REEL
HISTORY: SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
| Brandi Blackburn | Maymester 2000 |
| History 1302 | Myers & Scharf |
DESCRIPTION:
The movie opens as an
older man (Private James Ryan) looks to a tombstone. The movie is then a
flashback to Normandy when the American forces invaded during D-Day at Omaha
Beach on June 6, 1944. Thousands upon thousands of American soldiers were shot
dead upon the opening scene of the barge. Graphic images where bullets
single-handedly killed men and grotesquely ripped apart their bodies filled the
scene. Before the scene closed, the camera moved to the sea where the blood
turned the ocean red and men lied helplessly dying on the oceanfront.
Back in the United States, letters
had reported about the death of Sean, Daniel, and Peter Ryan (all brothers) who
were KIA (killed in action). The mother, Mrs. Ryan, was to receive all of the
letters of their death on the same day. The General, George C. Marshall, was
reminded of a letter from Abraham Lincoln sent to a woman who had lost all five
of her sons in the war while they proudly defended the United States. Upon
reading the letter, the General ordered the safe return of Private James
Francis Ryan from Iowa, the only son left for Mrs. Ryan. Eight men were sent to
risk their lives to save one man, Private Ryan. Along the way, several men were
lost.
Finally, when they
find James Ryan, he was surprised to find out that two men had died while
commanding orders to save him. Ryan was at first unwilling to return and said
to "tell my mother that I decided to stay here with the only brothers I have
left." He did not understand why he was chosen to return. The six men that
were left decided to stay there with Ryan and his men to defend the incoming
troops while trying to protect Ryan. Captain John Miller was put in charge of
protecting Ryan. Eventually more lives were lost trying to save Private Ryan,
including the man who was trying to save him, Captain Miller. Private Ryan was
one of the few survivors and he did return to his mother, Mrs. Ryan, in the
end. The last scene is the end of the flashback by James Ryan who visits the
man who risked his life to save his, Captain John H. Miller.
CONNECTION
TO HISTORY:
World War II, the
concentration of this movie, began on September 1, 1939. The war started when
Germany invaded Poland. Germany then formed a coalition with eight other
nations calling themselves the Axis Powers. One of the reasons World War II
took place roots in the fact that Japan, Italy, and Germany, all Axis powers,
wanted more territory. In opposition to the Axis powers were the Allies, which
consisted of forty-nine nations against the Axis powers .
The men in the movie were American; Americans
were brought into the war upon the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1041
by the Japanese. During the movie, troops were fighting in Normandy, the
location of the D-Day attack on June 6, 1944. During D-Day, three million
British, Canadian, and American men lined up on the oceanfront of Omaha Beach
to try to take over the Axis forces. The Allies had five thousand large ships,
eleven thousand aircrafts, and four thousand smaller landing crafts. D-Day was
initially set for June 5, 1944; however storms forced Eisenhower, the president
from 1953 to 1961, to delay the attack. Eisenhower noted that D-Day was
unexpected by Germany which mounted a successful attack. Finally, the Allies
captured Cherbourg on June 27th.
BENEFITS:
The
benefits in Saving Private Ryan by far exceed the problems. This movie is an excellent source of history concerning World War
II because it precisely follows the chronological order of events that took
place during the war. If the observer
can look past all of the blood and violence and focus the idea that people
actually went through situations such as these, this can definitely be one of
the most powerful experiences that someone can have. The fact that the war actually did happen about fifty years ago
is what really makes this movie an emotion thriller. Most people are curious about what a war is really like, and this
is by far one of the most realistic war pictures ever made. Not only does this movie give the viewer an
idea about what a war is like, it actually follows a sequential timeline on in
World War II.
Saving Private Ryan begins the opening scene on June 6, 1944, which is the
D-Day attack at Omaha Beach. The movie
shows the viewers the date and the place upon which the scene is taking place
to inform the viewer about the historical significance of the movie. Rather than creating a pointless movie,
Steven Spielberg has creatively incorporated a historical movie that depicts a
real-life war. Another important
benefit from watching the movie is that the viewers could feel an emotional
bond to those soldiers that fought in the war, leading them to become more
interested in World War II. Another
benefit this movie has is that it persuades more Americans to be patriotic by
showing that these men proudly fought to defeat the Axis Powers.
