My dad was 29th Infantry Division, first wave on Omaha Beach that day. He did not talk about it much, but what he did tell me stuck with me enough to write the poem below. I was fortunate enough 2 years ago, to walk on that beach and take part in the wreath laying ceremony at the cemetary. He passed when I was 13. Early morning getting ready Scared inside but trying to be steady We get the word, time to go Move it out, keep your head low Gate lowers, see the beach So many of us will not reach Artillery fire raining down Get knocked over, trying not to drown Get back up, head for shore Guns keep pounding more and more Looking behind me so many dead The sand around me turning red Orders given time to advance Nothing can keep us from liberating France The battle is won, but with a very high cost So much gained, so much lost Dealt the enemy a significant blow Now we march to St. Lo Though we won the battle and our goals were reached Will never forget those we lost on Omaha Beach
i didnt feel it at all. The only character i was emocionally invested was the sniper and the film didnt build the character enouth nor make his death emotional so...
@@DarthPepis It's not exactly something to brag about that you don't feel any emotions. I will pray for you and hope you will get some help, talk to someone please.
yes, it makes THE LONGEST DAY look like a family friendly Afternoon Movie 5:44 SHOTS INTO THE WATER. to the MYTH BUSTERS that is not realistic. The weight of the equipment had been deadly enough already in such a situation 18:46 CONDOLENCE LETTERS. A good movie bringing up the bitterniss of the topic was also WE WERE SOLDIERS. 50.24 THE SCENE WITH THE GERMAN SOLDIER reminds a lot at the Pilot of the old series COMBAT! " THE FORGOTTEN FRONT ". It is complete on UA-cam also 1:O2:16 THE PANZERS WERE A NIGHTMARE ( Fun Fact PANZER in Singular and in Plural it is both " PANZEER: also DER UND DIE PANZER ) Their weakness was their backside that was much less secured as front and sides.
The part that always got me was at the very end when old Ryan is looking at Miller's grave. Ryan's wife reads off Miller's name in a way that suggests she's never heard the name before. This means Ryan likely never told anyone about the events of that day if even his own wife was unaware. It must have haunted him his whole life to go through what he went through, keep it all to himself and still lead the life that Miller and far too many others paid the ultimate price for. Great vid guys! I love yall's work.
Perfect time to watch the HBO 10 episode companion series "Band of Brothers" produced by Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Of course "The Hangover" is a great movie to cleanse the pallet with before you begin..
@@mikeyshowpresents FYI...one thing to know, pay no mind at all to that man who took off his helmet on the beach 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 shot that hit his helmet that made him take it off actually went right through the helmet twice on the way in and back out...but did not hit his actual head...that is why he took it of to look at it. Also, at around 21:00 when the men are lounging about waiting for their next mission...you guys thought that was the same day as the landings on the beach, but it was not. Shortly before that scene there is a text note on screen that says that the scene has switched to 3 days after the landings...it seems like you guys missed that. Miller and his team are sent to find the last Ryan brother 3 days after D-Day.👍
What? Could the canteen be because they need to have water? I'm sure there not water fountains all along the way and they weren't carrying bottled water. I don't I don't understand the fascination with needing to have water.
What the soldiers said at the minute 16:44??? Well, what they were saying was: "Prosím, nestřílejte mě, nejsem Němec, jsem Čech, nikoho jsem nezabil!" which in English would be: “Please don’t shoot me, I’m not German, I’m Czech, I didn’t kill anyone!” And this happened because many civilians and soldiers captured in the German occupations were forced to fight in the German army.
Do not ever stop uploading, you guys are my stress free go-to reactors, it's like watching movies with my uncles after a long day at work. Thank you and Take Care!
@mikeyshowpresents I left you guys a long ass message under another video. I had JUST found you guys then all of a sudden you kappofed! I was like wtf just happened? See? Like our mothers used to say to us...THIS is why we cant have nice things! 😂 Glad you're back in the saddle again! SHAZAM UA-cam! #NYGenXBikerLady #WW2ArmyAirCORPMPsKid
I think that Tom Hank’s character hand tremor was just an involuntary response to stress and anxiety, and gave Spielberg the opportunity to show the trembling stopping when he died. Excellent reaction to a powerful movie.👍
The Bangalore Torpedo was an explosive charge fixed on the end of a long, tube, to which could be attached additional lengths to extend it, so that it could be pushed across the ground to clear obstacles, without endangering the operative.
I believe that all the tubes were explosives so that you could blow a hole line as well as not get confused to what has TNT in it and what does not. Very effective in clearing a hole in barb wire.
Fun fact: Spielberg put all of the main actors through a grueling boot camp prior to filming. They lived on rations and went through some horrible training. All except Matt Damon. He wanted the actors to know this so that they genuinely resented him and it showed in their performance.
In a literal sense the hand shaking of Tom Hanks was due to PTSD, but thematically it's the guilt over all the deaths under his command barely being contained inside of him. You get that one scene when he's alone and he lets himself cry before pulling it together for the men. Great performance by Hanks, as usual.
Hey guys, I follow a lot of reactors . . . A lot . . like 70+. You guys aren't my favorite or anything but I do appreciate both your style and your genuine approach. I appreciate the fact that you're willing to pause the film to make make a point or share your feelings. It's not a distraction at all, in fact it's more of a distraction when I feel reactors are missing vital details of a film because they're talking too much. Keep up the good work gentlemen.
@@mikeyshowpresents LOL. I laughed at this whole thing reading this. You guys are great, your raw emotions to the movie made me tear up and I've seen this movie dozens of times. Keep at it guys.
