Saving Private Ryan, Anti-Semitism and Sole Survivor Policy - Essay Example

Film Essay Introduction If one takes a close look at art, one can not help noticing that it has played an important role in the development of the society. Indeed, it did not only allow people to express themselves and apply their creative energy to create masterpieces that would amaze their contemporaries as well as future generations, but also promote various messages within the social environment. Sometimes those were the ideas that were designed by the government to encourage people to adopt a specific point of view. Cinema is surely one of the earliest as well as most popular genres of art which allows conveying a particular message to an enormous audience. This paper will analyze the movie that is titled Saving Private Ryan and show how different aspects of ideology were manifested in it. Anti-Semitism It is quite understandable that the majority of movies that feature the setting of the World War II engage the issue of Anti-Semitism. The movie in question is quite interesting since it shows that this ideology of making the Jews a victim is deeply corrupted. On the one hand, the directors were able to show that within the American soldiers there might be some that adhere to such views; however, they are openly criticized. For example, there was a fight shown between soldiers on the shop that was departing to Europe which started because one made some ironic statements about “sons of Abraham”. Indeed, this movie supports the common idea that Anti-Semitism could not have happened in the American society (Dinnerstein 229). On the other hand, when the German troops are shown, they are portrayed as extremely Anti-Semitic. For example, in one episode, one of the soldier, who was a Jew, finds a special knife in the pockets of a German soldier and suddenly realized how many people of his nationality were killed with similar knifes. In addition to that, when the German prisoners are being relocated, he shows them they his start of David pendant and screams at their face: “Juden!” (which is German for Jew), pointing at himself, suggesting that they were captured by a race that was so despised by them. Indeed, Anti-Semitism of the Germans in the World War II has been one of the significant themes for numerous movies. That is why there is no wonder that Saving Private Ryan engages it as well. Sole Survivor Policy Another important concept that is fundamental to the plot of the entire movie is application of Sole Survivor Policy. The latter is a rather controversial and one of the most debatable policies which were implanted by the United States government in the World War II. According to it, there could be circumstances when soldiers would be sent back home since they were sole survivor in a family that has already lost its member in the warfare. The use of this policy shows that the government does not want to waste lives of its citizens and ruin families. While the Germans were preparing for total war, while the Soviets were willing to sacrifice every man to hold their ground, the Americans are show looking at every war in a long run perspective, anticipating peace after it. In addition to that, this state of affairs is also discussed by the characters in the films. For example, one of the main characters that is played by Tom Hanks repeatedly says that he is willing to sacrifice 10 private Ryans for every man from his squad, suggesting that it is not logical to send experienced men to a dangerous task of rescuing an inexperienced private. In other words, all this brings the audience to the discussion about value of a human life. This dilemma is resolved when one of the senior military officials read a letter that was written by Abraham Lincoln, assuring mother of an unknown soldier that war will be over and every sacrifice that was made would by dully noted. The American soldiers In terms of ideology, the movie in question promotes the positive image of the American soldiers in World War II. Thus, the United States was a part of the Allied Forced and helped its counterparts in Europe (Murrin 611). Indeed, the invasion of Normandy was a joint operation of the Western countries that marked the end of occupation of Europe by Nazis. In other words, the Americans are shown to be faithful to their commitment to help their allies, even though it may result in numerous casualties. It is understandable that the soldiers who were set to Normandy knew that many of them will not survive the invasion. However, all as one went there to help fellow Europeans. Indeed, this theme of fighting, killing and dying in the foreign land is one of the central ones in Saving Private Ryan. The only part of territory of the United States that was under direct attack during the World War II was in the Pacific. In other words, this country had a moral obligation to fight Japan, but not Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy. Nevertheless, America sent its troops over the ocean to fight for freedom. It is quite obvious that this image is used as justification of foreign policy of this country when troops are sent overseas to fight for the freedom of other nations. Social equality Finally, the issue of a social class should also be engaged while considering the kind of ideological messages that are conveyed in the movie. For example, the main character is shows as a fearless warrior who is experienced in combat and makes a great military leader. No one is able to guess his profession before the war. There is even a betting on who he is. However, in the end it appears, that he is not a policeman or a ranger, he is a simple English teacher. This means that a person of a peaceful profession was able to acquire special skills in order to be affective at war because there was a necessity to survive and help the nation. One might suggest that this is a different view on social mobility: not being able to enter a different class, but transform one’s nature. Moreover, numerous scenes in the movie show that in the United States military there is no distinction between people who come from different social classes. In spite of the fact that in 1940’s there still was racial segregation and soldiers of different ethnic backgrounds did not fight together, one might conclude that there was not discrimination according to social class. Thus, the squad of the main character was formed by the people who lived different lived before the war. However, they were able to function as a single unit in order to become effective soldiers. This shows that army is not an institute that reinforces social inequality, but rather a common platform for free interaction of people who normally would not even meet. Conclusion Having examined all the points which were brought up in the paragraphs above, one might argue that the movie that is titled Saving Private Ryan is an example of how ideology might be conveyed through cinema. Indeed, this film shows that the American environment is not Anti-Semitic, as oppose to the German society in the age of Nazis; it shows that implementation of Sole Survivor Policy reflects the deep concern of the government about its citizens; the movie also shows that despite the fact that the territory of the United States was not under direct attacks, numerous soldier were willing to fight in Europe against Nazis; finally, in the American army there is no social inequality. Works Cited Dinnerstein, Leonard. Antisemitism in America. New York, NY: Oxford UP, 1994. Print. Murrin, John M. Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People. 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005. Print. Read More