THROUGH THE LENS: A Comparative Look at Joe Wright's Darkest Hour and Stephen Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (Year 1)
This week, as we are working on finalizing our Comparative Studies of film, I thought it might be a worthwhile exercise to look at two very accomplished, perfectionistic directors who LOVE looking at the world and reinterpreting it through the lens in creative, beautiful ways. In the spotlight of our Blog for Year 1 this month are two sensational films: Saving Private Ryan and The Darkest Hour, directed by American Master Steven Spielberg and British Visionary Joe Wright. Let's first take a look at both directors stylistically...
Wright, who is known for his film adaptations of Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, and Anna Karenina to name a few, went on to say, "Filmmaking is an expression of our soul. It's who we are at the most fundamental level. It's the closest thing to my essence there is. I'm not very good at expressing that in other ways. I'm not very good at talking to people. I'm not good at dinner parties! Film is where I allow myself - my vision of the world-- to be revealed" (Interview with Annie Howard, 2017).
Here is a great breakdown of a scene from Wright's masterpiece, The Darkest Hour narrated by Wright, himself, as he walks us through this key moment in the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr5mj1imPzc
Here is a "Notes on a Scene" breakdown by Wright, as well, where he talks about lighting and perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk69qBNKr2M
Like Wright, Spielberg and his production crew were relentless in their pursuit of historical authenticity.
Hanks and his co-stars, including Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, and Vin Diesel were put through rigorous boot camp under the command of Marine Captain Dale Dye.
Spielberg and Hanks hope that the most enduring legacy of Saving Private Ryan is its tough-minded but earnest celebration of the men who gave their lives defending their country and their brothers in arms.
Here is a great video about the construction of the Normandy Landing Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFpki7v4xiI
Now that you have seen the films and listened to the directors, respond to the blog by addressing the following:
1. Your evaluation of the signature style of the TWO directors. Include comments on writing, color, shooting angles, and mise-en-scene.
2. Compare/Contrast: What similarities and differences in their styles did you noticed?
In class, we will discuss and share our favorite moments and favorite stylistic choices.
Cheers!
Question 2:
ReplyDeleteSpielberg is much more stark with his scenes. Spielberg chooses to make the film’s historical context feel much less important ot the film as a whole, instead aiming to make the film immerse the viewer so as to be the most historically accurate. Despite aiming for this historical accuracy, the film is not so narrated that it makes the viewer unengaged in the events. The battle in the intro of the film is explicitly made more violent to inflict similar trauma to that which Spielberg believed that the soldiers would have felt. Spielberg’s aim is clearly to make the film historically accurate, yet it’s also to avoid making a narrative as this causes the film itself to be much less impactful thus causing the historical event itself feel much less significant.
Wright takes a much more narrative approach to his introduction, however he goes for a more dramatic take of the interpersonal relationship between characters. The Winston Churchill scene is much more dramatic than it likely would have been, realistically, however this is for good reason. This is to emphasize the anxiety those in the scene felt, in a similar vein to Spielberg, in order to make the viewers feel that the event is just as important as it truly was. It suspends the viewer’s disbelief, sure, but it does it just enough in order to exemplify the importance of the events taking place much more than just a narrative could. Using this semi-narrative semi-active style, Wright is able to display much more depth of the event to the audience than could be possible without the provided context of both. Wright is able to use this combined nature to present the facts, and then expand upon their significance with his creative use of exaggeration and expression. Both Wright and Spielberg use the exaggeration to their
If you're curious why they're out of order, the blog website loves me :)
Deletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1VUyQT0Nq1WR0xg-lrWNz-qhYND9TsElBvOj8KASuiv4/edit?usp=sharing here's the link to the full response, because hehe funny tech issues
DeletePart 1:
ReplyDeleteThe films Saving Private Ryan and Darkest Hour are two war films both displaying different sides of World War II. Saving Private Ryan looks at the action and violence of the war, while Darkest Hour explores the political side and decisions that led to the action on the battlefield. Looking at the writing of Saving Private Ryan, the story is shown from the perspective of Captain Miller, yet the story ends up becoming a reflection of Private Ryan’s experience with the other men during the war. The colors often contrast themselves in the film, with muted greens and tans when scenes are shown on the battlefield, most likely to allow the soldiers to blend in with their surroundings. This creates the gloomy and dramatic tone that the war sets for many. However, it stands out as red. This color is not used in the most positive of ways, yet to represent the harshness of the war through red blood. This dark tone is shown faintly in the waters during the first battle or The Invasion of Normandy, and then as each soldier dies, it surrounds their body. The shooting angles that Spielberg uses are also worth mentioning. The film focuses mainly on a group of men, however, exemplifies the importance of all the stories being told. Bird’s eye shots are used at the beginning showing the aftermath of the battle, to represent the brutality of the war. Also, as mentioned before Captain Miller has the story told from his perspective. This is represented through the zoom-in shots of what Miller is focused on, and often following his movement. Even as he dies in the end, his perspective of Ryan is shown. A final style of this film is mise-en-scene, which includes many aspects including lighting and texture. Lighting is often dark during the fighting and war, yet in the United States, back at home, it is brighter and the sunlight creates that contrast. The chosen lighting is often natural light with candles or the sun. With the option of zoomed-in shots, the aspect of texture is added to many scenes to add to that realism. For instance, the rain coming down on the leaves and men walking in the mud.
