Saving Private Ryan

1666 Words7 Pages
Saving Private Ryan: Tribute or Social Commentary? In 1998, movie goers experienced a film unlike any other before it. Five minutes into Saving Private Ryan, theaters throughout the country were put in the middle of the famous D-Day Invasion of World War II. Film maker Steven Spielberg created a war movie with precise detail that allowed people to visualize all of the aspects of war, which include the horrors, the bravery of those involved, and ultimate sacrifice that many soldiers make. Saving Private Ryan became an instant critical and commercial hit in the US, although the success did not come without controversy. The film was criticized by some for its extreme violence and depiction of Germans, while others, including veterans of WWII, praised the depiction of battle conditions, especially the opening D-Day invasion scene. Many such as Roy Metcalf make the argument that Saving Private Ryan honors veterans with its story of bravery and sacrifice, while others such as Brien Hallet look at the film as an expression of chauvinism, which supports a blind enthusiasm for military glory. Although Hallet makes some good points, it is hard for me to not see Saving Private Ryan as a tribute to all the brave Americans that served in WWII. The plot of Saving Private Ryan is one that is difficult for some to grasp. Captain Miller, played perfectly by Tom Hanks, leads his eight man patrol through European battle fields after storming the beaches of Normandy in search of Private Ryan, a soldier who is being pulled out of battle due to the deaths of his three brothers during the invasion. The order comes from Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, who quotes a famous letter from Abraham Lincoln to support his decision to remove Ryan from battle. “I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved

More about Saving Private Ryan

Open Document