Saving Private Ryan

[Mister James]

Just watched the film again for about the twelfth time - and I only sat down to watch the Normandy beach D-Day scene!

It occasionally gets a little sentimental and clumsy - and I didn't really appreciate the obligatory Yank jab at Monty - but I think it handles the concept of ordinary men doing crazy things really well, especially as it pre-dates the excellent Band of Brothers.

The effects are superb, everything from the slow-mo, hand-held camera work to the massive explosions and scarily real-sounding bullets-hitting-flesh noises. (I seem to remember reading that to get them, they went to an abattoir and fired off hundreds of rounds into dead cows)

The end-scene in the graveyard in the present day(ish) is also pretty moving, despite the heavy-handed schmaltz, and ties the film together well in my opinion. That said, one of my favourite scenes remains the ruined village at Ramele, where they are all sitting waiting for the Waffen SS to come and kick their arses, while Edith Piaf plays in the background - very poignant and surreal.

Anyone else feel the same, or am I the only one?
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[Akira]

No, I agree. Very well done film overall, and while far from perfect, very effective.

[Mister James]

Did you catch the Band of Brothers mini-series? That's superb as well, if not better.
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[Akira]

No mate, the mrs loved it so I steered clear. I'm a snob like that, but you would understand if you saw the shite she watches

[Mister James]

Worth a look, it's like 10 hours of SPR, without the really sentimental yankee bits.
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[JonB]

Band of Brothers is truly amazing, my girlfriend has the DVD box set and I spent 10 hours watching them all. Follows a great story and probably one the best "films" I have ever seen.
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[LewisD]

Saving private ryan is one of my favourite films of all time. very well shot and directed. And it kicks arse

Haven't seen Band of brothers, although i did catch one episode where its night time and they're all asleep in holes, i think anyway was a long time ago

Might have to try and get hold of it now

[ncrn]

I hadnt seen saving private ryan, until last friday when I couldnt sleep, and the film was very good in my opinion, so I watched it again last night.

I just liked the way the soldiers were real soldiers that got shot, died, made mistakes got themselves blown up, hid in a hole crying when everyone else around them was dead, and still fought on.

just seemed very realistic

and you have to love the bit at the end when the captains shooting the tank with the pistol
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[RickHolt]

I find it hard to watch again without skipping past the slow bits. The beggining is good. Watch how from the allies view there's thousands of people moving up the beach, from the german view there's about 3.

Overall a good film though if you can ignore some of the Americanised bits.

Rick.

[G]

Too much cheese and american shineyness for my liking.

The thin Red Line which was out at around the same time was a lot better in my opinion, from what I remember.

[Whosthedaddy]

Saving Privte Ryan is a class film. Its made by Yanks so of course its cheesey and dipicted them winning WW2 on their own

The special effects and camera work truely makes it real for the audience
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[hellkat]

I'm not normally squeamish. I'll watch gorefests till the cows come home.

But that film feels too realistic, and every time I try to watch it, the gore just gets to me, and I can't watch it.

I tried again last night to watch it - kept peeking at the screen from behind my laptop, but every time I peeked, someone was gushing claret in a far too realistic way, or bullets were thudding with sickening noises.

Its a shame, as from what you are saying, its probably a good film, (and plus I understand it has a young Vin Diesel in it *drool*) - didn't see him, too busy not looking at blood and guts.

I'm as realistic a person as they come, but there's too much reality in that there shooting-fest for this girl

Think I'll go back and finish reading War and Peace, its as close to enjoying war as I'm interested in getting.
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[divuk83]

Great special effects in the starting battle scene. Its a disc I use for teting out 5.1 surround. Shame about the rest of the film though, poor over acting from lots of crap American actors and I dislike the way it only shows US troops/flags etc. If memory serves correct they even slag off Montgomery for doing very little during the landings. Twaddle.

Dave

[TheShaggyDA]

I've still not watched it. Have it on DVD, unopened. Never seem to be in the right mood for it.
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[akaDAVE]

I happened to see the beach landing scene last night when I turned over. Stopped be half way through my dinner!
It really is an excellent bit of filming, I was mesmerised..
A lot of us have grown up watching many films and portrayals of it which have been far from real. You accept the history lessons but never actually realise that these things happened.
The start of that film makes you realise that it was ordinary lads in those boats and they must have been shitting themselves.
I couldn't help imagining myself in that position and I know I would not be running up the beach guns blazing. I would be taking cover and thinking what a bunch of arseholes the military leaders are for sending men in like that.
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[Bendy]

[Method]

Ive got both Saving Private Ryan, and Band of Brothers.

For me there's no contest between them. BoB wins hands down and always will. Its just so much more "realistic" than Private Ryan...

When i saw SPR for the first time i was amazed, thought it was the business... but the annoying thing is that - as a film, its too heroic, as in tom hanks escapes everything until the end of the film... where as in BoB, people randomly just get hit and thats it, no care for rank or importance, they just get hit and thats that... they have to carry on.

Band of Brothers is the most brilliant series i have ever seen, well worth the £45 i spent on the dvd set... I realy cant get across how excelent it is... you realy have to see it.

Has to be the most hard hitting film ive ever seen.

(Talking of war films, enemy at the gates is allright too )
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[Visitor Q]

Read stalingrad (by anthony beevor) if you want realism, Shaving ryans privates is far from it.

Also makes people think the d-day landings were near suicidal, whereas in fact the beaches that got properly softened up first the troops pretty much walked up.

Dont get me wrong i think its a very good film overall, but as pointed out the beach swapping from 5000 people running up shitloads of obstacles on a massive beach to german view of free mean running sideways on an empty beach is a tad... well... bizarre. Stuff like that annoys me in films.

Like in ryans daughter, where they come out of the storm scene where its torrential rain, thunder, waves etc, get up the hill and its glorious sunshine with puddles... right.
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[DevilWAH]

I never could see in Saving private Ryan what other people did.
I agree it was an Ok film. but with all the other war films around i didn't really think it stood out above many of them.
So yes it was a good film, but i really can't see why it was so talked up.

As for band of brothers, this was a great series...
Some really hard hitting stuff. In my opnium much better than most of the WW2 films around. some of the episodes towards the end get hard to watch. And to know the people in it are real people makes it even better..
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[Wave2k]

its a great film, definatly one of my favourites .
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[Didge]

Yep! Loved both Saving Private Ryan, and Band of Brothers.
What I liked about BOB, was the survivors talking about their experiences at the start of every episode. Made it very moving I thought.
Very realistic, moving and horrible at the same time.

[Mister James]

Not to mention the opening theme - pure class!
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[Fortuna]

One of my all time favourites.
First time I saw the beach landings I was amazed. The thing with Tom Hanks character living so long is quite true to what it was and mentioned in the film. He's a Captain so sends the others in first, and he also mentions about the number of soldiers killed under his command.

Band of Brothers is amazing and you get more of a sense of a "journey" from watching it through.
From Wiki:
(Director and producer Tom Hanks makes an uncredited appearance in the group of rescued British soldiers.) The Red Caps.

[Graham88]

Definetly in my Top 10 favourite films!