Stunning Achievement

Rating: 10/10 (18 November 1998)

I saw Saving Private Ryan 4 times. The first time, on opening day, I entered the darkened theatre with about 12 other people, most of them my dad's age-W.W.II vets. I went in with no preconceived notions, I read no advance reviews. I began to cry a couple minutes into it, beginning with that sweeping view of the cemetary, all those row upon row of white crosses. I was completely blown away by the battle scenes that followed; the praying, terrified boys in the boats, the machine-gun slaughter and the sound of those gunshots, the blood washing up on shore. My hands had gouges in the palms where my fingernails dug in. I left the theatre that day completely drained, useless. I went back a few days later so I might view the movie with a little more detachment and pick up some finer details. While the opening scenes were still jarring, I was a bit more composed to appreciate the other fine qualities and moments in this film. The characters-perfect in their lightly sketched state, especially the characters of Jackson the sniper and Wade the medic. The camera work-astonishing, especially in the battle sequences. The memorable little speeches- Wade in the church, talking about his mom. The pilot of the downed plane reliving the crash. Reiben pensively discussing his customers breast size. The death scenes-Wade getting killed and the desperate attempt of his companions to save him. Tom Hanks losing it after that point, his hold on sanity slipping. Mellish stabbed thru the heart, begging for mercy. Months later these things are all very distinct in my mind as is the eerie, screeching whine of that tank lumbering into the rubble-strewn town at the beginning of the final battle. While this was not a perfect film, it came close. I embrace the reaction of four different film audiences as my own. Never in my life have I been to a movie, once, twice or even four times and had entire audiences go deadly silent. In SPR no-one moved, no-one spoke, a great many boys, girls, men and women wept. After the movie ended, people stayed in their seats, stunned. I have never felt such a universal bonding of emotion that I did during that film. And that is why Saving Private Ryan is so special. In this hopeless age, where life is so cheap and the world has become cynical and hardened to death and disaster, it is a relief to know we can still react to atrocities, such as Spielberg showed in this film, like human beings.
Thanks.