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Saving Private Ryan Review
By admin | August 14, 2009
Saving Private Ryan Trailer
Saving Private Ryan Review
This is one of the more difficult reviews I’ve written. It’s hard to know where to begin. The magnitude and scope of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is so immense, that I know I can never do full justice to this film, or the men that it honors.
The first and only time I saw SAVING PRIVATE RYAN theatrically was from the front row. My wife and I were meeting friends and we were running late. The theater, of course, was packed and we felt grateful just to find a seat.
Although the film left a great impact, I was at all times conscious of the fact that I was in a theater, somewhat detached from the gargantuan images flashing before me on the screen. While I tried to follow all the action on the screen — it was simply too close. I knew that my best viewing experience of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN would be right in my own home theater.
The only thing I couldn’t anticipate was Steven Spielberg’s initial reluctance to allow this film on DVD. Like so many of the acclaimed director’s other hugely successful features, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN seemed destined to be relegated to the aisles of Target and K-Mart on VHS only. A crying shame as far as fans of DVD are concerned.
Though the director never publically stated his reasoning for withholding historically important films like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and SCHINDLER’S LIST (not to mention a slew of other great films), speculation was that Spielberg was waiting for some magic “critical mass” of DVD owners to form. Another more sinister assertion was that Spielberg, who has a vested interest in DTS, was withholding his most popular films in the hopes of allowing DTS time to catch on with the home video buying public, thus increasing his profits with the sale of DTS encoded films on DVD.
Whatever his reasons were, some of the folks we speak to at Dreamworks were profoundly aware of the disappointment of DVD fans when SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was announced for VHS sales — but not DVD. So when it was announced recently that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN would in fact, be coming to DVD on November 3, 1999, a high level of anticipation and excitement filled the Internet. The folks at DreamWorks are rightly proud of this film and were anxious for us to see their finished DVD product.
Welcome to the party, Mr. Spielberg. It’s good to have you satisfying the market demand that you have created with your outstanding films. I’m going to make certain that each of my children watches SCHINDLER’S LIST and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN when I feel it’s appropriate for them to do so. These films are so important from a historical standpoint and so masterfully brought to life, that in my opinion, they should be required viewing for every high school senior. Through his meticulously crafted films, Spielberg provides new generations with compelling reminders of the past that should never be forgotten.
I don’t normally advise people to watch an accompanying featurette before they watch the movie itself, but I’m going to make an exception for the 25-minute documentary “Into The Breach” (which ironically, is absent from the DTS version of the DVD since DTS requires more disc space). “Into The Breach” contains archival footage of World War II and present day interviews with the soldiers and historians who covered the Omaha Beach invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. A riveting and emotional piece, it sets up the audience for a deep appreciation of the sacrifices and courage that these young men (many of which were just 20-years-old or younger) exhibited when they laid down their very lives for the freedoms that we enjoy (and typically take for granted) today.
Had American, British and Canadian troops failed in taking the beach at Normandy, the war would have continued much longer and the outcome uncertain. Although many great battles were fought by thousands of servicemen during WWII, “D-Day”, the invasion of Normandy is considered to have been the most pivitol and vicious battle in the war.
Never before have I been so immersed and physically affected by a film. The action is so instense, so gripping — and according to veterans, so true-to-life — that it’s impossible to avoid being profoundly moved by the shocking images on the screen. Outstanding performances by the cast and Spielberg’s unerring sense of direction and purpose only serve to underscore the intensity and drama.
I remember experiencing similar intense emotional feelings after watching PLATOON, which gave us a whole new perspective on the futility and terror of the war in Vietnam. A close friend and mentor of mine, who had served on the front lines in Vietnam, once related to me the confusion and despair he felt upon returning home: “I left as a hero and came home to protesters spitting on me in the airport when I got off the plane.” Those words were powerful on their own, but PLATOON helped crystalize them for me. I remember feeling a great empathy and sadness for the mistreatment of Vietnam vets.
The experience of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was profoundly different, however. As the drama unfolded, I felt the tension seize my body; I felt nearly immobilized by the sights and sounds filling the room. I almost couldn’t even blink my eyes. My breathing was shallow. I felt chills. I can only describe the feeling as some sort of emotional shock. I can’t even begin to comprehend how an actual veteran who served in battle might feel while watching these riviting sequences. They should be surrounded by loved ones who are ready to give them a hug if they do.
Through the course of the film and as the final credits rolled, I also felt a strange guilt for taking for granted the things that these brave and valiant young men died for. Their acts weren’t merely words written on paper or a motion picture screenplay. Real people; ordinary men… sons, brothers, fathers — the same as you or I — gave the ultimate sacrifice that their families would have to live with. They died fighting for others.