POSSIBLE
PROBLEMS:
Although
this movie is a powerful image of the past, there are some problems that some
people might find offensive. Throughout
the movie, the war violence is graphic, which may be inappropriate for children
under the age of seventeen. There are
graphic scenes where men lose legs, arms, and their lives. Some people might find the language in this
movie offensive. Another problem is
that the search for Private Ryan was fictional. While there was a Lieutenant James Ryan, there is no concrete
evidence that supports the search for Private James Ryan. This movie incorporates fiction and history
to appeal to the public interest of the nineties.
R,
Drama/War, 170 Minutes, Color, Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks
HERITAGE
TOPICS:
Morality
Dedication/Loyalty
Determination
Heroism
Death
AWARDS:
1998 Academy Awards:
Best
Director – Steven
Spielberg
Best
Cinematography – Janusz
Kaminski
Best
Film Editing – Michael
Kahn
Best Sound – Gary Rydstrom, Gary
Summers, Andy Nelson, Ronald Judkins
Best
Sound Effects Editing – Gary Rydstrom, Richard hymns
Academy Award Nominations:
Best
Picture
Best
Actor - Tom Hanks
Best
Original Screenplay – Robert Rodat
Best
Art Direction – Tom
Sanders, Lisa Dean Kavanaugh
Best
Makeup – Lois Burwell,
Conor O’Sullivan, Daniel C. Strieipeke
Best
Original Dramatic Score – John Williams
FEATURED
ACTORS:
Tom
Hanks (Captain John H. Miller)
Edward
Burn I ( Private Reiben)
Tom
Siezmore ( Sergeant Michael Horvath)
Barry
Pepper (Private Jackson)
Adam
Goldberg
(Private Mellish)
Vin
Diesel (Private Adrian Caparzo)
Giovanni
Ribisi
(T/4 Medic Irvin Wade)
Ted
Danson (Captain Fred Hamill)
Matt
Damon (Private James Francis Ryan)
Paul
Giamatti (Sergenat Hill)
Jeremy
Davies
(Corporal Timothy E. Upham)
Dylan
Bruno
(Toynbe)
Dennis
Farina
(Lieutenant Colonel Anderson)
Joerg
Stadler (Steadboat Willie)
Max
Martini (Corporal Henderson)
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND:
World War II: World
War II was the most destructive war
in history. The war began on September
1st, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland and did not cease until
September 1945 when peace treaties were signed between the countries. World War II
is the war in which killed the most people, cost the most money, and destroyed
the most property than any other war in history. There are several factors that historians blame for the cause of
World War II. One of the factors is
that problems were left unsolved from World War I which provoked the onset of
the second world war. The rise in
dictatorships, namely Germany, Italy, and Japan, provoked World War II
because these countries had a thirst for more territory. These three countries, along with Albania,
Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Romania, and Thailand formed the Axis Powers. The countries, in opposition to the Axis
Powers were the Allies. The Allies
consisted of 49 countries, including the Big
Four, China, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States, which led the
Allied forces. On December 7, 1941,
Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor which caused the United States to enter the world war.
War Casualties: Men
from all around the world fought in the war and it is estimated that
fifty-seven million people lost their lives in this historical massacre. Men from almost every country fought in this
world war. Both the Axis Powers and the
Allied Forces endured tremendous loses, losing millions of people per
country. The country that lost the most
men during World War II was the U.S.S.R, losing over six million men. Germany was the second leading country with
the most casualties, losing over three million. For more information on a more detailed calculation on the number
of men lost during World War II, refer to the death totals
chart. Part of this vast massacre was
due in part to the coming of the atomic
age, in which new weapons were invented and used at the end of this
war.
War Mothers: Mothers, daughters, and children of men
who were fighting in the war were often called upon to do some of the men’s
duties while the men were serving in the war .
The mother often feared the Western Union Telegram, which would inform
her of the death of her son during the war.
Women would often listen to special bulletins on the radio to hear of the current status of the Unites States during
the war. The radio newsreels
would report on victories and defeats during the war. With the men at war, there was a shortage of labor which often
called upon women to do the “men’s work” in the United States. Women were
encouraged to write letters to their husbands and sons during the war; however,
they were asked to keep their letter on the positive side as to let them know
they are doing a good job.
