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Saving Private Ryan
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySteven Spielberg
Written byRobert Rodat
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJanusz Kamiński
Edited byMichael Kahn
Music byJohn Williams
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • July 24, 1998 (1998-07-24)
Running time
169 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • German
  • French
Budget$70 million[1]
Box office$481.8 million[2]

Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American epic war drama film set during the Invasion of Normandy in World War II. Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat, the film is notable for its graphic portrayal of war, and for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which includes a depiction of the Omaha Beach assault during the Normandy landings. It follows United States Army Rangers Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) and a squad (Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, and Jeremy Davies) as they search for a paratrooper, Private First Class James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), who is the last-surviving brother of four servicemen.

The film received critical acclaim, winning several awards for film, cast, and crew, as well as earning significant returns at the box office. The film grossed US$481.8 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards; Spielberg's direction won his second Academy Award for Best Director, with four more awards going to the film. Saving Private Ryan was released on home video in May 1999, earning another $44 million from sales. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[3]

Plot

In the late 1990s, an elderly World War II veteran and his family visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Normandy, France. In walking about the cemetery he sees a particular gravestone and, overwhelmed, collapses to his knees.

On the morning of June 6, 1944, American soldiers prepare to land on Omaha Beach as part of the Normandy Invasion. They suffer heavy losses in assaulting German positions defended by artillery and machine guns. After the initial landing, Captain John H. Miller of the 2nd Ranger Battalion assembles a group to penetrate the German defenses, leading to a breakout from the beach. After the battle we see a dead soldier face down in the surf; his pack is stenciled S. Ryan.

In Washington, D.C, General George Marshall is informed that three of the four Ryan brothers have been killed within the last week, and that their mother is about to be notified of their deaths. A wordless sequence shows Mrs. Ryan washing dishes in the family farmhouse when she sees an Army vehicle approaching. She goes to meet it. A captain, then a priest, emerge from the car; this can only mean one thing. As they approach her legs become weak and she half sits, half falls to the ground.

The family's remaining son, paratrooper Private First Class James Francis Ryan, is somewhere in Normandy. Marshall, after reading Abraham Lincoln's Bixby letter, orders that Ryan be found and sent home immediately.

Three days after D-Day, Miller receives orders to find Ryan and bring him back from the front. He assembles six men from his company—T/Sgt. Mike Horvath, Privates First Class Richard Reiben and Adrian Caparzo, Privates Stanley Mellish and Danny Jackson, medic Irwin Wade—and T/5 Timothy Upham, a cartographer who speaks French and German, loaned from the 29th Infantry Division. Miller and his men move out to Neuville; there, they meet a squad from the 101st Airborne Division. Caparzo dies after being shot by a sniper.

Eventually, they locate a Private James Ryan, but soon learn that he is not their man. They find a member of Ryan's regiment who informs them that his drop zone was at Vierville and that his and Ryan's companies had the same rally point. Once they reach it, Miller meets a friend of Ryan's, who reveals that Ryan is defending a strategically important bridge over the Merderet River in the fictional town of Ramelle. On the way to Ramelle, Miller decides to neutralize a German machine gun position, despite the misgivings of his men. Wade is fatally wounded in the ensuing skirmish, but Miller, at Upham's urging, declines to execute a surviving German, nicknamed "Steamboat Willie", and sets him free on condition that he give himself up as a prisoner of war to the first Allied unit he encounters. No longer confident in Miller's leadership, Reiben declares his intention to desert the squad and the mission, prompting a confrontation with Horvath. The argument heats up until Miller defuses the situation by disclosing his background in civilian life, about which the squad had earlier set up a betting pool. Reiben then reluctantly decides to stay.

