Well let's start off with the storyline of the entire movie. As many of you know it is about soldiers fighting in World War 2. Now the main plot is trying to find this one Private Ryan in the large amount of troops in France after Normandy. The script itself focuses on one group of soldiers and that humanizes the war for many people and makes the movie more relatable. This makes the movie more of a human experience though a war we typically see as a tactical experience. The finding of the first Private Ryan and the comedic effect it provides lessens the tension for a moment. Then you see the number of soldiers who die throughout the story's progression in the search for one soldier. Those men who die make the surviving soldiers even angrier at Pvt. Ryan. The friendships formed by the soldiers shows how the horrors of war can bring people together to form the most unlikely friendships.
There was also some examples of symbolism in the film that whenever a terrible battle begins there is water of some kind. Whether it is the ocean that borders Normandy, the rain after a couple of attacks on major German guns, or the rain at the end of the film when the final battle scene is over. Another example of symbolism is the right hand of various characters. The main Captain Miller has a shaky hand before every big battle, but once he is in the heat of the battle his hand stops shaking. This shows the nerve he had and may even hint at a subconscious PTSD thing. They show his hand shaking and in the big scene where Miller dies they show Ryan's steady hand directly afterwords. (If you are complaining that I spoiled the movie for you I said Spoilers... That is on you for reading this even after the two warnings I gave you!) This shows a significant connection between the right hand and nerves, which also shows the true horrors of war. Another symbol in the movie is red. Each time people die a vivid and very noticeable shade of red is show, weather the water on Omaha Beach which was stained red or the blood seeping out of soldiers when they are shot.
The use of camera effects and coloring is also something that made the film especially great. Most of the shots are dark colored and the addition of shaky cam makes it feel like the footage was actually shot by a soldier during World War 2. They also used a special lens that closes in a way to capture the motion without motion blur. This makes the audience feel as if they are really there throughout the attacks and experiencing the event through the first point of view. The use of sound foley also adds to the overall effect of the movie. They added in the sounds of soldiers breathing to create a more realistic feel. The sound also cuts out during intense scenes to represent the shell shock that some of these soldier must have felt during war. The use of close-ups in this film is excellent. They show emotion and create an even more powerful emotion towards the characters in the movie and their storyline.
The makeup artists also smudges makeup on the actors face and adds in other makeup to make the characters appear dirty and beat down from the horrors of war. This gives the audience a more realistic view of the war and the toll it takes on men. The toll of the battles and horrors they have seen is fairly evident through the use of makeup and smudges.
That is about all I have to say about this movie, but if you haven't already seen it, or it's been a while since you've watched it, then definitely go re-watch it. While there are some emotionally tough and traumatizing scenes, the movie as a whole really speaks to the horrors of war and the bond formed between soldiers fighting that war. Thanks for reading and tune in next time!- Jessie.
