Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan
Film poster
Directed by	Steven Spielberg
Produced by	Steven Spielberg Ian Bryce Mark Gordon Gary Levinsohn
Written by	Robert Rodat
Starring	Tom Hanks Edward Burns Tom Sizemore Barry Pepper Adam Goldberg Giovanni Ribisi Jeremy Davies Matt Damon Vin Diesel
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	Janusz Kamiński
Editing by	Michael Kahn
Distributed by	DreamWorks (United States and Canada) Paramount Pictures (elsewhere)
Release date(s)	July 24, 1998
Running time	170 minutes
Language	English, French, German, and Czech
Budget	US$65,000,000 (production) US$25,000,000 (marketing) US$90,000,000 (total)[1]
Gross revenue	US$481,840,909

Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy during World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 24 minutes, which depict the Omaha beachhead assault of June 6, 1944. Afterward, it follows Tom Hanks as Captain John H. Miller and several Rangers (Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, and Adam Goldberg) as they search for a paratrooper of the United States 101st Airborne Division.

The plotline was inspired in 1994 when Rodat encountered a monument dedicated to eight brothers who died during the American Civil War. Inspired by the story, Rodat decided to write a similar tale set in World War II. The script was submitted to producer Mark Gordon, who then handed it to Hanks. A copy was also received by Spielberg, who had previously demonstrated his interest in WWII themes with films such as Schindler's List, and decided to direct Saving Private Ryan after reading the film's script.^[2] The film's premise is very loosely based on the real-life case of the Niland brothers.

Saving Private Ryan was well received by audiences and garnered considerable critical acclaim, winning several awards for film, cast, and crew as well as earning significant returns at the box office. The film grossed US$480 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of the year. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated the film for eleven Academy Awards; Spielberg won the Academy Award for Best Director for his work on the film. Saving Private Ryan was released on home video in May 1999, earning $44 million from sales.

Plot

The film opens with an elderly World War II veteran (Harrison Young) and his family visiting the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. The veteran is overcome by emotion with no explanation why before the scene dissolves to show events on Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion. The character of John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) is introduced as he assembles a group of soldiers and leads a breakout from the beach.

In the United States, General George C. Marshall is informed that an American family has lost three of four brothers within days of each other and that their mother will receive all three notices on the same day. The fourth son, Private First Class Ryan (Matt Damon) is missing in action in Normandy and Marshall orders that he be found and sent home immediately.

Miller receives orders from his commanding officer (Dennis Farina) to find Private Ryan and assembles six Rangers (Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, and Adam Goldberg), plus an interpreter from the 29th Infantry Division (Jeremy Davies) to accomplish this task. On the outskirts of Neuville, Private Caparzo (Diesel) is fatally wounded by a sniper. The search leads to the rally point of Ryan's unit, where they discover that that Ryan is defending a strategically-important bridge over the Merderet River in the fictional town of Ramelle.

On the way to Ramelle, Miller orders an assault on a German machine gun position. Medic Wade (Ribisi) is fatally wounded in the ensuing skirmish and a German survivor (Joerg Stadler) is captured. Miller decides to release the German; no longer confident in Miller's leadership, Reiben (Burns) declares his intention to desert, prompting a tense confrontation with Horvath (Sizemore) that is only diffused when Miller reveals his personal background, on which the squad had formed a betting pool.

The reunited squad arrives at Ramelle where they destroy a German reconnaissance unit and discover Private Ryan, who refuses to leave the town in the face of German counter-attack until reinforcements arrive. Miller reluctantly agrees and orders his unit to help defend the bridge in the upcoming battle, taking command and organizing the defense with what little manpower and resources they have.

A German combined arms attack causes heavy casualties on both sides in several personal vignettes, and the Americans are slowly pushed back by superior numbers and firepower across the bridge. Attempting to destroy the bridge, Miller is fatally wounded by the German that Upham convinced him to release earlier. American reinforcements arrive just as German forces threaten to overwhelm the bridge defence, and Miller utters his last words to Ryan: "James... earn this. Earn it."

The film ends with the elderly veteran from the film's opening revealed to be Ryan at Miller's grave asking his wife to confirm that he has "led a good life" and that he is a "good man", and thus worthy of Miller's and the others' sacrifice.

Cast

Main cast

• Tom Hanks as Captain John H. Miller
• Tom Sizemore as Technical Sergeant Michael Horvath
• Edward Burns as Private First Class Richard Reiben, a BAR gunner
• Jeremy Davies as Technician Fifth Grade Timothy E. Upham, a cartographer and interpreter
• Barry Pepper as Private Daniel Jackson, a marksman
• Adam Goldberg as Private Stanley Mellish, a rifleman
• Vin Diesel as Private Adrian Caparzo, a rifleman
• Giovanni Ribisi as Technician Fourth Grade Irwin Wade, a medic
• Matt Damon as Private First Class James Francis Ryan, a paratrooper

