Weekend Buff

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

In this installment of Weekend Buff, we are going off script and recommending a movie that has nothing to do with law enforcement.  As a history buff I was doing my usual scrolling of D-Day memorial postings, looking for some new tidbits of information. 

The story of the Normandy Invasion is such a compelling one, there is always more to learn.  The day of the invasion itself is the climax of a story that spans years and covers intelligence, codebreaking, logistics, strategy, deception, tides, weather – everything.  The amount of blood, sweat, and tears just to get the operation going is remarkable.

And then the boots on the ground.  Tales of heroism and courage that cannot be outdone. 

Allied airborne troops dropped in the wrong places but still getting the job done through sheer will. US Rangers at Omaha Beach climbed the cliffs at Point du Hoc and suffered terrible losses. The British 69^th Infantry Brigade captured German 88 guns at Gold Beach.  Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Rifles faced murderous machine gun fire at Juno Beach.  The British 8^th Infantry Brigade took heavy artillery fire as they unloaded onto Sword Beach.  The US 4^th Infantry, led by General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. who vowed to “start the war from right here” as his troops landed at the wrong location on Utah Beach. 

Overcoming the odds, they managed to get off the beaches and start the long fight to Germany.

There are several movies and hundreds of books on the Invasion of Normandy.  (It’s commonly referred to as D-Day, but that term was used for the start of all operations, D-Day for the day and H-Hour for the time).  The best movie is undoubtedly Saving Private Ryan. 

The opening scene of Saving Private Ryan is nothing short of gut wrenching.  I watched this movie in 1998 on the day after it opened, and there were people crying in the theater.  Scenes of death and heroism, horror and fortitude, cowardice and emotional strength mark the first 20 minutes of the movie.  Based on stories from the men who lived it, Steven Spielberg puts you on the beach with the first wave.

After the invasion the film turns toward the based-on -a -true story tale of Airborne Trooper James Ryan, whose three brothers had been killed.  The army wanted to get him out of combat before his mother lost another son.  The narrative was based on the life of Fritz Niland and the 3 brothers he lost in May and June 1944. 

Although not as monumental as the beach landing scenes, this gives a historical plot for the film to follow (although the invasion is plot enough).  Spielberg and company pay great attention to detail and try their best to get everything correct as far as places, uniforms, equipment, etc.  They do a fantastic job. 

It seems like every actor in the movie gave the performance of their lifetime.  It is probably a testament to the writing and filmmaking as well as a talented cast, but the actors all seem flawless.  Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Matt Damon, Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, and Barry Pepper work together to represent the wide variety of people from across America who united to fight the war. 

Saving Private Ryan is a long movie, almost 3 hours, but every moment is important.  If the opening scene requires a big TV and a good sound system.  If the Omaha Beach scene doesn’t give you chills, I don’t know what will.  Take a few hours for Saving Private Ryan this weekend, give thanks to the men and women who worked to end that war, and remember their sacrifices.  You may be filled with patriotism and appreciation for your fellow Americans, a feeling that might be hard to elicit in these divisive times.  Enjoy! 

If you are looking for a comprehensive book to read on the Normandy Operation I would recommend the classic The Longest Day, by Cornelius Ryan or the more recent D-Day: The Battle for Normandy, by Antony Beevor.