Cody Hawkins
Ava Humme
English 1301
10/23/11

World War Two

World War two is one of the most famous wars fought in American history. The intense battle senses, story plots, and natural human interests in this war give it a solid foundation for the big movie screen. Although “Saving Private Ryan” and “Flags of Our Fathers” are two different movies, they are based on the same war. Differences in location, missions, and enemies all play a part. “Saving Private Ryan” and “Flags of Our Fathers” have many differences but at the same time, the two films portray their similarities.
In “Saving Private Ryan”, amphibious tanks stormed the beaches of Omaha. Upon arrival, the American soldiers were welcomed to heavy machine gun fire from German soldiers. The Germans were stationed in pill boxes hidden in the nearby hill side. American soldiers were referred to as sitting ducks, while they raced to the beach to find any means of cover. This was the same conflict in “Flags of Our Fathers”, except the American troops invaded the island of Iwo Jima. Instead of pill boxes, the Japanese soldiers were spread out long the beach in rabbit holes that were covered by grasses to hide them from the American soldiers.
The characters in these two movies are similar but play different rolls. Eight soldiers in “Saving Private Ryan” are sent on a mission to find Private Ryan and return him to the United States due to the deaths of his three older brothers. The location of Private Ryan is unknown so the soldier back track across Germany to find him. In “Flags of Our Fathers” a photograph of American soldiers raising an American flag over the island of Iwo Jima is released by the press. In return the men in the photo are sent back to the U.S. and are looked at as heroes. Come to find out the men that were sent home are not the men in the original photo. To prevent a dispute from the press or the people, the miscommunication was kept secret.
New era weapons interred the battle fields of world war two. Machine guns, tanks, and flamethrowers were new tactics and strategies in the bloody game of war. Both films used the navy to invade the shores of the battle front. Massive battle ships called destroyers sailed as close as possible to the beach and began firing their sixteen inch diameter canons at the enemy. New tanks were developed to run on land and water. This new invention was a key part in transporting troops from the battle ships to the front lines. Machine guns gave soldiers the upper hand in close combat battles. The rapid cycle rate of these guns allowed one soldier to engage many targets with a single pull of the trigger. Flamethrowers were very effective in touching the enemy out of hide outs and pill boxes.
Americans soldiers fought in many different countries during the years of world war two. This war has developed many opportunities to produce films over these violent and tragic senses of history. “Saving Private Ryan” and “Flags of our fathers” have many differences but at the same time, the two films portray their similarities.