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Summary: Saving Private Ryan DVD: Definitive Movie on D-Day
Review: This was an awe-inspiring, horrific and honest portrayal of the D-Day landing and the extraordinary sacrifices made by ordinary individuals. Spielberg's hand-held in your face film technique immerses the viewer into the action. Without a doubt, Speilberg's depiction of the landing on Normandy Beach is one the most intense battle scenes ever filmed.It is no less than a sheer masterpiece of filmaking. It is a well-researched, authentic anti-war statement that stands as a tribute to those individuals who endured horrific circumstances and literally saved the free world from tyranny. Saving Private Ryan accomplishes what Schindler's list did in regard to the holocaust and what Oliver Stone's Platoon accomplished in its statement on Vietnam. In addition, Spielberg has not only paid a deserving tribute to the veterans of World War II, he has also produced an excellent anti-war film that deglorifies warfare. There was nothing romantic about being butchered on the battlefield. If there is a hell, the D-Day veterans have already been there. Saving Private Ryan is without a doubt one of the most honest, realistic combat movies ever made. Although Spielberg may not have gotten it all down in regard to the war with Germany; his depiction in regard to Normandy Beach and D-Day are right on target!
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Summary: The Needs Of The One
Review: Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning film, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, is one movie that is so powerful, any words to describe it, seem hollow and over-used The film opens with the historic D-Day invasion of World War II. The constantly noving camera during the first half hour, creates a dizzying and gut-wrenching effect, not for the timid, combined with realistic sound and battle footage, it's quite an experience. My hats off to Spielberg and film editor, Michael Kahn, for what must have been a tough sequence to complete. After the "battle on the beach", Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks in his best role since Philadephia-before and after) leads a small squad of men, behind enemy lines, to search for the only surrviving son of the Ryan family, Jim Ryan (Matt Damon). His other three brothers were killed in combat. Facing impossible odds, the members of the team, question why they are doing all of this to save one guy...It's up to Miller to keep everyone focused in order for the mission to be completed. The rest of the squad is made up of some fine actors. Edward Burns Proves he can act outside of his own films. Then unknown, Vin Diesel, makes a lasting impression with his performance. Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, and Jeremy Davies, all come together quite nicely under Spielberg's leadership. The script by Robert Rodat is powerful and only resonates louder because of the care that seemed to go into making the film. As usual, composer John Williams, puts the so-called "icing on the cake", with another powerhouse score for a Spielberg film. The sound on the current DTS DVD edition is just amazing. The DTS track for the film is among the best I have heard--with or without--a home theater system. There are 2 theatrical trailers, 1 for its initial release, the other for its reissue around Oscar voting time. Steven Spielberg offers a "special message" about what the film means for him and his push for a WW II memorial. Production notes and cast/crew biographies complete the extras on the disc. Even though, I would have liked for more extensive extras, the film is, still a masterpiece. ***** stars and Highly Recommended, if there is anyone left out there, who has yet to see this film.
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Summary: It's no Band of Brothers
Review: Beautifully shot, especially the opening sequence on D-Day, but ultimately, there's one glaring flaw in this movie. Steven Spielberg just doesn't understand the army. If the Chief of Staff wanted to pull a private out of a line unit in another theater of operations, he wouldn't dispatch a squad of rangers to go traipsing around the French countryside to find him. The C-of-S would contact the theater commander, who would then contact the corps commander, who would contact the division commander, the brigade commander, the battalion commander and finally, the company commander, who would send his first sergeant to find the soldier and get him out of the Area of Operations, or AO. In fact, this is how it happened to the real private Ryan (it's documented in the book, "Band of Brothers"). Why does this matter? Because the rangers spend most of the movie complaining about how the army clearly values this Private Ryan's life over theirs, and if a commander ordered them on a mission like this, they'd be right, but no commander with half a brain would do it.
It's important to remember that when he was first promoting it, Spielberg tried to sell Private Ryan as an antiwar movie, and in antiwar epics, American officers do blown-brain things like wasting lives for no reason. The reality is that most commanders won't send their men out on pointless missions, but don't try to sell that in Hollywood.
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Summary: Horrible
Review: Dopey World War II movie with Friday the 13th style special effects, (...) and inaccurate weapons information.
Try banging a 60mm mortar round's primer(base) on something, your hand will be blown off.
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Summary: The mission is the man...
Review: Master filmmaker Steven Spielberg presented this groundbreaking film, set against the backdrop of World War 2. And the resulting film is stunning, gritty and powerful. It pulls no punches with its realistic display of warfare, avoiding glorification. In the first 25 minutes, D-Day is recreated with a level of reality never seen on-screen. Aggressive filmmaking, Spielberg and Uber-composer John Williams left the Omaha Beach invasion without a musical score making the attack all the more realistic. The story itself follows a group of soldiers sent on a mission to pluck one soldier, PVT RYAN from the war and send him home safely to his mother. The squad leader Miller, portrayed by Tom Hanks works hard to keep his group focused on their mission, as the thought of their mission causes morale issues. All the time, lives are lost as the war conflict escalates. The casting is great and many of the young soldiers have since started fruitful careers. Tommy Sizemore, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Edward Burns and Matt Damon have gone on to more roles. Even Ted Danson makes an appearance. Spielberg uses some of his most aggressive filmmaking yet and earned his Academy Award. This is a stunning film, but may be too graphic for more sensitive viewers. The DVD has a great audio transfer whether you get the 5.1 or DTS issue. The video transfer in 1 1.85:1 widescreen format is stunning preserving Janusz Kaminski's gritty cinematography. Also included is a short making of documentary. A stark and important film.