Upon arrival at Ramelle, Miller and the squad come upon a small group of paratroopers, one of whom is Ryan. Ryan is told of his brothers' deaths, the mission to bring him home, and that two men had been lost in the quest to find him. He is distressed at the loss of his brothers, but does not consider it fair to go home, asking Miller to tell his mother that he intends to stay "with the only brothers [he has] left." Miller decides to take command and defend the bridge with what little manpower and resources are available. Using his own men and the accompanying paratroopers, Miller forms ambush positions throughout the ruined town for the tanks and infantry utilizing Molotov cocktails, detonation cords, and "sticky bombs" made from socks filled with Composition B.

Elements of the 2nd SS Panzer Division arrive with infantry and armor. Although they inflict heavy casualties on the Germans, most of the paratroopers, along with Jackson, Mellish, and Horvath, are killed. While attempting to blow the bridge, Miller is shot and mortally wounded by Steamboat Willie, who has rejoined the Germans. Just before a Tiger tank reaches the bridge, an American P-51 Mustang flies overhead and destroys the tank, followed by American armored units which rout the remaining Germans. Upham surprises a group of German soldiers as they attempt to retreat. Steamboat Willie, raises his hands in surrender, believing that Upham will accept because of their earlier encounter. Having witnessed Captain Miller being shot by Steamboat Willie, Upham shoots him and lets the other surviving Germans flee.

Reiben and Ryan are with Miller as he dies and says his last words, "James ... earn this. Earn it."

Returning to the present day, we learn that the veteran visiting the Normandy Memorial is Ryan, and the grave he is standing at is Miller's. The elderly Ryan says to his wife: "Tell me I have led a good life. Tell me I'm a good man." His wife says that he is. Ryan comes to attention and salutes Miller's grave.

Cast

Production

Development

In 1994, Robert Rodat wrote the script for the film. Rodat's script was submitted to producer Mark Gordon, who liked it and in turn passed it along to Spielberg to direct. The film is loosely based on the World War II life stories of the Niland brothers. A shooting date was set for June 27, 1997.[4]

Pre-production

In casting the film Spielberg sought to create a cast that "looked" the part, stating in an interview, "You know, the people in World War II actually looked different than people look today", adding to this end that he cast partly based on wanting the cast "to match the faces I saw on the newsreels." [5]

Before filming began, several of the film's stars, including Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribisi, and Tom Hanks, endured ten days of "boot camp" training led by Marine veteran Dale Dye and Warriors, Inc., a California-based company that specializes in training actors for realistic military portrayals.[6] Matt Damon was intentionally not brought into the camp, to make the rest of the group feel resentment towards the character.[7] Spielberg had stated that his main intention in forcing the actors to go through the boot camp was not to learn the proper techniques but rather "because I wanted them to respect what it was like to be a soldier."[5]

The film begins with a 20+ minute sequence recounting the landing on the beaches of Normandy. Spielberg chose to include this particularly violent sequence in order "to bring the audience onto the stage with me" specifically noting that he did not want the "audience to be spectators" but rather he wanted to "demand them to be participants with those kids who had never seen combat before in real life, and get to the top of Omaha Beach together."[5]

Spielberg had already demonstrated his interest in World War II themes with the films 1941, Empire of the Sun, Schindler's List, and the Indiana Jones series. Spielberg later co-produced the World War II themed television miniseries Band of Brothers and its counterpart The Pacific with Tom Hanks. When asked about this by American Cinematographer, Spielberg said, "I think that World War II is the most significant event of the last 100 years; the fate of the baby boomers and even Generation X was linked to the outcome. Beyond that, I've just always been interested in World War II. My earliest films, which I made when I was about 14 years old, were combat pictures that were set both on the ground and in the air. For years now, I've been looking for the right World War II story to shoot, and when Robert Rodat wrote Saving Private Ryan, I found it."[8]

Filming

The opening and closing scenes of the film are set in the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

