens boat section of the Omaha beach scene showed the characteristics of the men along with a dark gloomy atmosphere and the constant explosions, splashing water on the ship and men showing the impending doom. The Omaha beach scene shows the different perspectives of the opposing teams with the panning of the MG 42 through the viewpoint of the Axis on the Allies from below. And when the Allies capture the dog-green sector, Captain Miller looks back showing an extreme long shot of the beach with piles of corpses and an ocean of blood lying on the shore. The constant slow-motion panning asserts the worst of the scene, one of which a flametrooper exploding in a blitz of flames killing multiple people, a boat besides captain miller catching on flames with burning men running out, this giving us an idea of what the director was trying to insinuate out of the scene.
Captain Miller
Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan can only be described as assertive towards his team, this can be seen in various situations such as in the battle of Ramelle as he is knowledgeable on how and where to set up his team in certain positions and is always put in the keylighting. However Captain Miller prefers not to show his vulnerabilities in the movie as when the Medic Wade died, he mourned privately. Through the course of the film captain Miller opens himself up to vulnerabilities an oncoming motif within the film, his biggest vulnerability was releasing a Nazi soldier after being captured, as this results in his death later on in the film. Captain Miller also suffers from war trauma with his hand constantly shaking, anticipating warfare or possibly even PTSD from warfare. Captain Miller also slowly loses his sense of reality later in the film as stated “The more men I kill, The further I feel from home” eventually fighting to his death in the battle at Ramelle. The use of perspective towards Captain Miller can be seen through various camera angles and shots for example, Captain Miller’s facial expressions can indicate his intentions in the film especially when he is in combat situations in the opening scenes of the movie, using Extreme close-ups to see the trauma in his eyes. The film also uses panning to indicate where Captain Miller is looking. And high angles to show his power towards other characters such as the captured Nazi.
Assess the historical accuracy of the film:
Saving Private Ryan is quite accurate when it comes to machinery and military techniques in the film, however there are some factors that influence the inaccuracy of these sources. The use of military techniques in the film play a crucial role in real-life military instances that were unheard of, even until today. Along with military machinery that played a large role in both sides of the army.
The use of Pliofilm in Saving Private Ryan, is an accurate depiction of the proper use of the material. During the first scene of the movie, it is clear that captain miller is holding some sort of plastic looking material on his gun during the battle. This material is known as Pliofilm. Pliofilm, manufactured by the goodyear tire and rubber company consist of dissolving natural rubber in benzene, the solution then being treated with gaseous hydrochloric acid, the product is then stretched out into thin sheets on an endless belt, which is finally passed through a dryer and sold in large quantities. The material was most commonly used as a food wrap, shrink wrap and used for P.P.E. for industrial workers for it being impermeable, non-flammable and has a low humidity level. During WW2 pliofilm was used to cover military equipment from being deteriorated over long periods of time, during shipping or over long reconnaissance missions. Captain Miller and a couple other people can be seen using the material on their guns to keep their guns dry and clean during the fight. This practice was common, especially during D-Day, to avoid rust or clogging the gun chamber with mud and other debris. Unfortunately, the use of Pliofilm was shut down during the late 1980’s for its health concerns despite wearing P.P.E. Pliofilm In Saving Private Ryan is an accurate representation of its proper use during the war.
The use of tanks in Saving Private Ryan is somewhat accurate, however there are some questions about the reliability in the film. During D-day, Nazi tanks were challenged by the tough landscape in Normandy, this posed difficulties in maneuverability in the region. The areas that were flat pastures were lined by ancient hedgerows, often hard to see over and altered where the tanks could go. A way to deal with this was the M4 Sherman tank but the Axis did not have the resources to produce large amounts of these, along with the distance to cover transporting the tanks. A solution to this was to go through towns, where the landscape was generally flatter, Hence the Battle of Ramelle scene. In the battle of Ramelle scene, various tanks were used to attack the Allies, These tanks include the Tiger tank, Marder 3 Ausf and the Swedish Sav M/43. In the scene the objective of these tanks was to cross the bridge which was unexpectedly controlled by the Allies. The Tiger tank used in this scene was a heavily modified Soviet T34 as the actual Tiger tanks would have not been able to be used for it’s scarcity and it’s conditions, the way this was found out, was that the tracks used on the actual Tiger tank has a more complex design compared to the Soviet T34. The Marder 3 Ausf, the most historically accurate out of the scene was found as a chassis and the outer shell was rebuilt by the studio to look like the real thing, the impracticalities of the tank were shown in the urban landscape during the battle of Ramelle as the top was firebombed during the battle, killing everyone inside. The Sav M/43 was also used during the scene, however there were some minor changes within the outer-shell of the tank. The small design of the tank was used to fit into the Swedish forests.
The Higgins boat in Saving Private Ryan shows an accurate depiction of the real-life landing crafts used by soldiers from being transported to the beaches of Normandy. The Higgins boat, more known by its inventor New Orleans businessman Andrew Jackson Higgins, was used to transport machinery and soldiers to disembark onto the shores of the mainland. Often soldiers were crammed into tight conditions for 24-36 hours with delays of weather or other issues, prompting sickness and possibly even disease, seen when the soldiers start vomiting after each other in the movie. However even when the soldiers reached the mainland, they were killed on the spot, due to the unfair advantages of the Nazi’s. Similar to when the soldiers on the boat get gunned down as soon as the doors open. Therefore The Higgins boat in Saving Private Ryan shows the historical similarities towards the war.
In conclusion, Saving Private Ryan shows an accurate portrayal of warfare based on the events of Normandy D-day, relating to machinery and military techniques used in the film to simulate real-life instances.
Bibliography
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