They died for not only their own generation, but future generations and our freedoms. How could we ever hope to repay our debt of gratitude to these young men? By remembering their selfless acts of bravery and heroism. By reminding ourselves and teaching our children about them. This is what Steven Speilberg set out to do — and he succeeded in spades.
A guilt over my previous detachment combined with the lack of heartfelt gratitude to the veterans of World War II filled my soul after the movie ended. It’s one thing to read about these men in the history books or watch them in sanitized Hollywood films. It’s quite another to see them characterized on the screen in such vivid and raw terms.
Steven Spielberg must be given enormous credit for his mastery of the camera. Simulating a hand-held 8mm camera during the battle sequences, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN pulls you into the film like no other movie I have ever experienced. And for the first 25 minutes, the place you’re pulled into isn’t a place where you want to be. The depiction of the Omaha Beach battle is shocking, unnerving, and close to nauseating.
Spielberg doesn’t sugar-coat the mayhem. There are decapitations, limbs being blown off, faces blown away, bodies burned, etc. Just like in a real war.
The camera techniques used on the Omaha Beach scene are reminiscent of Spielberg’s work in JAWS. The camera bobs up and down under the water’ with murky, muted sound beneath — then back to the surface for another gasp of air to the sounds bullets whizzing and explosions ripping at you from all directions. Through this intimate technique, we can acutely witness the terror of war first-hand as never before experienced in film.
You experience a genuine feeling of dread to the very core of your being when you see our servicemen being picked off like turkeys by German gunners in cliffside pillboxes before the GI’s can even disembark their transports. When you see the brutality of war… When you realize that these young men had no where to go. No matter where you are when trying to disembark the transports onto the blood-soaked beach — under the water or on the surface — there is no safe haven. No protection from the endless barrage of Nazi gunfire. The feeling of dread and hopelessness intensifies when soldiers, weighed down by their gear, sink to the ocean floor and struggle to break free before drowning… These young men had never experienced an invasion from the sea from which there was no retreat. The images are indeed stark, shocking, unforgettable.
It’s hard to use the word “beautiful” to describe the cinematography in these sequences given their dire content, but when combined with the Skywalker sound treatment, one can’t help but feel a deep respect for the filmmaker’s work. If any film ever deserved 5 Academy Awards — including two for sound and Best Director, it would certainly be SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.
Retired USMC Captain Dale Dye served as senior military advisor for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN as well as PLATOON — and also appeared in both films. His contributions to both films cannot be praised highly enough. If you ever get the chance to find the currently discontinued PLATOON: SPECIAL EDITION, be certain to listen to Dye’s running commentary. It’s superb.
Putting the actors through a rigorous ten-day boot camp training excercise prior to filming (the liner notes say ten, the documentary says five), Dye’s indoctrination of the “troops” magnifies their performances by dramatically enhancing the actor’s credibility as soldiers.
Dye employed the same techniques he used in PLATOON to whip the actors into shape. The key cast members were given weapons drills, lessons in hand to hand combat, instructed on field maneuvers and tactics and taught World War II era lingo and hand signals by Dye and his staff. They were required to sleep on the ground, eat field rations and withstand verbal abuse from the military advisers when they couldn’t get things right.
Unlike THE THIN RED LINE, which depicts the war that each man contains within himself, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN does a marvelous job on character development, letting us get close to the men we’re following on their unusual but highly honorable mission: To find and return home the last surviving son of a family of four brothers.
It has been historically documented that entire families of brothers have been wiped out in the service of our country. It’s hard to imagine losing one son to the ravages of war. But to lose all of them from the same family?
The story of Ryan, though fictionalized, has a basis in reality. There was in fact, a family of four brothers during World War II who went off to war together. For a time, it was thought that all had perished. When it was discovered that one was still alive, it was ordered that he should be recovered from the field and sent home. Several months later, one of his brothers, believed dead, escaped from a Japanese prison camp, rejoining his family.
According to the liner notes, “two coinciding events inspired the screenplay of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN: The 50th anniversary of D-Day and the birth of screenwriter Robert Rodat’s second son.” Rodat said: “A number of books were published to commemorate D-Day and I was reading them when my son was born. I live for much of the year in a small New Hampshire town, and I would take my son for walks in the early morning hours. In the town square, there’s a monument to those from the village who died in war, dating back to the American Revolution. In almost every war, there were repeated last names — brothers who were killed in action. The thought of losing a son to war is painful beyond description. The thought of losing more than one is inconceivable.”
Following the film, or accessed as one of the special features, the “Exclusive message from Steven Speilberg” is actually a pitch for donations for D-DAY museum under construction to honor the men who fought and died to help stop the Holocaust and win the freedoms that we enjoy and take for granted today. It sounds like a very worthy endeavor.
