Scene Proposal

Movie: Saving Private Ryan

Scene: 25:25 - 27:22, Depicts Cpt. Miller as the leader of the 2nd Ranger Battalion. They have just finished storming the beaches of Normandy.
(Part 3, 3:50 to 5:53 on youtube.com)

Description: The scene starts off with Cpt. Miller looking on in the distance as the fighting continues around him. He watches as a bunker explodes and his men begin to steal supplies from fallen German soldiers. The scene takes place near the beach, but not directly on it and the skies are full of clouds with smoke and some explosions in the background. People everywhere are also running and there is chaos all around him. Gun shots continue as one of Miller's men finds a knife off of a German soldier who has been killed in a trench and exclaims to one of his friends, "Hey Fish, look at this, a Hitler Youth knife." As he gives it to "Fish", he turns around and cracks a joke. Suddenly, however, he begins to cry uncontrollably. We see the camera zoom in on his face as we see his pain envellop him. The camera then captures the faces of those around him, and sorrow is present in their faces as well. Gunfire keeps exploding in the background. One guy then bends down and puts some dirt in a cup and seals it, with the word "France" labeling it and puts it in a bag with other cups labeled "Italy" and "Africa". This man's face is completely covered in soot and dirt as he looks on in the distance. The camera then switches views to a man who's hands are shaking while trying to open a waterbottle. We can't yet see his face, however after a few seconds of trying to open the canteen, we are able to see this is Cpt. Miller who has his back to some barbed-wire and smoke coming from a recent shell-strike. Another man says "It's quite a view", with Miller's response being a simple, "Yes it is...quite a view". The camera then zooms again closer to his face, and we see he is sweaty and has an expression of sadness in his eyes. He is looking out upon the beaches and the blood and bodies which cover it. The bodies are rolling in the sea with each incoming wave, which is also red from the blood.