Private Ryan

[ARshooter]

FYI, the average age of a soldier in WWII was 26 and 19 in Vietnam.

A few days before Saving Private Ryan came out, the History Channel's (I think)"Movies In Time" show reviewed the movie with two soldiers (one regular army and one Ranger) who were at the D-Day invasion. They said that the invasion scenes could not have been more realistic.

The movie people will NEVER be able to make a movie that can accurately depict war. It just can't be done. The horror of war would cause many people to walk out of the theatre. They couldn't take it.

To the many Veterans out there, thank you for the freedoms that I enjoy.

 

[Edmund Rowe]

I enjoyed SPR as a movie. I don't expect any movie to be anywhere close to accurate which is why the vivid battle scenes of SPR impressed me a great deal.

I was not happy funding the producer's agenda.

I asked a WW2 veteran if he'd like to see the movie with me. He agreed enthusiastically. CS has diabetes and doesn't get out much. It was my pleasure to pick him up and take him the theater. I don't think people my age do much of anything for vets like him. I'm glad I did this, though.

A couple of times in the movie he was wincing, like at the time that 20mm ack ack gun is blazing away BWA BWA BWA BWA BWA!!! According to Small Arms Review, they recorded a 20mm Soluthurn shooting live ammo, among other live ammo machine guns for sound effects. Also, CS was in the infantry in the fighting in Manila and told me later that the Japs had a bunch of 20mm and 37mm AA guns and such firing in direct support of the infantry, so the sounds no doubt got to him at that point.

Anyway, after the movie we're in the restroom at the urinals and he's REAL quiet, and just said, "It rang true" and didn't say anything for about 20 minutes as I drove him home. Then he started talking about his experiences in the Pacific at Hollandia and the Phillipines as an infantryman and wouldn't stop for about 90 minutes.

CS brought me in his home and we had tea while he told me about many of his war stories and occupation duty in Japan after the war was over. I thought it was a great opportunity to hear some living history from someone who'd been there at the sharp end.

Anyway, I thought despite the producer's political agenda, this movie has done more than most anything in a long time to show what the WW2 generation did for our country in a very positive light.

By the way, there was a real incident that SPR might have been based on. The soldier in
question was a paratrooper in the 101st and lost one brother in the 82nd on D-Day, one brother at Utah beach on D-Day, and one brother lost while flying the "Hump" in the China-Burma-India theater. His mom got all 3 telegrams on one day. On 7 June 44 a chaplain found him (with no apparant drama) with his unit and informed him that the Army wanted him out of combat and sent home. The story is briefly mentioned in "Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose.

Edmund

 

[metro25]

Saving Private Ryan illustrates the very essence of the military profession "violence". Hits closer to home if you are watching it on a deployment.

 

[swampgator]

I actually teared up in the end when the older Ryan asks the grave of the Capt "was my life worth it?"

Kinda brings to light the sacrifices that all soldiers of all wars have faced and will continue to face as long as there is such a thing as war.

Thursday is Veterans Day. So to all my former comrades in arms I say "thank you" and to all the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines currently in uniform, and prepared to go in harm's way I say: "Thank you".

Gator

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Root Hog or Die Poor

 

[Dr.Rob]

Yeah maybe it was "just a movie" but it really made me suspend MY disbelief.. i wasn't watching for errors in the plot or technicalities... i was watching a deeply compelling morality play set in the back drop of the war we all grew up with "the big one".

What the film DID show was that war is a nasty dirty brutal business ministered by moth moral and immoral men,both of which can be on either side of the conflict.

I thought the had to hand scene was gratuitous... and the scene where ted danson saves the day was a little silly.... i think as soon as the wall fell down BOTH sides would have gone guns a blazing.

But really, the film was about sacrifices... guys will often tell you they didn't fight for thier country, or thier flag or apple pie or any of that.. they fought for each other or just to get home to thier loved ones.

