In the first two minutes of the film Saving Private Ryan we get a grip of what the film is all about. The scene starts with brass instruments being played, the music that is being played is very heroic and gives the effect of bravery, this gives us a hint at what the film is about. The music continues throughout the beginning and the first thing that we see on screen is an American flag flapping in the wind. With the flag and the music being shown at the same time, it gives the film a patriotic feeling and obviously lets the audience know where the film is set. Having the American flag in the scene and the bravery styled music also could indicate that there is something that people have done or taken part in which is seen as a proud thing and something that should be respected.
We then follow a family walking down a pathway, and we see an older man a few yards ahead of the group. There are close up shots of the characters, showing their facial expressions and by the looks on their faces, it doesn't seem as if it is a good time for them. We eventually see the older man turn off the pathway and walk onto some grass, the camera has a close up shot of his face and it is clear to the audience that he is crying, then gravestones and memorial stones come into shot and we know that the family along with the old man have come to pay their respects to a certain person. We also see the American and French flag flapping in the wind at this point, and this gives a clear indication that the memorial site that they are visiting could be linked to the war. Another link can be made as the old man could have fought in the war and he could be coming back to pay his respects to fellow friends who weren't as lucky as him.
The start of the film has quite a relaxed mood about it, it isn't rushed but what is very effective about it is that it has a strong emotional hold on the audience, with the music playing and seeing the characters upset entices the audience and makes the want to find out more. It is a clever way to start a film as it makes us want to find out what has happened in the past, this is a good example of an action film and we could get some good ideas from this opening.