Part 2:
ReplyDeleteThe Darkest Hour also follows the main protagonist, yet this time is focused on one character’s development only. Winston Churchhill believes that he reaches rock bottom at a point in the film, and believes that lying to the country was the best option. However, he learns the truth is better told and leads to the best decisions. Referring to color, it is often muted tones of mixed colors again, to best represent the realism of a historical film. Compatible with Saving Private Ryan, the color red is a contrasting color in the film. This time it is not used for blood, yet the lighting in the color of the room when Churchill is making his false broadcast to the people. Here, red is used to represent power and control of the perspective that Churchill holds, even if what he speaks are lies. The shooting angles Wright selected are purposeful ones. Similar to Saving Private Ryan, the bird’s eye view overall establishes the scene. Two scenes this was best used in are the first view of parliament, which also creates a background for the scene, and the people walking down the circular staircase, where the camera is shown in the center of the staircase to pick up all important actions of the scene. Referring to mise-en-scene in the film, shadows have to be the most prominent aspect. Many shadows are used as Churchill addresses the parliament. Here, light is important when it comes to this since at the beginning of the film the light did not shine on the Prime Minister, however when Churchill decides to take action and begin the battles to the beach, light shines on him.
I really enjoyed both of the films, Saving Private Ryan was a little brutal but also enjoyable. What stood out to me about the films was the lighting. Saving Private Ryan had a lot of natural lighting because it was filmed outside a lot and The Darkest Hour had more indoor lighting and felt more claustrophobic because it was underground. The lighting felt much more dark in The Darkest Hour and had the lights over their heads as much more like a stoplight. Saving Private Ryan had a very interesting story, with the beginning showing Ryan and then cutting into the action while The Darkest Hour had a more narrative structure on the strategy of the war. Saving Private Ryan had dramatic angles, and had high angles from the start of the scene and a POV shot through the lens of the sniper was especially interesting. The specific character of the sniper had a more ironic perspective because he was a devoted Christian but would pray before shooting. The Darkest Hour had a more strategic way of showing the war, and felt very muted in color but the color that stood out the most to me was the color red. The mise en scene in Joe Wright's films was very prominent and focused more on the lighting and faces of people. Wright's films was more narrative and offered structure to the film, while Saving Private Ryan had an element of throwing the audience into the chaos.
ReplyDeleteThe films Darkest Hour and Saving Private Ryan, directed by Joe Wright and Steven Spielburg respectively, are two films centered around WWII but take on different perspectives from behind the scenes. Darkest Hour focuses on the behind the scenes of Winston Churchill and strategizing during WWII, while Saving Private Ryan goes behind the fighting during the war itself. Although being based on the same war, they took different methods of expressing the scenes. Starting with Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielburg takes on a more realistic approach to the film. He uses natural lighting and a muted color pallet to capture the essence of the film and its events. He also takes us into the moment, allowing us to feel like we are in the film itself with the shaky camera in certain scenes with close-up, wide and pov shots that give us a greater view of the chaos and adds intensity to the actions. What both films do both include is some slowed down shots, which takes the audience away from the chaos as the main character wishes as well.
