Saving Private Ryan

Summary of Movie:

Saving Private Ryan is a story told through the eyes of American soldiers. It takes place during D-Day in World War II. It tells the story of a group of soldiers with the mission to find Private James Ryan (Matt Damon) because he got a ticket home due to the loss of his brothers. After the group of eight losses two soldiers and began to break apart they find Private Ryan and is left with a decision. To wither head back home without Ryan or stay back with him at the bridge where help was needed. The captain and his crew of soldiers stayed back to fight against the Germans, although they were out numbered. All and all this story is a bout brotherhood and the effects of war. Saving Private Ryan received 5 Academy Awards, including Best Director for Steven Spielberg: Oscars for cinematography. Film Edit, Sound Editing, a Golden Globe for Best Picture and nominations at the British Academy Awards. This film was the top-grossing Motion Picture in 1998.

Construction:

I feel this movie was extremely well constructed. The actors chosen, the music chosen and the story line were all very well drawn out. Saving Private Ryan was extremely raw and action packed. The gore of this movie wasn’t too over the top, but still got the point across. The only down fall was some of the believability in war scenes. At the beginning of the movie, in the beach scene, there was a lot of small talking the trench while bodies were dropping and explosion going off. Its understandable because it is a movie and people don’t want to pay and see what would actually be going on in trenches and that’s quick gestures while trying to stay alive. Other than that this movie was well done. It brushed on things that was probably happening during combat, for example taking some situations more personally (Vin Diesel in the scene while he was trying to save a kid because it reminded him of his niece), after losing men beginning to question orders and really starting to do what it takes to win and survive.

Beliefs and Values:

The main point of view in Saving Private Ryan is the main character, Captain Miller (Tom Hanks). He’s the captain and he enforces and follows through with every mission and leads on as a mysterious man who they’ve all grown to love because of his sense of humor and smarts. Deeper in the head of Miller, he’s an English teacher who just wants to go home, back to his wife and hammock. Another character is James Ryan (Matt Damon). A man who just lost his brothers in combat and wants to stay and fight with what he calls, “the closest thing he has to brothers”. Other characters are the other soldiers. Some turn to religion (the sniper who prays every time he shots someone), another who cries because of the harsh reality to war (Corporal) but as different as they all are, they all just want to win the war.

Audience:

The audience for Saving Private Ryan could stretch from a number of groups of people. Any film lover from the ages 14 + could like this movie. It’s an Academy Award winner with a lot of buzz around it. But it could also be targeting young men. Not in a recruiting way, but maybe away to keep kids away from war because of the some of the serious scenes that are quite disturbing and a turn off from war. They are scenes of fellow soldiers and friends being set of fire, shot, blown up, dismembered, stabbed and being in such dangerous position that would be able to scare men. This movie could be taking and interpreted in many ways. It would shock and upset veterans from war, upset Germans with the stereotypes used.

Intent:

Saving Private Ryan was filmed in 1998 by Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Picture and Paramount Pictures. It was written by Robert Rodat and takes place in the year 1944 during WWII. I think the purpose of this movie is to tell a story contrary to what the back of the box reads “the film that inspired the world to remember.” This film is based on a true story and I believe its to capture the reality, cost and loss of war which I think it did just that.

Form:

The first scene of this movie shows an up close shot of the American flag waving in the wind. I believe this was a way to give you a quick glimpse of what is expected to come, an American tale which is how they ended the movie as well, with a waving flag. In battle scenes the shots were really up close and in there faces and action. And I think that’s to keep you into the movie. Saving Private Ryan also has some HUGE stars. For example, Vin Diesel, Paul Giamatti, Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Dennis Ferina, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore and Jeremey Daves which I think it was meant to appeal to film buffs. (I know that’s why I watched it)

My Opinion:

My opinion of the overall movie is that it was great. Acting, script and the action of it was so raw and it definitely deserved the awards it got. But how it relates back to youth culture from a peace perspective, it was pretty bias. Yes it takes place during WWII and it is an American film, but it really only showed the violence and the American side of the war. I understand that it’s a movie about war, and how there is most likely no going to have any references back to peace, but that is not good for views who don’t know any better. It’s a good movie I think to scare people from the war because it didn’t show the stereotypical soldier, like sitting around drinking, or smoking and talking about sex like in the movie Jarhead. It showed many deaths, wounded and realness of the war.

