World War II Films

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" is about the mission to find and retrieve one man Private James Ryan and how Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line" tells the story of the first Marine invasion of Guadalcanal, the small atoll of the Solomon Islands, on August 7, 1942. The author points out that some of the most remarkable similarities between the two films are the incredible production teams, excellent cinematography teams and brilliant composers.

From the Paper:

"Still, one of the most obvious differences lies in the star appearances within the films. Specifically, in "The Thin Red Line", the miscast John Travolta and the misused George Clooney plague the film. Indeed, while these two leading actors are both tall, dark, handsome, thereby making them nearly indistinguishable, they are also merely star cameos. Moreover, they are annoying and they nearly undermine the credibility of the entire affair. Conversely, in "Saving Private Ryan", the actors are believable and strong. Tom Hanks is especially solid in his performance as a man on the verge of a breakdown who keeps it all together for the sake of his crew. Ultimately, he does not look like a glorified hero; instead, he looks like an ordinary man outside of his comfortable environs."

More papers on World War II Films:

• Analytical Essay # 85448 : "World War II Film Propaganda"
• Essay # 65013 : "World War II: "A People's War"
• Film Review # 46732 : "World War II through Film"

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