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Summary: a film to remember
Review: Saving Private Ryan is by far the most amazingly spectacular film I have ever seen. In addition to delivering an important anti-war message, it also delivers an important series of facts of what the Second World War was like for the average American foot soldier. D-Day has often been described as a 100% successful operation, basically a breeze for our troops and the British. In truth, however, over 8,000 Allied troops lost their lives that day, compared with only 5,000 Germans. 2,000 men alone died on Omaha Beach. While the D-Day objective for the troops landing on Omaha was to drive five miles inland, they were stopped after about about a half a mile. The Germans were not the incompetent poor soldiers as portrayed in some WW2 movies, they were a savagely effective fighting force. The film, does an excellent job of removing these misconceptions. I remember walking out of the theater after the film's conclusion and seeing several veterans weeping, being comforted by their families. Sights such as these immediately helped my understanding of how powerful this movie truly is. A sight like that is powerful for anyone to see, much less an 18 year old like me. I believe that this movie is a story that needs to be told. It is to World War II what All Quiet on the Western Front is to World War I, and Platoon to Vietnam. This is not a movie you should see, it is a movie you MUST see.
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Summary: Thanks for double-dipping...
Review: I'm so sick of studios releasing multiple dvds of the same film. I bought the first edition of SPR when it came out. Instead of taking the time to do it right back then, you wait until now to try to leach more money out of fans of the film. Guess what, I'm not buying it. I will rent it to check out the special features, but you won't get my money twice. It may be good business for you Dreamworks, but it isn't good public relations.
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Summary: Unforgettable. The best war film ever made.
Review: Some people advise others to close their eyes during the loooong opening scene of Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. That would be a mistake. Yes, it's carnage, it's horrible, it's relentless, it's bloody, it's random death, it's a portrayal of fear and courage and raw coincidence. But it's also one of the most powerful pieces of cinematography ever filmed.
There are many other scenes that have stayed with me during the years since I last saw this unforgettable film, perhaps Spielberg's best ever. Perhaps the most poignant one that comes immediately to mind is the woman whose sons are all away at war. She's on a remote farm, washing dishes, and thru her window she sees the dust of approaching cars. She goes outside to meet the visitors, tenses as she sees military brass and a chaplain step from the cars, then crumples wordlessly to the worn boards of her front porch as she tries to take in the news: all her boys have been killed, except for one: Private Ryan.
Another related scene, the one that came just before this one, is equally gut-wrenching (and in both scenes, there is no dialogue, just heart-stabbing visuals that are more powerful than any words could have been) as a woman charged with sending out letters of the We Regret to Inform You variety realizes that she's seen three letters with the same address within the past few days, and she takes this terrible proof to her supervisor - and thus is born the search for the surviving son, to bring him home to his momma.
Tom Hanks, with his own persona of morality and honesty, is perfectly cast as the good Captain Miller, a soldier's soldier charged with this onerous task, and of course there is terrible cost.
Saving Private Ryan is the film Spielberg HAD to make. Outstanding, in every possible way.
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Summary: Ryan does not promote nor condem war
Review: War IS Hell and Saving Private Ryan shows this. This film shows the nasty details of war while at the same time graphicly exhibiting the unwanted necessity of a just war to combat evil. My father was in VietNam and he said this is the most accurate representation of combat he has ever seen. For him this film brought back nightmares he hasn't had in 20 years but, he believes this film shows the honor of the doing the right thing at the right time. In the perverse world of war there is true honor and heroism. Anyone who cannot understand that war is sometimes necessary to defend good against evil is absolutely ignorant of history. Private Ryan displays good vs. evil at it's best. Recommended A++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Summary: Every American Should Watch It With Pride
Review: The writer of this film should have received an Academy Award alongside of Spielberg, it is nothing short of EXCELLENT! For the rest of my life I will watch this film along with the real D-Day documentaries on June 6th. The men who fought this war were true heroes and forever will be. I think every generation should pay tribute to the soldiers today and tommorrow who die willingly for our freedom. Spielberg has accomplished something with this film that touches upon both American pride and on the humanness of war. The scenes on the Normandy beach will reach in and grab ahold of your heart; torturing you beyond belief. But then pride will well up inside that same heart and your entire being will cheer as the first soldiers scale the hill. The movie just continues from there with scene after scene of triumph and terror with a storyline that will match the action in intensity, something rarely found these days. I hope you will watch and say a prayer for all those souls who fought so bravely for American freedom. Remember those who fight today and hope that it isn't in vain. Spielberg is a master director who believes in the truth and shoots his movies with conviction. I only wish politicians were of the same caliber.
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