I felt that in a sense, that we are all Private Ryan because those soldiers fought for our freedom!

Rating: 10/10 (19 August 1999)

Normally I do not like war movies, but I watched Saving Private Ryan and loved it! It deserves to be among the top 250 movies. The story is loosely based on a true story of The Sullivan Brothers. There were five brothers that were all put aboard a ship, the ship sunk and they all died in the same day. Imagine how devastating that must have been to that family. Because of the Sullivan Brothers there has been a law passed that siblings cannot serve on the same vessel.	My father -in-law was a pilot and the only son during the Korean war. He was a volunteer! His plane crashed on U.S. soil. My husband is the soul survivor and he was then seven months old. My mother-in -law heard the news on the radio. Imagine how devastating that must have been. My husband makes miniature model airplanes. We have quite a collection of those cute little planes. Every airplane is well researched as my husband goes to National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. He is very interested in the Pacific Theater - a war buff! He also corresponds with several veterans. It is really adorable. He loves war movies. I tend to fall asleep watching them, unfortunately, but I try to stay awake and understand. We have a good collection of famous war movies, educational videos etc. I purchased Saving Private Ryan along with a very romantic movie, because I thought: I am sure that I will doze off! But no! I watched the entire thing and loved it!	Let me tell you why I loved it: (1) There is no unnecessary use of curse words. They are used properly there are no exaggerations! I watched "Full Metal Jacket," I know that those guys curse but every word in that movie is "F word!" I hated it. (2) Then the painted faces. They scare me to death! I know it is a form of camouflage but I still get scared. That is what scared me the most in "Apocalypse Now" and "Platoon." (3) I understood the story in this movie and it is moving. It is nice story telling. Going back in time. Private Ryan being such a nice person makes the movie even better! I liked two war movies so far, this one and "A Midnight Clear." I must understand the point. Just plain violence does not cut it! People say but that is how war is. Well, I want to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. I can only take so much. I did not have to go to war. It is just a movie. I do not want to be traumatized all at once in one movie! (4) I don't like the over emphasis on the use of drugs in movies like "Platoon"either. There is nothing like that in Saving Private Ryan. That is why I love it!	My favorite scene: at the end of the movie cemetery, the camera pans and there are all those white crosses: I felt that we are all Private Ryan because those soldiers fought for our freedom. Most of us enjoy such freedom undeservingly. But they died for us all. My favorite quotes: " All four were in the same company, but after we split them after the Sullivan brothers died on the Juno." Ryan: " Tell her that when you found me, I was here and I was with the only brothers that I have left".