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Essay about Comparing Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day

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Comparing Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day

The purpose of this essay is to compare which of the two films (Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day) is the most emotionally effecting. I am also trying to compare how each of the two films represent war and soldiers to the audience.

The camera work in the two films is very different. The Longest Day nearly always uses the "God" view where the camera is taking an aerial shot of the action. The "God" view means that because you are above all the action it feels like you are in control. The camera work is also really smooth throughout the whole of the clip giving the impression to me that the shot isn't really happening and it has been …show more content…

In The Longest Day I cannot recall hearing any non-diegetic sound at all which I think was a big mistake by the director. I did not feel that it was as emotionally affecting as was Saving Private Ryan. When comparing diegetic sound I thought that the two films were evenly matched with dialogue and gunfire, the bombs in Saving Private Ryan were slightly better but not much.

The realism of the settings in each of the two clips is significantly different. Saving Private Ryan made me believe that they were actually on the Omaha beach at the date and time of the war. The Longest Day was in my opinion totally unrealistic and it looked like half the time they were standing in front of a screen playing the background of the sea and other boats. Also the captain of the boat in focus stands up looks around and after a pause says: "There it is men", creating the impression to me that they are not actually there because I do not think it would take that long to spot the beach right in front of him.

When comparing the SFX in both of the two clips I found Saving Private Ryan of definite better quality. This was because The Longest Day only contained body shots where the character in

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