Saving Private Ryan (1998)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writer (WGA):

Robert Rodat (written by)

Release Date:

24 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

In the Last Great Invasion of the Last Great War, The Greatest Danger for Eight Men was Saving... One.

Plot:

Following the Normandy Landings, a group of US soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.

Plot Keywords:

General | Invasion | Normandy | 1944 | Soldier

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 52 wins & 53 nominations

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Capt. John H. Miller
Tom Sizemore	...	Sgt. Mike Horvath
Edward Burns	...	Pvt. Richard Reiben
Barry Pepper	...	Pvt. Daniel Jackson
Adam Goldberg	...	Pvt. Stanley Mellish
Vin Diesel	...	Pvt. Adrian Caparzo
Giovanni Ribisi	...	T-5 Medic Irwin Wade
Jeremy Davies	...	Cpl. Timothy P. Upham
Matt Damon	...	Pvt. James Francis Ryan
Ted Danson	...	Capt. Fred Hamill
Paul Giamatti	...	Sgt. Hill
Dennis Farina	...	Lt. Col. Anderson
Joerg Stadler	...	Steamboat Willie
Max Martini	...	Cpl. Henderson (as Maximilian Martini)
Dylan Bruno	...	Toynbe

MPAA:

Rated R for intense prolonged realistically graphic sequences of war violence, and for language.

Runtime:

170 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | German | Czech

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #35942) | Taiwan:GP | Malaysia:18SG (DVD release) | Malaysia:(Banned) (theatrical) | Philippines:PG-13 | Brazil:14 | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | India:A | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA (re-rating on appeal) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Ontario) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-14 (re-rating) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | France:U | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:15 | Israel:PG | Italy:VM14 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R15 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating on appeal) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Calvados, France

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

When the camera shakes during explosions, Steven Spielberg used drills attached to the side of the camera which were turned on when required. While shooting with this effect the crew's photographer let Spielberg know that there was a shaker lens for cameras. Spielberg said in an interview that he had thought he had invented a great new technique at first.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the battle at the end of the movie, Jackson and the paratrooper are in the bell tower. Just before they run out of .30 caliber bullets, they are clearly not as close to the end of their ammo belt as the next shot suggests.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ryan's son: [running to comfort his father] Dad?
[flashback to D-Day]
LCVP pilot: Clear the ramp! Thirty seconds. God be with ya!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Band of Brothers" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Solitude

The Greatest War Movie Ever Made

It gives a million reason why no one should go to war and one very powerful reason to go to war. It is a soul numbing realistic depiction of what our grandfathers, fathers, uncles, brothers and sons have faced in humanities darkest moments. Not just in WWII but in any war. No one can see this movies without being altered in some way. No one should miss it with the EXCEPTION of those war veterans that have already been there. The surround sound puts the audience in the middle of the battle.

Steven Spielberg has out done himself and effectively held up a mirror to civilization for events to which we should all be ashamed of, rather than appalled at the movie for its real life depictions. I suggest that this movie be made standard view for congress as well as the President each and every time the question of war comes up. This movie would not stop future wars but I would hope the objectives would be much more clearly defined. I say this as a US Marine.