Genre in film

WARWar Film Genre Conventions The Power Behind the Film Films Saving Private Ryan Platoon Films regarding war have and will continue to exist forever. They are a vital organ in the body of work that makes up the film industry. Initially, these films were meant to inform the people of facts, let people know what our country was going through. Now, they serve a much greater purpose than the text book experience. They teach perspective and connect us to the human experience behind war through the emotions of the individual. These films make us question war and the government; make us further analyze that which we take for granted.Genre in film

IntroductionWARIn the world of cinema, there is perhaps no other genre that is quite as effective at simultaneously addressing sociopolitical issues and assessing elements pertaining to human nature as the war film genre.War films first appeared in 1898, a few years after the birth of the motion picture. Their subject was the Spanish-American War, which began shortly after the sinking of the USS Maine. From the beginning they proved a sensational draw for audiences who wanted information about the first major international conflict they and the country were experiencing. War films have remained a consistent attraction for viewers. Sometimes, as in the case of World War II, the immediacy of the conflict and support for it by citizens helped spur production of and attendance at war films. At other times, even while a major war ensued, as in the case of the controversial and unpopular Vietnam War, practically all filmmakers held off until after its conclusion, upon which a spate of highly regarded antiwar films appeared. With only a few exceptions, the involvement of the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan has not encouraged significant film production by major producers, only a smattering of works by mostly independent artists. All continue in some form in the early 21st century as a means of rendering our experience with the numerous wars that have occurred since the beginning of motion pictures, as well as those that preceded the birth of the genre. While the war film is one of the oldest genres and not unique to any one nation or culture, there has as yet been no comprehensive world history of the war film.

development OF GENRE

- War in trenches, old and inefficient guns, heavy tanks with low quality armor, air support with low firepower- War at beaches, jungles, fields cities and towns, better quality weapons with manageable firepower, mass murder camps, artillery introduced- War at urban cities (usually middle east territories) with a lot of fire cover and hiding spots e.g. rooftops, more advanced guns, the success is based on the money, fully advanced air support (jets, helicopters), shielded tanks with high firepower cannons

STORY CHARACTERISTICS - Invade a country, kill the enemies, win the war - Usually good (Americans) versus bad (Germans, Russians), virtue versus evil, poor versus rich - Winning a war is more important that sacrificing thousands of lives - Story is often based on a story of a single soldier that in the end becomes a hero - The main soldier usually survives

Stylistic Conventions- Often Big budget - Lots of slow motion shots to emphasize the most important moments in the movie (POVs of a sniper etc.) - Usually slow build up play - Lots of explosions, shooting and action throughout the whole film - Lots of gore

Lead characters - Violent and cold blooded (Germans) - Heroic and courageous (Americans) - Revengeful and furious (Russians)

The lost battalionThe lost battalion is a 1919 first real American Silent war film about units about the 77th infantry division (The lost battalion) penetrating into the Argonne forest of France during First World War. The film was directed by Burton L. King and features Major Charles Whittlesey and a number of actual soldiers from the 77th who portrayed themselves in the film. The premiere date was released on July 2nd, 1919 in North America. The movie was later on remade 2001 by Russell Mulcahy.

Most iconic scenes from war movies

Enemy at the Gates - The Battle of StalingradIf the Americans had Omaha Beach on the western front, in the east, the Russians had the battle of Stalingrad, a do or die moment for the Russian country - if they lost Stalingrad, they'd likely lose everything. What makes the battle of Stalingrad so terrible, and the opening of this film so memorable, is that the soldiers who fought in this war were so poorly equipped that they didn't even have rifles. The Russian military leadership simply threwbodies into the fight, attempting to achieve victory througha war of attrition, knowing that Mother Russia had an endless supply of poor peasant boys that could be sacrificed for the war effort. The Russian soldiers were considered so disposable that only every other soldier received a rifle, the guy behind him received five bullets and was to pick-up the rifle when the first soldier died. With the entire town leveled, and artillery falling all around them, the Russian soldiers run into machine gun fire to certain death.