Spielberg’s Movie: Steven Spielberg, the director of Saving Private Ryan, had special motives
for making this historical movie, including the fact that his father was a
soldier in World War II. In an interview with
Spielberg, he acknowledged that Saving
Private Ryan is an accurate portrayal of the events that occurred in
World War II, with large the exception of the search for Private James Ryan. Spielberg stated that he followed events in
a chronological order and tried to depict events as they occurred. He noted that the D -Day scene
was as real-life as he could get without exaggerating the details. The actual invasion of D-Day occurred
on a rainy day, so he drained the color to make the hazy appearance. Spielberg wanted to make this movie as real as
possible so he collected horror stories told by veterans. Spielberg stated, “I felt, because the film
is based on historic fact, its not gratuitous or exploitative for reasons of
making money or entertainment.” He
noted that soldiers temporarily lost their hearing due to bombs, so he wanted
it so graphic and the sound to be so good that you could watch it with your
eyes closed. Spielberg noted that most
war films are watered down, and he wanted to make an anti-war movie . . . not a
movie about glory. Spielberg said,
“Everyday on the beach with Private Ryan, I had to pinch myself to say ‘Make it
the way it was, not the way we’ve been making movies about.’”
George C. Marshall: Marshall was
the General who called upon the retrieval of Private James Ryan in the movie
Saving Private Ryan. Although no
records have shown that this evidence is accurate, Marshall was appointed the
U.S. chief of staff with the rank of general in 1939. During the next two years, he directed the
preparations and entrance into World War II in December of 1941. Among some of his duties was to organize,
train, and deploy the United States troops.
He was chiefly responsible for appointing commanders for all
operations. In 1944, due to his
satisfactory work, he was promoted to the General of the United States
Army. He later was in charge of the Marshall Plan and United States Secretary of State in President Truman’s
administration.
War Heroes: In Steven Spielberg’s movie, Saving Private Ryan, he establishes a new meaning to a war hero when compared
to a 1940’s war movie. In older World
War II movies, the motive was about glory and less about the painful realities
of what American soldiers actually went through. In earlier time, war heroes were those who killed the most men and
destroyed the most property. Today, the
war hero revolves around bravery and rescue.
Even though the movie Saving
Private Ryan revolves around war, the central theme, rescuing Private James
Ryan, overshadows the image of war to create a more moralistic view. War heroes of the 1990’s are centered around
morality rather around destructivity.
DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS:
- Why did Steven Spielberg direct a movie with such graphic and explicit
content?
- How
accurately does this film portray World War II?
- Were
the people fighting in the war forced to fight or did they enlist?
- If
the movie did not have such graphical and explicit content, would the
movie have received as much acclaim as it did? Would it have had
carried the same message?
- Would
the government officials actually order eight men to risk their lives to
save the life of one individual?
- Why
couldn’t they take the little girl as a hostage?
- How
do they account for some of the soldiers that were missing?
- If
they encountered an enemy, such as the eight men did, could they have let
him go such as the eight men did?
- In
the movie, how did the soldiers communicate with each other?
- Would
it be possible to actually find one man out of millions of men fighting in
a war at that time?
- Why
do people like to watch war movies that shows explicit violence?
- How
does our attitude of a war hero change over time? (for example, a 1940’s
war hero compared to a 1990’s war hero)
FILMOGRAPHY:
Big Red One, The – 1980 (Director : Samuel Fuller)
World War II film with a
sergeant trying to survive. A World War
II squad who bring in new recruitments and who see them die as they try to help
win the war.
Come and See
– 1985 ( Director : Elem Klimov)
This is a story of a
young boy who is uninterested in entering World War II which he sees as a
hopeless war against Germany. He is subject
to horrifying situations which causes him to lost his innocence and mind.
Das Boot –
1981 ( Director : Wolfgang Peterson)
This movie
is an explicit view in the life of a German U-boat whose job is to destroy
enemy ships in the Atlantic.