The D-Day scenes were shot in Ballinesker Beach, Curracloe Strand, Ballinesker, just east of Curracloe, County Wexford, Ireland.[9][10][11] Hanks recalled to Roger Ebert that although he realized it was a movie, the experience still hit him hard, stating, "The first day of shooting the D-Day sequences, I was in the back of the landing craft, and that ramp went down and I saw the first 1-2-3-4 rows of guys just getting blown to bits. In my head, of course, I knew it was special effects, but I still wasn't prepared for how tactile it was."[12] Filming began June 27, 1997, and lasted for two months.[13][14][15] Some shooting was done in Normandy, for the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer and Calvados. Other scenes were filmed in England, such as a former British Aerospace factory in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Thame Park, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. Production was due to also take place in Seaham, County Durham, but government restrictions disallowed this.[16]

Portrayal of history

Saving Private Ryan has received critical acclaim for its realistic portrayal of World War II combat. In particular, the sequence depicting the Omaha Beach landings was named the "best battle scene of all time" by Empire magazine and was ranked number one on TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest Movie Moments".[17] The scene cost US$12 million and involved up to 1,500 extras, some of whom were members of the Irish Reserve Defence Forces. Members of local reenactment groups such as the Second Battle Group were cast as extras to play German soldiers.[18] In addition, twenty to thirty actual amputees were used to portray American soldiers maimed during the landing.[19] Spielberg did not storyboard the sequence, as he wanted spontaneous reactions and for "the action to inspire me as to where to put the camera".[20]

Saving Private Ryan was noted for its recreation of the Omaha Beach landings.

The historical representation of Charlie Company's actions, led by its commander, Captain Ralph E. Goranson, was well maintained in the opening sequence. The sequence and details of the events are very close to the historical record, including the sea sickness experienced by many of the soldiers as the landing craft moved toward the shoreline, significant casualties among the men as they disembarked from the boats, and difficulty linking up with adjacent units on the shore.

The distinctive signature "ping" of the US soldiers' M1 Garand rifles ejecting their ammunition clips is heard throughout the battle sequence. The contextual details of the Company's actions were well maintained, for instance, the correct code names for the sector Charlie Company assaulted, and adjacent sectors, were used. Included in the cinematic depiction of the landing was a follow-on mission of clearing a bunker and trench system at the top of the cliffs which was not part of the original mission objectives for Charlie Company, but which they did undertake after the assault on the beach.[21]

The landing craft used included twelve actual World War II examples, 10 LCVPs and 2 LCMs, standing in for the British LCAs that the Ranger Companies rode in to the beach during Operation Overlord.[21][22] The filmmakers used underwater cameras to better depict soldiers being hit by bullets in the water. Forty barrels of fake blood were used to simulate the effect of blood in the seawater.[19] This degree of realism was more difficult to achieve when depicting World War II German armored vehicles, as few examples survive in operating condition. The Tiger I tanks in the film were copies built on the chassis of old, but functional, Soviet T-34 tanks.[23] The two vehicles described in the film as Panzers were meant to portray Marder III tank destroyers. One was created for the film using the chassis of a Czech-built Panzer 38(t) tank[24] similar to the construction of the original Marder III; the other was a cosmetically modified Swedish SAV m/43 assault gun, which also used the 38(t) chassis.[25]

There are, however, historical inaccuracies in the film's depiction of the Normandy campaign. At the time of the mission, American forces from the two American beach areas, Utah and Omaha, had not yet linked up.[26] In reality, a Ranger team operating out of the Omaha beach area would have had to move through the heavily enemy-occupied city of Carentan, or swim or boat across the estuary linking Carentan to the channel, or transfer by boat to the Utah landing area. On the other hand, US forces moving out of Utah would have had direct and much shorter routes, relatively unencumbered by enemy positions, and were already in contact with some teams from both US airborne divisions landed in the area.[27]

The Utah beach landings, however, were relatively uncontested, with assault units landing on largely unoccupied beaches and experiencing far less action than the landings at Omaha.[28] The filmmakers chose to begin the narrative with a depiction of the more dramatic story of Omaha, despite the strategic inaccuracy of an impossible mission that could easily have been pursued from the other beach area. In addition, one of the most notable of the operational flaws is the depiction of the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich as the adversary during the fictional Battle of Ramelle. The 2nd SS was not engaged in Normandy until July, and then at Caen against the British and Canadians, 100 miles east.[29] Furthermore, the Merderet River bridges were not an objective of the 101st Airborne Division but of the 82nd Airborne Division, part of Mission Boston.[30]

