"The cemetery in the beginning of Saving Private Ryan is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France: The cemetery is the largest allied burial ground in Normandy and honors American soldiers who died in Europe during World War II. It's located on the site of the former Saint Laurent battlefield cemetery and covers 172.5 acres. The cemetery contains 9,388 gravesites, including those of two of the Niland brothers, who may have inspired the character Private Ryan."
A note on the "surrendering" "Germans" - They WERE in German uniforms but they were speaking Czech saying "We are not German, we are Czech, we didnt kill anyone" - spielberg did this to give a nod to the 1000's of Czechs that were "impressed" into German service on the Atlantic Wall.
Check out police videos. The bad guy rarely says yup i shot that guy i'm guilty. No shortage of non germans that jumped on the nazi band wagon when they were winning
"Every man I kill, the further away from home I feel." This is the key line of the movie. Captain Miller knows that the war is eating away at his humanity.
Capt. Miller may be a fictional character, but there are still about 60,000 WWII veterans still alive. I can't imagine how they feel seeing things the way they are.
HACK. SAW. RIDGE!! Incredible story of someone who was SO MUCH MORE badass in real life, amazing acting, stunning score, and some of the most beautiful cinematography I’ve ever seen
All of those "balloons" on the beach, that you asked about, are called "barrage balloons." They are sent aloft and tethered to a stationary object. They have thick steel guy-wires holding them in place. They are used to prevent enemy aircraft from flying low along the beach and shooting at troops.
All my uncles were either at Omaha beach, in the 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles) of in the Merchant Marines at sea. My dad was in California preparing to go ashore in Japan but they dropped the atomic bomb so the war was over. My uncle Paul was a short Italian who landed at Omaha Beach and his landing craft was short so he jumped out and sank to the bottom. a tall friend from Iowa pulled him out and saved his life. That friend later got shot in the head by a sniper. My Uncle Johnny was in the 82nd then 101st Airborne. He was stuck at Bastogne during Christmas of 1944. This was the Greatest Generation and Spielberg showed all the true emotions of that these men and their families felt.
For what it's worth, they were serving in a merchant marine (merchant navy), not "merchant marines" themselves. People working on a merchant-marine ship are "merchant mariners," or "merchant sailors." "Merchant marines" would refer to merchant navies from two or more countries. At any rate, bless their souls.
@@rmlb36 Ok, well, you're entirely missing the point, still referring to individuals as "merchant marines." I didn't say anything about their status as military in wartime.
Spielberg told the actors that the movie was not about having fun or just another action movie. He wanted to portray the raw horrors of war and the emotion. He even had the Actors camp out with rations for a few days to really let them get a feel of what their role was going to be, mentally prepare the role and really get into character. Spielberg wanted the movie to connect with veterans. One veteran said.. "The movie was as close as you will get to the horrors of that war and that he captured the emotion perfectly.". ❤❤
@@SparksDrinker number one; “- Michael Sullivan: I'd like to work for you. - Frank Nitti: Well... that's very interesting. - Michael Sullivan: And in return, I'd like you to turn a blind eye to... what I have to do. - Frank Nitti: And what is that? - Michael Sullivan: Kill the man who murdered my family.”
Barrage Balloons were used to protect ground troops from enemy aircraft that would come to strafe the beaches. These balloons had steel cables attached to them that presented a hazard to enemy aircraft.
We Were Soldiers, Lone Survivor, 13 Hours, Glory, The Patriot, Hacksaw Ridge...the list of amazing war movies is long. And its worth watching every single one of them. Great reaction guys.
The Royal Canadian Army participated on Juno Beach part of the Normandy Invasion. Canadian Actor James Doohan (Played Scotty on Star Trek) was a veteran.
Canadians were some of the fiercest fighters and bad-ass soldiers in the ETO. Following Juno they ran into one of the toughest, most elite German units in the entire Wehrmacht and destroyed it (12th SS panzer division). The fighting the Canadians did in Italy was also some of the fiercest fighting in that campaign. As an American vet who reads everything he can about WW2, I have the utmost respect for the Canadian troops that fought in that war. Some bad-ass dudes for sure.
A fantastic movie that rips my guts out every time. My grandfather was in Germany in WW2 and got blown up in Hurtigan forest. Spent a year in hospital recovering. When my dad was in the Air Force we got stationed in Germany. My grandpa refused to come visit until the last 6 months because of his PTSD. H They did finally come visit and he loved it. Probably just because he could see his grandkids
The Thin Red Line, it's a Masterpiece! It's about the WW2 US soldiers fighting the Pacific against the Japanese! Most people know of The War in Europe like Private Ryan, but the War in the Pacific fighting from island to island against the Japanese who were dug in, and would never surrender was something else! It's where they raised the famous statue of American Flag on the Island of IWO JIMA!! My jaw was on the floor during some battie scenes! It's VERY realistic! 😮
@@chrisfofficial Which is exactly why it's not realistic at all. The entire nonsense of them being philosophical while in the combat zone is ridiculous. Ask anyone who's ever been in combat about this movie, they will laugh. Sure, once you get far from the fighting there may be time and state of mind for all of the reflection and pontificating, but that's not how it goes at all in combat. Again, instead of just imagining something, ask someone who's actually been in it, you obviously havent (and yes, I have 3 combat ribbons and a purple heart. TTRL is NOT how it is)
Here are a few of my favourite war/military themed films: Pre WWI: Zulu; The Four Feathers (1939); Glory!; Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; Breaker Morant; The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936); The Red Badge of Courage (1951) WWI: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930); Gallipoli; Paths of Glory; Sergeant York WWII: Hacksaw Ridge; Das Boot; The Great Escape; The Dirty Dozen; Stalag 17; The Bridge on the River Kwai; The Battle of Britain; Letters From Iwo Jima; The Pacific (Band of Brothers type mini series); Patton; The Guns of Navarone; Where Eagles Dare; Enemy at the Gates; Memphis Belle Post WWII: We Were Soldiers; The Killing Fields; Pork Chop Hill; Black Hawk Down; Apocalypse Now OK, that's more than a few, but there are a lot of good films out there.
If you watch Letters from Iwo Jima then watch Flags of Our Fathers as they are supposed to be watched together; Flags of our Fathers tells the story of the battle of Iwo Jima from the US side and Letters from Iwo Jima is from the Japanese point of view. Both absolutely fantastic masterpieces by Clint Eastwood.
What the German soldier says to Mellish at the end of the knife fight is haunting. It almost makes me regret learning German. He says: "Give up, you don't stand a chance. Let's end this here. It will be easier for you, much easier. You'll see it will be over quickly."
I've been to the cemetery at the start/end, it's literally just a few hundred yards from the beach itself - it was an emotional and humbling experience.
I’m still amazed the Americans were able to take that beach.The Germans had all the advantages and only two US DD Sherman tanks were able to get onto the beach as so many were launched too far out and sank.Apparently some battleships were able to get in close and add firepower to take out some of the machine gun nests.The Canadians also had it pretty bad at Juno as well,but Omaha was the one that came close to being lost.I hope to do that trip to Normandy myself.After all the films and documentaries I’ve seen,I feel like I know the place!
You are the first reactor I have seen that has shown sympathy when it comes to the scene where the French parents are trying to get the Americans to take their children. So many reactors who, if they comment on that part, have said things along the lines of, “That’s just stupid” “Why would you do that” or “I would never do that to my child.” I’m not saying these other reactors are bad people, but it goes to show how far removed from the horrors of war most of us are, because if anyone could possibly have it worse than the soldiers, it’s the civilians who are caught in the crossfire. Thank you for that little moment. ❤️
Yeah, "Schindler's List" is a perfect bookend to this film and to Spielberg's filmography, in general. It shows what we there in Europe fighting for. Well, sort of. The US certainly didn't really get involved to try and stop the Holocaust until we got bombed by Japan at Pearl Harbor (but don't bother watching that movie) but SL might be Spielberg's ultimate masterpiece, and certainly on of his most personal given his Jewish heritage.
Except that disgusting twisted dinner party they had where the scumbags ate jealous so they start disrespecting the women. Fcking grotesque behavior. Charming party, it's a pity I wasn't invited. I would have loved to have, corrected them.
A Vietnam war movie thqt is a "hard watch" is "Platoon" (1986) with Charlie Sheen, Tom Bereneger, and Willem Dafoe, and directed by Oliver Stone It won 4 Oscars, including for Best Picture and Best Directing.
And Oscar for Best Siund (since you mentioned it). You MUST see Schindler's List (Best picture Oscar by Spielberg); everyone needs to see this movie once in their lifetime.
2:54 not chain guns, but MG42 belt fed machine guns. Chain guns are typically mounted on vehicles and use a chain-linked system to help cycle the weapon’s action (something like the M242 Bushmaster, which is mounted on Bradley IFVs that you see in Ukraine right now, is a chain gun). The MG42 was the standard infantry machine gun for the Germans in WWII. A weapon so effective that it is basically still being used today. It fires at an incredible 1,200-1,500 RPM. For context, most Allied machine guns fired around 500-600 RPM. No other infantry machine gun fired that fast. They were so effective that the Americans had to create specific training films to help soldiers deal with the sound of the weapon firing.
They did mention the Sullivans, five brothers enlisted and assigned to the USS Juneau, all died when the ship was sunk. Recommendations "Valkyrie", "Momuments Men" "Conspiracy" "Patton" "Tora Tora Tora" "Blackhawk Down" to name a few. Great reactions, two in a row I have watched. The opening and closing scene was the Normandy cemetery American section, there is a British and French sector.
I was a Navy Corpsman (counterpart to Wade's Doc), I served 10 years, 8 with Marines. I saw this on a Tuesday afternoon. There were 12 of us. Myself, and 11 others, all veterans. At the end of the movies, the house lights went up. All of us had teary eyes. One old man stated the following- "As far as war movies go, that was the most accurate depiction I've ever seen . As for the ACTUAL D-Day, it didn't come close" His hat said it all- D-Day Survivor, Purple Heart. I have always deferred to his expert opinion. As bad as you think it was as shown in the movie, it was much, much worse. As accurate as it was, they simply could not show the reality of that day. The beach wasn't taken in 20 minutes, it took nearly 12 hours. The beach was nearly 500 yards wide thanks to a very low tide. There was literally no cover. All they could do was take whatever was thrown at them. While this was shown from the American sectors, Canadian, British & Commonwealth Nations were all present on those beaches.
And then, after all that, the 2nd Ranger Battalion had to scale the 100 foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, under enemy fire, to remove the German artillery that wan't even there. The Greatest Generation indeed!
If I recall correctly the Canadians at Juno were landed at the right spot and the Naval barrage did a much better job of softening up the shore defences where the Americans at Omaha were landed in the wrong position and the Navy missed the shore defences and the shells hit too far inland so all of the German positions were more or less completely intact when the Americans hit the beach.
And for as awful Omaha beach was, that level of death and despair (or worse) was basically a daily occurrence on the Eastern Front for almost the entire war.