Speilberg is a genius and the team he put together did an amazing job. His production of this, including different frame rates for the battle scenes, the sound design, etc. made for an extremely power movie. My dad and his twin brother joined the Navy in WWII right after graduating high school. They volunteered for the Underwater Demolition Teams and served in the Pacific. My uncle was transferred to Europe and on D-Day was on Omaha Beach before the main troop landing to clear obstacles. There were 192 in his unit. 31 were KIA and 65 wounded. My uncle made it through with no injuries.
@@Nomad-vv1gk yes, they were badasses from the beginning. Dad and my Uncle went in as Seabees, then volunteered to join the then-new UDT. There's a great museum at Ft. Pierce, Florida where they trained.
At 1:09:15, that's the same German soldier they let go on the hill, the one upham was trying to tell his squad not to kill. I didn't know if you too realized that.
And also you may not have noticed he was the one who shot Capt. Miller as the German soldiers advanced on the bridge. I know it is just a movie, but in the silver screen universe where these characters are real people: I choose to believe his earlier "F*ck Hitler" declaration was sincere. That he was a man of honor, that it was not just a desperate attempt to say anything to save himself. And that he would not have taken that shot if he'd recognized his target was the man who'd spared him a few days earlier. War is hell 🥺
47:35 it’s not “sulphur” they were putting on the wound, it was “sulfa” short for Sulfonamide an antibacterial drug that was used during WWII to help prevent infection.
@@ProtossWannabe1984 A lot of streaming services have replaced the old, professionally written subtitles with lightly edited AI transcriptions, hence the inaccuracies and abbreviated sentences. It's one of many crafts that's going extinct.
I was fresh out of basic training when this movie came out. (Air Force) when I saw this in the theatre in my class A uniform I saw grown men weeping. I had strangers come up to me afterwards and shake my hand or hug me. This movie will always have a place in my heart and in my memories.
Thank you for your service 🙏🏻 … my dad was in the USAF for 20 years - during Vietnam and Desert Storm….. and also my fiancés country has had US military presence - I think initially when he was like 3 or 4 years old. Didn’t necessarily go well, but they tried and men died. Thank you again
Cameos you missed: James Frederick Ryan (of Minnesota) is played by Nathan (Fierfly/The Rookie/Castle) Fillion The One-armed Colonel is Bryan (Malcolm/Breaking Bad) Cranston The deaf paratrooper is Ryan (Sons of Anarchy) Hurst General George Marshall is Harve (the dad from Fargo) Presnell The Lt. Colonel who give Tom Hanks his assignment is Dennis (Get Shorty/Snatch) Farina Also, Matt Damon was a complete unknown when this film was shot.
@@iDontShareMyData well, Matt Damon was not a Complete unknown. A year or two earlier he was in "Courage Under Fire" ,set shortly after (and, via flashbacks, partially during) the Gulf War. It is not nearly as impactful/epic as this one, but still a good film IMO. Even if the sands of time have obscured it pretty effectively; there were at least two people in the movie theater for "Saving Private Ryan", quietly exclaiming, "Hey!, its that guy from "Courage..." To somewhat reinforce your point, he was definitely, "ooh, that guy" to a few doofuses at the movies and not yet Hollywood star Matt Damon. But I've long felt that "Courage..." was a bit unduly neglected, so I felt compelled to say something.
@@Heywaitwhat oh yeah duh. And that one. I do vaguely remember a sense of it being bad timing/intersection of stardom and anonymity. Damon was clearly supposed to be largely unknown so that his plot armor would be partially invisible, but by the time it hit theaters, he was no ghost At least the Old Man Damon/Ryan was not completely obvious. Well, I don't think so, but I admit to sucking at visually decoding CGI enhancements
First off guys, NEVER apologize for pausing the film to give comment. Your comments are worth listening to. I absolutely hate when reviewers pause the movie and cut to them rambling on about personal stuff or crap that has very little to do with the movie. Then cut back to the movie. Those are clicked right off never to be revisited by me. Yours on the other hand are commented on during the movie and are very articulate on your analysis. You're on point.You see our son fought in Afghanistan so these well made movies are sacred to us. You reviewed from the heart. Very well done gentlemen.
My grandfather fought in WWII as well - only on the other side. When you are a normal Soldier however it hardly matters what side you are on. First, you fight because your country is at war and it is your duty. Then you fight for your survival and for the survival of your comrades / your brothers-in-arms and then, in case the war is in your own country, you fight the advancing enemy because you are the one standing between them and those you love ( in my granddad's case the village where his wife and three little boys were was just a few miles at his back before he was captured ). He survived and was cleared because there was proof that he was not a Nazi and had been against the party from the start (different story) B U T still he had PTSD until the end of his life. My grandma once told my Dad that he had left for war as a young happy go lucky fella and came back a broken, hollow and at times cruel old man When I was a child and learned about the third Reich, I looked on him with contempt. With the years, I have come to understand that he, like so many others, was just canon fodder. No idea how to end this comment, but thank you for your reaction and - hardly controversial- fuck war!
As a guy with PTSD, I completely sympathize with him. My dad and my uncles served during WWII, with one being shot down over the Pacific. My paternal grandfather was with the US Army in the Argonne Forest in 1918 and was severely injured. Everybody had some kind of drinking/substance abuse problem. My family served in nearly every generation since the 1560's, first in Europe and then in the US---and I believe they all wanted to create a world with peace so their own children wouldn't be at war.
I watched this movie In theaters with my dad who was n Vietnam 82nd airborne and he said the opening scene and the sounds of the bullets hitting bodies is exactly how it sounded he had to go to bathroom and compose himself.. just want to tell him and other veterans thank you, sone gave all others gave everything thank you
As a testament to the detail, the D Day vets who saw this were basically triggered. They all said it was the most realistic depiction of D Day they had ever seen.
Saving Private Ryan is incredibly realistic in most every way, with a very few exceptions...such as bullets not being able to kill you more than a few inches 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 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 to get the last brother, and it turned out that one brother that had been thought dead had actually only been captured. 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.