Much has also been said about various "tactical errors" made by both the German and American forces in the film's climactic battle. Spielberg responded, saying that in many scenes he opted to replace sound military tactics and strict historical accuracy for dramatic effect.[31] Some other technical errors were also made, often censored, including the mistaken reversed orientation of the beach barriers; the tripod obstructions with a mine at the apex.

To achieve a tone and quality that was true to the story as well as reflected the period in which it is set, Spielberg once again collaborated with cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, saying, "Early on, we both knew that we did not want this to look like a Technicolor extravaganza about World War II, but more like color newsreel footage from the 1940s, which is very desaturated and low-tech." Kamiński had the protective coating stripped from the camera lenses, making them closer to those used in the 1940s. He explains that "without the protective coating, the light goes in and starts bouncing around, which makes it slightly more diffused and a bit softer without being out of focus." The cinematographer completed the overall effect by putting the negative through bleach bypass, a process that reduces brightness and color saturation. The shutter timing was set to 90 or 45 degrees for many of the battle sequences, as opposed to the standard of 180-degree timing. Kamiński clarifies, "In this way, we attained a certain staccato in the actors' movements and a certain crispness in the explosions, which makes them slightly more realistic."[32]

Reception

Box office

Saving Private Ryan was a critical and commercial success and is credited with contributing to a resurgence in America's interest in World War II. Old and new films, video games, and novels about the war enjoyed renewed popularity after its release.[33] The film's use of desaturated colors, hand-held cameras, and tight angles has profoundly influenced subsequent films and video games.[34][35] Saving Private Ryan was released in 2,463 theaters on July 24, 1998, and grossed $30.5 million on its opening weekend. The film grossed $216.5 million in the US and Canada. and $265.3 million in other territories, bringing its worldwide total to $481.8 million and making it the highest-grossing US film of the year.[1] Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 45.74 million tickets in the United States and Canada.[36]

Critical response

The film received critical acclaim and has a 'certified fresh' rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 130 reviews with an average score of 8.6 out of 10. The consensus states "Anchored by another winning performance from Hanks, Spielberg's unflinchingly realistic war film virtually redefines the genre."[37] The film also has a score of 90 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 34 reviews indicating "universal acclaim".[38]

Much of the praise went for the realistic battle scenes[39] and the actors' performances.[40] However, it did earn some criticism for ignoring the contributions of several other countries to the D-Day landings in general and at Omaha Beach specifically.[41] The most direct example of the latter is that during the actual landing the 2nd Rangers disembarked from British ships and were taken to Omaha Beach by Royal Navy landing craft (LCAs). The film depicts them as being United States Coast Guard-crewed craft (LCVPs and LCMs) from an American ship, the USS Thomas Jefferson (APA-30).[21][42][43] This criticism was far from universal with other critics recognizing the director's intent to make an "American" film.[44] The film was not released in Malaysia after Spielberg refused to cut the violent scenes;[45] however, the film was finally released there on DVD with an 18SG certificate much later in 2005. Many critics associations, such as New York Film Critics Circle and Los Angeles Film Critics Association, chose Saving Private Ryan as Film of the Year.[46] Roger Ebert gave it four stars out of four and called it "a powerful experience".[40]

Filmmaker Robert Altman wrote a letter to Spielberg stating, "Private Ryan was awesome -- best I've seen."[47] Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has expressed admiration for the film and has cited it as an influence on his 2009 film, Inglourious Basterds.[48]