The beach was actually taken in roughly 4.5 hours. The first wave of landing forces hit Omaha beach at 0630 hours. 0830 hour landing was in force taking heavy casualties. 1000 hours, troops began regrouping into small units searching for beach exits. 1030 Hour, US units start to overwhelm german defences. By 1100 hours Major General Gerow, commander of V Corps, receives the first positive intelligence report to come from Omaha Beach. Spotters observe GIs advancing up the slope behind Easy Red and Easy Fox. The fortified house at Exit E-3 has fallen silent, and a destroyer is shelling Les Moulins. The report ends, “Things look better.” The situation at Omaha continues to gradually improve during the afternoon.
People don't understand a very simple truth about soldiers at war. No matter what mission you are on you are in danger of dying. Every mission contributes to winning the war. Saving one soldier is no more dangerous than any other mission. As Hanks says 'We are here to win the war.'
An EXCELLENT film is the 1946 release of The Best Years of Our Lives. It won several Oscars and was one of the first films chosen to be part of the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry for its importance. It follows three veterans returning home. The director, and many crew and casts members were veterans and incorporated some of their personal experiences into the film. It is a quietly profound and powerful film. Highly recommended.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN inspired Spielberg and Hanks to create Band of Brothers. As for suggestions, I personally think WE WERE SOLDIERS starring Mel Gibson is a great war movie
I believe Saving Private Ryan was the first Hanks/Spielberg collaboration. This caused them to work together and do Band of Brothers followed by The Pacific and now Masters of the Air. I have not seen Masters of the Air yet, but consider the other three Spielberg/Hanks works it will be amazing. I highly recommend you watch them. One of the best movies is the true story of Desmond Doss called Hacksaw Ridge. This movie has so much meaning to me because of my Dad. Desmond Doss was an Army Medic, my Dad was a Navy Corpsman with the Marines and both were in the Battle of Okinawa. This movie is so emotional and inspiring. Other good movies based on WWII are The Fighting Sullivans. The General and his officers talk about the Sullivan brothers while talking about getting Ryan back. There are two good Clint Eastwood movies (Producer). Letters From Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers. These two movies are based on the Battle of Iwo Jima, one from the Japanese Perspective the other from the American Perspective. Tora, Tora, Tora is another good movie, it is about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and ends at the Battle of Midway, which was the turning point in the war in the Pacific. Just a suggestion from a Navy Vet who served for 41 years 45 days.
I had never seen an entire theater audience sit in stunned silence for an extended period until the opening assault of this movie. For the rest the audience remained reserved because we had no idea when something bad would happen, or to whom. Steven Spielberg is the most versatile filmmaker we've ever seen, and one of the most prolific. He gave us Schindler's List and Jurassic Park in the same year (1993). For a very different take on WWII from him, check out 1941 (1979) War Film Recs: The Train 1964 The Great Escape 1963 Stalag 17 1953 The Hurt Locker 2008 The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 Das Boot 1981 The Dam Busters 1955 1917 2019 The Dirty Dozen 1967 The Pianist 2002 Hacksaw Ridge 2016
We Were Soldiers is among the best of the Vietnam war films. One of my personal favorites for how it depicts what a prolonged firefight looks like, and also bouncing between the war, and the toll it takes on the families at home. Based on the first engagements of American soldiers in Vietnam and Hal Moore's book "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young" (Hal Moore being the commander of the unit depicted in the film.) Honestly, you might really enjoy Tora! Tora! Tora! It's a World War 2 movie about Pearl Harbor and was filmed by both American and Japanese film crews. It's a little procedural, but it really depicts just how both sides saw the event. It's a classic. There's also other classics like The Longest Day, The Big Red One, Patton. Also, if you guys really enjoyed Band of Brothers, there's also its sidequel series "THe Pacific" which depicts the experience of Americans fighting against The Japanese.
We Were Soldiers is typical Mel Gibson; great action movie, but laughably inaccurate. Having Col Moore as advisor didn't keep the nonsense out of the script, but still a good watch. My favorite Vietnam movie would be The Iron Triangle, as it presents the view from both sides. The Beast is an excellent movie about Soviets in Afghanistan, realistic except for the basic plot, but it puts good acting over just effects.
Flags of Our Fathers, director Clint Eastwood. At the Academy Awards Show Steven Spielberg said it best, "these were a bunch of 18,19 and 20 year olds and they saved the whole damn world."
Always good to see someone watch Saving Private Ryan for the first time. It is a tough movie to get through, but I believe it is an important one to have seen at least once. Off the top of my head two other war movies that greatly impressed me are 'We Were Soldiers' and 'Black Hawk Down'. Good luck with your journey to 40k subscribers!
*"Omaha"* was the deadliest landing on *D-Day* the *US* other landing was named *"Utah"* but you *Canadians* played a part at landing *"Juno"* working with & between the two *British* landings *"Gold" & "Sword"*
Omaha had the highest number of killed and wounded but Ive read in a few books that Juno actually had the highest number of casualties compared to troops landed
I highly HIGHLY recommend The Big Red One, (1980) A story of the Ist Infantry Brigade, WW2. It stars Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill (yes, that one) and Robert Carradine. Excellent Movie, and ends with the same experience feeling as the Band of Brothers.
The Big Red One is a particular favorite of mine. My father served in the 1st Infantry Division from the North African invasion through Sicily. He was then transferred to the 3rd Infantry Division as a replacement. So To Hell and Back is another favorite. Since it's about Audie Murphy the most decorated soldier of WW2 who also was in the 3rd Infantry Division.
Fantastic reaction! This movie is both gut-wrenching and beautiful at the same time. Love that you noticed the general had memorized Abe Lincoln's letter, that is subtle but very cool. And Chandra, you have huge "Disney Princess" eyes that are very expressive so when you are sad it is very impactful!
Murder holes is a reference to impact craters that were created by the enemy pre sighting their artillery. They would fire, creating the crater where soldiers would seek cover, then fire another round to hit the same spot. Defilade refers to a low spot that is unseen by the enemy.
During the Napoleonic Wars and the tall-masted sailing ship era, "Master and Commander" with Russell Crowe and Paul Bethany is a great war movie and a respite from the mechanized nihilism of modern warfare.
Generation Kill, HBO miniseries production, based on non-fiction book by embedded reporter Evan Wright. I was in U.S. Army for ten years and participated in OIF 2003-2004. Generation Kill, although dramatized in some ways and watered-down in other ways, is the most accurate depiction I've seen of military operations of that era; from how commands from up high trickle down to the bottom to how individual soldiers* interact with one another. *The show depicts Marines, which is a type of soldier, despite Marines insisting they aren't soldiers. Saying Marines aren't soldiers is like saying a particular type of automobile isn't an automobile because of how it's used. A semi or a Ferrari or a motorcycle are all automobiles. Marines are soldiers. 🤦♂️
Really good, heartfelt reaction! @13:59 those are barrage balloons, intended to discourage any low-flying enemy aircraft in the area. For a REALLY deep WWII cut, check out "A Midnight Clear."
"Saving Private Ryan" is one of if not the best anti-war films ever made. It pulls no punches in showing the audience the brutal, horrible reality of warfare. Young men are thrown into a meat grinder, and those who survive it are forever changed - sometimes for the worse.
Spielberg was adamant that any sufficiently realistic war film is an anti-war film. Even still, there's an element of glorification through the reverence to its participants, perpetuating the "no such thing as an anti-war film" adage. Hell, even Full Metal Jacket, which is much bleaker and more cynical, precipitated significant spikes in military enlistment.
@@GarrettJayChristian ... I would say that any war film that shows soldiers being brave, unselfish and self-sacrificing could indeed inspire people to enlist. Perhaps it also happens in films with heroic police officers or rescue teams.
When I was stationed at Schoefield Barracks in Hawaii, I had to go through drownproofing. Part of the training involved going off the high dive while fully dressed with a backpack and rifle. This was to teach you how to avoid drowning. They also classified your strength as a swimmer. Non-swimmers splashed around in the kiddy pool side. Regular swimmers swam the length of Olympic size pool while wearing swimsuit. Being from Michigan of course I qualified strong swimmer which required swimming 5-laps in full BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform) with your weapon. They were nice enough to let you kick off your boots. I did it but it was not easy. after about 3-strokes, your uniform had soaked up all the water and arms felt like lead weights. The reward for exceling was when you were in the field and encountered a water crossing, you had to tow the non-swimmer across the obstacle.
It has been reported widely that it was while they were working together on Saving Private Ryan that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg decided to work together on creating the Band of Brothers series...so you will experience a lot of similar visual and auditory styles between the two. Saving Private Ryan is incredibly realistic in most every way, with a very few exceptions...such as bullets not being able to kill you that far underwater, and flamethrowers not really exploding that way in 1944. One thing to know, pay no mind at all to that man who took off his helmet on the beach at 6:12 and then got shot in the head...that next shot would have killed him even if he had kept his helmet on. The helmets of WW2 would almost never stop a bullet, except under very very rare circumstances. The movie is not a true story, and it differs from the actual history of D-Day in many ways...but the basic plot is loosely based on the 4 Niland Brothers, one of whom served with the 101st Airborne Division. However, when 3 Nilands were reported dead, no mission was sent behind enemy lines to get the last brother, and it turned out that one brother that had been thought dead had actually only been captured. The 4th brother was found and notified by an Army Chaplain, and was sent home, but as far as the brothers none of what happened in this movie happened in real life. There really was a Company C of the 2nd Rangers that landed on Omaha Beach, but they were commanded by Captain Ralph Goranson, and they did not land quite where it was shown in the film. Probably the most important historical thing that Spielberg got wrong is that he had the boats that carried the Rangers to the beach being driven by Americans...they were not. On D-Day, the boats that carried the US Rangers to the beach were driven by UK sailors of the Royal Navy. There are many other things in the film that are not accurate to the real history of D-Day, but that one really fails to honor some of the men that fought and died at Omaha Beach, so it is definitely the one most worth noting. The location at the beginning with the French and US flags is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial...located in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. Most of the US servicemen killed in the 2 and a half month long Normandy Campaign are buried in this cemetery...a total of 9388 burials.
Excellent. You guys have such superb & genuine reactions, intellectually & emotionally, to everything of your content that I have watched. Love you & your work. Thank you for sharing all with us.
I am so glad you finally had an opportunity to see this great film. It is one of the most moving films I have ever experienced. Great reaction and I look forward to what is next for the two of you. We Were Soldiers and Windtalkers are two great movies to see. There are many more, two many to mention.
When this movie first came out there were several accounts of WWII vets having PTSD flashbacks during the beach landing. Theaters started having counselor's setup in the lobbies for anyone who needed help.
I know this is just a film but when I look at the opening sequence and the absolute carnage the wermacht inflicted on the western allies it is actually insane to think that Germans only designated 20% of their forces to the western front. When I start to think about what the soviets had to deal with, I get emotional a bit.
It was far more than 20% of the Heer at that stage of the war. Consistently more than 20% of the Luftwaffe & the Kreigsmarine throughout the war as well. How many U-boots did the Soviet's sink? The combined bomber offensive tied up 90% of the 88 & 128mm guns that could have gone to the Heer. It was a cooperative effort by all of us but the Soviet Union & now Russia have deliberately & consistently underplayed the efforts of the Western Allies.
