#savingprivateryan #firsttimewatching #moviereaction #veteransday #remembranceday
#moviecommentary #moviedate
Welcome to my reaction video where I watch Saving Private Ryan (1998) for the first time in honour of Remembrance Day & Veteran’s Day on 11 November 2024 in the United Kingdom, Canada, and The United States of America.
Join me as I share my reactions, commentary, and review of one of the most harrowing and epic war stories ever told. This film shook me to my core. My heart is mournful and grateful to the men who fought bravely on the Normandy beaches.
My next movie date will further honour those soldiers.
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Watching this WWII masterpiece was a privilege, even with so many devastating scenes, and I am in adoration of the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom. I’d love to know which scenes stayed with you the most after watching this storytelling triumph. Would you say the movie is historically accurate?
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you probably shouldn't watch Shindler's List, you'll cry for hours
My grandfather was in the Army in WWII and was shot by a German sniper, but lived to make it home. I was in the Army and in the first Gulf War. My son was in the Army and in the Iraq War. My son and I, despite being combat veterans, each know that neither of us went through anything like what my grandfather went through. I cry every time I see a reaction to this movie, including this time with you, but it's a healthy cry from a good place. Thank you for taking the time to watch this movie.
The blimps on the beach at Normandy are Barrage balloons were used to protect soldiers and ships from enemy aircraft during World War II. They were also used to destroy enemy aircraft by attaching explosive charges to the cables
Hi Kate. I see you're new at the movie reaction game. I wish you well. The Sullivan family of Waterloo, Iowa lost all five sons when the ship they served on, the cruiser USS Juneau, was torpedoed in November 1942. Out of a total of nearly 700 men, only 10 survived. The Navy later barred siblings from serving on the same ship.
Dang
Next war movie ..Fury
10:40
They had to write those letters to the parents of their sons who got KIA/MIA everyday. They were probably preying they never got a similar letter before they left for work that morning. 😢
@Kate, the inspiration for the script of this movie, which is mentioned in the second scene, was the death of the 5 Sullivan Brothers who were all serving together on a US Navy ship in the Pacific when it was sunk by Japanese forces and all of them died. As a result of that incident the US military made it a point to break up family members so they didn't serve in the same area thus reducing the chances of an entire generation of a family from dying in war. This movie was meant to honor those brothers and in a way redeem the spiritual history of their deaths. I am from and live in the US in the state of Iowa where the brothers were from and they are still greatly remembered here. The US Navy has an active duty destroyer class warship called the "USS The Sullivans" also as an homage to their memory. There is more about them on Wikipedia.
This is the first time i subscribed on my first viewing with a reactor. Thoughtful reaction without non-stop talking over the show. Somebody i can watch movies with.
I hope you'll see The Longest Day. The Longest Day is a film that tells the larger story of the Normandy landings. You get to see the US,German, and British sides of D-day. Unfortunately, Canadians were left out. Whereas Saving Private Rayan is a down up-close view of D-day landings.
One thing to remember about D-Day, the majority of these soldiers had zero combat experience. They had training but combat cannot ever be truly simulated.
Great reaction! Thank you.
I WAS IN THE ARMY IN CENTRAL AMERICA AS A SOLDIER DURING THE CIVIL WAR IN MY COUNTRY, AND I CAN TESTIFY THAT THIS MOVIE IS LIKE THE REAL WAR. I SAW MANY PIECES OF BODIES AND A SOLDIER HAVING HIS FACE BLOWN UP. THIS MOVIE IS LIKE THE REAL DEAL.
Was not the same German they let go
I’m an Army Infantry vet of ten years.I hated it when I was in and miss it now that I’m out.
Thank you for your stellar reaction, one of the best I have seen for this monumental film. You are exceptionally sensitive, perceptive, and expressive. I am subscribing.
My mother's first cousin, a lifelong bachelor who often visited us when I was growing up in the 1960s, was in the Normandy invasion, but on the second day. However, this meant that he and his compatriots were moved to the front for the horrific Battle of the Hedgerows. Subsequently, he fought countless battles through the Battle of the Bulge, and had even worse experiences in the Korean War. He's buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Watch Hacksaw Ridge. True story, and more tears. Bonus: you meet the real-life main characters in the end.
Upham was a clerk.He didn’t train as a grunt so he wasn’t used to combat and didn’t really know what to do.