I appreciated the underwater firing scene in John Wick (2?) for this reason, though it's otherwise a more traditional action movie of course. There, the bullets stop after 30 cm or so and then sink. Even a .50 BMG won't go more much more than meter underwater. That's why the Soviets made those harpoon-looking bullets; you need some serious sectional density for something to travel efficiently underwater.
When he said, "Earn this",, that was for All of us! The plan was for air bombardment to take out those pillboxes prior the Normandy landing, but somehow the co-ordinates related to the air power were miscalculated causing the bombardment taking place too far inland which resulted losing thousands of men in the beach landing.
Actually the Normandy landing lasted around 7 hours. My dad was on the USS Frankford who provided covering artillery when a soldier came up out of a disabled tank and signaled pointing up toward the German pillbox up the hill. The soldiers were pinned down and had already lost so many and were unable to try to advance as they would have lost way too many more. He went back inside his tank and radioed the co-ordinates to my dads ship. My dad was one of the sailors at the 5 silo guns. They used the co-ordinates and took out the pill box so the soldiers could advance up the hill. The Frankford's captain ordered the ship to move toward the beach going parallel so close the soldiers thought they would run aground and risk being totally destroyed. Other destroyers followed suit. General Bradley and General Nimitz were seriously considering calling off the landing due to the immense loss of life, but because of what the Navy Destroyers accomplished it went forward and was a success. There are articles about how the Navy saved the landing. So proud of my dad, he's been gone 30 years and I still miss him.
One of the things about the "you lucky bastard" on the guy who gets shot on the helmet wasn't just that the helmet was what got hit, but that these helmets were not even meant to stop bullets. They were mainly for shrapnel protection.
So excited to see you back!! You are THE BEST reactors on You Tube. I had a lot of work to do this morning but I put it on hold to watch you!! Thanks so much for your authentic reactions! MSPOG for LIFE!
Awesome!!!!!!!!! Very glad to see you guys back doing reactions (& without any of those BS interruptions from YT too)! Please watch "Warrior" and "Million Dollar Baby" at some point! =)
The *German Captive* that *Upham* convinced *Captain Miller* to spare is the one who shot & killed *Captain Miller* & then he says *Upham* name & he take his one & only shot in the movie killing him
Do not forget folks that this film did not win the Oscar for best picture. That went to Shakespeare in love. SIL won 7 Oscars! What does that tell you about the values of the academy?
You can thank good old Harvey Weinstein----"Ryan" had been the odds on favorite when Weinstein hit the Academy with massive amounts of cash/gifts/bribes to make sure his film would come out on top.
Saving Private Ryan changed the War movie genre forever. It's not without it's faults, but it is an inspirational piece of Cinema history. Much like Schindler's list was before it. I don't think anyone with a heart could watch this film and not be affected. That is the message I think Spielberg was trying to get across. It's incredible that people are seeing it for the first time so many years after it was released. I watched it once in the local cinema when it was released in the UK in 1998 and it was so good in the theater it was an experience. Would love to see it again on the big screen one day.
12:12 What a lot people don't know is that there was supposed to be an airstrike before the ships got there. Weather prevented it from happening. So they pulled up expecting to see damaged bunkers and to pick off whoever was left. Instead they faced a fully functional base.
Yes, the bombing run (4:00 AM) was affected by cloud cover. As a result they dropped their bombs 2 miles inland. When the landing force hit the beaches in force (8:00 AM), the pillboxes and defences were intact. Not only that, the airborne dropped the night before (2:00 AM) behind enemy lines were all missdropped
There were airstrikes, a tremendous amount of ordinance spent trying to take out the bunkers and other fortifications by both RAF and USAAF squadrons along with naval prep bombardment. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the drops directed at the shore defenses missed or were otherwise ineffective Of Omaha Beach's 8 large bunkers, 35 fortified smaller bunkers, and 85 machine gun nests, none were taken out by pre-invasion bombing, and there were no German casualties. A good book that covers this in detail is "Hitler's Atlantic Wall: Normandy" by Paul Williams.
"Tell me I have lived a good life, tell me I'm a good man" is the hardest hitting line of any war film next to we were soldiers "I'll never forgive myself, because my men died and I didn't".
The sulfa (that's how they spell it) was an early antibiotic. Each soldier's first aid pouch had a packet of sulfa power and a Carlisle bandage to apply to open wounds. It worked well, but was never meant to be useful with deep bullet wounds. US soldiers had a relatively good survival rate with many common injuries, and the sulfa no doubt really helped.
I am a 70 year old woman and wanted to say that whenever I watch this movie or any other WWII movie I think of my father. My father and two of his brothers and one of my mothers brother were in WWII. My mom's brother was at Normandy, like at the begining of this movie. But God must have been watching over them because all 4 of them came home safe.
My grandfather was in WWII. I never saw him show emotion his whole life. He sobbed a few times during this movie. Saving private Ryan is THE best war movie ever, and top 5 movies all time.