@Gingycat100 have they, though? I mean, played down the West's contribution towards defeating the Germans? I feel like its the west that has downplayed the Soviet's sacrifice during ww2 for example we all know about the atrocities the Germans committed against the Jewish people, 6 million murdered but fewer people know about the 27 million people the Soviets lost. For sure, the Cold War has a lot to do with this. The West didn't want its citizens to be sympathetic towards the soviets. It's also why the Soviets committed atrocities against the Germans just before the war ended and in the immediate period after.
If you are interested in the point of view in France, there is a 1969 French film titled “Army of Shadows” about the French Underground movement. The director had been involved in the underground and incorporated some of his feelings and experiences in the film.
Eh, the same soldier was begging and pleading for his life, earlier in the movie. Turns out, according to this movie, cowardice was absolutely "thinkable" for a German soldier. Try again...
@@codymoe4986 It is not in fact the same soldier. They just look kind of similar. Nice to have an attitude while in actuality being wrong. So.... try again.
@@scottb3034I may be wrong but I think he's talking about the German who walks by Upham on the stairs. That guy is in fact the same soldier who was spared by Tom Hanks earlier and befriended by Upham. That is the same guy who shoots Tom Hanks on the bridge. Then it is the same guy who Upham executes after the Germans retreat and a few surrender. I don't know who you guys are talking about but that German guy recognizes Upham at the end, which is how it is confirmed to be the same guy
5:47 A lot of people point this out, but as they're panning across Wade and the other medics working on the battalion surgeon, they take a barrage of gun fire, and the medic on the left side gets hit in the canteen. You see the water running out of his canteen and it turns red, you actually see him reaching down into his pants to put pressure on the wound. There are so many horrific little touches like that in this film, just slightly off center of focus, but take a lot of pre-planning to achieve in a realistic fashion. 8:46 It's one of those things this movie does that is subtle. They didn't subtitle any of the foreign dialogue. Those two were conscripts. Forced to fight by the Germans. A lot of people don't know this but the German Atlantic Wall defebses was actually understrength on D-Day, had the invasion been delayed any further, German Reinforcements would have been there and there would have been no chance for the allies to break through. A lot of the positions were held by young boys, older men, and conscripts from German occupied Poland, France, and Czech. The two that were surrendering were Czech, and they were basically saying "don't shoot we're not German, they made us fight."
When I was growing up in the 1960s, TV showed vast numbers of WWII movies, many of them made during the war. They did this, I think, as patriotic propaganda for the Vietnam War. I got completely burned out and stopped watching war movies. SPR was a rare exception, which I saw on TV a few years after it came out. I do think it is the best war movie ever in terms of its realism and its “earn this” theme of gratitude. I still feel a close connection to WWII. My father was one year too young for the fighting, but he was in the occupation of Japan in 1946. I had two uncles who went through the Italian campaign and survived into my adulthood. My mother’s first cousin was second day at Normandy, but therefore got moved to the front line for the horrendous Hedgerows battle and was among the troops cut off behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge. He had even more horrific experiences in the Korean War. He was very close to our family in his later years (his early 50s) because he was a bachelor living at the “Old Soldier’s Home” in Washington and often visited us. I attended his burial at Arlington National Cemetery when I was 12. I will recommend two war movies that others are unlikely to name: the original “All Quiet on the Western Front” (1930), the first super-realistic war movie and a phenomenal directorial achievement, and “The Steel Helmet” (1951) a tremendous movie about the Korean War, highly regarded but never watched by reactors. Be the first!
The sniper shot down the scope was a nod to Carlos Hathcock, an Army sniper in Vietnam, who actually made a shot like that. There was a book written on his life, and was a fascinating read.
Great reaction guy! I saw this in the theater when it was first released….thst opening scene on the beaches of Normandy was so intense. Every person in was shocked…loud gasps, cries, tears,…it was a very difficult few minutes.
Yep same here,1998.That opening on Dog Green sector of Omaha Beach was absolutely incredible and the cinema I was in was so quiet as that battle took place.I remember watching a documentary on the BBC that year and GIs saying it was the most realistic depiction of the landings they’d seen.One GI said the film THE LONGEST DAY, got it so wrong,saying that they didn’t come off the landing craft howling like banshees! British landing boat driver,Jimmy Green,who took GIs into Omaha beach tells us how virtually every GI on his boat was hit and he was in tears telling us.Those machine gun nests on the bluffs with those MG 42s,Hitlers buzzsaws,did horrific damage to the first couple of waves of American soldiers that landed.
@@Gunnar001Film makers have always done this Gunnar.Creative licensing they call it.If you want to see a war movie filled with inaccuracies,watch the 1965 film,THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE.Even Eisenhower criticised it! Just enjoy it for what it was,a cracking war movie and a great story.And more importantly,the reactors enjoyed it which this is all about.
Here's a weird tie-in between Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. Saving Private Ryan was inspired by the Niland brothers. Sgt. Bob Niland was killed on D-Day and Lt. Preston Niland was killed the next day in Normandy. Sgt. Edward Niland was listed as missing and presumed dead earlier in the year (he was actually in a Japanese POW camp). So the Army sent a team to get the fourth brother, Sgt. Frederick "Fritz" Niland of the 501 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne to bring him home from Normandy. Like Private Ryan, when he was found, he tried to stay with his company, but was bought home anyway. As it turned out, Fritz Niland was best friends with Skip Muck of the Band of Brothers fame (he was the one who bragged about swimming across the Niagara River in episode 7) as they were both from Tonawanda, NY, as well as Don Malarky, Joe Toye and Chuck Grant from Easy Company from their Camp Toccoa days. They used to go out drinking together when they were in England before D-Day, as recounted in the book Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose.
The two greatest films cross genre: Casablanca (1942) WWII Africa, Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" (1954) set in 1586 in Japan's Sengoku period (technically not a war film but has all the trappings.)
Something many people miss is that when Tom Hanks character is giving orders he knows all the men by name and recognizes them when he is giving orders. That's a leader.
I've watched so many reactions to this movie and I think Chandra was the first person who I saw who immediately recognized that the German was the same one they had released. Great job Chandra!
"Every man I kill the further away from home I feel". "Home" is a metaphor for him. Every time he kills a man the further he is from who he was before the war.
Great reaction to a truly great film. Seeing this when it first came out at one of the best theatres in the U.S. - Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood - was an amazing movie-going experience. In that final battle scene when they tanks are approaching and you can see the ground rumbing, so were our seats. You could totally feel it and the rest of the sound system really contributed to the battle scenes, in particular. There are so many other amazing films covering all the wars (sadly, too many) but I do recommend "1917" for WWI and "Apocalypse Now" for Vietnam. Spielberg's "Schindler's List" should also be required viewing now that you've seen SPR. Another amazing film that came out last year that focuses on the Holocaust in a very unique way is "The Zone of Interest". It takes place at the home of the German who works at Auschwitz and literally lives on the other side of the wall at the camp. You never see anything happening at the concentration camp at all, but the sounds and the stark contrast between their privileged life and what happens just on the other side of the wall is uniquely disturbing. The filmmaking was very unique, as well. Rooms in the house and areas outside of the house were often filmed on up to ten or more cameras at once and the actors played the scenes out almost as if they were on stage. There are very rare cuts and it's an intense experience.
One of the most difficult films you might ever watch is actually an anime feature about Japanese civilians - Grave of the Fireflies (1988.) Many people think it is one of the greatest war films ever made, but know that they will only watch it one time. The musical score is incredible.
The reason the weapons sound so real- especially in the beginning beach scenes- is because the sound guys got recording of the actual kinds of weapons being fired or detonated. They used original wartime recordings when available, and used preserved weapons when needed. An amazing film from first to last. (Note: the little halftrack/motorcycle is a real vehicle used by the Germans during the war; it's called- well the short name is 'Kettenkrad'- and it was used for towing light artillery and supply trailers and just an all-purpose hauler. A lot of them are still around in the hands of collectors and in museums. The German forestry service was using them at least as late as the late 80's when I was stationed there and had the opportunity to drive one!)
That liitle machine they called the "rabbit" is a half-track multipurpose vehicle with a modified engine and steers like a motorbike at the front. It could travel over multiple terrains and had many uses. The Nazi's used it to travel around in the towns quickly it's called a kettenkrad in German. A cool, little machine ! Great review guys loved it !
A film about an unusual aspect of the war, based on actual soldiers and events is The Monuments Men (2014) directed by George Clooney. The Nazis not only wanted to eliminate people, but wanted to steal the cultural heritage of many nations and their public art, religious artifacts and other artistic objects, to take it for their own villas and put a lot in the Fuhrer Museum that was planned. The Monuments Men were specially trained experts in retrieving or protecting works of art, and returning them to the countries which owned them.
For history nerds, there is a spoiler in the first cemetery scene that tells you the older man is Ryan and not Captain Miller. He is wearing a "Screaming Eagle" pin of the 101st Airborne - and Ryan is the only major cast member who was a member of the 101st. All of Captain Miller's squad were Rangers and wouldn't wear that pin.
You'll never ever ever ever forget that shot of the soldier looking for his arm. It's brilliantly shot because by the time your brain registers that he's looking for it, he finds it!
"Tora! Tora! Tora!" is the definitive movie about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It presents the perspectives of both sides. Many of its action scenes have been used in many WW2 movies long after its release.
@33:11 So to avoid confusion for you both, When Corporal Henderson refers to Easy Company he also added 501st. This was a different regiment from Easy Company in Band of Brothers which was part of the 506th PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment). @40:20 The vehicle their using for baiting the Germans is called the Kettenkrad, a hybrid tracked Motorcycle built for the German paratroopers to be delivered by aircraft it was highly maneuverable even in hilly or mountainous terrain it could pully a good load of trailers and could carry 2 men with the driver. It is fun to drive, some exist today in running condition including a couple in France, UK, and USA. It was also later used by the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, to tow German aircraft including the first combat Jets the ME-262 before take off. Near the end of the war the Luftwaffe was so starved of fuel by the allied bombing campaigns that the Jets had to be towed from their parking spots to the Runway for flight since they had to use every drop of fuel they could get.
I remember when I saw this in the theater, by the end of the Normandy beach scene, I found myself slumped down in my seat as low as possible- guess I was instinctively trying to find cover. Amazing movie.
"A Bridge Too Far." Epic WW2 movie that deals with Operation Market Garden (Band of Brothers dealt with it in the episode where Bull Randleman was cut off an on his own). One of those epic 1960s movies with just about every Hollywood star in it. Fantastic movie.
I’m late to the party but, Hacksaw Ridge, 1917, and Full Metal Jacket are all fantastic. Hacksaw Ridge’s story is incredibly wholesome, 1917 won awards for the cinematography, and FMJ is a classic film that will leave you speechless. All 3 are from different “era’s” of filmmaking and 3 different wars too, so you get a unique perspective with each one from different times and with different technologies.
I have to remember that alot of people don't know much about the military lingo and stuff but they didn't run through a minefield on the beach. When he's talking about their losses and all the Mines, it's been 3 days since the beach scene. They've been on other missions since
In the documentary, “We Stand Alone Together”, Shifty Powers praised the men who stormed the beaches at Normandy, saying, “I admire every one of them.”
