Saving Private Ryan (DVD)

Spielberg has broken from the norm with this film and has the courage to depict war as it really is. Previous war films have been heavily sanitised to 'protect' the viewer, and Saving Private Ryan acts as a wake up call to the public, especially to myself and the younger generation, who have never experienced a major conflict in our lifetime. This film acts as an antidote to the traditional John Wayne style war movie. War is not fun, and this film removes the myth that when a soldier is shot, they fall to the floor quietly and lie still. Some of the injuries suffered by the soldiers are truly horrific but the level of violence is not gratuitous and is necessary as it adds to the level of realism.

Many people have argued that this film only portrays the American side of D-Day, neglecting the contribution of the troops from other Allied nations. Whilst this is true, Omaha beach and the areas featured in this film were areas attacked by predominantly American troops, and to feature the entire Normandy area of operations would overly complicate the story. The scene showing Omaha beach after the battle, with the sea flowing red with all the blood spilt, is particularly poignant and brings a lump to the throat of everyone who sees it.

I recently watched this film with my grandfather, who landed on the British 'Gold' beach in one of the first waves ashore on June 6th 1944. He watched the first 20 minutes of the film, which depicts the D-Day landings, with tears in his eyes as the memories of that day flooded back. While he got through that day unharmed, a number of his friends and comrades were not so fortunate. The film transported him back 57 years, and he said that this is the closest you can get to the reality of the landings without actually being in a landing craft and coming under fire.

Saving Private Ryan aptly demonstrates the horror and chaos of battle. After watching this film I found myself with a new found sense of respect for those young men who were thrust into the Hell of World War 2 and still carry those memories as pensioners. Stunning, moving, compelling, and deserving of all the accolades it gets.

I went to see this in the cinema when it first came out. My friends and I were speechless when we came out, this film is harrowing. The story is simple and the characters may be a little cliched but its hardly the point, what counts here is the depiction of war at its most brutally honest. In this film Spielberg proved his genius to me, rising above the silliness and indulgent sentimentality of most of his work.

There is some sentimentality in this, but as someone who was moved to tears when visiting the war graves at Omaha Beach I do not find it inappropriate. I wondered about the people whose memorials I saw and this film gives a graphic, shocking account of how they died. Veterans have said that in watching the first scenes of this film they were taken back to what they hadn't allowed themselves to remember. Spielberg did his homework well and the grainy, slightly overexposed look to this film adds authenticity.

We are all survivors of war but we do not understand it unless we have direct experience. As a man who would probably been a soldier during WW2 I look at this and wonder how I would have managed, what I would have done. These are questions we should all ask ourselves if we allow our countries to indulge in warfare and this film is starkly honest in its depiction of what is meant by heroism, sacrifice and the altered reality that is war.

Saving Private Ryan finally gets the treatment it deserves with this superior DVD release, now complete with a DTS soundtrack. The special features on the discs are minimal, with only a few trailers and some notes; but there is an interesting, if not fascinating documentary on the making of the film which includes interviews with D-Day veterans.

However, you probably wouldn't buy a film like this for the features. You would buy it for the intense, unrivalled and spellbinding combat sequences - most notably the acclaimed D-Day landing recreation. But it doesn't stop there. Spielberg takes us into a debate about the war through the eyes of eight stereotypical soldiers (although nonetheless powerful or resonating for it). The soldiers lay the different views, reasons and arguments before the audience about the war that were shared by so many at the time.

The film climaxes in what can only be described as a brilliant battle between the platoon in peril and Nazi tanks and infantry. The film is improved with the DTS soundtrack, which completely immerses you into the experience. This is a great transfer onto DVD of a great film.

The extras too on this 2-disc release are good, documenting well each aspect of the making of the film. Altogether, a worthy treatment of what has been often called the greatest war film ever made!

Special Features



* Introduction from director Steven Spielberg
* 'Looking Into The Past': Steven Spielberg explains the research, the screenplay and his intentions
* 'Miller And His Platoon': Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and the cast introduce the characters they played
* 'Boot Camp': memories from the participants about the intense boot camp under the supervision of military advisor Dale Dye
* 'Making Saving Private Ryan': a look at the production, costumes and photography
* 'Recreating Omaha Beach': how the famous opening battle was constructed
* 'Music And Sound': information from the Oscar-winning team who scored the film
* 'Parting Words': Spielberg and Hanks conclude on their respective experiences
* Interactive menu
* Scene access

A very good film without a doubt, i only wish us Brits would stop moaning about the fact that it doesn't include us. Why should it?-we were on totally different beaches miles away and the British thrust moved in a different direction to the Americans. If Tom Hanks had come across some English paratroopers he would have walked for about 30 miles in the wrong direction. This film was very accurate to the last detail -stop moaning and look up your history.