Upham is a character that really defines a Spielberg movie and separates it from a Michael Bay movie for example. The coward stays a coward. He's not going to be Rambo just because of his experiences and the anger he feels.
I was moved by your reaction. This is why you say, “Thank you for your service,” to a veteran. All who serve their country deserve great respect, even if they did not see combat. No one has any say as to where they will be deployed. But all go when and where ordered. Society can never repay them (and their families) for their sacrifice. It is overwhelming. And sacred. “Greater love hath no man or woman…”
You are dumb. Stump stupid.
Both sides were praying to the same fake god.
I truly believe that no one forgets the first time you watch this
much of the scenes of the Omaha Beach Landing were depicted as a result of interviews and statements from the veterans of that landings. This is how it happened. Now you see why this generation if often referred to as the Greatest Generation. Over 2k soldiers were killed at Omaha Beach. This generation, through the sacrifices made by soldiers, sailors airmen and civilians, saved The World from terrible oppression and tyranny.
Greetings from America. Great reaction.
This is why real men never want to see women in combat, specifically as ground infantry, especially those of us who have seen the results. We want to protect those we all love above all others, especially our mothers and wives, from this most horrific experience. To be clear women who volunteer to serve should of course be permitted to, but the roles need to be clarified. The Israeli Army tried it with the infantry, but the men tended to protect the women with them as a priority beyond what was required of a infantry team to do and to the detriment of the entire enterprise, so the government relented. I hope you understand what I am saying in the way it is meant. God bless.
Your choice of words, your voice and cadence are lyrical. My compliments to you and your teachers.
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. Unfortunately, you didn't include that in your video presentation. 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
Just for your information US Army Rangers were probably the most highly trained American infantry units in WWII. Upham on the other hand was a translator with no actually military training other than his basic training. He was woefully unprepared for the situation he found himself in. Pretty good casting by Steven Spielberg.
Kate, I lost family in the war. KIA March 10, 1945. Over Yokohama. As a Yank, I'm glad we formed an alliance with the Brits once more. Are we siblings? No. Are we cousins? Yes. Btw, I hear Canada never had a girlfriend. Just saying…(Homer's shifty eyes)
The significance of the date "June 6, 1944" when it appears on the screen is that was D-Day, the invasion of France during WW II. On 06 June 1944, Operation Overlord the invasion of Hitler’s “Fortress Europe” began. Thousands would die that day and thousands would be wounded. It was the largest amphibious assault ever undertaken and it changed the course of history forever. This began the Western Front of the war. Until that time the Soviet Union had borne the major weight of the war on the Eastern Front. In April and May 1944, the Allied air forces lost nearly 12,000 men and over 2,000 aircraft in operations which paved the way for D-Day.
The breakdown of US casualties was 1465 dead, 3184 wounded, 1928 missing and 26 captured. Of the total US figure, 2499 casualties were from the US airborne troops (238 of them being deaths). The casualties at Utah Beach were relatively light: 197, including 60 missing. However, the US 1st and 29th Divisions together suffered around 2000 casualties at Omaha Beach.
The total German casualties on D-Day are not known, but are estimated as being between 4000 and 9000 men.
Naval losses for June 1944 included 24 warships and 35 merchantmen or auxiliaries sunk, and a further 120 vessels damaged.
Over 425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, wounded or went missing during the Battle of Normandy. This figure includes over 209,000 Allied casualties, with nearly 37,000 dead amongst the ground forces and a further 16,714 deaths amongst the Allied air forces. Of the Allied casualties, 83,045 were from 21st Army Group (British, Canadian and Polish ground forces), 125,847 from the US ground forces. The losses of the German forces during the Battle of Normandy can only be estimated. Roughly 200,000 German troops were killed or wounded. The Allies also captured 200,000 prisoners of war (not included in the 425,000 total, above). During the fighting around the Falaise Pocket (August 1944) alone, the Germans suffered losses of around 90,000, including prisoners.
Today, twenty-seven war cemeteries hold the remains of over 110,000 dead from both sides: 77,866 German, 9386 American, 17,769 British, 5002 Canadian and 650 Poles.
Between 15,000 and 20,000 French civilians were killed, mainly as a result of Allied bombing. Thousands more fled their homes to escape the fighting.
CHECK OUT "MIDWAY" IF YOU LIKE GOOD WW 2 FLICKS? THE CURRENT FILM IS THE BEST ONE TO WATCH. "MY WAY" IS AN EXCELLENT KOREAN MADE WW2 FLICK AS WELL.
