Good Example Of Saving Private Ryan Essay

The scene I chose begins at 1:33:57. The men have just released a POW they have captured from the opposition. The men begin to disagree over the Captain’s orders. As Private Reiben says he quits the mission a fight begins amongst the men. Sergeant Horvath pulls a gun on Reiben. The escalating volume matches with this sight very well. It builds suspense and anxiety. There is a lot of shouting, everything sounds very chaotic. The volume in this scene increases very quickly as the men all begin to break out in separate arguments, yelling and screaming at one another. The only one who is absolutely quiet is the Captain, who is being anxiously hassled by Private Mellish. His ramblings add suspense and anxiety to the scene also. He is convinced that Ryan is dead and insists the men give up finding him. The scene reaches a breaking point, volume deafening, as the viewer is sure that the company is falling apart. There is no music, only voices. It is a very raw moment filled with passion, and humanity in its angriest and most desperate form.
As this happens, Captain Miller seizes an opportunity to gain control of his men. Throughout the film they have bet on what the Captain did for a living back home. Miller asked Horvath, quietly, what the pool on his job is up to. He remains quiet for the rest of the scene. It is the low volume of his voice as well as his question that grabs the company’s attention. This is the one question they have wanted to know. The soft tones of his voice contrast starkly with their violent yelling; it is enough to jar them back to reality. Miller finally answers their question, quietly telling his story. The men stop fighting completely, fall silent, and are reminded of home. The signification of their thoughts drifting from war to thoughts of home is marked by the slow rise of soft music in the background. It is so quiet and peaceful it is almost unnoticeable; it blends in perfectly with the moment, allowing Miller’s story to gain its full effect of bittersweet memory. The immediate silence from the other men at the words of Captain Miller speaking of home suggest that their fight was more over their frustration about the war in general, not about their frustration with one another.
Miller also speaks about how the war has changed him, wondering if his wife will even recognize him. He remains quiet. As the soft, sad music plays in the background, Miller’s words and the music match with the faces of the men. They are also realizing that war has changed them. That was seen by the pointless fight they had. They also seem to be wondering if their loved ones will recognize them once they return. Miller’s speech reaches its point when he tells his men that he doesn’t care about Ryan. It is just a name. All he cares about is getting home to his wife. The quiet solace in his voice as he tells the men to leave lets the men know that he is serious. Typically a quiet voice is soft and nurturing but in Miller’s case there are notes of seriousness. He is tired. All he really cares about is getting home to his wife and getting away from the violence of war. The viewer is also not led to believe if there will be a happy ending or not. Many movies have moments like this, where the hero rouses the troops and they continue on. The music brightens and spirits lift. In this scene, however, Miller continues to look sad. His expression does not change. The music remains low and mournful. The men’s spirits do not lift. They simply resume their duties and continue down the road to look for Ryan. All of the sounds in this scene foreshadow the worst for the company. The loud outrage at the beginning of the scene is very different from the quiet, sad calm at the end of the scene. The men have been infested with the tragedies of war without realizing it while Captain Miller is still able to see what it is doing to him. He is trying to save himself while making his men aware and saving them too.