By 1944 the Allied Forces controlled the air, which means they also controlled the water. Only German Uboats could venture into the Atlantic by that time. The only German surface navy was far into the Baltic or Mediterranean. But there was a lot of counterintelligence operations designed to make the Germans to think that that the Allies would attack the Pas de Calais region of France which was the shortest point between England and France and it was very effective. The paratroopers dropping the night before D-Day and removing German 88s (Artillery) and controlling the bridges, holding those which they could and destroying those which the couldn't which stopped reinforcements of German armor saved tons of Allied lives. Eisenhower thought 90% of the paratroopers would die on their mission. 50% did and it was considered a resounding success. When the soldier and the chaplain went to visit Ryan's mom, she knew it was bad because if she just lost one son, she would have just gotten a telegram. The flag with the stars cut out were sent to each family that sent men to war got one of those flags with a cut out star for each family member. When that family member died, the government sent you a gold star to paste into that spot so anyone visiting the family or who walked by their home would know if they had lost a loved one. The two guys that tried to surrender but got shot by the Americans were speaking Czech. They said something along the lines of "we are Czech, not Germans but POWs and forced to fight. We didn't shoot anyone. My GrandUncle Bob Stout was on Normandy and D-Day. He told me that once when he was really drunk then didn't ever say another word about it. There is a story circulating about a man that saw this with his grandpa. After they left the theater, the grandpa said "it was actually worse than it looked". The reason that all the enlisted men are mean to the cruel guy is they all had friends coming out of basic training, and a lot of them would have died by this point in the war. So it took a lot more to make friends, you had to be sure the person had some survival instincts, or at least wouldn't die right away. The soldiers were told if they encounter someone and they can't tell which side they are on to call out "thunder" and the response was "flash".
Old retired Army Ranger and amateur historian. The glider scene has some truth. Brigadier General Donald Pratt was in his Jeep, the landing went long and crashed into some trees. The Jeep stayed strapped down so the pilot wasn’t killed but did suffer fractures. Pratt had a broken neck, and was buried there wrapped in a parachute. Later he was disinterred and placed in Arlington National Cemetery. There is a memorial there in France near the spot where he died in the crash. He was the highest ranking Allied officer killed on D-Day. Every soldier has an individual canteen, usually two with one on each hip of the pistol belt. Two dogtags - one on a neck chain, and another on a much shorter chain hanging off of it. Take the one on the short chain and leave the other for Graves Registrations. We used to get two more and place in each boot through the lace in case the upper body was gone.
One thing that your channel does that I love (and is really rare among the other reactors) is how you actually PAUSE the movie when you discuss. So many other reactors just talk and talk right over the movie and miss great scenes and dialogue. It can be really annoying sometimes. Good job. Great commentary. You got a sub.
36:13 Ryan is just a pawn in this mission. They're saving hope. The military doesnt want Americans thinking they'll get all of their children killed. While families might lose one or two, they're not supposed to lose their entire genetic line. It's called the sole survivor policy. The moment when that enemy soldier walks past Upham is actually super realistic. Lots of soldiers in war report moments when they knew they should be fighting but they just couldn't do it(on both sides) so that they get real close but both walk away. Upham wasnt a threat, he obviously hadnt been running around killing that guy's friends. Plus he was so pathetic in that moment.
@kelsqi-books4835 is very true, although in the chaos of battle, I'm not sure an SS soldier would walk away. I've always interpreted his actions as he was looking for real soldiers to kill.
You guys are reading into this way too much. Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) did not have a drinking problem. His shaking hand was caused by "combat fatigue" or combat stress. As hinted in the church scene, Captain Miller already fought the Germans in Italy, which occurred in 1943. The Italian campaign was also a very tough fight. Therefore, John Miller had been continuously fighting over a year. He endured too much combat and needed a break. However, for the all-important upcoming Operation Overlord, the Allies needed every available soldier, especially a veteran officer of a Ranger Battalion, to participate in the D-Day invasion. Hence, it was implied that John Miller never caught a break and had not been home for at least two years (one year of training to become a Ranger and one year of fighting in Italy). Sgt. Horvath was also a veteran at the time of D-Day. Unlike Capt. Miller, Horvath had been fighting the Germans from the very beginning of WW2 in 1942. As he collected the sands of Normandy into a tin can labeled "France", Horvath had two more cans in his pack labeled "Africa" and "Italy". The first campaign against the German was in North Africa. Horvath had fought Rommel's Afrika Korps.
Go easy on Upham. Not a one of us who hasnt been there can say what we'd actually do in the moment. Killing someone is not easy, even when forced to it. Upham was essentially mentally and physically paralyzed by the immense weight of knowing two guys just died because of his fear and inability to move. It happens. Some people just arent able to do it. But the betrayal by the German he got set free... that pushed him over the edge and he shot him point blank after he had surrendered. With the draft and basic training stripped to the bare minimum they were sending an awful lot of people over that shouldnt have been there. It wad a numbers game when it came down to it. Have more guys than the enemy has bullets.
There is no way to know for sure how anyone will respond to being thrown into the meat grinder of warfare. Even the most macho man could break down and not do his job. There is no way to practice seeing Death come for you.
@@Stogie2112 Seriously. Very rarely do reactors actually get Upham's character. Everyone, sitting in their comfy chair, in comfy clothes, in a warm house with food in the fridge... they all think they'd rush up the stairs and shoot the German and save the guy. Most of them would turn tail and flee in terror merely feeling the tank shaking the ground before they could even see it down the street. I've never been a soldier. My grandfather was an Army Col and landed on Omaha Beach the day after the invasion. He liberated dozens of villages all over France, fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He refused, flatly, to ever talk about it at all. Often he'd just ignore your question like you weren't there. It was his unwillingness to speak about it that from a young age made me realize that war is not what it is so often depicted as.
*That canteen is basically a water bottle; every soldier carries one in the field. There’s a scene with the French family when MIller asks Upham to fill up all the canteens with rain water.*
The hand shaking Tom Hanks character had was a early form of PTSD from taking place in so many invasions throughout the war, if you saw at the beginning of the movie with Tom Sizemoores character was collecting dirt from all the countries he was in, he had dirt from Africa, Italy and France which his and Tom Hanks character had been fighting at
Hey Guys, Great to see you again. If looking for something fun and light, I highly recommend "Idiocracy". A total gem and is very current although from the early 2000's. Cheers from Australia.