Filmed on the coast of Ireland along a stretch of beach eerily similar to Normandy (the original site is not only a protected historical landmark, but has been over-developed over the years), Production Designer Tom Sanders and his crew “transformed the Irish coast into the German stronghold at Normandy, complete with Belgian gates and iron hedgehogs”. The Irish army provided 750 extras — many veterans of film after having appeared in Mel Gibson’s BRAVEHEART.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is not an anti-war film, but rather a tribute to the men who gave of themselves in the service of others, including their fellow soldiers. Despite the tough talk and rhetoric, the spiritualism and loyalty of each man to his brother in arms are elements that shine through the mud, the blood, the smoke and the destruction of war. Although they’re not supposed to become attached to their fellow squad members, these men do form a strong bond, caring about each other. It demonstrates how even under the most inhumane conditions possible, humanity and the inner spirit, though distorted at times in the heat of battle, ultimately survives.
There’s something else I’d like to mention about the SAVING PRIVATE RYAN disc from DreamWorks. It’s a very subtle thing, but deserving of special mention. Though they are clearly capable of dazzling our senses with whiz-bang menu designs, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN features a very dignified and simple, yet sophisticated menu approach on this DVD. The chapter menus are animated with clips from the movie, but the main menu structure is understated and respectful to the memories of the men who served by not being overdone or flashy. During menu selections, the distant rumble of bombs can be heard with flashes that resemble thunder and lightning. Very appropriate, yet classy at the same time. I suspect that someone in charge of design thought to themselves “How would a World War II veteran react to our menu design?” I would suggest that they and their families would be pleased and impressed.
Through SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, Spielberg not only honors the generation of young men who marched into deadly battle for our freedoms; he reminds us that each of us should honor those heroes by leading the best lives we can. Good lives; lives that these young men gave up their own for in the service of their country.
SYNOPSIS
The film begins with an elderly man, flanked by his family, visiting the military cemetary at Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France. Walking stiffly, but with great purpose, he passes row upon row of white crosses. Upon finding the particular marker he was seeking, he falls to his knees, sobbing. This man carries with him a unique emotional burden from World War II that he has probably suppressed until now, some 50 years later. Through his eyes, we travel back to the American invasion of Omaha Beach, Dog Green Sector, June 6, 1944.
Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and eight men under his command are given a new assignment after surviving the bloody battle to defeat the Germans on the coast of Normandy, France.
One of the men killed during the invasion was named Sean Ryan. There were four Ryan brothers enlisted in the war, two others had already been killed in action.
While preparing condolence messages to the thousands of families who have lost loved ones, one of the women typing the letters discovers that three of the letters are slated for delivery to the same Iowa family — and she brings this to the attention of her boss, who in turn brings it to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Despite the protests of a top ranking military official who argues with the General that it’s too dangerous of a mission to try and pluck the lone surviving Ryan brother out from German-occupied France, the decision is ultimately made to save Private Ryan — if he’s still alive — to spare his mother from losing all four sons to the war.
Even though his mission is somewhat oblique, Miller accepts his command without hesitation or question, but after their ordeal on the beach his men aren’t so keen on pressing their luck by venturing further into the French countryside simply to give one of their own a free ride home.
One soldier in particular, Private Robert Reiben (Edward Burns) is particularly vocal in his disapproval. When questioned about his true feelings on the mission by his close friend, Sergeant Mike Horvath (Tom Sizemore in his best role ever), Miller matter-of-factly explains that he would never complain to the men under him. “You only complain up the chain of command, not below it” he reasons. There are several of these small glimmers of humor throughout the film that are more easily appreciated in subsequent viewings. The first time around, you might feel too shell-shocked to want to chuckle — even when something said is funny.
Miller is the mortar that holds the group together, but he is suffering from a adverse reaction to service that manifests itself in the jangled nerves of his trembling right hand. The malady comes and goes — and Miller tries, with limited success, to downplay his condition in front of his men.
As each quest to find Ryan begins to exact a toll on his squad, Miller begins to break down. Up until now, he could always rationalize the men that died under his command, knowing that their deaths were perhaps saving many other lives. But as Miller’s men begin to fall in search of just one single man, in and of himself no better than his own squad members, the responsibility and burdens associated with carrying out his mission begins to weigh very heavily upon him.
In a questionable and fateful judgement call, Miller releases a German prisoner after a fierce battle instead of killing him like Private Reiben and the others want him to. Reiben threatens to desert the group and a tense standoff ensues between Private Reiben and the still-loyal Sergeant Horvath who threatens to shoot Reiben for his act of rebellion and failing to follow orders. This incident nearly disinigrates the group, but Miller manages to defuse the situation and the remaining members of the search party continue their quest after burying their dead.
Coming upon the location of a crashed transport plane and hundreds of airborne division soldiers marching German prisoners through camp provides one of the most painful sequences of the film. Private James Francis Ryan had been with the airborne division and had parachuted deep into the French countryside, so there was a chance that he could be found here. The pilot of the downed craft hands Miller a bag of dog tags from men who had recently died in battle. There are dozens upon dozens of tags.
