Guns of Navarone vs Saving Private Ryan - Essay Example

Report: Compare and Contrast of the cinematic values and works of visual drama of the movies Guns of Navarone, J. L. Thompson,1961 VS Saving Private Ryan, S.Spielberg,1998 Introduction By sheer scale of violence and global involvement, the Second World War can be said to be a turning point in the history of mankind. Events had occurred in such a manner that we have realized the amount of devastation a global war can unleash. The war and its effect on the lives of soldiers and civilians has been subject for many memorable movies which have widely influenced the public perception of the war. While Hollywood had and continues to release movies based on World War II, the movies widely differ in their treatment and approach. Here in this report, I have compared two movies based on World War II, Guns of Navarone and Saving Private Ryan. An interesting fact about these two movies is they are made in two very different eras, Guns of Navarone directed by J.L Thompson in 1961 and Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg in 1998. Synopsis of the plot of Guns of Navarone Guns of Navarone is based on Alistair MacLean’s best-seller novel of 1957.It was a major box-office hit of 1961, winning the Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture-Drama, Best Original Score and Academy awards for Best Special Effects. Starring Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven, the plot revolves around a commando operation to infiltrate a Nazi island fortress (on a Greek island) and destroy two huge cannons(the guns of Navarone).Time is short as 2000 Allied soldiers are holed up in a nearby island and their rescue is impossible because of the massive Nazi guns on the island of Navarone. The Nazis could launch an assault any minute. The team assigned for the operation have their share of problems with the team members sharing positive dislike for each other. Compounding their problems,, the commanding officer gets injured and there is growing mistrust amongst the commandos as it becomes clear that there is a traitor in their midst. The film is about how they get out of their crisis and destroy the guns. Synopsis of Saving Private Ryan Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 Academy Award winning movie directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. The movie won awards for Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Editing and Best Director. Starring Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, and the plot is set in the World War II. Officials notice that three sons of a Mrs. Ryan from Iowa have been killed in action within days of each other and that her youngest ,her last son, James (Private Ryan) is languishing somewhere behind enemy lines in France. Their compassion evoked, an order is dispatched that Private Ryan be immediately found and repatriated. The task is designated to Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and his group of eight men. Having just survived the Omaha beach landing, the much harassed men grow increasingly frustrated in this search for a single man. As the men start dying in this seemingly futile search, the moral dilemma arises, is the life of a single man worth that of eight others? The movie shows how Captain Miller finally finds Ryan to the cost of his own life. Comparison and Contrasts The Guns of Navarone belongs to the genre of patriotic war films, intending not only to stir up patriotic fervor but also entertain with action and adventure, close escapes and daring of the heroes .In contrast, Saving Private Ryan is a classic war film in that it brings home the graphic violence of war in a way no other movie had ever done before. The scenes have been dealt with such that the audience experiences the horrors along with the protagonists, the frenzy, the confusion, the fear, the entire gamut of emotions, a virtual experience of war. Steven Spielberg while making a patriotic film applauding the efforts of the Allied soldiers has at the same time succeeded in highlighting the terror that war is in reality, a far cry from the feel-good movies usually churned out in this genre. The colors used in The Guns of Navarone are of a pale palette, frequent use of ‘day for night’ photography has rendered the scenes darker than necessary. Even by modern standards, the movie’s pyrotechnic effects are impressive. The music is lively and the movie has a resonant soundtrack with classic Dmitri Tiomkin scores. One interesting aspect of The Guns of Navarone is its introduction of a new sub-genre, a misfit group of underdogs battling successfully against all odds. The missions of the heroes of the two movies are also very different, while in The Guns of Navarone, the mission was as usual to destroy enemy posts, Saving Private Ryan had an apparently juvenile mission of saving a young private trapped behind enemy lines simply because all three of his brothers had been killed in action. The Guns of Navarone celebrate the valor of the Allies, their stoic endurance ,patriotism. Their adherence to their mission, doing what is right to accomplish the mission, they kill one of their own members when found guilty of sabotage, all these traits are highlighted. In contrast, Saving Private Ryan sets a new standard for war films, of realism and historical accuracy. The first thirty minutes of the movie covering D-Day invasions is an example of cinematography at its best. Camera has been used wonderfully to convey the horror and tension. Camera shaking wildly and submerging underwater, the sound of their ocean, the explosion ,the bullets all contribute to the ‘I am also in this’ feel. The music is limited playing only during the breaks in action, that too solemn music mostly trumpet solos. It is as if music is intended only as a respite from action. The invincible image of the American soldier is also altered in this movie portraying soldiers as people first, haunted by their own fears and weaknesses. The hero, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) is shown to be perturbed by the turn of events and even sobs in one scene out of sight from his teammates. The editing is continuous and rhythmic while careful manipulation of lens has ensured a grainy picture which evokes recollection of period newsreel. The characters of the main heroes in the two movies are also totally different. Captain Mallory (Gregory Peck) is contrasted with Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) in his very approach to the assigned mission. Captain Miller has many misgivings about his task and suffers moments of indecision. Captain Mallory comes across as more of the brave commando we usually fantasize about. One very nerve-wracking scene of Saving Private Ryan is when Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) standing on Omaha Beach moments after the landing sees another soldier pick up his own severed arm dripping with blood from the arm. The goriness of it strikes the viewer, the brilliant histrionics of Tom Hanks conveys the paralyzed emotions on witnessing the bloody carnage all around him. The killing scenes and fighting scenes of The Guns of Navarone while evoking thrill and fear fail to produce this stomach-lurching distaste for war. The film is all one sided. The Allies are the good guys; the Nazis are bad and there is never any sympathy when they die. It lacks the realism of authentic bloody wounds considered state-of-the art in more modern films. The Guns of Navarone is more a feel good thriller. There is a beautiful scene in the middle of this film, when the commando team pauses for a while in a tiny Greek village while seeking a doctor for their wounded leader. They arrive while a wedding ceremony is being held, and join in the singing. It really highlights the indomitable will power of man which allows him to find joy and celebration amidst all the fight and fury. Saving Private Ryan touches the philosopher in us ,we find ourselves questioning the meaning of existence, why all this needless bloodshed, why, why? The moral dilemma in Saving Private Ryan is posed remarkably well, the dying Captain Miller advises Private Ryan to “earn his life”, saved by the sacrifice of other lives. The movie actually starts showing an old war veteran weeping amidst the headstones of American Allies killed on D-day. The veteran is Private Ryan standing before the headstone of Captain Miller. Thus the movie begins and ends on a deeply intimate and emotional note. Conclusion As a student of World War II’s cultural legacy, my study of the two movies The Guns of Navarone and Saving Private Ryan has drawn my attention to the difference in attitudes of Hollywood towards war in the 60s and 90s. While The Guns of Navarone portray heroic and valorous soldiers in thrilling encounters with the enemy, Saving Private Ryan gives a more realistic picture of the horrors of war. Steven Spielberg had chosen to portray war graphically while at the same time declaring that right causes justify it and lend a dignity to the crimes. While acknowledging the terrors of war, he also acknowledges the unavoidability of war in some cases and in that case he pleads for giving worthy respect and honor to the soldiers, the fallen heroes. World War II has inspired many movies but Saving Private Ryan in my opinion ranks among the best for technique as well as attitude. Works Cited McMaster’s Top Ten World War II War Movies. Epinions.com. A Shopping.com Company. 31 July 2002. 28 Apr. 2007 . Remsen, Kevin. World War II as Film. A Historical Analysis of Thirteen Films. 28 Apr. 2007 Read More