I love your guys reaction and commentary, my Grandpa is one of the survivor from Pacific theater... Thank you so much for the video, I will wait when you guys react to Hacksaw Ridge and Lone Survivor later
This law was created because of the Fighting Sullivans. 5 brothers on the same ship and all died when the ship was attacked and sank. Glad you two are back, missed you both.
There is no rule nor law that prevents family members from serving in the same unit/aboard ship together. That's a myth. There is no "Sullivan Rule". My brother and I served together during the Vietnam War. The assignments are done upon request or by random posting.
@@Nomad-vv1gk You are right. Sorry I misspoke. The Sullivan "rule" is so that families of military members have one remaining child at home, in a "safe" job. It's so families are not wiped out by war.
This was the standard 1 qt aluminum canteen, for water. This is his 5th invasion, north Africa, sicily, Salerno, and anzio. He's got the shakes from combat.
I saw your Forest Gump watch first out of random youtube rec. Saw your Green Mile vid, and seeing this one. You guys are probably the best most genuine movie watching channel I've found. Please don't change, stay genuine like this, don't do fake reactions like so many of them do. Definitely subbing to you.
"Thunder" is in reference to a challenge to ensure that whoever is present that they are friendly and not enemy. So you would challenge "Thunder" and if they, in this case, answer "Flash," then you know they're friendly
I live about 7 kms from the beach where the opening scene was filmed. The vast majority of the people walking that part of the beach today have no idea the film was made there. Spielberg was ordered to return the beach to it's original condition and he did.
Taking the dog tag (one stayed with body for identification) was to get to command for records and that’s what generated the letters that were sent to the families. That’s why the tags were collected in bag at the glider crash scene. In WWI the British had one tag that the bottom could be broken into two pieces. The bottom was removed for the same reason.
"Bangalores" The Bangalore torpedo was invented by Captain R. L. McClintock of the Royal Engineers while he was attached to the Madras Sappers and Miners in the Indian Army at Bangalore, India, in 1912. It is basically an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "Bangalore mine", "banger" or simply "Bangalore" as well as a pole charge. It is still used but in my day we had the Giant Viper system which to launched a 250-metre-long hose, packed with plastic explosive, across a minefields, which cleared a path about 7 meters wide.
Great reaction. The misconception of this movie is when the bullets hit the water when you're in the water, the bullets lose momentum so you're safe. And the reason with omaha beach was so bloody was because the artillery missed the beach.So they didn't really have any cover getting on there.
Mythbusters had an episode to various guns and calibers. From what I remember the more energy the bullet has, the more velocity, it shatters, and after 1 meter or less there is not much danger.
The shore bombardment had minimal effect because the Germans had four years to fortify the defense line along the coast. The location of the fortifications and the natural terrain negated the shells fired from ships because of a problem with the trajectory of the projectiles. Overcast sky affected aerial bombing as did the natural terrain allowing shore fortifications to be place so as bombs would cause minimal if any damage. Most of the bombs missed the targets and cause a lot of damage to the town of Normandy. During the duration of the Battle of Normandy more than 20,000 residents of the town were killed.
I am a hard core movie fan and a big time movie reaction fan. I seriously watch ~3-5 movie reactions a night. You two hit my top 10 with Arrival. Keep it up!!! 👍
I went and watched their Arrival reaction on the back of your comment and you’re right, it’s a fantastic reaction to a wonderful, unique film. So thanks 😁
"Thunder!" was a reply between soldiers to let another know you were on the same side. If you heard noise, or suspected an enemy, say in the woods, or behind a door, you'd say "Flash!". If the other person didn't reply "Thunder!", then you knew you might just be in a firefight momentarily.
27:45 Flash/Thunder was the allied call sign used by the Americans, Canadians and Brits to identify friendlys behind enemy lines. Flash was the challenge, Thunder was the response. They used that because Germans can't say "Thunder". When the Germans try to say "thunder", it comes out as "toonder" or "zoonder". You detect a group of soldiers in the dark and call out Flash. If you don't hear a clear Thunder in response, you open fire.
I watch videos like this to see other people react to movies i already know and love. Don't listen to comments telling you to stop pausing and commenting on the movie. I loved the reaction and that you guys showed real emotions
They were not different breed. They were just humans. No matter what side, they were all "different breed". Humans fighting. No matter what Hollywood says.
A powerful and profound film which came out in 1947, won 7 Oscars and incorporates some elements from the experiences of the cast and crew is “The Best Years of Our Lives.” Follows the return home of servicemen. Highly recommended.
What nationalities fought on D-Day? The majority of troops who landed on the D-Day beaches were from the United Kingdom, Canada and the US. However, troops from many other countries participated in D-Day and the Battle of Normandy: Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.
When the medic asked for another shot of Morphine, He knew it would be a fatal overdose as well as all the guys around him. You can see it in their faces. He knew there was no help for him out in the field with that massive internal bleeding and best to end it quickly and ease the suffering.
Overjoyed to see you guys back, made my day. Most of the men in our family served, I was conscripted after high school and served in the Angolan Bush War from the 1970s-80s, nothing can prepare you for war, but the consequences last for the rest of your life. Although movies like this are difficult to watch, it's theraputic in a weird kind of way.
Love ya buddy. A million thanks for your service. Movies like this are important to give us some small understanding of what our vets endured for us. ✌🏼🇺🇸
The goal with the d day opening was to be as raw as possible, to recreate what it was like as closely as possible. To put you in the thick of it. To horrifying you with the gruesome and sheer amount of death. To show the horror of war in the tiniest degree. WW2 vets who saw it opening night said it was pretty accurate except for the smell and there was way more blood. Many had to leave the movie. My grandpa was an Army Col. He went over to Omaha after the initial wave secured the beach head and then lead his men through France liberating villages. Fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He never ever spoke about it. Would ignore questions about it. This movie, by the end, has you jaded and ignoring a lot of the constant death. Numb to it. As the soldiers would have become out of necessity. You either go crazy and shut down or you learn to just turn off feelings and do your job. Its why so many of them lose it after a battle, it's gotta come out. This is one of the best portrayal of what it was like. Gotta watch Band of Brothers now.
