Acting Styles in Saving Private Ryan

Posted on by rciereck

Title: Saving Private Ryan

Writer: Robert Rodat

Director: Steven Spielberg

Year: 1998

In the movie Saving Private Ryan, Tom Hanks plays army Captain Miller.  While I find it very hard to distinguish between realism and method acting, It appears Tom Hanks uses realism in his portrayal of Captain Miller. According to Goodykoontz, realism is naturalistic and gives the impression of genuine human action and reaction. Since Saving Private Ryan was made to look almost like a documentary, I find the acting to portray realism most of the time.  As you watch the following clip there isn’t allot of dialogue.   However the scene and the little interaction there is would represent realism, it is what you would expect to happen.

Jeremy Davies plays the character of a soldier that Captain Miller recruited for the mission due to his ability to speak multiple languages.  He has never been in combat before and he portrays his character as somewhat of a coward who is afraid.  In this role I believe Jeremy Davies used method acting to give himself the demeanor of someone who is scared. The fear he shows during the final battle scene when a life or death fight in hand to hand combat is taking place is the look of someone who is definitely afraid. In the following clip of the final battle, watch this character about 17 minutes in and you will recognize the method acting.

The character of Private James Ryan which the plot of the story revolves around is played by actor Matt Damon. The final scenes of the movie are shown at the World War II cemetery in what appears to be Normandy France.  Private James Ryan is now an old man and he is visiting the grave of Captain John Miller who rescued him in World War II.  Method acting is used in these scenes as he relives and honors the sacrifices others made so he could go home.

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Saving Private Ryan. (1998). Saving Private Ryan – Final Battle [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmSYoBoOXvw

Saving Private Ryan (1998). Saving Private Ryan, Half Track Cover! [Video File] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Tpn0C8PiI

Saving Private Ryan (1998) . Saving Private Ryan Last Scenes [Video File] Retrieved from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLqOE50Xboc

WikiPedia (2015). Saving Private Ryan, retrieved from, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saving_Private_Ryan

Saving Private Ryan – Sound

Posted on by rciereck

Title: Saving Private Ryan

Writer: Robert Rodat

Director: Steven Spielberg

Year: 1998

Actors: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg and Jeremy Davies

The sound category of dialogue is exactly what it is, dialogue or the talking in film between actors. Most people may consider talking a relatively easy task but it is not.  In Saving Private Ryan there is allot of dialogue between all the characters of the movie which establishes the plot as well as lets the audience know what is going on in each particular scene.

In the following clip called, “Maybe you should SHUT up!” from the movie Saving Private Ryan, is a good example of the use of dialogue. If you were to watch the scene without sound and no dialogue, the audience would have a hard time understanding what was going on.  The use of Dialogue allows the audience to not only understand that they encountered a German machine gun nest and are attempting to take it out, it also shows the internal disagreement between the men and Captain Miller and Captain Millers reasons for risking his men’s life to take it out.  I would challenge you to watch the following clip with the sound muted to form an opinion of what is going on.  Then watch it again with the sound on.

Sound effects in a movie can have a emotional effect on the audience watching.  How many times have you jumped while watching a scary movie when there is suddenly a loud noise?  The sound effects in a film can set the tone of a scene.  In Saving Private Ryan, sound effects are used brilliantly in the battle scenes giving the audience a sense of what it was like to be there.  In the Omaha Beach scene sound effects are used brilliantly.  During the ride into the shore you hear nothing but the sounds of the waves crashing, and then you hear the sound of people getting sick and throwing up.  When the doors open you hear the quiet pshh of bullets and then it shows the bullets striking the soldiers.  It then cuts to the German defenders point of view and you hear the full sound of the machine guns.  Throughout the entire scene you hear bullets flying and explosions in the background as well as the screaming of wounded soldiers.

Very similar to sound effects, music is widely used in films to help set the mood of a scene or in the case of Saving Private Ryan; it sets the tone of the entire movie.  The theme song is just music with no words and its composed by John Williams.  It plays with still clips from the movie being played across the screen.  It really puts the audience, myself anyway, in a somber mood and has an impact in the realization of the sacrifices that were made by those soldiers depicted in the movie.