Many World War II veterans stated that the film was the most realistic depiction of combat they had ever seen.[49] The film was so realistic that combat veterans of D-Day and Vietnam left theaters rather than finish watching the opening scene depicting the Normandy invasion. Their visits to posttraumatic stress disorder counselors rose in number after the film's release, and many counselors advised "'more psychologically vulnerable'" veterans to avoid watching it.[50] The Department of Veterans Affairs set up a nationwide hotline for veterans who were affected by the film, and less than two weeks after the film was released it had already received over 170 calls.[51]

The film has gained criticism and negative reviews from war veterans and film critics. Film director and military veteran Oliver Stone has accused the film of promoting "the worship of World War II as the good war," and has placed it alongside films such as Gladiator and Black Hawk Down that he believes were well-made, but may have inadvertently contributed to Americans' readiness for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[52] In defense of the film's portrait of warfare, Brian De Palma commented, "The level of violence in something like Saving Private Ryan makes sense because Spielberg is trying to show something about the brutality of what happened."[53] Actor Richard Todd, who performed in The Longest Day and was amongst the first of the Allied soldiers to land in Normandy (Operation Tonga), said the film was "Rubbish. Overdone."[54] American academic Paul Fussell, who saw combat in France during World War II, objected to what he described as, "the way Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, after an honest, harrowing, 15-minute opening visualizing details of the unbearable bloody mess at Omaha Beach, degenerated into a harmless, uncritical patriotic performance apparently designed to thrill 12-year-old boys during the summer bad-film season. Its genre was pure cowboys and Indians, with the virtuous cowboys of course victorious."[55] Historian James DiEugenio has argued that the film was actually "90 percent fiction" and that Tom Hanks knew this, with his goal being to "...commemorate World War II as the Good War and to depict the American role in it as crucial."[56]

Awards

The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, and won five including Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Film Editing, and Best Director for Spielberg, but lost the Best Picture award to Shakespeare in Love, being one of a few that have won the Best Director award without also winning Best Picture.[57][58] The Academy's decision to not award the film with the Best Picture Oscar has resulted in much criticism in recent years, many of whom believe it is one of the biggest Oscar snubs in its history.[59][60]

The film also won the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Director, the BAFTA Award for Special Effects and Sound, the Directors Guild of America Award, a Grammy Award for Best Film Soundtrack, the Producers Guild of America Golden Laurel Award, and the Saturn Award for Best Action, Adventure, or Thriller Film.[46] The American Film Institute has included Saving Private Ryan in many of its lists, ranking it as the 71st greatest American movie in AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition),[61] as well as the 45th most thrilling film in AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills,[62] the 10th most inspiring in AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers,[63] and the eight best epic film in "AFI's 10 Top 10".[64]

