After misfiring with Spectre, Sam Mendes is back with a bang. The director’s war film 1917 has just opened in theaters and it’s projected to perform well. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 89% score with many critics calling it one of the best war movies of all time. The praise it has received from makes it worthy to be compared to another war classic - Saving Private Ryan.
Steven Spielberg’s film has never had any real competition until now. So, which of the two films is better? It’s hard to settle with just one. 1917 and Saving Private Ryan outshine each other in different aspects. They might feel related but they are two very different films. So, let’s examine these aspects, shall we?
1917: Unbroken Shot
Not many directors can pull off the unbroken shot technique well, so many don’t even try. Resisting the urge to cut away to different scenes requires skill and Sam Mendes does this quite well. The film might come off like a real-life Call Of Duty game but it also feels like a game that’s being played by a good gamer.
In what can be termed as brilliant cinematography, Mendes filmed 1917 as one extended shot. This is justified the film is a race against the time. The camera just refuses to cut even when the audience thinks it will. This puts the viewer right on the battlefield and makes them realize the impending danger. Those watching often feel like hiding from the shots and explosions or grabbing a gun too so they can also get involved.
Saving Private Ryan: Captivating Action Sequences
The most memorable thing about Saving Private Ryan is the 24-minute sequence showing Germans making hell rain on American soldiers at Omaha Beach. Many war films have tried but none has ever come up with a battle scene that tops this. It was simply Spielberg at his directorial best.
Looking at the faces of the soldiers, you can’t help but notice their desperation to survive. Every bullet they fire is not just meant to defend their country. It is meant to keep them alive. The sounds of gunfire and explosions are captured deeply as well.
1917: Intriguing Opening Scene
Both films have impressive opening scenes but 1917’s scene stands out more because it shows the human elements of war such as fatigue. Plenty of war films take time to build into the proceedings. However, 1917 begins with breathtaking immediacy. It tosses the viewer into the proceedings right away. Let’s go, you’ll find out why and where we are going in a few. That’s basically the message that the film passes to the viewer from the start.
1917 begins with corporals Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) taking a nap in a field. Shortly after, they are woken up and they never take a breath again. Since the radios are down, General Erinmore (Colin Firth) orders them to rush to a second battalion commander and let him know that they are about to be ambushed.
Saving Private Ryan: Accurate Depiction Of Combat
Spielberg kept things so real in his film that it affected actual veterans by bringing back horrific memories. Most World War II veterans unanimously agreed that Saving Private Ryan was one of the most realistic depictions of the battlefield experience. It is reported that Speilberg even used underwater cameras to better depict soldiers being hit with bullets while in the sea.
Apparently, some veterans left theaters before the film ended because it became too emotional for them. Visits by veterans to PTSD counselors also rose significantly after Saving Private Ryan’s release. The Department of Veterans Affairs apparently set up a specific hotline for former soldiers who had been affected by the film.
1917: A Darling With Critics
Never has a war film received so much praise in such a short time. A total of 19 critics have included the film in their ‘Top Ten Films Of 2019’ lists. 1917 has also been nominated for close to 100 awards so far and the Oscars aren’t even here. A classic example of pure excellence.
Of course, fan reviews are yet to stream in it won’t be surprising if those are different. There are plenty of times when fans and critics fail to agree. Such was the case with Christopher Nolan’s war drama Dunkirk.
Saving Private Ryan: A More Concrete Storyline
While 1917 is mostly about two British soldiers rushing to pass crucial information to their fellow soldiers to save them from ambush, Saving Private Ryan is a lot more. Based on the story of World War II’s D-day invasion, the film reveals that three brothers from the Ryan family have all died in a single week in the war.
An order is this issued for Private James Ryan, the surviving Ryan brother to be found and brought back home. Captain Miller is issued the assignment so he assembles a squad to help him with the task. As they comb through Nazi-infested territory to find Ryan, the dangers they face force them to question whether the mission is really worth it.
1917: Better Depiction Of Trench Warfare
Most of World War I was fought in the trenches. And even though the trenches don’t provide the best cinematic experience, Sam Mendes sticks there in 1917. Do not expect to find amazing scenery in this movie. It’s dirty but that’s what makes it beautiful.
The way the soldiers move through the trenches with utmost mastery gets you emotional. A normal human might be confused and wonder where to go when thrown in there but the soldiers know just where to turn. Despite the ever-looming danger, they never hesitate to move. There’s plenty of movement in 1917.
Saving Private Ryan: Star Power
Sometimes we like to see familiar faces in films and there is nothing wrong with that. One of the things that make or break a film is the cast. In films with slow starts, it’s easier for a viewer to dedicate more time to see what an established star will be up to as opposed to being patient with an unfamiliar name.
1917 might have Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, and Mark Strong but the star power of the film doesn’t come close to what Saving Private Ryan has to offer. The latter has Tom Hanks as Captain John Miller, Matt Damon as Private James Ryan, Vin Diesel as Caparzzo, Bryan Cranston as a colonel and Adam Goldberg as Private Stanley Mellish. Some of these actors weren’t as big as they are now when saving Private Ryan was being released but they were already familiar faces in Hollywood.
1917: Beautiful Score
What 1917 lacks in scenery, it makes up for in the score. American composer Thomas Newman’s score in the movie captures every moment with fluidity. With the beautiful score, no moment ever feels like a Charlie Chaplin moment. There’s nothing to laugh about. The sounds exist to make you realize what’s at stake here.
Newman already worked with Mendes in Skyfall and Jardhead, so he’s aware of the sounds that the director needs. He was provided the score for the Shawshank Redemption and has numerous awards under his name. He was simply a perfect choice.
Saving Private Ryan: Anti-War Message
Saving Private Ryan is an anti-war film. It doesn’t glorify the tough experiences of the battlefield. It exists to show the world just how inhumane war is. World War I itself was an unnecessary war that only resulted from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and a clash of egos. At least World War II had a better agenda of putting an end to the Nazi madness.
The mission in Saving Private Ryan is also quite unnecessary. Why put a group of soldiers in danger in order to save one person? The soldiers on the mission are left wondering too. More so, why send a whole family of Ryans to war? Shouldn’t the government have a policy of at least recruiting not more than two people per family? That’s debatable but this film passes the strong message that war isn’t always necessary.
