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DIEGESIS : THE UNCONVENTIONAL MAGAZINE OF FILM AND TELEVISION CRITICISM
ARTICLE / SHORT READ

THE DRUMS OF WAR
​

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
STEVEN SPIELBERG / 1998
​






Picture
ARTICLE BY
GEORGE LEE

PUBLISHED 17 APR 2017
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is the story of a platoon of soldiers who try to retrieve one soldier from the front line after his brothers die in the line of duty. The most iconic part of the film is the opening scene, which depicts the battle of Normandy where thousands of American, British and Canadian troops stormed the beach of Omaha. The film has been praised by veterans as one of the most accurate cinematic expression of war. The film does not shy away from the violence of war but accurately illustrates the horrifying spectacle of it through both the visuals and audio. It is filmed in a way that is claustrophobic and jarring for the audience. It puts you right in the heart of the action and the terror. Due to this limited perspective, the sound must express so much more than is normally required. The film cannot show the true scope of the battle due to the fact that it is limited to one man’s perspective, therefore the diegetic sound must show the overwhelming scope of the battle.
 
The true impact of the opening scene, though, is the choice of soundtrack or, in this case, the lack thereof. With no music on top of the action, it completely grounds the audience in the film allowing them to experience the soldier’s perspective without being reminded they are in a film. On this choice, the film's sound designer Gary Rydstrom said that “what I think that opening battle scene especially does is pull you in and have you experience battle in a very direct way”. While the opening section of the sequence proceeds without the need for any music, that is not the case for the end of the scene.
 
Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) stares out at the remains of the battle witnessing the multitude of dead bodies as they are coated with waves of blood. As he stares on, John Williams' non-diegetic score begins to play, bringing home the true tragedy of scene. The score is what really makes the scene so emotionally jarring. With its unflinching orchestral sound, reminiscent of the US national anthem, we can really start to understand the scale of the sacrifices that were made that day. The heart-wrenching score plays in tandem with the gore so that you really feel you are experiencing this tragedy through the eyes of the soldiers. Film editor Walter Murch once said, “Although music is an effective rallier of emotions - it can provoke emotions in people - it’s best used in the film as something that directs or channels emotions that are already present”. This is no more accurate than in the aftermath of the battle. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is a perfect example of when to use music but more importantly recognising when its absence will have a more profound effect. The fact the subject matter is such a significant event in history only heightens this and Spielberg does it a great service in keeping the scene as realistic as possible but nowhere is this more true than in the use of sound.

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  • Home
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    • Conflict >
      • Conflict writers
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    • DECADE
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    • 7 Deadly Sins >
      • SLOTH Mar 2020
      • WRATH FEB 2020
      • GREED JULY 2018
      • PRIDE JUNE 2018
      • ENVY MARCH 2018
      • GLUTTONY JANUARY 2018
      • LUST DECEMBER 2017
    • Personal August 2017
    • Short July 2017
    • Reality May 2017
    • Noise April 2017
    • Journey Mar 2017
    • Accolade Feb 2017
    • Fresh Starts and Finales Jan 2017
    • Emotional Summer 2016 >
      • LOVE
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  • Archive
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