A Comparison of Film Techniques Used to Depict the Omaha Landing

A Comparison of Film Techniques Used to Depict the Omaha Landing

“Saving Private Ryan” & “The Longest Day”

In this assignment I will be comparing two scenes of the landings on

the Omaha Beach during the Second World War. The first film is “The

Longest Day” and the second film is “Saving Private Ryan”. The Longest

Day was shot in 1962 compared with the more recent filming of Saving

Private Ryan which was shot in 1998.

I will be focussing on the camera angles, special effects, sound

effects which includes the music used to depict certain scenes and the

audiences reaction to this. Also I will comment on the social context

and whether it effected each film’s different adaptation of this

particular event.

I had never seen these films before but I knew about the realism in

Saving Private Ryan, and as The Longest Day was made a long time ago

it will obviously be less realistic and lack the hi-tech effects used

today.

Also the acting will be of a poorer quality but will certainly be

entertaining.

I will be surprised at the differences between the two films as they

focus on the same event and therefore are the same scene.

But I am sure the differences will be visible which will make the

films more interesting to the audiences as they aim for varied age

groups and were filmed in different time periods. One film being

filmed much nearer the battle itself.

Firstly, Saving Private Ryan is in Multi-colour whereas The Longest

Day was only made in black and white.

In the opening scene of the Longest Day you enter onto Omaha Beach at

06:32 hours (whilst Beethoven’s 5th Symphony plays in the background

symbolising freedom as the story behind the music is good versus evil)

with a Long Shot of the beach in screen and a nice sea view. You then

focus in on the Germans talking amongst themselves (in german) inside

their bunkers. General Pluskat decides to take a glance at the horizon

through his telescope.