@@graciefolden2359 In basic training we were in formation in PT gear waiting for the Drill Sargent to come lead us away and one guy started peeing because he took the "you are to drink 1/2 to 3/4 canteens of water per hour, not to exceed 12 canteens per day" literally and couldn't wait. Then another guy started peeing once he heard the waterfall a couple feet away. There's nothing special about the canteen being in the scene. Also, only drink when you're thirsty.
Another term for you - defilade. Particularly when firing from a fixed position, such as the elevated bunkers or the sand-bagged, elevated machinegun nests on the bluff, there is a point where you can’t depress (point) your guns any further downward and still fire effectively. This creates a safe zone called a defilade. You will also hear references to “moving in under their guns” sometimes, which is another way of saying to move into a defiladed position.
The shaking is because of battle nerves, not drinking. The canteen has been part of standard issued equipment for generations, and we only relatively recently moved away from the canteen to the camelback.
There was indeed an attempt to lure the Germans away. But it was troops and tanks, not a fleet. It was one of the most amazing intelligence operations of all time, and the double agent remains (to my knowledge) the only person to be awarded a medal for the same battle by BOTH SIDES. He fed the Germans such convincing disinformation that they gave him a medal for his high quality information. The British gave him a medal for getting a medal. Juan Pujol García. Total hero.
38:11 I cant imagine the effects of shell shock, not only the constant risk of life, but the constant reminder too just down the road. Theres a recreation of the recording from the 11 11 Armistice of WW1, recorded the moment the ceasefire was called, that really throws it for you. The drop from all ranks unloading every remaining round to complete silence is shattering
Glad you guys are back! Bangalore torpedos are essentially steel pipes with explosives in them. An explosive charge was placed at one end of one pipe, and other pipes, which had pyrotechnics which could send a flame down these so the explosive charge would explode, would then be connected with the pipe with the explosive charge, so it could be slid a long distance under barbed wire, which is what bangalores were designed to wreck. The sulfa powder that was sprinkled on the medic is actually an antibiotic - the first one ever used in a mass conflict.
The Bangalore "torpedo" was basically a bunch of TNT-filled segments that could be attached together. You'd connect them, then shove them through a field of barbed wire to blow a path through (hopefully also destroying other obstacles like land mines) for the infantry to be able to advance through safely.
My dad was 29th Infantry Division, first wave on Omaha Beach that day. He did not talk about it much, but what he did tell me stuck with me enough to write the poem below. I was fortunate enough 2 years ago, to walk on that beach and take part in the wreath laying ceremony at the cemetary. He passed when I was 13.
Early morning getting ready
Scared inside but trying to be steady
We get the word, time to go
Move it out, keep your head low
Gate lowers, see the beach
So many of us will not reach
Artillery fire raining down
Get knocked over, trying not to drown
Get back up, head for shore
Guns keep pounding more and more
Looking behind me so many dead
The sand around me turning red
Orders given time to advance
Nothing can keep us from liberating France
The battle is won, but with a very high cost
So much gained, so much lost
Dealt the enemy a significant blow
Now we march to St. Lo
Though we won the battle and our goals were reached
Will never forget those we lost on Omaha Beach
im 34, my grandfather was also a in airborne, he dropped on that day. and his journals will forever be with me until the end of time
Believe me guys, there were no dry eyes in the Theater. Anyone who watches this without feeling it are dead inside.
i didnt feel it at all. The only character i was emocionally invested was the sniper and the film didnt build the character enouth nor make his death emotional so...
@@DarthPepis BetterHelp
@@thebkg i mean im a little dead inside. Maybe u have a point.
But this is also one of the most overrated war film in history xd
I always get teary eyed when wade dies, shits sad af
@@DarthPepis It's not exactly something to brag about that you don't feel any emotions. I will pray for you and hope you will get some help, talk to someone please.
We who were lucky enough to have been born into a world made safe by these men will never know what they went through.
To me, Saving Private Ryan is a perfect example of how the 90s was when movies reached its zenith with all of its creativity and entertainment.
But still losses the Best Picture Oscar to freaking Shakespeare in Love!
What a travesty!
fasho!
@@choppermontana8212 Hollywood never likes awarding war movies.
The opening scene was so realistic that veterans had to get up and leave.
yes, it makes THE LONGEST DAY look like a family friendly Afternoon Movie
5:44 SHOTS INTO THE WATER. to the MYTH BUSTERS that is not realistic.
The weight of the equipment had been deadly enough already in such a situation
18:46 CONDOLENCE LETTERS. A good movie bringing up the bitterniss of the topic was also WE WERE SOLDIERS.
50.24 THE SCENE WITH THE GERMAN SOLDIER reminds a lot at the Pilot of the old series COMBAT! " THE FORGOTTEN FRONT ". It is complete on UA-cam also
1:O2:16 THE PANZERS WERE A NIGHTMARE ( Fun Fact PANZER in Singular and in Plural it is both " PANZEER: also DER UND DIE PANZER )
Their weakness was their backside that was much less secured as front and sides.
The part that always got me was at the very end when old Ryan is looking at Miller's grave. Ryan's wife reads off Miller's name in a way that suggests she's never heard the name before. This means Ryan likely never told anyone about the events of that day if even his own wife was unaware. It must have haunted him his whole life to go through what he went through, keep it all to himself and still lead the life that Miller and far too many others paid the ultimate price for. Great vid guys! I love yall's work.
So that's Ryan and Miller died. Thanks for the spoiler.