List of awards and nominations received by Saving Private Ryan
Award Category Nominee Result
71st Academy Awards Best Picture Steven Spielberg, Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon and Gary Levinsohn Nominated
Best Actor in a Leading Role Tom Hanks Nominated
Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Original Screenplay Robert Rodat Nominated
Best Cinematography Janusz Kamiński Won
Best Art Direction Thomas E. Sanders and Lisa Dean Nominated
Best Sound Mixing Gary Rydstrom, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Ron Judkins Won
Best Film Editing Michael Kahn Won
Best Sound Effects Editing Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns Won
Best Makeup Lois Burwell, Conor O'Sullivan and Daniel C. Striepeke Nominated
Best Music, Original Dramatic Score John Williams Nominated
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Best Thriller Film Won
Best Special Effects Nominated
Amanda Awards Best Foreign Film Steven Spielberg Nominated
American Cinema Editors Best Edited Feature Film Michael Kahn Won
American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases Janusz Kamiński Nominated
Art Directors Guild Feature Film Nominated
Awards of the Japanese Academy Best Foreign Film Nominated
BAFTA Awards Best Sound Won
Best Special Visual Effects Won
Best Music John Williams Nominated
Best Cinematography Janusz Kamiński Nominated
Best Editing Michael Kahn Nominated
Best Film Nominated
Best Makeup & Hair Nominated
Best Actor Tom Hanks Nominated
Best Production Design Nominated
Best Direction Steven Spielberg Nominated
BMI Film Music Award BMI Film Music Award John Williams Won
Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Actor Tom Hanks Won
Favorite Supporting Actor Jeremy Davies Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best Cinematography Won
British Society of Cinematographers Best Cinematography Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Picture Won
Best Score John Williams Won
Camerimage Best Cinematography Nominated
Casting Society of America Best Casting Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Picture Won
Best Actor Tom Hanks Nominated
Best Cinematography Nominated
Best Director Steven Spielberg Nominated
Cinema Audio Society Best Sound Won
Czech Lions Best Foreign Film Steven Spielberg Won
César Awards Best Foreign Film Steven Spielberg Nominated
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Best Picture Won
Best Actor Tom Hanks Nominated
Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Steven Spielberg Won
Empire Awards Best Actor Tom Hanks Won
Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Film Nominated
European Film Award Screen International Award Steven Spielberg Nominated
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Foreign Film Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Best Cinematography Won
Golden Globes Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Motion Picture – Drama Won
Best Original Score John Williams Nominated
Best Actor Tom Hanks Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Grammy Awards Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television John Williams Won
Huabiao Film Awards Best Foreign Film Won
Humanitas Prize Feature Film Category Nominated
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Best Foreign Director Steven Spielberg Won
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Best Film Won
Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Supporting Actor Jeremy Davies Won
Key Art Awards Best of Show – Audiovisual Won
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Best Cinematography Won
Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Picture Won
London Critics Circle Film Awards Film of the Year Won
Actor of the Year Matt Damon Nominated
Actor of the Year Tom Hanks Nominated
Director of the Year Steven Spielberg Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Cinematography Won
Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Picture Won
MTV Movie Awards Best Action Sequence Tom Hanks Nominated
Best Male Performance Tom Hanks Nominated
Best Movie Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors Best Sound Editing – Dialogue Won
Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects Won
Best Sound Editing – Music Nominated
National Board of Review Top Ten Films Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Film Nominated
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Film Won
Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Cinematography Won
Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Ensemble Won
Best Film Won
Best Film Editing Michael Kahn Won
Best Actor Tom Hanks Nominated
Best Music John Williams Nominated
PGA Awards Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award Won
Russian Guild of Film Critics Best Foreign Film Steven Spielberg Won
Satellite Awards Best Editing Michael Kahn Won
Best Director Steven Spielberg Nominated
Best Film Nominated
Best Cinematography Nominated
Best Original Score Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Tom Sizemore Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Action or Adventure Film Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Best Ensemble Nominated
Best Actor Tom Hanks Nominated
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Picture Won
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Picture Won
Best Male Performance Tom Hanks Nominated
Writers Guild of America Best Original Screenplay Robert Rodat Nominated

Television broadcasts

On Veterans Day from 2001–2004, the American Broadcasting Company aired the film uncut and with limited commercial interruption. The network airings were given a TV-MA rating, as the violent battle scenes and the profanity were left intact. The 2004 airing was marred by pre-emptions in many markets because of the language, in the backlash of Super Bowl XXXVIII's halftime show controversy.[65] However, critics and veterans' groups such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars assailed those stations and their owners, including Hearst-Argyle Television (owner of 12 ABC affiliates); Scripps Howard Broadcasting (owner of six); and Belo (owner of four) for putting profits ahead of programming and honoring those who gave their lives at wartime, saying the stations made more money running their own programming instead of being paid by the network to carry the film, especially during a sweeps period.