The opening scene Ryan goes to the grave of his brother, at the end he's at the grave of Capt. Miller's grave. His family is directly behind him at the first grave site, at the end, his family remains at a respectful distance, except for his wife who has no idea who Miller is. Ryan went home and never told anyone about that day in Ramell. WW II was fought by men; the average age of U. S. combat personnel was 26 years old. The SGT. in the assault boat wasn't putting food in his mouth, that was chewing tobacco. They were in very rough seas and it took hours for the soldiers to disembark the troop ships into the Higgins Boats. Not knowing when they would ever have a good cooked meal again, many of the soldiers ate a hearty breakfast before disembarking. The first group to load into the boats bobbed around in the water for several hours before heading toward the beach. Many get seasick during that time. The vomit wasn't the main problem, the blood in the boats created a psychological problem when the boats returned to bring more soldiers to the beach. In Vietnam, the average age of combat personnel was 22, not 19 as many people think. Also, the largest number of U. S. personnel killed in action in Vietnam those who enlisted not draftees. The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion was the only unit that stormed the beaches on D-Day that was made up entirely of Black Americans. They displayed unmatched bravery during the 48 hours it took to secure the beaches. Members of 320th, unlike the other units, had to remain on the beaches with no relief units, exposed to continuous enemy fire during the 2 days it took to secure the area. Because they were Black, the photographers never show them in the photos taken on the beaches that day. All shots showing the barrage balloons are taken at far away distances.The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion served for almost 150 days in France following the invasion. They continued flying their balloons over the beaches and eventually a portion flew over the port of Cherbourg before the worsening weather in October prevented ships from landing any more supplies. Spielberg researched small details, for instance, Pvt Jackson's right thumb has a black mark on it. That's actually a bruise that many U. S. riflemen had caused from getting their thumb caught in the loading mechanism from not locking the bolt back properly when loading/reloading the M1 Garand rifle. It was called "Garand thumb". Capt. Miller said he taught at Thomas Alva Edison High School. That's a Spielberg paying homage to Thomas Alva Edison High School in Philadelphia, PA. 54 former students from that school were killed in action in the Vietnam War, more than any other school in the nation. The Hitler Youth Knife is more literary liberty than fact. That knife is a hiking knife given to members of the Hitler Youth Corps, which was much like the Boy Scouts in training while being indoctrinated with the ideology of National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi). The only other group they were issued to were members of the SA. This knife was never part of a soldier of the Wehrmacht. As for the reaction of Carparzo and Mellish, it is highly unlikely an average G.I. would have known what that knife was and its symbolism. The matter of Mellish crying is also not likely as the Allies didn't find out about the fate of Jews in Europe until the first concentration camp was liberated April 4, 1945. The war in Europe ended May 7, 1945. So, following the real timeline, Mellish dies before the Allies knew anything about concentration and death camps. But, after-all, it is Hollywood. Saving Private Ryan is not based on the Sullivan brothers. Fritz Niland became the basis for Private Ryan. He was dropped behind enemy lines on D-Day and spent five days in the French countryside, eventually earning a Bronze star in combat for taking a French. Robert Rodat first came up with the plot in 1994 when he saw a monument in a cemetery in Tonawanda, New York. The monument was to the Niland Brothers - 4 young American men who fought in the Second World War. When three of the Nilands were reported killed, the surviving brother - Fritz - was sent home. This inspired Rodat to write his movie. There are 26 military cemeteries across Normandy, but the most famous and visited site is the poignant Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer. The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France is located in Colleville-sur-Mer, on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 as the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The cemetery site, at the north end of its half mile access road, covers 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,387 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. In real life with the Nilands, it actually turned out later that another of the brothers was alive - he’d been held captive in a Burmese POW camp. Attempts to point out the "discrepancies" between the stories of Fritz Niland and James Ryan are often misguided, as Ryan is only based on Niland, and is not meant to be (or claimed to be) a completely accurate representation of him. The differences in the two stories seem to stem in part from the fact that the true story of Sergeant Niland and his brothers is often reported inaccurately. The character of Private James Ryan is a mixture of fact and fiction, with some of the fictional elements coming from the erroneous stories about the Niland brothers. The German credited as "Steamboat Willie" who was released by Capt. Miller is not the German who engaged and killed Pvt Stanley "Fish Mellish during hand-to-hand combat. "Steamboat Willie" was in the Heer (Army) of the Wehrmacht and the other was in the Waffen SS which was a paramilitary organization and not part of the Wehrmacht. Originally, the SS uniform differed from the Wehrmacht uniform-whereas the regular army wore field grey, the SS wore black, head to toe (although later the SS did adopt field grey and often wore camouflage pattern uniform. American troops were brown and they didn't wear jackboots. The lightning bolt SS insignia can be seen on the right collar lapel of the German as he passes Upham and reaches the bottom of the staircase. During the Battle at Ramelle, Upham became shell shocked and was unable to save a .30 cal team from a German soldier because he was too frozen with fear to do anything about it. He carried all the .30 caliber ammo at the battle of Ramelle, but was unable to do his job because he was always either pinned down or too afraid to move. He signified the loss of innocence in war and thought that soldiers could be civil, but he later succumbed to the evils of war and made up for his cowardice when he shot Steamboat Willie for killing Miller even after the latter had shown Willie mercy earlier. Not only did Upham represent the loss of innocence of war but he also symbolized the "Every-man". His illusion of neutrality faded when he finally had to pick and side and kill Steamboat Willie, his character revelation being how he finally understood the horrors of war. It became clear that Upham had turned into a hardened and true soldier because of the whole experience. Upham's rank was Tech 5 Corporal (E-5), that meant he was technician in a specialty area. His was maps and translator, he was not a combat infantryman and was never trained for front-line duty. Gunnery Sergent Hartman explained it this way in the movie Full Metal Jacket: "It is your killer instinct which must be harnessed if you expect to survive in combat. Your rifle is only a tool. It is a hard heart that kills. If your killer instincts are not clean and strong you will hesitate at the moment of truth. You will not kill. "The way the next of kin was notified of their loved one was killed in action during WW II was by Western Union telegram delivered by a bicycle riding messenger. If you were being notified of multiple deaths as was the case in this film, notification was done in-person by a military officer, usually from the same branch of service as the deceased when possible. That's why the mother upon seeing the officer exit the car momentarily froze knowing that meant at least 2 of her boys were either KIA or MIA, as the priest exits the car, she staggers and completely collapsed. That is one of the most important scenes in the movie. The mother speaks no lines in the movie, yet her breakdown brought a flood of tears form movie goers in theaters across the nation. Another important scene is it is clear from the few lines Ryan's wife speaks that she has never heard the name of Capt. John Miller, this means John has never spoken to her about what happened that day in Ramelle. What many missed is listening to Ryan speaking at the Miller's grave of how he thought about what those 8 men did for him every day was not guilt, but commitment. There are units assigned to recover, bury and mark graves. Usually these were temporary battlefield cemeteries. As hostilities moved farther away, a more permanent site would be selected, at the family's request, whenever possible, the remains would be returned to the United States. At the Normandy Cemetery Visitors Center, you'll find the following inscription: IF EVER PROOF WERE NEEDED THAT WE FOUGHT FOR A CAUSE AND NOT FOR CONQUEST, IT COULD BE FOUND IN THESE CEMETERIES. HERE WAS OUR ONLY CONQUEST: ALL WE ASKED … WAS ENOUGH … SOIL IN WHICH TO BURY OUR GALLANT DEAD.General Mark W. ClarkChairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1969-1984
It isn't WWII, but "Glory" is a wonderful Civil War film---well written, great acting and a good mix of action and character arcs
yes!!!
Double yes!!
I agree.Denzel Washington is outstanding in that film.
On my top 10 movies of all time list. Denzel was amazing in it.
Great film. And Glory won Best Picture (while nominated, SPR lost out to Shakespeare In Love in 1999. Ridiculous).
"The cemetery in the beginning of Saving Private Ryan is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France:
The cemetery is the largest allied burial ground in Normandy and honors American soldiers who died in Europe during World War II. It's located on the site of the former Saint Laurent battlefield cemetery and covers 172.5 acres. The cemetery contains 9,388 gravesites, including those of two of the Niland brothers, who may have inspired the character Private Ryan."
A note on the "surrendering" "Germans" - They WERE in German uniforms but they were speaking Czech saying "We are not German, we are Czech, we didnt kill anyone" - spielberg did this to give a nod to the 1000's of Czechs that were "impressed" into German service on the Atlantic Wall.
this comment
Check out police videos. The bad guy rarely says yup i shot that guy i'm guilty. No shortage of non germans that jumped on the nazi band wagon when they were winning
And they certainly could have been Sudaten Germans loyal to Hitler.
Blackhawk Down (true story), Hacksaw Ridge (true story), 13 Hours (true story), We Were Soldiers (true story)...
The end of We Were Soldiers was not remotely accurate though. The movie was good until that point.
Patton (true story)
All very good films. Also Platoon, The Siege of Jadotville, Lone Survivor.
You have to chuck in 'Tears Of The Sun'
" All quiet on the western front " partly true story
He says Band of Brothers was hard to watch sometimes.
Saving Private Ryan-“Hold my beer.”
If Band of Brothers is intense, he should check out The Pacific.
Savings private Ryan was hard to watch?
Blackhawk Down: "hold my beer"
"Every man I kill, the further away from home I feel."
This is the key line of the movie. Captain Miller knows that the war is eating away at his humanity.
Lincoln's letter to Mrs. Bixby is considered to be one of the purest examples of the English language every written.
[citation needed]
@@rollomaughfling380 Seems like you need some proper English too. 'Ever' not 'every'.
@@DestinyAwaits19 Who and WTF are you talking about, mate?
@@rollomaughfling380 Read the original comment then come back to me.
@@DestinyAwaits19 You were (nonsensically) replying to me, ya blockhead. Maybe _you_ need a lesson on how online communications work.
For WW1 the film ‘1917’ is a compelling watch.
Also, All Quiet On The Western Front (2022) is an excellent WW1 film
Such an amazing film and I really hope they do watch it.
When Captain Miller says to Ryan, “Earn this…”, he’s talking to all of us who’ve benefited from their sacrifice
Well said.
It's a good thing he's not real and didn't live to see the current state of the world.
I didn't catch that! Makes it an even more powerful moment.
Capt. Miller may be a fictional character, but there are still about 60,000 WWII veterans still alive. I can't imagine how they feel seeing things the way they are.
@@a3sthetik And even if they are not around,, they have families. Did they die for nothing?
Cheers, Canada. We remember you at Juno beach. Thanks for being family with us.
Thanks for the nod! =)
yes, thank you for the nod sir 🇨🇦👍
Thank you sir. Remembrance Day here yesterday which I believe coincides with your Memorial Day
@@jasonm8017 Veterans Day is November 11th in the US. Memorial Day is at the end of May.
@ thank you, I regrettably mixed those up
HACK. SAW. RIDGE!! Incredible story of someone who was SO MUCH MORE badass in real life, amazing acting, stunning score, and some of the most beautiful cinematography I’ve ever seen
The Thin Red Line and The Great Raid too. The Pacific theater doesn’t get near enough attention.
All of those "balloons" on the beach, that you asked about, are called "barrage balloons." They are sent aloft and tethered to a stationary object. They have thick steel guy-wires holding them in place. They are used to prevent enemy aircraft from flying low along the beach and shooting at troops.