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Saving Private Ryan (1998). Saving Private Ryan, “Maybe you should SHUT up!” [Video File] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fByRLOM8WQw

Saving Private Ryan. (1998). Saving Private Ryan – Omaha Beach Scene [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82RTzi5Vt7w

Saving Private Ryan (1998) . Saving Private Ryan Theme Song [Video File] Retrieved from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-lyqc0ZDCA

WikiPedia (2015). Saving Private Ryan, retrieved from, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saving_Private_Ryan

Man on Fire Cinematography and Lighting

Posted on by rciereck

Title: Man on Fire

Writer: A.J. Quinnell

Director: Tony Scott

Year: 2004

Actors: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony and Radha Mitchell.

I found the lighting used in Man on Fire is a mix of low key lighting and traditional three point lighting.  Low key lighting according to chapter 6 of the textbook, Film: From Watching to seeing, is to highlight intense dramatic scenes, horror films and mystery thrillers.  While standard three point lighting which is based on careful control of shadows to give the lighting affect a cinematographer or director to suit the mood of the scene.  This is done very well in man on fire depending on the scene. The dramatic scenes where the parents find out the child has been kidnapped and some of the murder scenes illustrate the use of low key lighting.  Happier scenes and the not so intense scenes use three point lighting and it is adjusted according to the scene.  The following clip shows both of these lighting techniques very well;

Benefits of this style of lighting allow the mood to be adjusted based on what is happening in the scene or who is in the scene.

This technique allows the focus to be put on the character the director wants it on and allows the mood to be set, the darker the scene the more dramatic and the lighter the more light hearted and happier the scene.

I would consider this movie to be a gangster movie with a subgenre of film noir.  In this context I believe the lighting choices were spot on and the cinematographer did an excellent job with his use of lighting to really put the audience in the correct mood for the scene they were watching.

I believe the scenes would have not put the audience in the correct mind set to the intensity of what the director wanted to portray had different lighting been used.  For example if all the scenes were high key lighting or the three point lighting wasn’t adjusted during certain scenes then you wouldn’t have had the same dramatic effect.   The lighting used enabled me to think I knew how the characters felt and I was able to empathize with the situations.  If it was all the same then it would have just been a movie and not immersing the audience into the story.

Another effective use if three point lighting;

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Man on Fire Final Scene (2004). Man on Fire Creasy`s Art is Death [Video File] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3va-KhTMIn4

Man on Fire Trailer. (2004). Christopher Walken – Masterpiece [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_hLvWmytTo

Man on Fire

Posted on by rciereck

Title: Man on Fire

Writer: A.J. Quinnell

Director: Tony Scott

Year: 2004

Actors: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony and Radha Mitchell.

Denzel Washington is one of my favorite actors of all time.  I chose Man on Fire, due to the editing choices and how the story was told in this movie.  Man on Fire was released in 2004 and was directed by Tony Scott.  The actors in the movie were Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken and Marc Anthony.

Story: Man on Fire is the story about a retired intelligence officer and trained killer who has basically given up on life.  It tells the story of a man who had no interest in living, making new friends or interacting with people to one who finds a reason to live.  Its the story of a man that through a friendship with a young child finds a reason to live and be happy again.  The story comes full circle when the main character, John Creasy, will give up his life to save his new friend and to give his life meaning and purpose again.

Plot: The plot tells the story of John Creasy, a retired intelligence operative who was hired as a bodyguard to a wealthy family in Mexico.  He is hired to protect the young daughter of the wealthy couple because kidnappings are a common occurrence in Mexico.  At first he doesn’t want to befriend the girl and keeps his distance.  Eventually they bond and become best of friends and Creasy seems to be happy again. Then the girl is kidnapped and Creasy will do anything to get her back.  It gives him a new purpose to find and rescue the girl and he uses all his training and kills anyone that was involved in her kidnapping.  He finds that he is even willing to give up his own life to get her back.

The story is presented chronologically but at times it seems that it is being told non-linearly.  The editor does many cut away shots to other parts of the story to things that are happening.  This helps to explain what is happening, but it is happening at that time and not another time.  What I really enjoyed about the story being told in this manner is that rather than just explaining who things are done, such as kidnappings, it actually cuts away and shows one happening giving the audience the full impact of the situation.  I think if the story was told in any different manner it just would not have had the same affect.

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Man on Fire Final Scene (2004). Man on Fire Final Scene Complete [Video File] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlgz71v1oIk

Man on Fire Trailer. (2004). Man on Fire Official Movie Trailer [Video file] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVYMl-FWWmE