Movie Trailer - - - > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68t6PhbYiSo
and i think its well done. Explains alot of whats expected from the movie, except all the violence.

Afghan.

1. What you know about the culture, people, and history of Afghanistan?

Afghanistan is an old country that has a severe history of wars and political turmoil due to its position in Asia. The Khyber Pass links Afghanistan directly to India as well as Russia. What I believe to have begun the problems in this country is when the Soviets invaded it in December of1979, in an attempt to prop up a pro-communist regime which led to the states getting involved. Afghanistan was always considered the underdogs. Being one of the world’s poorest countries with little resources and untapped mineral and petroleum stores they were often taken advantage of and still to this day are. The biggest crops are corn, barley, rice, wheat, fruits, vegetables, cotton, tobacco, madder, castor beans and sugar beans. Another big source of income comes from sheep farming and the Opium Poppy better known as Heroin. Afghanistan is on a long road to recovery, everything has been stripped to ruins; the economy, environment and the infrastructure are a mess.


2. What you know about military intervention as being the current alternative.

As for the military intervention going on in Afghanistan I think that it is a waste of time and men. Afghanistan is the country with the most refugees in the world. It has had 7 years of drought and 25 years of war, which is still going on to this day. In the beginning it was a noble mission but somewhere since then it has became useless and quite unhelpful. A quote from this war/mission was, “If I see someone moving around at night I’m just going to shoot them.” What kind of a peace mission is that? They went to hold and bring some sort of peace, instead of shoot at will. Another question is why is President Obama sending 17,000 troops overseas? The rural nature of Afghanistan is exactly why the US cannot defeat the Taliban. They only have enough forces to control certain urban areas. In order to beat them they would need hundreds of thousands more troops, more men more deaths. No one can know for sure but it seems that Obama thinks that since 20,000 extra troops could suppress violence in Iraq then 30,000 should do the same job in Afghanistan. Another thing that the military leaders should re-think is, are they actually wanted there? The people in Afghanistan are receiving cross messages, on one side this is considered a peace mission but on the other side more troops keep on getting brought in. We need to remind ourselves that we are sending hundreds of thousands of people into these countries who do not share the religion, who do not understand the culture, who do not have kinship relations with local people, and who do not even speak the language.

3. What you know about media influencing opinions about the Afghan war?

When it comes to the media and Afghanistan the report back is very limited, and it doesn’t ease or supply any information. Every once and a while you will hear updates or if there were any Canadian soldiers killed. People at home don’t get the whole story, they don’t even get half the story. It’s not reporters fault though, it’s the big networks that have the specific guidelines on what can be shown on television and unless people go out and looks for the truth they won’t find it. It never shows the good deeds done, or how we are improving. It shows the worst and that what are brains have been trained for to take in. The opinions caused by the media shown are that there’s nothing wrong, the military has everything covered, but is this the truth? Is that what we want to hear about?

4. What we need to consider for a successful, peaceful solution?

What the people at home need to consider for a peaceful solution in Afghanistan are that maybe, the people there don’t want their foreign help (which was a serious point from the beginning). What has sending thousands of soldiers overseas accomplished besides a high causality rate and more problems cause? Having all these soldiers come in and try to control them has just made them rebel even more than before. Yes, maybe there has been some improvement but how many lives have been ruined or worse ended to further this ‘peace’ mission? My opinion is to pull out and let them deal with there problems. It wasn’t our place to stick our heads is and it needs to resolve itself without the death rates. The things that upset me the most is the citizens killed and the afterbang of it all. It’s the children who are affected the most. If you think about it, it we would all feel a lot different about this situation if this was happening on your home ground.