All my uncles were either at Omaha beach, in the 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles) of in the Merchant Marines at sea. My dad was in California preparing to go ashore in Japan but they dropped the atomic bomb so the war was over. My uncle Paul was a short Italian who landed at Omaha Beach and his landing craft was short so he jumped out and sank to the bottom. a tall friend from Iowa pulled him out and saved his life. That friend later got shot in the head by a sniper. My Uncle Johnny was in the 82nd then 101st Airborne. He was stuck at Bastogne during Christmas of 1944. This was the Greatest Generation and Spielberg showed all the true emotions of that these men and their families felt.
For what it's worth, they were serving in a merchant marine (merchant navy), not "merchant marines" themselves. People working on a merchant-marine ship are "merchant mariners," or "merchant sailors." "Merchant marines" would refer to merchant navies from two or more countries. At any rate, bless their souls.
@ during WW 2 Merchant Marines were actually considered part of the US Navy and got US Veteran status.
@@rmlb36 Ok, well, you're entirely missing the point, still referring to individuals as "merchant marines." I didn't say anything about their status as military in wartime.
Spielberg told the actors that the movie was not about having fun or just another action movie. He wanted to portray the raw horrors of war and the emotion. He even had the Actors camp out with rations for a few days to really let them get a feel of what their role was going to be, mentally prepare the role and really get into character. Spielberg wanted the movie to connect with veterans. One veteran said.. "The movie was as close as you will get to the horrors of that war and that he captured the emotion perfectly.". ❤❤
“We’re not here to do the decent thing, we’re here to follow fucking orders!”
The most cold blooded line Tom Hanks delivered in any of his movies.
Hello, almost all of Hank's lines in " The Lady Killers (2004) " were cold blooded.
Nah, just about any line in Road to Perdition.
@ name two
@@SparksDrinker so you dispute that he didn't say anything foreboding & or "cold-blooded", ooooh so dramatic. Lol
@@SparksDrinker number one; “- Michael Sullivan: I'd like to work for you.
- Frank Nitti: Well... that's very interesting.
- Michael Sullivan: And in return, I'd like you to turn a blind eye to... what I have to do.
- Frank Nitti: And what is that?
- Michael Sullivan: Kill the man who murdered my family.”
Barrage Balloons were used to protect ground troops from enemy aircraft that would come to strafe the beaches. These balloons had steel cables attached to them that presented a hazard to enemy aircraft.
We Were Soldiers, Lone Survivor, 13 Hours, Glory, The Patriot, Hacksaw Ridge...the list of amazing war movies is long. And its worth watching every single one of them. Great reaction guys.
The Royal Canadian Army participated on Juno Beach part of the Normandy Invasion. Canadian Actor James Doohan (Played Scotty on Star Trek) was a veteran.
Canadians were some of the fiercest fighters and bad-ass soldiers in the ETO. Following Juno they ran into one of the toughest, most elite German units in the entire Wehrmacht and destroyed it (12th SS panzer division). The fighting the Canadians did in Italy was also some of the fiercest fighting in that campaign. As an American vet who reads everything he can about WW2, I have the utmost respect for the Canadian troops that fought in that war. Some bad-ass dudes for sure.
Hacksaw Ridge- true story, love story, entirely different perspective on going to war...
Paladin
I will never understand people thinking that movie is anything other then an embarrassment.
@@olbenny4027 Oh come now it's not that bad lol. It's not like Michael Bay's "2 Guys a Girl and a Sneak Attack".
Pretty inaccurate in a lot of places but still, it is a good movie.
Good movie but also super over the top at many points. Thin Red Line is waaay better Pacific Theatre film
A fantastic movie that rips my guts out every time. My grandfather was in Germany in WW2 and got blown up in Hurtigan forest. Spent a year in hospital recovering. When my dad was in the Air Force we got stationed in Germany. My grandpa refused to come visit until the last 6 months because of his PTSD. H
They did finally come visit and he loved it. Probably just because he could see his grandkids
The Thin Red Line, it's a Masterpiece! It's about the WW2 US soldiers fighting the Pacific against the Japanese! Most people know of The War in Europe like Private Ryan, but the War in the Pacific fighting from island to island against the Japanese who were dug in, and would never surrender was something else! It's where they raised the famous statue of American Flag on the Island of IWO JIMA!! My jaw was on the floor during some battie scenes! It's VERY realistic! 😮
It was good but no masterpiece. It's not on the level of saving private ryan
Amazing film. So different to SPR but equally as good.
Agreed, TTRL Is a masterpiece, people who say it's not clearly don't understand it.
@@chrisfofficial Which is exactly why it's not realistic at all. The entire nonsense of them being philosophical while in the combat zone is ridiculous. Ask anyone who's ever been in combat about this movie, they will laugh. Sure, once you get far from the fighting there may be time and state of mind for all of the reflection and pontificating, but that's not how it goes at all in combat. Again, instead of just imagining something, ask someone who's actually been in it, you obviously havent (and yes, I have 3 combat ribbons and a purple heart. TTRL is NOT how it is)
Great reaction. Stalag 17 - The Dirty Dozen - The Great Escape - Bridge over the River Kwai are classics.
Here are a few of my favourite war/military themed films:
Pre WWI: Zulu; The Four Feathers (1939); Glory!; Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; Breaker Morant; The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936); The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
WWI: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930); Gallipoli; Paths of Glory; Sergeant York
WWII: Hacksaw Ridge; Das Boot; The Great Escape; The Dirty Dozen; Stalag 17; The Bridge on the River Kwai; The Battle of Britain; Letters From Iwo Jima; The Pacific (Band of Brothers type mini series); Patton; The Guns of Navarone; Where Eagles Dare; Enemy at the Gates; Memphis Belle
Post WWII: We Were Soldiers; The Killing Fields; Pork Chop Hill; Black Hawk Down; Apocalypse Now
OK, that's more than a few, but there are a lot of good films out there.
Great list!
If you watch Letters from Iwo Jima then watch Flags of Our Fathers as they are supposed to be watched together; Flags of our Fathers tells the story of the battle of Iwo Jima from the US side and Letters from Iwo Jima is from the Japanese point of view.
Both absolutely fantastic masterpieces by Clint Eastwood.
What the German soldier says to Mellish at the end of the knife fight is haunting. It almost makes me regret learning German. He says:
"Give up, you don't stand a chance. Let's end this here. It will be easier for you, much easier. You'll see it will be over quickly."
You know German ?
Ehrlich ?
@@AlexanderWinterborn-r6p Lol butthurt much?
I've been to the cemetery at the start/end, it's literally just a few hundred yards from the beach itself - it was an emotional and humbling experience.
All this time I was thinking that was Arlington Cemetery (which I've been to). Thanks for the long over due correction!
Went there with my dad when I was 10. Definitely a sight to see
I’m still amazed the Americans were able to take that beach.The Germans had all the advantages and only two US DD Sherman tanks were able to get onto the beach as so many were launched too far out and sank.Apparently some battleships were able to get in close and add firepower to take out some of the machine gun nests.The Canadians also had it pretty bad at Juno as well,but Omaha was the one that came close to being lost.I hope to do that trip to Normandy myself.After all the films and documentaries I’ve seen,I feel like I know the place!
You are the first reactor I have seen that has shown sympathy when it comes to the scene where the French parents are trying to get the Americans to take their children. So many reactors who, if they comment on that part, have said things along the lines of, “That’s just stupid” “Why would you do that” or “I would never do that to my child.” I’m not saying these other reactors are bad people, but it goes to show how far removed from the horrors of war most of us are, because if anyone could possibly have it worse than the soldiers, it’s the civilians who are caught in the crossfire. Thank you for that little moment. ❤️
"Schindler's List" is a must. "Fury" is amazing.
Absolutely
Yeah, "Schindler's List" is a perfect bookend to this film and to Spielberg's filmography, in general. It shows what we there in Europe fighting for. Well, sort of. The US certainly didn't really get involved to try and stop the Holocaust until we got bombed by Japan at Pearl Harbor (but don't bother watching that movie) but SL might be Spielberg's ultimate masterpiece, and certainly on of his most personal given his Jewish heritage.
Fury is garbage.
Fury is good.
Schindlers List is pure propaganda.
Except that disgusting twisted dinner party they had where the scumbags ate jealous so they start disrespecting the women. Fcking grotesque behavior.
Charming party, it's a pity I wasn't invited. I would have loved to have, corrected them.
The shaking hand wasn’t just fear. War fear is when your whole body shakes. The Captain probably had Parkinson’s.
A Vietnam war movie thqt is a "hard watch" is "Platoon" (1986) with Charlie Sheen, Tom Bereneger, and Willem Dafoe, and directed by Oliver Stone It won 4 Oscars, including for Best Picture and Best Directing.
And Oscar for Best Siund (since you mentioned it). You MUST see Schindler's List (Best picture Oscar by Spielberg); everyone needs to see this movie once in their lifetime.
I came here to say this. "Platoon" is a must watch.
Platoon is not a war movie. It is a movie about somebody's feelings about the Vietnam war. Just like All Quiet in the Western Front
2:54 not chain guns, but MG42 belt fed machine guns. Chain guns are typically mounted on vehicles and use a chain-linked system to help cycle the weapon’s action (something like the M242 Bushmaster, which is mounted on Bradley IFVs that you see in Ukraine right now, is a chain gun).
The MG42 was the standard infantry machine gun for the Germans in WWII. A weapon so effective that it is basically still being used today. It fires at an incredible 1,200-1,500 RPM. For context, most Allied machine guns fired around 500-600 RPM. No other infantry machine gun fired that fast. They were so effective that the Americans had to create specific training films to help soldiers deal with the sound of the weapon firing.
"It's bark is worse than it's bite."
LOL ok sure
I’ve seen this film maybe 20 times over the years and it still brings a tear to my eye 😢
They did mention the Sullivans, five brothers enlisted and assigned to the USS Juneau, all died when the ship was sunk. Recommendations "Valkyrie", "Momuments Men" "Conspiracy" "Patton" "Tora Tora Tora" "Blackhawk Down" to name a few. Great reactions, two in a row I have watched. The opening and closing scene was the Normandy cemetery American section, there is a British and French sector.
I was a Navy Corpsman (counterpart to Wade's Doc), I served 10 years, 8 with Marines. I saw this on a Tuesday afternoon. There were 12 of us. Myself, and 11 others, all veterans. At the end of the movies, the house lights went up. All of us had teary eyes. One old man stated the following- "As far as war movies go, that was the most accurate depiction I've ever seen . As for the ACTUAL D-Day, it didn't come close"
His hat said it all- D-Day Survivor, Purple Heart. I have always deferred to his expert opinion. As bad as you think it was as shown in the movie, it was much, much worse.
As accurate as it was, they simply could not show the reality of that day. The beach wasn't taken in 20 minutes, it took nearly 12 hours. The beach was nearly 500 yards wide thanks to a very low tide. There was literally no cover. All they could do was take whatever was thrown at them. While this was shown from the American sectors, Canadian, British & Commonwealth Nations were all present on those beaches.
And then, after all that, the 2nd Ranger Battalion had to scale the 100 foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, under enemy fire, to remove the German artillery that wan't even there. The Greatest Generation indeed!
