Saving Private Ryan and "Schindlers List": Films Analysis

The two films I watched by Steven Spielberg were “Saving Private Ryan” and “Schindlers List” captured interesting elements of mise en scene and uses of editing. Mise-en scene, Literally means, “to put on stage” or “placing of a scene” in French, its used to describe the visual aspects that appear within a single shot. Originally it was used in theatre but is now common use in cinema. The movie Saving Private Ryan was filmed using a variety of lighting techniques to capture the mise en scene, arrangement and design elements to capture the visuals of the movie, and was critical to capture the mood of the film. Also its important not that understanding the story and setting of this war epic to appreciate the challenges that were presented in the lighting and editing of the film scenes.

I’m going to start with the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, in this film I want to focus on the mise en scene. The movie was set in world war 2 and the main plot focused on the search for the lost brother of 4. Capturing the mood and outdoor scenes was made possible by using natural lighting and flat lighting to soften textures and colors positioning of the actors and props positioned to the camera angles and lens sections capture the scenes of combat. Use of lighting and camera angles help. Resignation to the groups fate in pursuing the feudal order that wouldn’t change the likely reality of the situation. Indoor lighting consisted of traditional three-point lighting that captured the mood as well as flat lighting at the lens to keep the shots subtle and muted while allowing the shadows and actor positioning to take full advantage of the three-point Arrangements. A good example of mise en scene would be in the final scenes in the cemetery is shot in both natural lighting and traditional three-point lighting. The scene is very vivid with the flags in the background behind the final resting place of so many American dead. The viewer is supposed to see the reality of the sacrifices that were made to save private Ryan.

Throughout Schindler’s List Spielberg uses a large amount of parallel editing, or crosscutting, a cinematic convention in which two or more scenes in the same time period are interwoven with each other. Parallel editing is used to expand on the difference between the hardships of the Jews and the comfort and optimism of Schindler and the Nazis in Poland. In the broadest sense, it demonstrates the powerful contrast between happiness and sadness. Two scenes demonstrate the powerful impact of parallel editing that traditional editing of the story could not have produced. In one of the first scenes, Schindler moves into his luxury apartment in the town of Kraków a southern Poland city near the border of the Czech Republic, known for its well-preserved medieval core and Jewish quarter. Anyways, soon after the Jewish owners were evacuated by the Nazis and sent to the Kraków ghetto. In the second example, three scenes overlap each other, Schindler is celebrating his birthday while a wedding takes place in the labor camp, and Goeth beats Helen Hirsch. These expertly edited scenes leave an impression on the viewer for several reasons.