ReplyDeleteIn Darkest Hour, some different choices are made. Joe Wright uses more intense lighting to portray the mood of the scene, and it also adds to the intensity and feeling of claustrophobia that is felt by them underground strategizing. Joe Wright also decides to take a less realistic and narrative approach in comparison to Saving Private Ryan, especially in the way the camera moves from scene to scene as seen where the camera moved through the wall. He also points out in one of the videos provided that he added voice and sound overs, which takes away a realistic feel in order to achieve his narrative. Like Spielburg, he uses wide and close-up shots in order to increase the intensity that I mentioned earlier. Adding to the mention of slowed down shots, Wright also uses quick cuts after the slowed scenes to suggest a speed up in time and add to the chaos.
FROM NYAH:
ReplyDelete\
Your evaluation of the signature style of the TWO directors.
Steven Spielberg: The style seems to be very out there and deliberate. As if every piece on set was purposely left there and he seems to drop you right into the action and leaves you to feel the chaos and fear.
Joe Wright: The style seems to be like every shot is a picture, down to the people they use in each scene. The lights and sets seem to be something out of a photo album or a magazine with the spotlights and angles.
Compare and contrast: What similarities and differences in their styles did you notice?
I couldn’t help but notice that both of them seemed to see different sides to the same war. Spielberg sees the more brutal and scarring and action-packed part of the war, while Wright sees the more complex planning side to war and having the weight of so many lives on your shoulders, I couldn’t help but compare them to the greek mythology gods Ares and Athena. Spielberg shows more of the bloodshed and brutality(Ares) while Wright should the more tactical and well-thought-out part of the war(Athena)(Sorry if that is really random I just love greek mythology and couldn’t help but notice.)
FROM ANDREW:
ReplyDeleteMartinez, Andrew
Wed, Apr 20, 11:54 AM (22 hours ago)
to me
The signature style of Joe Wright is very elegant in its mise-en-scene. Every scene is very beautiful and artistic showing Churchill's status and his image during the war. The mise-en-scene works to achieve a perfect composition reflecting the position of high authority that Churchill has. However, everything may look balanced and perfect in the scene reflecting that the allies are not winning the war, the colors help show the depressing shades of grey show the relatity that they are not winning the war. The colors are very muted and noir-like with lots of black, white, and grey with color being emphasized in important scenes like the red lighting and the color of the explosions that give the scenes a deeper meaning. Joe Wrights's use of color during the scene makes specific scenes more impactful from the dark atmosphere that was in Europe during World War II. Along with the lighting and colors, they both help illustrate the state that Europe was in during the war. The angles that Joe Wright uses during the film are all very level and balanced having a nice composition to the scene. In more intense scenes the camera goes for more of a close-up shot to show the intensity and doubt in the mind of Churchill.
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ANDREW, cont.
DeleteThe signature style of Steven Speilburg is very much gritty and dark. Speilburg makes the dialogue between his characters very meaningful intense scenes like when the group learns of what the captain did before the war. Other dialogues like the discussion between whether or not wanting to kill the german prisoner for killing their friend make scenes when those characters die more impactful. If it wasn't for the writing between characters showing the relationship they have then the harsh deaths of these characters would not have been the same for the plot of the movie. The colors used in this film were very muted and not pleasing as they were muted reflecting the battlefield the soldiers had to endure. the colors helped show this truth to the audience that fighting in the war was not a fun time but was gruesome and disgusting. The mise-en-scene also works to show the chaotic nature of the battlefield when we look at the opening scene. The camera angles were very shaky during the scene and the mise-en-scene was very intentional in showing the gruesome bodies on the battlefield. These shaky camera angles further establish the chaotic nature of the battlefield. Furthermore, the mise-en-scene also helps with the narrative of the story because we can see the disconnect between the character that has never shot a gun before with the other soldiers in the very internal distance put between the two. This distance shown through the mise-en-scene is later important as it was a clue that the solider that hasn't shot a gun before was too scared to help his fellow soldier from a german and this shows the harsh truth that war is very scary and not everyone is brave like how they are usually shown in other war films.