If I recall correctly the Canadians at Juno were landed at the right spot and the Naval barrage did a much better job of softening up the shore defences where the Americans at Omaha were landed in the wrong position and the Navy missed the shore defences and the shells hit too far inland so all of the German positions were more or less completely intact when the Americans hit the beach.
And for as awful Omaha beach was, that level of death and despair (or worse) was basically a daily occurrence on the Eastern Front for almost the entire war.
The beach was actually taken in roughly 4.5 hours. The first wave of landing forces hit Omaha beach at 0630 hours. 0830 hour landing was in force taking heavy casualties. 1000 hours, troops began regrouping into small units searching for beach exits. 1030 Hour, US units start to overwhelm german defences. By
1100 hours Major General Gerow, commander of V Corps, receives the first positive intelligence report to come from Omaha Beach. Spotters observe GIs advancing up the slope behind Easy Red and Easy Fox. The fortified house at Exit E-3 has fallen silent, and a destroyer is shelling Les Moulins. The report ends, “Things look better.” The situation at Omaha continues to gradually improve during the afternoon.
Thanks for your service, brother.
Former HM3 here.
And also "Gone With the Wind", "Casablanca" and "Bridge over river Kwai" for sure.
People don't understand a very simple truth about soldiers at war. No matter what mission you are on you are in danger of dying. Every mission contributes to winning the war. Saving one soldier is no more dangerous than any other mission. As Hanks says 'We are here to win the war.'
An EXCELLENT film is the 1946 release of The Best Years of Our Lives. It won several Oscars and was one of the first films chosen to be part of the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry for its importance. It follows three veterans returning home. The director, and many crew and casts members were veterans and incorporated some of their personal experiences into the film. It is a quietly profound and powerful film. Highly recommended.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN inspired Spielberg and Hanks to create Band of Brothers. As for suggestions, I personally think WE WERE SOLDIERS starring Mel Gibson is a great war movie
Band of Brothers was made fairly soon after this movie, while they still had the experts, uniforms, sets and equipment gathered together.
Indeed, We Were Soldiers is criminally underrated.
It was him apologizing for how ridiculous everything after the first scene of this movie was from a realism standpoint.
I believe Saving Private Ryan was the first Hanks/Spielberg collaboration. This caused them to work together and do Band of Brothers followed by The Pacific and now Masters of the Air. I have not seen Masters of the Air yet, but consider the other three Spielberg/Hanks works it will be amazing. I highly recommend you watch them.
One of the best movies is the true story of Desmond Doss called Hacksaw Ridge. This movie has so much meaning to me because of my Dad. Desmond Doss was an Army Medic, my Dad was a Navy Corpsman with the Marines and both were in the Battle of Okinawa. This movie is so emotional and inspiring.
Other good movies based on WWII are The Fighting Sullivans. The General and his officers talk about the Sullivan brothers while talking about getting Ryan back.
There are two good Clint Eastwood movies (Producer). Letters From Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers. These two movies are based on the Battle of Iwo Jima, one from the Japanese Perspective the other from the American Perspective.
Tora, Tora, Tora is another good movie, it is about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and ends at the Battle of Midway, which was the turning point in the war in the Pacific.
Just a suggestion from a Navy Vet who served for 41 years 45 days.
Oh my gosh, 41 years and 45 days! We really appreciate you, and your movie suggestions ❤❤❤
On many lists of most disturbing war films is "Come and See" (1985) which depicts the brutal Nazi occupation of Belarus during World War II.
I had never seen an entire theater audience sit in stunned silence for an extended period until the opening assault of this movie. For the rest the audience remained reserved because we had no idea when something bad would happen, or to whom.
Steven Spielberg is the most versatile filmmaker we've ever seen, and one of the most prolific. He gave us Schindler's List and Jurassic Park in the same year (1993). For a very different take on WWII from him, check out 1941 (1979)
War Film Recs:
The Train 1964
The Great Escape 1963
Stalag 17 1953
The Hurt Locker 2008
The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957
Das Boot 1981
The Dam Busters 1955
1917 2019
The Dirty Dozen 1967
The Pianist 2002
Hacksaw Ridge 2016
We Were Soldiers is among the best of the Vietnam war films. One of my personal favorites for how it depicts what a prolonged firefight looks like, and also bouncing between the war, and the toll it takes on the families at home. Based on the first engagements of American soldiers in Vietnam and Hal Moore's book "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young" (Hal Moore being the commander of the unit depicted in the film.)
Honestly, you might really enjoy Tora! Tora! Tora! It's a World War 2 movie about Pearl Harbor and was filmed by both American and Japanese film crews. It's a little procedural, but it really depicts just how both sides saw the event. It's a classic.
There's also other classics like The Longest Day, The Big Red One, Patton.
Also, if you guys really enjoyed Band of Brothers, there's also its sidequel series "THe Pacific" which depicts the experience of Americans fighting against The Japanese.
We Were Soldiers is typical Mel Gibson; great action movie, but laughably inaccurate. Having Col Moore as advisor didn't keep the nonsense out of the script, but still a good watch.
My favorite Vietnam movie would be The Iron Triangle, as it presents the view from both sides.
The Beast is an excellent movie about Soviets in Afghanistan, realistic except for the basic plot, but it puts good acting over just effects.
Schindler’s List is my favourite Spielberg WWII movie, but Saving P. Ryan is also truly amazing.
Flags of Our Fathers, director Clint Eastwood. At the Academy Awards Show Steven Spielberg said it best, "these were a bunch of 18,19 and 20 year olds and they saved the whole damn world."
Letters From Iwo Jima is worth watching as well.
Always good to see someone watch Saving Private Ryan for the first time. It is a tough movie to get through, but I believe it is an important one to have seen at least once. Off the top of my head two other war movies that greatly impressed me are 'We Were Soldiers' and 'Black Hawk Down'.
Good luck with your journey to 40k subscribers!
*"Omaha"* was the deadliest landing on *D-Day* the *US* other landing was named *"Utah"* but you *Canadians* played a part at landing *"Juno"* working with & between the two *British* landings *"Gold" & "Sword"*
As I recall reading somewhere, Omaha was the one landing that came closest to failing.
Omaha had the highest number of killed and wounded but Ive read in a few books that Juno actually had the highest number of casualties compared to troops landed
I highly HIGHLY recommend The Big Red One, (1980) A story of the Ist Infantry Brigade, WW2. It stars Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill (yes, that one) and Robert Carradine. Excellent Movie, and ends with the same experience feeling as the Band of Brothers.
The Big Red One is a particular favorite of mine. My father served in the 1st Infantry Division from the North African invasion through Sicily. He was then transferred to the 3rd Infantry Division as a replacement. So To Hell and Back is another favorite. Since it's about Audie Murphy the most decorated soldier of WW2 who also was in the 3rd Infantry Division.
@@nathanmeece9794 The scene on the beach of Saving Private Ryan where they blow the barbed wire was taken from The Big Red One, it would seem.
Fantastic reaction! This movie is both gut-wrenching and beautiful at the same time. Love that you noticed the general had memorized Abe Lincoln's letter, that is subtle but very cool. And Chandra, you have huge "Disney Princess" eyes that are very expressive so when you are sad it is very impactful!
Sargent York-1941 starring Gary Cooper a true story from WW1 Hello from North Carolina!
Murder holes is a reference to impact craters that were created by the enemy pre sighting their artillery. They would fire, creating the crater where soldiers would seek cover, then fire another round to hit the same spot. Defilade refers to a low spot that is unseen by the enemy.
During the Napoleonic Wars and the tall-masted sailing ship era, "Master and Commander" with Russell Crowe and Paul Bethany is a great war movie and a respite from the mechanized nihilism of modern warfare.
That vehicle is a "kettenkraftrad" (lit. tracked utility bike), used for hauling supplies through the mud on the Russian front.
Generation Kill, HBO miniseries production, based on non-fiction book by embedded reporter Evan Wright.
I was in U.S. Army for ten years and participated in OIF 2003-2004. Generation Kill, although dramatized in some ways and watered-down in other ways, is the most accurate depiction I've seen of military operations of that era; from how commands from up high trickle down to the bottom to how individual soldiers* interact with one another.
*The show depicts Marines, which is a type of soldier, despite Marines insisting they aren't soldiers. Saying Marines aren't soldiers is like saying a particular type of automobile isn't an automobile because of how it's used. A semi or a Ferrari or a motorcycle are all automobiles. Marines are soldiers. 🤦♂️
Really good, heartfelt reaction! @13:59 those are barrage balloons, intended to discourage any low-flying enemy aircraft in the area. For a REALLY deep WWII cut, check out "A Midnight Clear."
"Saving Private Ryan" is one of if not the best anti-war films ever made. It pulls no punches in showing the audience the brutal, horrible reality of warfare. Young men are thrown into a meat grinder, and those who survive it are forever changed - sometimes for the worse.
This movie is cornball.
@@johndeaux3703 ... Thanks for stopping by.
@@johndeaux3703 Ooh, edgelord in the house showing us how cool he is.
Spielberg was adamant that any sufficiently realistic war film is an anti-war film. Even still, there's an element of glorification through the reverence to its participants, perpetuating the "no such thing as an anti-war film" adage. Hell, even Full Metal Jacket, which is much bleaker and more cynical, precipitated significant spikes in military enlistment.
@@GarrettJayChristian ... I would say that any war film that shows soldiers being brave, unselfish and self-sacrificing could indeed inspire people to enlist. Perhaps it also happens in films with heroic police officers or rescue teams.
When I was stationed at Schoefield Barracks in Hawaii, I had to go through drownproofing. Part of the training involved going off the high dive while fully dressed with a backpack and rifle. This was to teach you how to avoid drowning. They also classified your strength as a swimmer. Non-swimmers splashed around in the kiddy pool side. Regular swimmers swam the length of Olympic size pool while wearing swimsuit. Being from Michigan of course I qualified strong swimmer which required swimming 5-laps in full BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform) with your weapon. They were nice enough to let you kick off your boots. I did it but it was not easy. after about 3-strokes, your uniform had soaked up all the water and arms felt like lead weights. The reward for exceling was when you were in the field and encountered a water crossing, you had to tow the non-swimmer across the obstacle.
It has been reported widely that it was while they were working together on Saving Private Ryan that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg decided to work together on creating the Band of Brothers series...so you will experience a lot of similar visual and auditory styles between the two.
Saving Private Ryan is incredibly realistic in most every way, with a very few exceptions...such as bullets not being able to kill you that far underwater, and flamethrowers not really exploding that way in 1944. One thing to know, pay no mind at all to that man who took off his helmet on the beach at 6:12 and then got shot in the head...that next shot would have killed him even if he had kept his helmet on. The helmets of WW2 would almost never stop a bullet, except under very very rare circumstances.
The movie is not a true story, and it differs from the actual history of D-Day in many ways...but the basic plot is loosely based on the 4 Niland Brothers, one of whom served with the 101st Airborne Division. However, when 3 Nilands were reported dead, no mission was sent behind enemy lines to get the last brother, and it turned out that one brother that had been thought dead had actually only been captured. The 4th brother was found and notified by an Army Chaplain, and was sent home, but as far as the brothers none of what happened in this movie happened in real life.
