Saving Private Ryan
- Thread starter ISUknowit
- Start date
My friend warned me before I watched it last year about how graphic the first 15-20 minutes were. The part that really made me gag was when the sniper shot Vin Diesel(don't know his character's name). His leg was messed up!
Never seen it
They certainly made an effort to capture the hell that was that beach head. I've never been in combat so I don't know how well they captured the details but it certainly leaves an impression
The story is fictional. Initially I thought perhaps it was about a family from Iowa because of the Sullivan Brothers from Waterloo, but a little research says it was loosely based on the Niland Brothers from New York-so the location is superflous-sort of like Captain Kirk from Riverside.
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CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Kinda funny story:
In college I worked at WOI Radio. For those of you who don't know, that's the public radio station in Ames. It has nothing to do with WOI TV--or it least it hasn't ever since the university sold the TV station years and years ago.
One Sunday night while working alone at the station, I received a call from an old man complaining that the show we were running was inaccurate. He said there were five brothers--not four, their name was Sullivan, and they were from Iowa.
We were airing classical music at the time, so I had no idea what the old guy was talking about. After a few minutes of trying to get more information from him, I finally just apologized for our "mistake" and said I would pass his concerns on to our management (which I did, BTW, even though I had no clue what he was talking about at the time).
I finally realized later that night that ABC had been airing Saving Private Ryan. WOI TV is the local ABC affiliate. So this old man thought...
1) He was calling WOI TV when he was actually calling WOI Radio
2) WOI TV was responsible for the content of the movie
3) The movie was about the Sullivan Brothers
I kind of felt sorry for the guy. He was obviously mega-confused.
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I liked the opening bit. Liked, as in thought they correctly portrayed, on film the condition known as "tachypsyche" If you don't know what it is, Google it. I liked the fact they tried to capture the "feel" of combat.
But I don't think it was that good a movie, overall. Especially in comparison with "Band of Brothers". Kind of like "Platoon" was once considered to be a good movie about Vietnam. Just a few too many stereotypes, all rolled into one small unit, in one movie.
Now, I could sing the praises of "Band of Brothers" until the cows come home. And in case you wonder, "Band of Brothers" comes from the Henry V's speech in the Shakespearean play.
But I don't think it was that good a movie, overall. Especially in comparison with "Band of Brothers". Kind of like "Platoon" was once considered to be a good movie about Vietnam. Just a few too many stereotypes, all rolled into one small unit, in one movie.
Now, I could sing the praises of "Band of Brothers" until the cows come home. And in case you wonder, "Band of Brothers" comes from the Henry V's speech in the Shakespearean play.