Perfect time to watch the HBO 10 episode companion series "Band of Brothers" produced by Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Of course "The Hangover" is a great movie to cleanse the pallet with before you begin..
@@warrencrossley7562 I really hope they do.
Band of Brothers is the best miniseries made about anything, hands down.
Yes!! Or The Pacific!
The greatest WWII film ever made.
“I don’t think I can take another one, Mike.”
Oh, brothers… 😂
He does this to me on purpose. - Sean
@@mikeyshowpresents FYI...one thing to know, pay no mind at all to that man who took off his helmet on the beach 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 shot that hit his helmet that made him take it off actually went right through the helmet twice on the way in and back out...but did not hit his actual head...that is why he took it of to look at it.
Also, at around 21:00 when the men are lounging about waiting for their next mission...you guys thought that was the same day as the landings on the beach, but it was not. Shortly before that scene there is a text note on screen that says that the scene has switched to 3 days after the landings...it seems like you guys missed that. Miller and his team are sent to find the last Ryan brother 3 days after D-Day.👍
What? Could the canteen be because they need to have water? I'm sure there not water fountains all along the way and they weren't carrying bottled water. I don't I don't understand the fascination with needing to have water.
Awesome that you guys are back, great reaction! 👊🏻
@@RepentOrPerishL133Yup! It’s just a water canteen
What the soldiers said at the minute 16:44??? Well, what they were saying was: "Prosím, nestřílejte mě, nejsem Němec, jsem Čech, nikoho jsem nezabil!"
which in English would be: “Please don’t shoot me, I’m not German, I’m Czech, I didn’t kill anyone!”
And this happened because many civilians and soldiers captured in the German occupations were forced to fight in the German army.
Most common quote from every SPR reaction: "Was that Vin Deiseal?"
There was Sam from "Cheers" and John Adams!
Do not ever stop uploading, you guys are my stress free go-to reactors, it's like watching movies with my uncles after a long day at work.
Thank you and Take Care!
Missed you gents
missed u too JfourMEfiveunderscore
@@mikeyshowpresents it's pronounced James... Lol.. Mr voice to text over here
@@J4ME5_ 😂
@mikeyshowpresents I left you guys a long ass message under another video. I had JUST found you guys then all of a sudden you kappofed! I was like wtf just happened? See? Like our mothers used to say to us...THIS is why we cant have nice things! 😂 Glad you're back in the saddle again! SHAZAM UA-cam! #NYGenXBikerLady
#WW2ArmyAirCORPMPsKid
I think that Tom Hank’s character hand tremor was just an involuntary response to stress and anxiety, and gave Spielberg the opportunity to show the trembling stopping when he died. Excellent reaction to a powerful movie.👍
Never heard of shell shock?
That's what that is..
The Bangalore Torpedo was an explosive charge fixed on the end of a long, tube, to which could be attached additional lengths to extend it, so that it could be pushed across the ground to clear obstacles, without endangering the operative.
Thank you for educating us!
I believe that all the tubes were explosives so that you could blow a hole line as well as not get confused to what has TNT in it and what does not. Very effective in clearing a hole in barb wire.
I think it was mostly used to make a hole through barbed wire or sometime to clear land mines
Fun fact: Spielberg put all of the main actors through a grueling boot camp prior to filming. They lived on rations and went through some horrible training. All except Matt Damon. He wanted the actors to know this so that they genuinely resented him and it showed in their performance.
In a literal sense the hand shaking of Tom Hanks was due to PTSD, but thematically it's the guilt over all the deaths under his command barely being contained inside of him. You get that one scene when he's alone and he lets himself cry before pulling it together for the men. Great performance by Hanks, as usual.
GLAD u guys are back hands down Saving Private Ryan one of the greatest war movie hands down.
Hey guys, I follow a lot of reactors . . . A lot . . like 70+. You guys aren't my favorite or anything but I do appreciate both your style and your genuine approach.
I appreciate the fact that you're willing to pause the film to make make a point or share your feelings. It's not a distraction at all, in fact it's more of a distraction when I feel reactors are missing vital details of a film because they're talking too much. Keep up the good work gentlemen.
always great to know we're not someone's favorite 😉
@@mikeyshowpresents LOL. I laughed at this whole thing reading this. You guys are great, your raw emotions to the movie made me tear up and I've seen this movie dozens of times. Keep at it guys.
Couldn't agree more on this point.
Speilberg is a genius and the team he put together did an amazing job. His production of this, including different frame rates for the battle scenes, the sound design, etc. made for an extremely power movie. My dad and his twin brother joined the Navy in WWII right after graduating high school. They volunteered for the Underwater Demolition Teams and served in the Pacific. My uncle was transferred to Europe and on D-Day was on Omaha Beach before the main troop landing to clear obstacles. There were 192 in his unit. 31 were KIA and 65 wounded. My uncle made it through with no injuries.
The UDT personnel were called Frogmen during WWII. They are now known as The Navy Seals.
My Uncle Joe Charneski, my Mom's Brother made it through Omaha Beach but was killed a few weeks later at St. Lo, France!
@@Nomad-vv1gk yes, they were badasses from the beginning. Dad and my Uncle went in as Seabees, then volunteered to join the then-new UDT. There's a great museum at Ft. Pierce, Florida where they trained.
@@jamesalexander5623 Sorry for your family's loss. So many made the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedom.
At 1:09:15, that's the same German soldier they let go on the hill, the one upham was trying to tell his squad not to kill. I didn't know if you too realized that.
And also you may not have noticed he was the one who shot Capt. Miller as the German soldiers advanced on the bridge.
I know it is just a movie, but in the silver screen universe where these characters are real people:
I choose to believe his earlier "F*ck Hitler" declaration was sincere. That he was a man of honor, that it was not just a desperate attempt to say anything to save himself.