Miller’s men, jaded and still resentful of their mission to find a fellow soldier, no different than them, for shipment back home, rummage through the dogtags. They joke around and make bets on who will find Ryan’s dogtag first.
Hunkered around a stump of a tree, tossing the tags out like playing cards and joking around, Miller’s men look more like they’re playing poker and are observed in disbelief by the airborne soldiers marching by with their prisoners.
It’s an excrutiatingly poignant scene. Finally, one of Miller’s men, the doctor in the group, sees what’s going on and chastises the others for what they’re doing. The group feels appropriately ashamed and contrite for their disrespectful behavior to the memories of their fellow soldiers killed in action.
Miller receives information of Private Ryan’s whereabouts — guarding a strategic bridge that the Germans need to cross. Once Miller and his men find Ryan (Matt Damon), they are surprised to learn that Ryan, despite being told of his family’s great loss, insists on staying with his under-supplied, battle weary platoon. This poses a problem for Miller, who has been sent to retrieve Ryan. For Miller and his men, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN has become complicated — and Miller isn’t sure what to do.
After seeking advisement from Sergeant Horvath, Miller decides that the only course of action is to stay with Ryan and help his batallion stave off the Germans until reinforcements can arrive. The men, short on supplies and facing an onslaught of German tanks and ground troops, dig in for the final, vicious battle for survival against near hopeless odds.
IMAGE
In a word: Superb. Even on our large, 119″ display, this is the best that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN has ever looked on home video — and in my case — ever. By and large, Spielberg opted for a stark and gritty look to the picture, which shouldn’t be misinterpreted as grainy. There’s very little grain to note. The edgy contrast, combined with slightly muted colors that at times, depending on the scene, takes on a faint bluish or sepia tone, contributes to the documentary-style realism of the film. This is one magnificent example of contemporary filmmaking. There are only one or two instances where the image appeared a bit softer than I’d prefer, but nowhere near enough to distract from the exceptional clarity and brightness throughout. I suspect these areas are an accurate rendition of the theatrical release. This is reference quality stuff. Dreamworks has obviously gotten all the wrinkles out, folks. This is a transfer that Steven Spielberg must be very satisfied with — and rightly so. The RSDL layer change is obvious, but not objectionable.
There is a moment about 25 minutes into the film, where a special lens was employed to create a flaring effect of background flames. This results in bright columns of reflected glare rising up from each small fire. I spoke with Dreamworks about this moment in the film and was assured that it was in fact, an intentional effect that was also present in the theatrical release. I can’t recall it specifically, but I have no reason to doubt their word. I only mention it here so that you are aware that it is NOT a defect in the transfer, which earns our highest honors for image quality.
SOUND
There are plenty of good reasons why SAVING PRIVATE RYAN earned two Oscars for Sound and Sound Effects Editing. Thousands of them.
I don’t feel like I’m going too far out on a limb to proclaim that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN sets the new reference standard for sound on DVD. Let me assure you that the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is simply outstanding in every respect and that you will miss nothing by not owning a DTS rig (sorry, Steve).
During the opening sequence, I was surprised to hear a bit of background hiss during John William’s poignant and impressive score. Or was it simply the sounds of the U.S. Flag rustling in the wind at Arlington? Beyond that, I couldn’t have prepared my senses for what followed.
I have never heard such aggressive (or superb) use of all 5.1 channels. The effects sound lethal. Bullets whizzing overhead from every possible direction, motors, guns, explosions, yells.
Unreal. There aren’t enough adjectives in the English lexicon to describe how awesome the sound of this film is — or haunting.
When German tanks are rumbling in, they really rumble. The creaking groan of half-tracks and armored transports sound so ominous that it will make your pulse race. The combination of the documentary-style photography and active sound matrix puts you in the middle of the action as never before. And you can’t wait to get the hell out, let me tell you.
I’ve spent the better part of my life in audio production and I can’t begin to tell you how impressive this mix is. I could spend the rest of my life in a recording studio with all the same tools and resources that this crew had and never come close to duplicating the sound. Skywalker Sound deserves a ticker-tape parade from all of us DVD owners to go along with those two gold statues. Upon second viewing of this disc, I did notice one, very brief audio dropout that lasted less than a second. Unique to the test disc or my player? Perhaps, but uncertain.
I kid you not. You will go berserk over the sound in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. My only regret is that I was unable to invite each and every one of our readers to watch (and listen) to this disc with me.
FEATURES
Scene access to 20 animated chapter breaks
Exclusive Message from Steven Spielberg
25 minute documentary: Saving Private Ryan: Into The Breach
Theatrical Trailer
Re-release Theatrical Trailer
Production Notes
Cast & Crew bios