There really was a Company C of the 2nd Rangers that landed on Omaha Beach, but they were commanded by Captain Ralph Goranson, and they did not land quite where it was shown in the film. Probably the most important historical thing that Spielberg got wrong is that he had the boats that carried the Rangers to the beach being driven by Americans...they were not. On D-Day, the boats that carried the US Rangers to the beach were driven by UK sailors of the Royal Navy. There are many other things in the film that are not accurate to the real history of D-Day, but that one really fails to honor some of the men that fought and died at Omaha Beach, so it is definitely the one most worth noting.
The location at the beginning with the French and US flags is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial...located in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. Most of the US servicemen killed in the 2 and a half month long Normandy Campaign are buried in this cemetery...a total of 9388 burials.
Excellent. You guys have such superb & genuine reactions, intellectually & emotionally, to everything of your content that I have watched. Love you & your work. Thank you for sharing all with us.
Aww, thank you so much for your kind words! ❤
@ All my pleasure. You deserve the accolades. Again, thanks for the content!
Another WW2 movie "Fury"(2014)
I am so glad you finally had an opportunity to see this great film. It is one of the most moving films I have ever experienced. Great reaction and I look forward to what is next for the two of you. We Were Soldiers and Windtalkers are two great movies to see. There are many more, two many to mention.
The Big Red One -Lee Marvin and Mark Hamill 💯
When this movie first came out there were several accounts of WWII vets having PTSD flashbacks during the beach landing. Theaters started having counselor's setup in the lobbies for anyone who needed help.
I know this is just a film but when I look at the opening sequence and the absolute carnage the wermacht inflicted on the western allies it is actually insane to think that Germans only designated 20% of their forces to the western front.
When I start to think about what the soviets had to deal with, I get emotional a bit.
It was far more than 20% of the Heer at that stage of the war. Consistently more than 20% of the Luftwaffe & the Kreigsmarine throughout the war as well. How many U-boots did the Soviet's sink? The combined bomber offensive tied up 90% of the 88 & 128mm guns that could have gone to the Heer. It was a cooperative effort by all of us but the Soviet Union & now Russia have deliberately & consistently underplayed the efforts of the Western Allies.
@Gingycat100 have they, though? I mean, played down the West's contribution towards defeating the Germans?
I feel like its the west that has downplayed the Soviet's sacrifice during ww2 for example we all know about the atrocities the Germans committed against the Jewish people, 6 million murdered but fewer people know about the 27 million people the Soviets lost.
For sure, the Cold War has a lot to do with this. The West didn't want its citizens to be sympathetic towards the soviets. It's also why the Soviets committed atrocities against the Germans just before the war ended and in the immediate period after.
Btw. EXCELLENT editing to avoid copyright. You showed the best of what needs to be shown to follow. Great job!
Another great WW2 film is THE THIN RED LINE. It's a haunting and beautiful film.
A great movie about Soldiers and sacrifice is “Taking Chance”. It was required viewing for me when I was in my Captain’s career course in the Army.
Fury with Pitt and lots of others
If you are interested in the point of view in France, there is a 1969 French film titled “Army of Shadows” about the French Underground movement. The director had been involved in the underground and incorporated some of his feelings and experiences in the film.
The soldier walks by Upham because he does not see him as a soldier, cowardice was unthinkable for the germans.
Eh, the same soldier was begging and pleading for his life, earlier in the movie.
Turns out, according to this movie, cowardice was absolutely "thinkable" for a German soldier.
Try again...
@@codymoe4986 It is not in fact the same soldier. They just look kind of similar.
Nice to have an attitude while in actuality being wrong.
So.... try again.
@@codymoe4986 That is not the same soldier
@@scottb3034I may be wrong but I think he's talking about the German who walks by Upham on the stairs. That guy is in fact the same soldier who was spared by Tom Hanks earlier and befriended by Upham. That is the same guy who shoots Tom Hanks on the bridge. Then it is the same guy who Upham executes after the Germans retreat and a few surrender. I don't know who you guys are talking about but that German guy recognizes Upham at the end, which is how it is confirmed to be the same guy
@@codymoe4986the soldier that walks by upham is not steamboat willie
Fury, Hacksaw Ridge, Schindlers list these 3 movies are my reccomendation for you guys, cant wait to watch your reactions 🙂🙂
5:47 A lot of people point this out, but as they're panning across Wade and the other medics working on the battalion surgeon, they take a barrage of gun fire, and the medic on the left side gets hit in the canteen. You see the water running out of his canteen and it turns red, you actually see him reaching down into his pants to put pressure on the wound. There are so many horrific little touches like that in this film, just slightly off center of focus, but take a lot of pre-planning to achieve in a realistic fashion.
8:46 It's one of those things this movie does that is subtle. They didn't subtitle any of the foreign dialogue. Those two were conscripts. Forced to fight by the Germans. A lot of people don't know this but the German Atlantic Wall defebses was actually understrength on D-Day, had the invasion been delayed any further, German Reinforcements would have been there and there would have been no chance for the allies to break through. A lot of the positions were held by young boys, older men, and conscripts from German occupied Poland, France, and Czech. The two that were surrendering were Czech, and they were basically saying "don't shoot we're not German, they made us fight."
When I was growing up in the 1960s, TV showed vast numbers of WWII movies, many of them made during the war. They did this, I think, as patriotic propaganda for the Vietnam War. I got completely burned out and stopped watching war movies. SPR was a rare exception, which I saw on TV a few years after it came out. I do think it is the best war movie ever in terms of its realism and its “earn this” theme of gratitude.
I still feel a close connection to WWII. My father was one year too young for the fighting, but he was in the occupation of Japan in 1946. I had two uncles who went through the Italian campaign and survived into my adulthood. My mother’s first cousin was second day at Normandy, but therefore got moved to the front line for the horrendous Hedgerows battle and was among the troops cut off behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge. He had even more horrific experiences in the Korean War. He was very close to our family in his later years (his early 50s) because he was a bachelor living at the “Old Soldier’s Home” in Washington and often visited us. I attended his burial at Arlington National Cemetery when I was 12.
I will recommend two war movies that others are unlikely to name: the original “All Quiet on the Western Front” (1930), the first super-realistic war movie and a phenomenal directorial achievement, and “The Steel Helmet” (1951) a tremendous movie about the Korean War, highly regarded but never watched by reactors. Be the first!
The Pacific is mandatory watching as well
And now Masters of the air. All are just fantastic.
The sniper shot down the scope was a nod to Carlos Hathcock, an Army sniper in Vietnam, who actually made a shot like that. There was a book written on his life, and was a fascinating read.
FURY (2014)
Great reaction guy! I saw this in the theater when it was first released….thst opening scene on the beaches of Normandy was so intense. Every person in was shocked…loud gasps, cries, tears,…it was a very difficult few minutes.
Yep same here,1998.That opening on Dog Green sector of Omaha Beach was absolutely incredible and the cinema I was in was so quiet as that battle took place.I remember watching a documentary on the BBC that year and GIs saying it was the most realistic depiction of the landings they’d seen.One GI said the film THE LONGEST DAY, got it so wrong,saying that they didn’t come off the landing craft howling like banshees! British landing boat driver,Jimmy Green,who took GIs into Omaha beach tells us how virtually every GI on his boat was hit and he was in tears telling us.Those machine gun nests on the bluffs with those MG 42s,Hitlers buzzsaws,did horrific damage to the first couple of waves of American soldiers that landed.
@@DerekHarrison-d5d To be fair, even this opening scene was far from historically accurate. There's plenty wrong.
@@Gunnar001Film makers have always done this Gunnar.Creative licensing they call it.If you want to see a war movie filled with inaccuracies,watch the 1965 film,THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE.Even Eisenhower criticised it! Just enjoy it for what it was,a cracking war movie and a great story.And more importantly,the reactors enjoyed it which this is all about.
They say there's no such thing as a non-wounded warrior. If they're not physically wounded, they're mentally wounded.
Does that include those that don't see action?
Here's a weird tie-in between Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. Saving Private Ryan was inspired by the Niland brothers. Sgt. Bob Niland was killed on D-Day and Lt. Preston Niland was killed the next day in Normandy. Sgt. Edward Niland was listed as missing and presumed dead earlier in the year (he was actually in a Japanese POW camp). So the Army sent a team to get the fourth brother, Sgt. Frederick "Fritz" Niland of the 501 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne to bring him home from Normandy. Like Private Ryan, when he was found, he tried to stay with his company, but was bought home anyway. As it turned out, Fritz Niland was best friends with Skip Muck of the Band of Brothers fame (he was the one who bragged about swimming across the Niagara River in episode 7) as they were both from Tonawanda, NY, as well as Don Malarky, Joe Toye and Chuck Grant from Easy Company from their Camp Toccoa days. They used to go out drinking together when they were in England before D-Day, as recounted in the book Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose.
And in the Book Band of Brothers the replacement Miller is mentioned at about the same part of the book that Niland is mentioned. Coincidence?
The two greatest films cross genre: Casablanca (1942) WWII Africa, Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" (1954) set in 1586 in Japan's Sengoku period (technically not a war film but has all the trappings.)
Also, A Bridge too Far (1977) is a classic WWII movie about the bridge at Ramelle, and the battle for that bridge. It's a famous battle
Something many people miss is that when Tom Hanks character is giving orders he knows all the men by name and recognizes them when he is giving orders. That's a leader.
I've watched so many reactions to this movie and I think Chandra was the first person who I saw who immediately recognized that the German was the same one they had released. Great job Chandra!
"Every man I kill the further away from home I feel". "Home" is a metaphor for him. Every time he kills a man the further he is from who he was before the war.
Great reaction to a truly great film. Seeing this when it first came out at one of the best theatres in the U.S. - Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood - was an amazing movie-going experience. In that final battle scene when they tanks are approaching and you can see the ground rumbing, so were our seats. You could totally feel it and the rest of the sound system really contributed to the battle scenes, in particular. There are so many other amazing films covering all the wars (sadly, too many) but I do recommend "1917" for WWI and "Apocalypse Now" for Vietnam. Spielberg's "Schindler's List" should also be required viewing now that you've seen SPR. Another amazing film that came out last year that focuses on the Holocaust in a very unique way is "The Zone of Interest". It takes place at the home of the German who works at Auschwitz and literally lives on the other side of the wall at the camp. You never see anything happening at the concentration camp at all, but the sounds and the stark contrast between their privileged life and what happens just on the other side of the wall is uniquely disturbing. The filmmaking was very unique, as well. Rooms in the house and areas outside of the house were often filmed on up to ten or more cameras at once and the actors played the scenes out almost as if they were on stage. There are very rare cuts and it's an intense experience.
One of the most difficult films you might ever watch is actually an anime feature about Japanese civilians - Grave of the Fireflies (1988.) Many people think it is one of the greatest war films ever made, but know that they will only watch it one time. The musical score is incredible.
The reason the weapons sound so real- especially in the beginning beach scenes- is because the sound guys got recording of the actual kinds of weapons being fired or detonated. They used original wartime recordings when available, and used preserved weapons when needed. An amazing film from first to last. (Note: the little halftrack/motorcycle is a real vehicle used by the Germans during the war; it's called- well the short name is 'Kettenkrad'- and it was used for towing light artillery and supply trailers and just an all-purpose hauler. A lot of them are still around in the hands of collectors and in museums. The German forestry service was using them at least as late as the late 80's when I was stationed there and had the opportunity to drive one!)