A total of 65 ABC affiliates—28% of the network—did not clear the available timeslot for the film, even with the offer of The Walt Disney Company, ABC's parent, to pay all fines for language to the Federal Communications Commission.[66] In the end, however, no complaints were lodged against ABC affiliates who showed Ryan, perhaps because even conservative watchdogs like the Parents Television Council supported the unedited rebroadcast of the film.[67] Additionally, some ABC affiliates in other markets that were near affected markets, such as Youngstown, Ohio, ABC affiliate WYTV (which is viewable in parts of the Columbus, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh markets, none of which aired the film) and Gainesville, Florida, ABC affiliate WCJB-TV (which is viewable in parts of the Orlando and Tampa markets), still aired the film and gave those nearby markets the option of viewing the film.[68] TNT and Turner Classic Movies have also broadcast the film.[69][70]

Home video

The film was released on home video in May 1999 with a VHS release that earned over $44 million.[71] The DVD release became available in November of the same year,[72] and was one of the best-selling titles of the year, with over 1.5 million units sold.[73] The DVD was released in two separate versions: one with Dolby Digital and the other with DTS 5.1 surround sound. Besides the different 5.1 tracks, the two DVDs are identical. The film was also issued in a very limited 2-disc LaserDisc release in November 1999, making it one of the very last feature films to ever be issued in this format, as LaserDiscs ceased manufacturing and distribution by the year's end, due in part to the growing popularity of DVDs.[74]

In 2004, a Saving Private Ryan special edition DVD was released to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day. This two-disc edition was also included in a box set titled World War II Collection, along with two documentaries produced by Spielberg, Price For Peace (about the Pacific War) and Shooting War (about war photographers, narrated by Tom Hanks).[75] The film was released on Blu-ray Disc on April 26, 2010 in the UK and on May 4, 2010 in the US, as part of Paramount Home Video's premium Sapphire Series.[76] However, only weeks after its release, Paramount issued a recall due to audio synchronization problems. The studio issued an official statement acknowledging the problem, which they attributed to an authoring error by Technicolor that escaped the quality control process, and that they had already begun the process of replacing the defective discs.[77]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Saving Private Ryan". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  2. ^ "Saving Private Ryan". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  3. ^ Grow, Kory (December 17, 2014). "'Big Lebowski,' 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' Added to National Film Registry". Rolling Stone.
  4. ^ Gordinier, Jeff (July 24, 1998). "Message in a Battle". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c Ebert, Roger. "Private Spielberg". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  6. ^ "Boot Camp". Behind the Scenes. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  7. ^ "Excluded field training". WarriorsInc.
  8. ^ "Five Star General". American Cinematographer Online Magazine. August 1998. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  9. ^ "Omaha Beach". Saving Private Ryan Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  10. ^ "Dog One". Saving Private Ryan Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  11. ^ "Saving Private Ryan". The Irish Film & Television Network. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  12. ^ Ebert, Roger. "TOM HANKS RECALLS 'PRIVATE RYAN' SHOOT". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  13. ^ "Private Ryan' expo". Wexford People. June 6, 2007. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  14. ^ "Ryan's slaughter". Independent. August 3, 1998. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  15. ^ "Saving Private Ryan". Britannia Film Archives. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  16. ^ "Saving Private Ryan". Sunderland Echo. November 2, 1999.
  17. ^ "50 Greatest Movie Moments". TV Guide. March 24, 2001. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  18. ^ "Roaring back to the forties". Matlock Mercury. August 6, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  19. ^ a b "How we made the best movie battle scene ever". Independent. June 7, 2006. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  20. ^ "Steven Spielberg Goes To War". Empire. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  21. ^ a b c Saving Private Ryan: Company C, 2nd Ranger Battalion. Sproe.com. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  22. ^ Saving Private Ryan: LCM (3). Sproe.com (April 11, 2009). Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  23. ^ "Ryan Tigers". Second Battle Group. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  24. ^ "Marders". Second Battle Group. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  25. ^ Reproductions of Panzers based on modern Tanks.shadock.free.fr. Last update: March 9, 2010
  26. ^ On June 12, 1944, three days after the fictional Ryan mission was to begin, Carentan was finally captured after heavy fighting, and US forces operating out of the two beaches finally linked up. See Messenger, Charles, The Chronological Atlas of World War Two (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1989), 182.
  27. ^ Ryan, Cornelius, The Longest Day: June 6, 1944 (New York: Popular Library, 1959), 286-8.
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