Saving Private Ryan, Hotel Rwanda

My texts examined the theme of war. The texts I have studied are Hotel Rwanda directed by Terri George, The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski, Life is Beautiful directed by Roberto Benigni and Saving Private Ryan directed by Steven Spielberg. The connections in these texts examine the effects of war as they are all set during war time. It was interesting to see that the same ideas came throughout the texts; in particular I expect Saving Private Ryan and Hotel Rwanda to connect as they both explore how war builds character. I also thought that Life Is Beautiful and The Pianist both connected as the texts explore the resiliency of the human spirit during wartime.
The two texts, The Pianist and Hotel Rwanda both explore the idea of war building character from ordinary everyday people to heroes. Not only this but also the qualities characters develop during war which helps us to survive. In Hotel Rwanda, the main character Paul only cares for his family even when as he watches his neighbor being beaten and taken away, saying “He is not family. Family is all that matters…” In this scene we see how the family man Paul is just an ordinary man doing his best to keep his family safe during the Rwandan civil war. Though later in the film we see the change in Paul’s character from a family man to a hero when he decides to stay behind at the hotel which he manages, along with the other refugees left behind while his family leave to safety saying “I cannot leave these people to die”. Paul is willing to sacrifice himself and the comfort of his family for the safety of complete strangers who he has grown to care for over time. There is a close up of Pauls face and we see his anguish and pain as he looks at his family for what he thinks will be the last time. This helps us understand the quality of selflessness which he develops during war. When everybody seems to be looking out for themselves and their families, Paul learns that sacrificing his own life for the good of others