Saving Private Ryan – 1998
This was an incredibly well-made film. It has been praised by critics and fans as one of the most realistic depictions of WWII and combat ever captured on film. Many actual combat veterans of D-Day and Vietnam who saw the film were psychologically affected by the first 20 minutes of the movie, and calls and visits to post traumatic stress disorder counselors rose after the film’s release. But this movie was not known only for its amazingly accurate and realistic battle scenes. It also had a great cast that turned in some fantastic performances.
Tom Hanks played the lead as Captain John H. Miller, company commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion. In the opening scene which so realistically depicts the Storming of Omaha Beach in Normandy, Captain Miller leads his men to victory, paying the high price in lives to achieve it. The chaos, the carnage, the blood, the screaming, the sounds of gunfire, and the absolutely intense madness of the historical event was difficult to watch.
Director Stephen Spielberg used certain cinematic tricks to make the audience feel like it was actually there in France on that fateful day in June of 1944. The use of special cameras that reduced color saturation and using a bleach bypass process on the film negative made it seem like actual news footage from the 1940s. Also, the use of unsteady, hand-held cameras and a lower shutter timing gave everything a jerky and more abrupt feel. Actual amputees were hired as extras and 40 barrels of fake blood were used to turn the seawater red. It was a horrifying scene to watch because it was based on things that actually happened.
But strangely enough, it was a phenomenal scene that had very little to do with the actual plot of the film. The movie is about a new mission Captain Miller is given three days after Omaha Beach was taken: Saving Private Ryan. James Ryan is a paratrooper who is the last survivor of 4 brothers, the rest of whom were all killed in action during the war. To prevent the ultimate suffering of Mrs. Ryan, Miller is sent on a dangerous mission to save her last living son and send him home.
Miller chooses seven men to accompany him. Tom Sizemore played Technical Sergeant Mike Horvath, Miller’s second in command. Edward Burns played Private First Class Richard Reiben, a BAR gunner. Barry Pepper played Private Daniel Jackson, a sniper. Adam Goldberg played Private Stanley Mellish, a rifleman. Vin Diesel played Private First Class Adrian Caparzo, another rifleman. Giovanni Ribisi played Technician fourth grade Irwin Wade, a medic. And finally, Jeremy Davies played Technician fifth grade Timothy Upham, a cartographer and interpreter.
Together, the eight men search for Private Ryan, played by Matt Damon. Along the way, Wade and Caparzo are killed in battles with German soldiers. The others come to resent Ryan, calling the mission a fool’s errand, not worth the lives of their fellow soldiers. But when Ryan is finally found, they quickly learn to respect him as he refuses to leave his post when ordered to. The only way for Miller and his men to accomplish their mission is to help Ryan’s company accomplish theirs. During the following climactic battle to defend a bridge, Horvath, Mellish, Jackson, and finally Miller himself are killed, all to protect and save Ryan. And the final message of the movie was inspirational. It was a charge from Miller to Ryan, telling him to be a good man and be worthy of the sacrifices that were made for him. In a way, it was as if we all are being given the same directive, to honor all the service men and women who have died in the name of freedom.
The action scenes were exciting and intense, but it was the extensive character development and dramatic story-telling that made us care about the men that fought in them. Hanks was at the top of his game, turning in a dramatic performance that was as believable and realistic as I’ve ever seen him. I also really liked Sizemore and Ribisi, two actors who I have always enjoyed. And to give proper credit, the man who wrote the script, Robert Rodat, along with Spielberg, did a great job putting it all together.
I was also surprised by the number of smaller supporting roles played by well-known actors like Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti, Dennis Farina, Bryan Cranston, Nathan Fillion, Ryan Hurst, and Leland Orser. They all did a great job and deserve to be recognized. But just as important as the stellar cast, was the world renowned musician behind the film’s music, John Williams. It is as if the man can do no wrong when it comes to writing film scores.
Saving Private Ryan was nominated for an incredible eleven Academy Awards including, in addition for Best Picture, nods for Best Actor for Tom Hanks, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, Best Music, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Director for Spielberg, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Effects Editing. It won the last five and it really deserved them. It was truly a remarkable film, though not one that was easy to watch, especially that first twenty minutes.