As a former soldier, a must say war never changes.. Is not who is right only who is left.
Christian Craighead of 22 SAS, aka "Obi-Wan Nairobi" is a fine soldier.
Several commenters have already mentioned that the story in the movie is based on the Niland brothers.
The 'Band of Brothers' book [by Stephen E. Ambrose and first published in 1992] was the inspiration for the story told in the movie "Saving Private Ryan". There are a few paragraphs in the book that talked about Frederick 'Fritz' Niland and his brothers. Fritz was close friends with Warren Muck and Donald Malarkey of easy company. Steven Spielberg's 1998 film Saving Private Ryan is loosely based on the Niland brothers' story.
Yes, the weapon at the start spewing flame is termed a flame thrower. Very effective weapon, but very dangerous to use, both because a flamethrower operator is easy to spot and for obvious reasons, draws a lot of fire from the enemy when spotted. A tracer bullet or hot shrapnel going into the tanks could light up the operator in flames. Very, very dangerous, but if it gets to be used, devastating weapon. The "blimps" are Barrage Balloons.
The thing that got me the most about Upham's character is that he still didn't learn his lesson at the end. He shoots the one guy and then lets the other handful run away. Who's to say they don't make it back and kill more Americans? You showed you're willing to kill, the others will go right back to the arriving friendlies and into the prisoner bag without any hesitation at that point.
Favorite scene? Omaha Beach, veterans who saw the movie had to get up and leave because it was causing them PTSD. Spielberg really is a genius.
As others have said, watch Band Of Brothers and The Pacific. Of the two, The Pacific is darker as it delves into the psychological far more than BoB. Both are outstanding though. Masters was good, the other two were the benchmarks though. Must watch really and Spielberg and Hanks were involved in all three projects, so you KNOW it's great stuff.
Just for historical accuracy. During that beach landing that was widely acclaimed for realism, none of our guys fire a shot until they're up to the base of the fortification. It's a movie artifice to increase audience tension, and frustration with no release of even seeing our guys firing.
Capt. Miller should have just tied Steamboat Willie tight and out of sight if he didn't want to kill him.
That way, it will take sometime before the Germans find him, and advancing Allied troops can capture him.
Either way, he is out of the picture for quite awhile.
Be not ashamed for high emotions and tears, because you honor these men and those like them by remembering them, respecting the memory, and feeling for them when they can no longer. Grown men shed tears at this film too. As Tolkien wrote, "I will not say do not weep, for not all tears are an evil."
Now watch "They Shall not grow old"
My British ex ran out of the room crying when i showed her that.
Peter Jackson documentary
A great war movie by a grunt at the tip of the spear of WWII is "The Big Red One" by Samuel Fuller. Shows the soldiers much closer to the ages of the real soldiers. Sam fuller was in reality "the old guy" around 30, and I think already 17 years a NYC reporter from the age of 12 on the toughest beats called the waterfront reporting. 1920s through 30s depression era impoverished slum neighborhood crime reporting. He requested assignment to the 1st Infantry Division AKA The Big Red One. Their saying is the US Army consists of the 1st Infantry Division, and one million replacements. This is the story he wrote while he was living it about his 4 buddies who went from the disastrous first major allied battle in North Africa to the liberation of Europe. He also was, and further became a famous writer, and director of early action movies. In the late 1970s he wrote, and directed "The Big Red One".
Sound grim? Not without significant moments of charm, and humor. Recognizing even grim humor as a reality of the situation.
You need to see Band of Brothers. It's a ten-part mini-series, but you will love it. Also, "Hacksaw Ridge" is a must-see!
4414 allied soldiers died on D-Day in order to free Europe
Interesting note – the Liberty Bell was rung as the invasion began
The last time it was ever struck …
Struck 7 times one ring per letter in Liberty
Watch Beach Red too, and compare the beginnings!
9:55 Likely not, but it's actually more tragic. Those 2 guys are Czech forced to fight by the Germans. My understanding is they are saying something like "Don't shoot we are Czech, we didn't kill anyone"
12:05 The guy on the right with white hair is Dale Dye, the military advisor on this, and many war movies since the 80s
Really felt your emotion. Great reaction.
You are lovely person. "come and see" by Elem Klimov is the best war film ever made. One of the best films ever made full stop. I cried with you.