I noticed that Joe Wrights's style was way more elegant and balanced in his shooting style while Speilburgs style was very unrefined and shaky in his hooting style. I believe both styles worked perfectly in their both respective stories. While Speilburg choose to be gritty and have shaky camera angles because his story was grounded with the other soldiers during World War II which was a very chaotic environment. This chaotic environment is why he choose to film the way he did. In contrast, Wrights's style was elegant because of the story of Churchill who was a leader and man with great status which is why his filmmaking reflected this historical accuracy. However, the elegance in his filmmaking does not exclude the pressures and problems that come with leading a country during a time of war which creates tension. Both filmmakers find their style in the narrative they are creating and approach their styles in two different ways however both still illustrate the difficulties and stresses the people in the war had to experience.
This response is very long so if you would like to view it all in one document, here is the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lD05EiDbUGjz7ywhRacqtw0p4tgmXd-zlPT5zlDXofw/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeletePart 1:
War films are pivotal for visually displaying battles and important details that are left out simply by looking at a piece of text. Two primary and brilliant examples of this are The Darkest Hour, directed by Joe Wright, and Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg. Both films are cinematic masterpieces that capture different sides of World War II as The Darkest Hour represents the governmental perspective and the pressure behind making decisions of battles and addresses and Saving Private Ryan represents the perspectives of soldiers fighting directly in the war and the pressure of fighting in the battle and making decisions on impulse to save the lives of thousands. Both films and filmmakers can be looked at individually in order to understand how their separate choices connect and achieve their purpose. Joe Wright is most distinguishable by his use of mise en scene. Within his films, he utilizes the settings of his environments to dictate how the scene is portrayed. In The Darkest Hour, this can be seen as he uses different lighting and color to display each setting. Throughout the entire film, the colors are either grey or warm tones. Even the green that is used in many instances of a warm olive appearance. The use of warm colors is a tactic to grab the attention of the audience or represent action. This could be seen as the operational basement where Churchill and his team would work was represented through warm colors, particularly his meetings, signifying their importance. The grey tones used are often found in dark contexts that correlate with the writing. Most profoundly, grey tones are used when Churchill is presenting his speeches to parliament. The only speech that is portrayed in other fashion is when making his first broadcast to the public. This scene is shown solely in red, signifying the importance his power holds in his decisions as he decides between lies and the truth. Not only did Wright distinctly utilize color in this scene, but he makes the directorial choice to include a birds-eye view of the battlefield that fades into a shot of his face, visually displaying his impact on the course of the war. Considering angles, Wright primarily uses connections between POV shots and wide shots that convey each scene distinctly. For instance, POV shots are consistently used to follow different characters through each environment in sequences of important events. The most profound example of this is during the public broadcast, as well, as the camera travels through the walls of each room in the basement. This visually portrays the claustrophobia of the environment for the audience. Wide shots are used in accordance with important scenes with many details to be observed and taken into consideration.
Part 2:
ReplyDeleteWith all this in consideration, it is important to analyze the choices of a cinematic master, Steven Spielberg. Spielberg is distinguishable primarily through the way he connects elements such as color to the context of the film at hand. This then connects to how his films are portrayed as a whole with other aspects of mise en scene. In Saving Private Ryan, this is represented through the colors and camera angles used throughout the film. Being a war action film, Spielberg utilizes primarily POV shots in combat scenes to immerse the audience directly into the battle of the war. This is seen most profoundly in the beginning 25-minute sequence displaying the Normandy landing as the camera follows alongside the soldiers and visually represents the chaotic nature, violence, and pressure of being brutally thrust into war. The use of a handheld camera made it feel as though the viewer was taking on an observing role as a soldier and was in the invasion themselves. Not only does Spielberg brilliantly use POV shots in war sequences such as this, but his use of color throughout the film is very notable, specifically his use of color transitions. By this, I mean how he makes color transitions from dark and gritty to light and colorful throughout the course of the film. Beginning in the Normandy landing, the environment is set in very dark and muted tones. Even the use of red, to present the blood of all the fallen soldiers, is muted and unsaturated. By beginning with grey tones in all scenes, Spielberg was able to communicate and represent the darkness of that setting and the raw, gritty honesty of how the soldiers felt. Slowly throughout the film, colors transition from muted and grey, to neutral tones, to dark yet colorful tones, and finally to the bright and colorful colors of the present world. By doing this, he was able to portray a sense of increasing hope as the film continued with an overall transition from darkness to light. This hopeful visual representation is connected to the writing, as well, as characters such as Captain Miller are able to open up about their past and connect with other soldiers for encouragement in moments of struggle and despair. In addition, the overall impact of mise en scene can be seen when considering scene composition after receiving the mission of saving private Ryan, specifically the connection between other soldiers to Corporal Upham. For instance, at the beginning of their mission, in all scenes, Corporal is set apart from the other soldiers, visually showing how he is disconnected from the others; however, in the final battle, he is closely associated with the others on multiple occasions, representing how they have grown as a brotherhood. Overall, in both films, each director is able to translate how war and its decisions involve extreme amounts of pressure and how different perspectives are equally important for the outcome of the battle or mission at hand.
