"The ‘Saving Private Ryan’ Detail Most Viewers..." Topic

… Missed – It Changes Our View of the Film

"Saving Private Ryan (1998) is arguably one of the best war movies ever released, thanks to director Steven Spielberg's expert eye and attention to detail. The film, starring Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, continues to be a favorite of many, but there's one detail that many missed – and it was an intentional move on Spielberg's part…"

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Armand

If you put the movie in Closed Captioning/Subtitle mode, it says, "Speaking Czech". A lot of subtle details can be discovered while watching a movie in CC mode.

I thought they said, "Look,I wash for supper."

Nice but often reported in recent books about D Day.

They would have been Sudeten Czech speakers and, like those in Alsace Lorraine or parts of Belgium and Luxembourg, suddenly found they were part of Germany, by conquest, and conscripted.

The guy who shot them said about washing their hands and can you blame him? Getting taken prisoner and then surviving is a very complicated and risky business, with about a dozen factors (more actually) to be considered

Thanks

Armand

I did not miss that bit when I first saw it.

SPR is deeply flawed in my view. It has some excellent bits but if you know anything much about WW2 and specifically D-Day landings and Normandy it is full of annoying choices.

No Tigers anywhere near any US forces at that time.
No SS troops either for that matter.
Many more but it's all been said before.

I'm hoping 'No Better Place to Die' will get completed and released as the fighting around La Fiere was the basis for the final section of SPR. They could make a hash of that too of course….

Thanks also…

Armand

The portrayal of gloating callousness when shooting down unarmed men I felt was crass and cartoonish.

You make good point that I had not considered. Shooting those trying to surrender is entirely understandable in warfare, but it is hard to imagine that pair of shooting comedians maintaining much sense of humour after what they have just experienced on Omaha.

With all the adrenalin etc anything is possible.

That never struck me as cartoonish or in any way outlandish.

The black humour of police and rescue workers is a well documented phenomenon. It must be even worse in the military.

It is very common to gun down unarmed enemy trying to surrender – they were shooting at you 2 minutes ago and now want to surrender? It would be the most natural thing in the world to just shoot them.

A great movie, but a number of historical flaws. Like the equally great "The Longest Day" SPR shows the Americans breaking through the German defenses at the heavily fortified beach exits by frontal assault. In fact, none of those exits were captured that way. The stretches of Omaha between the exits were much less heavily defended. The Americans broke through in those areas and then took the exits from the rear.

@Skarper. Yes, the "Too late, chum." factor in modern war is well acknowledged as is the black humour shared amongst soldiers but as an example of these, my feeling is that the scene in question was crudely portrayed, doing justice to the humanity of neither perpetrator or victim.
Spielberg can show wildly varying levels of sensitivity. There is much in SPR that personally I found really very unsubtle, stretching credibility, and to mind this was one of those moments. Of course, your mileage may vary. As they say.

No Tigers anywhere near any US forces at that time.
No SS troops either for that matter.
Many more but it's all been said before.

I can allow them a bit of commercial licence. IIRC the action is set a few days after D-day, which to be historically plausible and include SS would have to be 12th SS facing the Canadians, about a RM Commando unit and be called Saving Private Jones! Don't see this going down well with US audiences.

I can understand why the choices were made – but still want to call them out!

It matters. Most people only learn about WW2 via films and TV shows. So if they misrepresent the history it has far reaching consequences.

Skarper + 1

Armand

Book Review: Surviving World War Two Tanks in the Ardennes

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Armand

I have much sympathy for the reviewer. He/she had to rely on a digital copy rather than the paper version. Very common and unwise economy by the publishers I feel and something I try to combat as a Book Review Editor for a medical journal.

I read the title in Tango's post with a comma, which is not actually there, as "Surviving World War, Two Tanks in the Ardennes" and thought surely there etc………

(smile)

Armand