Movies

Occurrences of war are significant events in world history and serve as a big inspiration to the film industry. Several of the most successful international films are inspired by different historical wars. Two of the best war films ever produced are Steven Spielbergs movie released in 1998 entitled Saving Private Ryan and Elem Klimovs 1985 film entitled Come and See (Idi I Smotri). War has many faces, and each battle impacts the world differently. These two movies give dissimilar but equally important representations and interpretation of war. Despite their differences, both films are successful in portraying the view of war they represent, leaving the audience with deep impressions and additional insights of the reality of wars.

Saving Private Ryan is an emotional and inspiring film about a unit squad sent on a dangerous mission during the World War II to save Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), a young soldier who went missing in Normandy, France and was the remaining alive son of his family because three of his brothers were killed in the war. The film realistically depict the horrifying events during the war and it highlights the heroic perspective on American soldiers. Led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), the group of soldiers risk their lives in this impregnable but noble mission of saving one life. It is a powerful film where blood and gun shots were not tamed for the viewers. The whole movie stuck to its realistic approach and did not limit the gruesomeness of war.

Saving Private Ryan focused on the message how the battlefield during the war stretches up to the emotional and personal lives of every person affected by it. Even from the beginning of the movie, which opens with the American flag and a veteran visiting a cemetery then providing a flashback to the year 1944 on the Omaha Beach, the terrifying events endured by the American soldiers in hands of the Germans. It was a visually effective onslaught scene as the camera panned right and left, changing angles and point of views, in order to provide a complete picture of the soldiers fate. But through this scene, the film had also established the powerful role of the American nation during the war. The transition from the war zone to the house of the Ryans and back to the main battlefield in Normandy was a very effective strategy in demonstrating how multi-faced war is and how its impact reached even far continents.

Come and See is a moving film that delivers the horrifying events of the war while at the same time condemning the lasting damages it gave to the people. The movie is focused on the story of a young boy named Florya who was pushed to the war unwillingly and it recounts his experience of struggling for survival and the pride of his nation. The film unfolds from his perspective that was tempered and forced to maturity by the Second World War. Come and See is a film more focused on what would be the probable aftermath of the war. The director of the film was able to portray some of the most horrifying representations of the atrocities committed by the Nazis. The films vision of the war is tied with the quest for survival that the characters gained despite the hopelessness of their situation.

Both films have a set of exceptional actors and talented directors. This is one of the most important reasons why both films delivered effectively. Their characters are so real that the audience are easily affected by the cinematic scenes. The portrayal of deep sincerity in Saving Private Ryans main characters makes the terror of the war sink very effectively to the audience. Floryas acting was also superb that the audience are embraced by the hopelessness that war conveys. Also, the musical score of the two films also play significant impact in establishing the view of war that the movies were aiming to focus on. It sets the tone of the films and the phasing of the scenes so one would know what events are significantly important. For Come ans See, war is all ugly and destructive that if one does not know the real outcome of the war, he would assume terrible and hopeless faith for the Russian nation. While in Saving Private Ryan, the musical score helped established the sense of hope that could be anticipated by the viewers from the war.

One significant difference of the two films is their narrative structure. Saving Private Ryan centers significantly on the main war being fought by the soldiers focused on the story while Come and See moves through different warfares, covering different settings and narrating a macroscopic view of the war. The dialogues of the two films are also very different, and yet both techniques add impact to the film. Come and See comes from the perspective of the main protagonist so the audience feels like experiencing the war firsthand. Many conversations in the film incorporates grunts and random sounds and this adds to the realistic touch of the story. Saving Private Ryan, on the other hand, makes use of inspiring dialogues and emotional thought to give realism and human touch to the war. One of the best conversations in the film was when Capt. Miller and his team were only beginning in the journey and Miller was substantiating the reason why they must risk their lives for their mission that was deemed impossible by some of his men.

Come and See and Saving Private Ryan are two successful films that provide different views on the reality of war. The cinematic direction and strategies employed in filming the movies provide great impact in emphasizing the particular theme that the directors aim for the film. Concept on war vary and its representation in films is not only limited to the gory scenes, action-packed exchange of gun shots, or scenes of people dying. The two movies proved that the real essence of war comes more importantly in the stories of the people affected and changed by it.