Supporting cast

• Ted Danson as Captain Fred Hamill, pathfinder
• Dennis Farina as Lieutenant Colonel Walter Anderson, Miller's commanding officer
• Nathan Fillion as Private James Frederick Ryan, mistakenly identified paratrooper
• Paul Giamatti as Staff Sergeant William Hill, paratrooper
• Joerg Stadler as "Steamboat Willie" (unnamed German soldier)
• Maximilian Martini as Corporal Fred Henderson, ranking non-commissioned officer at Ramelle
• Harve Presnell as General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the United States Army
• Leland Orser as DeWindt, pilot of a crashed Waco CG-4 glider transport
• Bryan Cranston as "Colonel at the War Department"
• Dylan Bruno as Private Toynbe, paratrooper at Ramelle

Production

Development

In 1994, Robert Rodat saw a monument in Putney Corners, New Hampshire, dedicated to eight brothers who died during the American Civil War. Inspired by the story, Rodat did some research and decided to write a similar story set in World War II. Rodat's script was submitted to producer Mark Gordon, who liked the story but only accepted the text after 11 redrafts. Gordon shared the finished script with Hanks, who liked it and in turn passed it along to Spielberg to direct. A shooting date was set for June 27, 1997.^[3] Before filming began, several of the film's stars, including Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg and Giovanni Ribisi as well as Tom Hanks, endured several days of "boot camp" training and work on the film set to prepare for their roles.^[4]

Spielberg had already demonstrated his interest in World War II themes with the films 1941, Empire of the Sun, Schindler's List, and the Indiana Jones series. Spielberg later co-produced the World War II themed television miniseries Band of Brothers with Tom Hanks. When asked about this by American Cinematographer, Spielberg said, "I think that World War II is the most significant event of the last 100 years; the fate of the Baby Boomers and even Generation X was linked to the outcome. Beyond that, I’ve just always been interested in World War II. My earliest films, which I made when I was about 14 years old, were combat pictures that were set both on the ground and in the air. For years now, I’ve been looking for the right World War II story to shoot, and when Robert Rodat wrote Saving Private Ryan, I found it."^[5]

The D-Day scenes were shot in Ballinesker Beach, Curracloe Stand, Ballinesker, just east of Curracloe, Wexford, Ireland.^[6][7][8] Filming began June 27, 1997, and lasted for two months.^[9][10][11] Some shooting was done in Normandy, for the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer and Calvados. Other scenes were filmed in English locations such as a former British Aerospace factory in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, London, Thame Park, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. Production was due to also take place in Seaham, County Durham, but government restrictions disallowed this.^[12]

Portraying history

Saving Private Ryan has been critically noted for its realistic portrayal of World War II combat. In particular, the initial 24-minute sequence depicting the Omaha landings was voted the "best battle scene of all time" by Empire magazine and was ranked number one on TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest Movie Moments".^[13] Filmed in Ireland at Ballinesker Beach, Curracloe Stand, Ballinesker, County Wexford (4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of the village of Curracloe), the Omaha Beach scene cost US$12 million and involved up to 1,500 extras, some of whom were members of the Irish Army Reserve. Local reenactment groups such as the Second Battle Group were cast as extras to play German soldiers.^[14] In addition, 20–30 actual amputees were used to portray US soldiers maimed during the landing.^[15]

The landing craft used included two actual World War II examples. The film-makers even used underwater cameras to better depict soldiers being hit by bullets in the water. Forty barrels of fake blood were used to simulate the effect of blood in the seawater.^[15] This degree of verisimilitude was more difficult to achieve when depicting World War II German armored vehicles, as few examples survive in operating condition. The Tiger tanks in the film were copies built on the chassis of old, but functional Soviet T-34 tanks.^[16] The two vehicles described in the film as 'Panzers' were meant to portray Marder III self-propelled guns. They were created for the film using the chassis of Czech-built Panzer 38(t) tanks^[17] similar to the construction of the original Marder III.

Inevitably, some artistic license was taken by the filmmakers for the sake of drama. One of the most notable is the depiction of the 2nd SS Division "Das Reich", as the adversary during the fictional Battle of Ramelle. The 2nd SS was not engaged in Normandy until July, and then at Caen against the British and Canadians, a hundred miles east.^[18] Further, the Merderet River bridges were not an objective of the 101st Airborne Division but of the 82nd Airborne Division, part of Mission Boston.^[19] Much has been said about various 'tactical errors' made by both the German and American forces in the film's climactic battle. Steven Spielberg responded, saying that in many scenes he opted to replace sound military tactics and strict historical accuracy for dramatic effect.^[20]

To achieve a tone and quality that was not only true to the story, but reflected the period in which it is set, Spielberg once again collaborated with cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, saying, "Early on, we both knew that we did not want this to look like a Technicolor extravaganza about World War II, but more like color newsreel footage from the 1940s, which is very desaturated and low-tech." Kamiński had the protective coating stripped from the camera lenses, making them closer to those used in the 1940s. He explains that "without the protective coating, the light goes in and starts bouncing around, which makes it slightly more diffused and a bit softer without being out of focus." The cinematographer completed the overall effect by putting the negative through an additional process that extracted more of the color. 90-degree or even 45-degree shutters were used for many of the battle sequences, as opposed to the standard of 180-degree shutters. Kamiński clarifies, "In this way, we attained a certain staccato in the actors' movements and a certain crispness in the explosions, which makes them slightly more realistic."^[21]