This movie is a genuine masterpiece, there's no other way to describe it.
But I have to say, the *sound* design is absolutely out of this world.
That liitle machine they called the "rabbit" is a half-track multipurpose vehicle with a modified engine and steers like a motorbike at the front.
It could travel over multiple terrains and had many uses.
The Nazi's used it to travel around in the towns quickly it's called a kettenkrad in German.
A cool, little machine !
Great review guys loved it !
That beach scene went on for a few HOURS! My dad had 4 brothers in the war. He severed during Korea.
A film about an unusual aspect of the war, based on actual soldiers and events is The Monuments Men (2014) directed by George Clooney. The Nazis not only wanted to eliminate people, but wanted to steal the cultural heritage of many nations and their public art, religious artifacts and other artistic objects, to take it for their own villas and put a lot in the Fuhrer Museum that was planned. The Monuments Men were specially trained experts in retrieving or protecting works of art, and returning them to the countries which owned them.
Twelve o’clock high!!
Excellent study of leadership in combat.
For history nerds, there is a spoiler in the first cemetery scene that tells you the older man is Ryan and not Captain Miller.
He is wearing a "Screaming Eagle" pin of the 101st Airborne - and Ryan is the only major cast member who was a member of the 101st.
All of Captain Miller's squad were Rangers and wouldn't wear that pin.
You'll never ever ever ever forget that shot of the soldier looking for his arm. It's brilliantly shot because by the time your brain registers that he's looking for it, he finds it!
"Tora! Tora! Tora!" is the definitive movie about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It presents the perspectives of both sides. Many of its action scenes have been used in many WW2 movies long after its release.
@33:11 So to avoid confusion for you both, When Corporal Henderson refers to Easy Company he also added 501st. This was a different regiment from Easy Company in Band of Brothers which was part of the 506th PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment).
@40:20 The vehicle their using for baiting the Germans is called the Kettenkrad, a hybrid tracked Motorcycle built for the German paratroopers to be delivered by aircraft it was highly maneuverable even in hilly or mountainous terrain it could pully a good load of trailers and could carry 2 men with the driver. It is fun to drive, some exist today in running condition including a couple in France, UK, and USA. It was also later used by the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, to tow German aircraft including the first combat Jets the ME-262 before take off. Near the end of the war the Luftwaffe was so starved of fuel by the allied bombing campaigns that the Jets had to be towed from their parking spots to the Runway for flight since they had to use every drop of fuel they could get.
I remember when I saw this in the theater, by the end of the Normandy beach scene, I found myself slumped down in my seat as low as possible- guess I was instinctively trying to find cover. Amazing movie.
"A Bridge Too Far." Epic WW2 movie that deals with Operation Market Garden (Band of Brothers dealt with it in the episode where Bull Randleman was cut off an on his own). One of those epic 1960s movies with just about every Hollywood star in it. Fantastic movie.
I’m late to the party but, Hacksaw Ridge, 1917, and Full Metal Jacket are all fantastic. Hacksaw Ridge’s story is incredibly wholesome, 1917 won awards for the cinematography, and FMJ is a classic film that will leave you speechless. All 3 are from different “era’s” of filmmaking and 3 different wars too, so you get a unique perspective with each one from different times and with different technologies.
I have to remember that alot of people don't know much about the military lingo and stuff but they didn't run through a minefield on the beach. When he's talking about their losses and all the Mines, it's been 3 days since the beach scene. They've been on other missions since
In the documentary, “We Stand Alone Together”, Shifty Powers praised the men who stormed the beaches at Normandy, saying, “I admire every one of them.”
The opening scene Ryan goes to the grave of his brother, at the end he's at the grave of Capt. Miller's grave. His family is directly behind him at the first grave site, at the end, his family remains at a respectful distance, except for his wife who has no idea who Miller is. Ryan went home and never told anyone about that day in Ramell. WW II was fought by men; the average age of U. S. combat personnel was 26 years old. The SGT. in the assault boat wasn't putting food in his mouth, that was chewing tobacco. They were in very rough seas and it took hours for the soldiers to disembark the troop ships into the Higgins Boats. Not knowing when they would ever have a good cooked meal again, many of the soldiers ate a hearty breakfast before disembarking. The first group to load into the boats bobbed around in the water for several hours before heading toward the beach. Many get seasick during that time. The vomit wasn't the main problem, the blood in the boats created a psychological problem when the boats returned to bring more soldiers to the beach. In Vietnam, the average age of combat personnel was 22, not 19 as many people think. Also, the largest number of U. S. personnel killed in action in Vietnam those who enlisted not draftees.
The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion was the only unit that stormed the beaches on D-Day that was made up entirely of Black Americans. They displayed unmatched bravery during the 48 hours it took to secure the beaches. Members of 320th, unlike the other units, had to remain on the beaches with no relief units, exposed to continuous enemy fire during the 2 days it took to secure the area. Because they were Black, the photographers never show them in the photos taken on the beaches that day. All shots showing the barrage balloons are taken at far away distances.The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion served for almost 150 days in France following the invasion. They continued flying their balloons over the beaches and eventually a portion flew over the port of Cherbourg before the worsening weather in October prevented ships from landing any more supplies.
Spielberg researched small details, for instance, Pvt Jackson's right thumb has a black mark on it. That's actually a bruise that many U. S. riflemen had caused from getting their thumb caught in the loading mechanism from not locking the bolt back properly when loading/reloading the M1 Garand rifle. It was called "Garand thumb".
Capt. Miller said he taught at Thomas Alva Edison High School. That's a Spielberg paying homage to Thomas Alva Edison High School in Philadelphia, PA. 54 former students from that school were killed in action in the Vietnam War, more than any other school in the nation.
The Hitler Youth Knife is more literary liberty than fact. That knife is a hiking knife given to members of the Hitler Youth Corps, which was much like the Boy Scouts in training while being indoctrinated with the ideology of National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi). The only other group they were issued to were members of the SA. This knife was never part of a soldier of the Wehrmacht. As for the reaction of Carparzo and Mellish, it is highly unlikely an average G.I. would have known what that knife was and its symbolism. The matter of Mellish crying is also not likely as the Allies didn't find out about the fate of Jews in Europe until the first concentration camp was liberated April 4, 1945. The war in Europe ended May 7, 1945. So, following the real timeline, Mellish dies before the Allies knew anything about concentration and death camps. But, after-all, it is Hollywood.
Saving Private Ryan is not based on the Sullivan brothers. Fritz Niland became the basis for Private Ryan. He was dropped behind enemy lines on D-Day and spent five days in the French countryside, eventually earning a Bronze star in combat for taking a French. Robert Rodat first came up with the plot in 1994 when he saw a monument in a cemetery in Tonawanda, New York. The monument was to the Niland Brothers - 4 young American men who fought in the Second World War. When three of the Nilands were reported killed, the surviving brother - Fritz - was sent home. This inspired Rodat to write his movie.
There are 26 military cemeteries across Normandy, but the most famous and visited site is the poignant Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer. The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France is located in Colleville-sur-Mer, on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 as the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The cemetery site, at the north end of its half mile access road, covers 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,387 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. In real life with the Nilands, it actually turned out later that another of the brothers was alive - he’d been held captive in a Burmese POW camp. Attempts to point out the "discrepancies" between the stories of Fritz Niland and James Ryan are often misguided, as Ryan is only based on Niland, and is not meant to be (or claimed to be) a completely accurate representation of him. The differences in the two stories seem to stem in part from the fact that the true story of Sergeant Niland and his brothers is often reported inaccurately. The character of Private James Ryan is a mixture of fact and fiction, with some of the fictional elements coming from the erroneous stories about the Niland brothers.
The German credited as "Steamboat Willie" who was released by Capt. Miller is not the German who engaged and killed Pvt Stanley "Fish Mellish during hand-to-hand combat. "Steamboat Willie" was in the Heer (Army) of the Wehrmacht and the other was in the Waffen SS which was a paramilitary organization and not part of the Wehrmacht. Originally, the SS uniform differed from the Wehrmacht uniform-whereas the regular army wore field grey, the SS wore black, head to toe (although later the SS did adopt field grey and often wore camouflage pattern uniform. American troops were brown and they didn't wear jackboots. The lightning bolt SS insignia can be seen on the right collar lapel of the German as he passes Upham and reaches the bottom of the staircase. During the Battle at Ramelle, Upham became shell shocked and was unable to save a .30 cal team from a German soldier because he was too frozen with fear to do anything about it. He carried all the .30 caliber ammo at the battle of Ramelle, but was unable to do his job because he was always either pinned down or too afraid to move. He signified the loss of innocence in war and thought that soldiers could be civil, but he later succumbed to the evils of war and made up for his cowardice when he shot Steamboat Willie for killing Miller even after the latter had shown Willie mercy earlier. Not only did Upham represent the loss of innocence of war but he also symbolized the "Every-man". His illusion of neutrality faded when he finally had to pick and side and kill Steamboat Willie, his character revelation being how he finally understood the horrors of war. It became clear that Upham had turned into a hardened and true soldier because of the whole experience. Upham's rank was Tech 5 Corporal (E-5), that meant he was technician in a specialty area. His was maps and translator, he was not a combat infantryman and was never trained for front-line duty. Gunnery Sergent Hartman explained it this way in the movie Full Metal Jacket: "It is your killer instinct which must be harnessed if you expect to survive in combat. Your rifle is only a tool. It is a hard heart that kills. If your killer instincts are not clean and strong you will hesitate at the moment of truth. You will not kill.
"The way the next of kin was notified of their loved one was killed in action during WW II was by Western Union telegram delivered by a bicycle riding messenger. If you were being notified of multiple deaths as was the case in this film, notification was done in-person by a military officer, usually from the same branch of service as the deceased when possible. That's why the mother upon seeing the officer exit the car momentarily froze knowing that meant at least 2 of her boys were either KIA or MIA, as the priest exits the car, she staggers and completely collapsed. That is one of the most important scenes in the movie. The mother speaks no lines in the movie, yet her breakdown brought a flood of tears form movie goers in theaters across the nation. Another important scene is it is clear from the few lines Ryan's wife speaks that she has never heard the name of Capt. John Miller, this means John has never spoken to her about what happened that day in Ramelle. What many missed is listening to Ryan speaking at the Miller's grave of how he thought about what those 8 men did for him every day was not guilt, but commitment.
There are units assigned to recover, bury and mark graves. Usually these were temporary battlefield cemeteries. As hostilities moved farther away, a more permanent site would be selected, at the family's request, whenever possible, the remains would be returned to the United States. At the Normandy Cemetery Visitors Center, you'll find the following inscription: IF EVER PROOF WERE NEEDED THAT WE FOUGHT FOR A CAUSE AND NOT FOR CONQUEST, IT COULD BE FOUND IN THESE CEMETERIES. HERE WAS OUR ONLY CONQUEST: ALL WE ASKED … WAS ENOUGH … SOIL IN WHICH TO BURY OUR GALLANT DEAD.General Mark W. ClarkChairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1969-1984