Different Depictions Of War-Saving Private Ryan And The Patriot
Different Depictions of War 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 a father of
seven and veteran of the French and Indian War. Although he shows disapproval of
the current American Revolution, personal vengeance makes him a hero in the war.
Although the screenplay could account for a film’s viewpoint, it is the
directing that creates the visual picture. Ironically, Both Ryan and The Patriot
were written by the same man, Robert Rodat. This further supports the idea that
the director’s opinion on a topic is evident in her or his film, no matter what
the screenwriter’s thoughts may be. Not to mention the fact that a the director
usually chooses a script that suits them.
Therefore, literary elements reflect
the director’s perspective. The setting in Ryan’s opening scene is a veteran
cemetery where we are immediately reminded of the result of war: death. The
second scene takes place on Omaha Beach, the battlefield of the tragic D-Day.
Right off, we are shown that thousands died in World War II as well as what it
was like. We hear soldiers praying for their lives and others praying for an
accurate shot to end the life of another. Speilberg does not hesitate to plunge
into the reality that in war one is either killing or dying. In The Patriot our
story begins quite differently. We are first introduced to our protagonist,
Benjamin (Mel Gibson), in his home as he comically fails to build a rocking
chair. Like Ryan, we are introduced to the main focus of the film, but unlike
Ryan, the focus is a character not a war. In addition, The Patriot’s main
character is first presented as a father and carpenter, while we first meet
Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) already involved in the war. The difference between
these films is that one uses characters to tell the story of a war, while the
other uses a war to tell the story of a character. Characters are major literary
elements and they, alone, illustrate the intent of each film. The British (bad
guys) in The Patriot are either sinister or ignorant, while the Americans (good
guys) are either brave and witty or braver and heroic. The definite line between
good and evil encourages us to root for the spunky Americans. Ryan, on the other
hand, makes an effort to portray its characters as realistic as possible. The
soldiers are ordinary guys some likable, some not, most relatable, all
believable.