Release

The film was distributed by DreamWorks in North America and by Paramount Pictures internationally. As a result of Paramount's 2005 acquisition of DreamWorks, Paramount has gained North America distribution rights as well (though still through the DreamWorks division). Saving Private Ryan was a critical and commercial success and is credited with contributing to a resurgence in America's interest in World War II. Old and new films, video games, and novels about the war enjoyed renewed popularity after its release.^[22] The film's use of desaturated colors, hand-held cameras, and tight angles has profoundly influenced subsequent films.^[23] Saving Private Ryan was released in 2,463 theatres on July 28, 1998, and grossed $30.5 million on its opening weekend. The film grossed $216.5 million domestically and $265 million at the foreign box office, bringing its worldwide total to about $480 million and making it the highest grossing film of the year.^[24]

Critical reception was also positive, with much praise for the realistic battle scenes^[25] and the actors' performances,^[26] but earning some criticism for the script and for ignoring British contributions to the D-Day landings in general and at Omaha Beach specifically.^[27] The most direct example of the latter is that during the actual landing the 2nd Rangers disembarked from British ships and were taken to Omaha Beach by Royal Navy (LCAs) landing craft. The film depicts them as being United States Coast Guard-crewed (LCMs) craft from an American ship.^[28][29] This criticism was far from universal with other critics recognizing the director's intent to make an "American" film.^[30] The film was not released in Malaysia after Spielberg refused to cut the violent scenes;^[31] however, the film was finally released there on DVD with an 18SG certificate much later in 2005. It currently scores 94% on Rotten Tomatoes^[32] and 90% on Metacritic,^[33] two movie review aggregate sites. Many critics associations, such as New York Critics Circle and Los Angeles Film Critics Association, chose Saving Private Ryan as Film of the Year.^[34] Roger Ebert called it "a powerful experience".^[26]

The film was later nominated for eleven Academy Awards, with wins for Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Editing and Best Director for Spielberg, but lost the Best Picture award to Shakespeare in Love, being one of a few that have won the Best Director award without also winning Best Picture.^[35] The film also won the Golden Globes for Best Picture - Drama and Director, the BAFTA Award for Special Effects and Sound, the Directors Guild of America Award, a Grammy Award for Best Film Soundtrack, the Producers Guild of America Golden Laurel Award, and the Saturn Award for Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film.^[34] In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten Top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Saving Private Ryan was acknowledged as the eighth best film in the "epic films" genre.^[36]

Home video and television

The film debuted on home video in May 1999 with a VHS release that earned over $44 million. A later special edition, the D-Day 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, was released featuring an extra tape with documentary footage of the actual D-Day landings as well as the making of the film.^[37] The DVD was released in November of the same year,^[38] and was one of the best-selling titles of the year, with over 1.5 million units sold.^[39] The original DVD was released in two separate versions: one with Dolby Digital and the other with DTS 5.1 surround sound. Besides the different 5.1 tracks, the two DVDs are identical. The film was also issued in a very limited 2-disc Laserdisc release in November 1999, making it one of the very last feature films to ever be issued in this format, as Laserdiscs ceased manufacturing and distribution by the year's end, due in part to the growing popularity of DVDs.^[40] In 2004, a Saving Private Ryan special edition DVD was released to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day. This two-disc edition was also included in a box set titled World War II Collection, along with two documentaries produced by Spielberg, Price For Peace (about the Pacific War) and Shooting War (about war photographers, narrated by Tom Hanks).^[41]

On Veterans Day from 2001 through 2004, the American Broadcasting Company aired the film uncut and with limited commercial interruption. The network airings were given a TV-MA rating, as the violent battle scenes and the profanity were left intact. The 2004 airing was marred by preemptions in many markets because of the language, in the backlash of the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy;^[42] however, critics and veterans groups such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars assailed those stations and their owners including Hearst-Argyle Television (owner of 14 ABC affiliates), Scripps Howard Broadcasting (owner of eight), and Belo (the owner of four) for putting profits ahead of programming and honoring those who gave their lives at wartime saying the stations made more money running their own programming instead of being paid by the network to carry the film, especially during a sweeps period. A total of 65 ABC affiliates—28% of the network—did not clear the available timeslot for the film, even with the offer of The Walt Disney Company, ABC's parent, to pay all fines for language to the Federal Communications Commission.^[43] Months later, the FCC ruled that the film did not violate indecency guidelines.^[44] Since then, Turner Network Television has shown the film in its entirety on a regular basis.

References

Further reading

• Kershaw, Alex (2004-05-11). The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-day Sacrifice. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306813556. 
• Lefebvre, Laurent (September 2008). 29th Division ... a division of heroes. American d-Day. ISBN 295199639X. 
• Lefebvre, Laurent (2004-06-01). They Were on Omaha Beach. American d-Day. ISBN 2951996357. 

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Saving Private Ryan

• Saving Private Ryan at the Internet Movie Database
• American D-day
• 29th Infantry Division Historical Society
• Saving Private Ryan Online Encyclopedia
• Omaha Beach at Encyclopædia Britannica

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