D-Day the Sixth of June – 1956 (Director :
Henry Koster)
This movie
begins the night before D-Day when Special Force Six Begins its dangerous
mission.
Thin Red Line, The – 1998 (Director : Terrence Mallick)
A World War II film that
includes the crucial battle of Guadalcanal.
This movie includes a fight over an air-field and in the end it turns
into a fight for survival.
WEBOGRAPHY:
http://mrshowbiz.go.com/interviews/424_1.html
This is
an interview with Steven Spielberg, the director of Saving Private Ryan. This
interview gives Spielberg’s reasons for directing this World War II
reproduction. Saving Private Ryan is like a biography because his father fought
in World War II.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Studio/1327/essays.html
This
website is an accurate account of the events that took place on D-Day 1944 and
the relevance it portrays to Saving
Private Ryan. The website itself
contains links to encyclopedias and PBS websites that further highlight and
describe events in a more detailed manner.
http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1998/07/072404.html
This is a
review by of Saving Private Ryan by
Robert Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times.
He describes Saving Private Ryan’s
opening scenes as the most graphic he has ever seen. He depicts the movie as a powerful experience that will remain
with people for years to come.
http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9807/24/review.saving.private.ryan/index.html
This is a
CNN review of Saving Private Ryan
which describes this powerful movie as a monument for the men who cost their
lives during the war. It says that this
is a true depiction of World War II which brutally depicts the real thing.
http://www.tvguide.com/movies/databases/ShowMovie.asp?MI=40037#review
This
website gives a review of Saving Private
Ryan which rates this as a four-star movie. This website also gives a list of all Academy Awards and
nominations. This website also includes
a list of information including running time, rating, and a complete list of
characters.
http://www.wsws.org/arts/1998/july1998/ryan-j31.shtml
This
website includes a description of World War II and how it is depicted in Saving Private Ryan. It uses scenes from the movie, such as Omaha
Beach, and actual information from the war.
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii.htm
This
website covers a vast amount of information on World War II which would give a
well defined background before watching Saving
Private Ryan. This website goes
into detail on several aspects from the war including documents, trials, and
relations between the nations.
(Information from this page was issued by the Yale Law School.)
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Aster, Sidney. 1939: The Making of the Second World War. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974. This book gives information on the causes
that led to the second world war which brought American troops into fighting
from 1939 to 1945.
Clausen,
Henry C.
Pearl Harbor: Final Judgment. Ed.
Bruce Lee. New York: Crown,
1992. This book gives
information on Pearl Harbor, the bombing at Hawaii which brought American troops into World War II. It gives several causes of the war and describes the United States’ situations in the war.
Eisenhower,
John S.D.
Allies, Pearl Harbor to D-Day.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1982.
This book, written by
General Eisenhower’s son, is about World War II. This author of this book describes and gives details on the
Allies and the bombing of Pearl Harbor at Hawaii to the Allied Forces surprise
attack on D-Day at Omaha Beach.
Ellis, John. World War II:
A Statistical Survey: The Essential Facts and Figures For all the Combatants. New York,
NY: Facts on File, 1993. This book includes the statistics and casualties during World War II. The author included in this book information on the men fighting, maps pertaining to the war, and a description on certain aspects of the war from 1939 to 1945.
Jeansome, Glen. Women of the Far Right: The Mothers’
Movement and World War II. Chicago,
IL: University of
Chicago
Press, 1996. This book covers the
status of women in the United States during World War II and it covers the
women’s movement during the twentieth century.
McCarthy, Joseph. America’s Retreat from Victory: The Story of
George Calett Marshall. New York: Devin-Adair,
1951. This book
tells Marshall’s story during World War II dealing with the United States and
foreign nations.
MUSIC:
“It Was a Love Story” (“C’Etait Une Histoire D’ Armour”)
Written
by Henri Contet and Jean Jan
Performed
by Edith Piaf
Courtesy
of Mecury Records, France
By
arrangements with PolyGram Film and Licensing
“Solitude”
Written
by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, and Eddie DeLange
“You are
Everywhere” (“Tu es Partout”)
Written
by Edith Piaf and Marguerite Monnot
Performed
by Edith Piaf
Courtesy
of Mercury Records, France
By
arrangements with PolyGram Film and Licensing