I called my dad and brother and thanked them for thier combined 30 years in service after I saw the film.

Dr.Rob

 

[Alex]

I agree with Jim Keenan. I've seen the movie twice now - once on the big screen and once on video. I liked it at first, but the unit dynamics bothered me and struck me as not realistic, as well as the last part of playing the Victola while waiting for the Germans. (I was a Marine infantry officer from 1984 - 1989)
The second time I saw it, it struck me as a deeply flawed movie - pretty accurate battle scenes, lousy portrayal of soldiers. But then, of course, no in in Hollywood has actually BEEN in the military any more.

 

[James K]

Even John Wayne just played a soldier - he was never in the military. Ronald Reagan was in the Army, serving in a Hollywood unit turning out training films. Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable flew bombers. Others served in various places. Audie Murphy became a star because he was a real-life hero.

Jim

 

[Pthfndr]

While maybe it was not technically accurate, it did give a fairly good depiction of the violence of war. As was intended. When trying to say that the interaction between the Captain and his men was not particualrly realistic, consider this. The Captain said they had been together since North Africa, the American involvement of which began in Nov 1943 and lasted until near the end of May. They then went to Sicily and and fought again in Italy. It's now June 1944. 1-1/2 years later. The Captain commented on how he had lost 90 (?) men of his company in that time. So those who had been with him since the beginning comprised a very small and by that time, tight knit group of men. Men he trusted, respected and depended on. Men he has survived with. Those who have been through intense combat, severe natural disasters or horrific accidents with others know that regardless of how you feel about those with you going in, there is a certain comraderie and closeness that develops among survivors. I don't think this was really a story about "Saving Private Ryan". This was a story about people like that. Who just wanted to survive one more time, one more day, to do what needed to be done and be able to go back to the safety of home and family. I think that is what makes the final scene so significant. I think Ryan says what so many vets contemplate when they think of those who did not return with them. For those of us who owe our freedom to those that fought, and died, maybe we should ask the ourselves the same question.

[This message has been edited by Pthfndr (edited November 10, 1999).]

 

[Ivan8883]

WWII American Vets,did a outstanding job fighting a war that ,contrary to popular beliefs,may not have been fought with much enthusiasm at the start or end. The percentage of draftees in the american Army of WWII was higher than the vietnam era army. There were more volunteers percentage wise in the Vietnam era army than in the Us WWII army. disiplinary problems in the WWII Army,esspecially in europe were much higher than in the vietnam era army. i believe there were over 20,000 deserters in paris alone. Several hundred american soldiers were executed for murder and rape of european civilians(allied civilians ).It may have been a miracle how well our soldiers performed in Europe inspite of these drawbacks. The united States had the best army in its history in 1964,vastly superior in many ways to the Us Army of 1943 ,1944, and even 1945. It looks like the problems we faced in that mess of Vietnam,statistic wise, were not as bad as the problems of the Us Army in the European Campaign. Sure we won in Europe,with the huge manpower help of the Red army and the British Commenwealth troops from a dozen nations. I think a lot of the WWII vets have been unfair in criticizing Vietnam Vets and have for gotten the unknown or forgotten facts of US Army problems in WWII. Just think about it. The USA was commited to destroy the Axis and had serious problems in filling quotas and disiplining troops. The Us govt constantly sabatoged the Us Army in Vietnam,yet our troops had a really excellent record in that hellhole inspite of the drugs and racial problems(which were nothing compared to the race riots and segregated Us military of WWII) Movies on WWII overlook these problems while picturing the US Army of the sixties as incompetent.My father and uncles were WWII combat vets and i thank them still today. But i like to see historic truth which should not detract from these brave men of WWII. and dont forget a lot of people made fortunes and good salaries from WWII and i can remember as a boy in the fifties what my grandfather used to say(WWI Vet) " a lot of people gettin rich while men die! My favorite war movie is "All quiet on the Western Front". It says it all in my opinion.