EXCELLENT analysis. :)I love your final wrap sentence. Really links them together, despite their VERY different ways of approaching the topic.
Delete
ReplyDeleteJoe Wright's Darkest Hour and Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan are two WWII films. Saving Private Ryan looks behind the scenes of the combat during WWII, whereas Darkest Hour concentrates on Winston Churchill's strategy. Steven Spielberg took a more realistic route with his movie, with the wobbly camera in various parts and close-up, wide, and POV shots that offer us a broader perspective of the mayhem and add emphasis to the activities. He also brings us into the moment, letting us feel like we are in the film itself. Wright utilizes rapid edits following the slower sequences to simulate a speeding up of time and add to the confusion. Joe Wright chooses to be not as realistic in terms of his cinematography, particularly in the way the camera glides from scene to scene, both films have slowed-down shots. He moves the viewer away from the mayhem. Joe Wright used more strong lighting to convey the scene's mood, as well as to heighten the tension and sense of claustrophobia that they experience while plotting beneath. Joe Wright used unusual lighting and camera angles to create the illusion of being underground in The Darkest Hour. When Churchill appeals for an invasion of France, the only light source comes from a hole in the roof. Only the middle of the room is lit, while the rest appears to be enclosed. Wright also uses camera angles to accurately represent situations and captivate the viewers. Spielberg decided to bring more attention to what was actually happening in the war, being much more brutal. Spielberg made sure that you were aware of the brutality in the war. The colors were much grittier and muted.
From: Amarissa Frias
ReplyDeleteJoe Wright’s Darkest Hour, set in 1940, and Steven Spielburg’s Saving Private Ryan, set in
1944, are both films meant to portray the personal experiences of World War II. While Darkest
Hour focuses on Winston Churchill navigating struggles on the political side of the war, Saving
Private Ryan focuses on Captain Miller and his detachment, as well as Private James Francis
Ryan, as they face the fighting, violence, and death of the war, Despite being perspectives from
the same war, these films are very different in the stories the tell and the ways they choose to
tell them. In Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielburg works to create a very immersive movie,
letting the viewer in on the type of feelings a soldier feels during war. This can be seen in the
first half hour of the movie, which follows the intense invasion of Omaha Beach during D-Day.
Spielburg wished to make viewers confront the terrors of war, going back and forth from a
documentary-like camera perspective to a first-person camera perspective to replicate both the
existing filmings of the war and the perspective of the soldiers that fought and died in it. He
desaturated the colors in the film and chose to rely heavily on shades of green, tan, gray, and
red, common colors seen during war. He also chose to use a shaky handheld camera to add to
the commotion and chaos. His cinematographic decisions were used to captivate and lend to
the viewer’s suspension of disbelief. In Darkest Hour, Joe Wright has a different approach and
outcome that he’s worked for. Due to creating a more emotion and politics-focused film, there is
not much reason to include much intense action, persistent explosions, or chaotic and
frightening scenes. Since the film is meant to portray Churchill’s self-doubt and uncertainty in his
new position, Wright created an emotionally impactful film by utilizing the mise-en-scene rather
than shaky and messy camera angles. He uses color, such as the red scene in his first speech
scene, and more intense lighting to intensify the scenes. He also uses shadows and lighting to
portray the emotional development in Churchill as he is often found in the shadows at the
beginning of the film when he is more uncertain of himself but, as the story progresses, is not
found in the shadows but instead more in the spotlight as he has faith in his work and ability.