Saving Private Ryan
- Thread starter ISUknowit
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The difference between the Sullivan brothers and the Niland brothers is that the Sullivan brothers all served on the Hornet, while the Niland brothers were stationed at different places. I don't know which would be better or worse if you were a parent of either group.
I saw this with my grandpa (WWII Vet. R.I.P.) in theaters when it came out, graphic for a younger kid like myself, but I was more struck by the kind of impact it had on him. Id never seen him cry before that day.
I can darn near recite the Abraham Lincoln letter from memory.
Always get choked up at that spot. Not ashamed of it either.
I read a great interview of Steven Spielberg once right after that movie came out. What I found really interesting was Spielbergs inspiration for beginning scence and the storming of the beaches of France.
He said that his inspiration for was the street fight scene in Big Trouble in Little China that took place in the back alleys of San Francisco between the Chang Sings and the evil Wing Kongs. He talked in the interview how that scene really showed him what a true war would be like, and man I agree.
Watching both movies nowadays, however, I don't think Spielberg's version in Saving Private Ryan really compares to the street fight in BTILC. It was close, but does not capture the true essance of the original.
He said that his inspiration for was the street fight scene in Big Trouble in Little China that took place in the back alleys of San Francisco between the Chang Sings and the evil Wing Kongs. He talked in the interview how that scene really showed him what a true war would be like, and man I agree.
Watching both movies nowadays, however, I don't think Spielberg's version in Saving Private Ryan really compares to the street fight in BTILC. It was close, but does not capture the true essance of the original.
Pure luck. Odds are not every bullet, bomb, and mortar will hit its target.
Just imagine being a Russian soldier in WW2. There strategy was "We have more soldiers to throw at you than you have bullets."
Hey, I read it, and quite frankly I don't see why you would think any less of SPR. BTILC was a GREAT movie that has meaning no so many levels. As Wang Chi said in the movie, "She has green eyes, Jack. Do you know how rare that is in a Chinese girl?"
So true, Wang, so true.
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I defended a 5 day harassment/gender discrimination trial with a well know iowa atty who closed his closing statement to the jury by describing the end of that movie where hanks tells damon to "earn this" and telling the jury that the paintiff had earned their verdict. It was like he he handed each of them a turd and told them to eat it. It went over especially poorly with the 2 older ladies who I would guess had family or husbands in ww2. It was a very thin case to begin with. Company bungled some documentation during perf reviews and a downsizing but nothing worth comparing to people dying in war. Defense verdict in 45 minutes.
- Mar 27, 2006
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Plus, you were using the Chewbacca defense, right? The prosecution didn't stand a chance.
Absolutely, 100% agree. I thought that the beginning scene in SPR was awesome. Spielberg did D-Day just about as much justice as you can on film. But the rest? I don't know, seemed a little far fetched and cliche. I LOVE WWII movies, but I don't really care for SPR other than the early scenes. I did like how they did the effects and made it look good, though.
Now Band of Brothers...that was IMO the best WWII film to date. It just seemed like Spielberg and Hanks took what they learned from SPR and perfected it with BoB. More realistic, based on history, and with interviews from the actual soldiers prior to each episode. Just carries SO much more weight than SPR. To me, the actual history was dramatic enough. No need to add any additional fiction.
As graphic as this movie was, I still shutter to think of what it might have been like to actually be in any of these situations. My grandfather was in the navy during WWII. I didn't even know it until his funeral. I mean I always assumed that he was in the war, he was the perfect age for it, but he never talked about it. I asked my mom, about it on the drive home. She said he just refused to talk about it. All she knows is the ship he was on went down. That's it. He wouldn't even talk to his own family about what he saw and had to deal with.
I really have to commend any person willing to take up arms in defense of their country and personally, would like to take this time to thank them now.
I really have to commend any person willing to take up arms in defense of their country and personally, would like to take this time to thank them now.
- Mar 27, 2006
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Band of Brothers was fantastic. I remember my roommate and I catching the first episode, purely by chance, when it first aired. When it was over, I was like "Well, I know what I'm doing every Sunday night for the next 13 weeks."
Highlight of the series has to be the Bastogne episode. Incredibly visceral.
The beauty of that series was how they made you care for every single character. And then when they showed interviews with the actual soldiers, it was like, "Wow. That's him. That's Bill Guarnere. He was actually there. He did those things." Very moving.
My favorite episode was the one immediately after "Bastogne". "The Breaking Point" I believe. The one that was narrated by Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg).
If you watch the special documentary that comes with the box set, they show Guarnere and Heffron at Bastogne and overlooking the town of Foy. The woods where they endured the battle and where Guarnere lost his leg. Very powerful.
The other overwhelming moment of that series was maybe the 3rd episode, as the unit returned to England. When Malarkey went to pick up his laundry and the lady asked for his help in taking care of the laundry of several, maybe even dozens, of his friends - not realizing they all were dead. Equally powerful.
- Mar 23, 2006
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The group of actors assembled for Band of Brothers was perfect, in my opinion. A great mini series.
Band of Brothers set the bar quite high for Hanks/Spielberg/HBO's next offering The Pacific.
Band of Brothers set the bar quite high for Hanks/Spielberg/HBO's next offering The Pacific.