Battle of Stalingrad scene

Most iconic scenes from war movies

We Were Soldiers - The Battle of La DrangNot much needs to be said about this real-life Vietnam battle, except that it involved 400 Calvary soldiers facing off against 4,000 North Vietnamese soldiers...and the U.S. soldiers were ultimately victorious. The battle, which takes up most of We Were Soldiers, is violent and intense, as one might imagine. Of particular notice is one scene where Mel Gibson's character has to call air strikes at "Danger Close," which is to say, practically on top of his own soldiers who are at risk of being overrun. When an errant air strikes takes out a squad of his own soldiers, Gibson quickly brushes it off and continues on with the battle.

The battle of la drang

Most iconic scenes from war movies

Saving Private Ryan - NormandyThe opening of Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan was shocking for audiences. It opened with one of the most visceral, realistic, re-enactments of the D-Day Normandy beach landing ever put to film: The boats churn toward the shore, the soldiers inside vomiting from anxiety, their hands shaking. And then, as soon as the ramp starts to lower, machine gun fire mows the soldiers down, many of whom jump over the sides of the boat where bullets rip through the water, which is quickly stained crimson with blood. Many soldiers drown, held down by the weight of their own gear. And for those who survive and get to the beach, the real battle has just started.

The single most powerful depiction of battle ever to grace the silver screen, in what very well may be the greatest war film of all time, this brutally realistic, more-than-fifteen-minute microcosm of D-Day remains as powerfully immersive as it was the day it released. Unlike with some of its predecessors, the characters are not so much characters as they are pieces, pawns of a great cinematic chess game that Spielberg plays ever so masterfully. We as an audience are introduced to a carefully selected group of these pieces, chosen seemingly at random in much the same way they are chosen to die. Some live, and some are killed right there on the beach as their comrades look on with nothing to do but to forget and to fight for self-preservation.

NORMANDY

Subgenres of war movies - Aerial Combat, Aviation (Battle of Britain) - Anti-war (Triage) - Civil War (American Sniper) - Korean (Brotherhood) - Prisoners of War/Escape (Rescue Dawn) - Revolutionary (The Patriot) - Submarine (Das Boot) - Vietnam (Full Metal Jacket) - Cold War (The Spy Who Came In From The Cold)

MIX AND MATCHThe war genre isnt just about shooting guns and dropping explosions on your enemies, there are cases in which war genre was shown in a different way. For instance The Patriot is exposed in a different way, the movie is set in times of revolutionary war where the soldiers had to fight using their sabers, only few soldiers had the opportunity to use the muskets and the canon pistols, not only that but the story is set in more historical tone which makes the movie seem like its not really a war movie but more of a historical and philosophical thriller.

Timeline 40s50s60s70s 80sBattleground Rommel, Desert Fox Judgment at Nuremberg Too Late the Hero Das BootLifeboat The Desert Rats Hell is for Hero's Battle of Midway The Winds of WarConvoy Stalag 17 The Longest Day Cross of Iron War and remembrance

90s 2000s 10sStalingrad Pearl Harbor Battle of the PacificHiroshima The days of Glory FurySaving Private Ryan Katy 1944Jakob The Liar

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WAR MOVIE DIRECTORSSteven SpielbergOne of Hollywood's best known and wealthiest directors, Spielberg has directed 54 movies to date including "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List." Both take place during WWII, but in very different places and from very different perspectives

Clint EastwoodDirecting everything from westerns to dramas, Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" paints a different picture of WWII, this time from the perspective of the Japanese. It followed "Flags of our Fathers," which he also directed, the same story, but from the point of view of the U.S Marines

Ridley ScottIn addition to directing many science fiction flicks that could be categorized as war movies, Scott directed 2001's "Black Hawk Down." The movie, about U.S. soldiers battling heavily armed Somalis in civil war-torn Mogadishu, is based on a true story. He also directed "G.I. Jane" and "Gladiator.

SynergiesWhether it's Call of Duty or Battlefield, they're games where you interact with the world using the gun in your hand. This makes for an often exciting, adrenaline-pumping experience, but it also glosses over how war influences anyone other than a soldier.

Both Call of Duty and Battlefield can offer a joy of becoming a virtual soldier but do they really show the reality of war? The answer is quite simple, no it doesnt. Sure its fun to run and gun and kill people in virtual game but these games are not realistic as some people may assume. For instance you can knife someone in the foot and they die instantly and yet you can headshot someone with a pistol and they still survive. In other example you always have a ammo counter somewhere in the bottom of the screen, in reality of war youd have no idea how many bullets you have left in a magazine. These little things make the game pretty unrealistic therefore it doesnt express the realism and reality that would happen in real life war.