And that he would not have taken that shot if he'd recognized his target was the man who'd spared him a few days earlier.
War is hell 🥺
47:35 it’s not “sulphur” they were putting on the wound, it was “sulfa” short for Sulfonamide an antibacterial drug that was used during WWII to help prevent infection.
I really don’t know why the subtitles got changed there
@@ProtossWannabe1984 A lot of streaming services have replaced the old, professionally written subtitles with lightly edited AI transcriptions, hence the inaccuracies and abbreviated sentences. It's one of many crafts that's going extinct.
I was fresh out of basic training when this movie came out. (Air Force) when I saw this in the theatre in my class A uniform I saw grown men weeping. I had strangers come up to me afterwards and shake my hand or hug me. This movie will always have a place in my heart and in my memories.
Thank you for your service 🙏🏻 … my dad was in the USAF for 20 years - during Vietnam and Desert Storm….. and also my fiancés country has had US military presence - I think initially when he was like 3 or 4 years old. Didn’t necessarily go well, but they tried and men died.
Thank you again
love and appreciate you my man... many thanks for everything you've done 🫡 🇺🇸 🎖
What year did you join basic in the AF? I’m nov 2009
@@TheAisenz0rz I went in delayed enlistment went to basic feb/march of 1994 went to tech school at Shepard then went to Charleston AFB in SC
Cameos you missed:
James Frederick Ryan (of Minnesota) is played by Nathan (Fierfly/The Rookie/Castle) Fillion
The One-armed Colonel is Bryan (Malcolm/Breaking Bad) Cranston
The deaf paratrooper is Ryan (Sons of Anarchy) Hurst
General George Marshall is Harve (the dad from Fargo) Presnell
The Lt. Colonel who give Tom Hanks his assignment is Dennis (Get Shorty/Snatch) Farina
Also, Matt Damon was a complete unknown when this film was shot.
And a lil fun fact for those who like video games, Jeremy Davies (Upham) would later voice Baldr in God of War 2018 :)
And Ryan Hurst in God of War: Ragnarok
@@iDontShareMyData well, Matt Damon was not a Complete unknown.
A year or two earlier he was in "Courage Under Fire" ,set shortly after (and, via flashbacks, partially during) the Gulf War.
It is not nearly as impactful/epic as this one, but still a good film IMO.
Even if the sands of time have obscured it pretty effectively; there were at least two people in the movie theater for "Saving Private Ryan", quietly exclaiming, "Hey!, its that guy from "Courage..."
To somewhat reinforce your point, he was definitely, "ooh, that guy" to a few doofuses at the movies and not yet Hollywood star Matt Damon.
But I've long felt that "Courage..." was a bit unduly neglected, so I felt compelled to say something.
Complete unknown? Good will hunting 1997
@@Heywaitwhat oh yeah duh. And that one. I do vaguely remember a sense of it being bad timing/intersection of stardom and anonymity.
Damon was clearly supposed to be largely unknown so that his plot armor would be partially invisible, but by the time it hit theaters, he was no ghost
At least the Old Man Damon/Ryan was not completely obvious. Well, I don't think so, but I admit to sucking at visually decoding CGI enhancements
First off guys, NEVER apologize for pausing the film to give comment. Your comments are worth listening to. I absolutely hate when reviewers pause the movie and cut to them rambling on about personal stuff or crap that has very little to do with the movie. Then cut back to the movie. Those are clicked right off never to be revisited by me. Yours on the other hand are commented on during the movie and are very articulate on your analysis. You're on point.You see our son fought in Afghanistan so these well made movies are sacred to us. You reviewed from the heart. Very well done gentlemen.
I want to thank you gentlemen for a very sincere reaction! I’m a 10 year combat veteran that lost both my legs. I appreciate your understanding.❤
Thank you, very much.
Thank you for your sacrifice Mike. Also in the PDX area and a Desert Storm Vet.
Thank you for your service you brave man🩷🩷
@@NoneYaBidness762 I’d be happy to hook up for a drink with you brother!
My grandfather fought in WWII as well - only on the other side. When you are a normal Soldier however it hardly matters what side you are on. First, you fight because your country is at war and it is your duty. Then you fight for your survival and for the survival of your comrades / your brothers-in-arms and then, in case the war is in your own country, you fight the advancing enemy because you are the one standing between them and those you love ( in my granddad's case the village where his wife and three little boys were was just a few miles at his back before he was captured ).
He survived and was cleared because there was proof that he was not a Nazi and had been against the party from the start (different story) B U T still he had PTSD until the end of his life.
My grandma once told my Dad that he had left for war as a young happy go lucky fella and came back a broken, hollow and at times cruel old man
When I was a child and learned about the third Reich, I looked on him with contempt. With the years, I have come to understand that he, like so many others, was just canon fodder.
No idea how to end this comment, but thank you for your reaction and - hardly controversial- fuck war!
As a guy with PTSD, I completely sympathize with him. My dad and my uncles served during WWII, with one being shot down over the Pacific. My paternal grandfather was with the US Army in the Argonne Forest in 1918 and was severely injured. Everybody had some kind of drinking/substance abuse problem. My family served in nearly every generation since the 1560's, first in Europe and then in the US---and I believe they all wanted to create a world with peace so their own children wouldn't be at war.
I watched this movie In theaters with my dad who was n Vietnam 82nd airborne and he said the opening scene and the sounds of the bullets hitting bodies is exactly how it sounded he had to go to bathroom and compose himself.. just want to tell him and other veterans thank you, sone gave all others gave everything thank you
As a testament to the detail, the D Day vets who saw this were basically triggered. They all said it was the most realistic depiction of D Day they had ever seen.
Saving Private Ryan is incredibly realistic in most every way, with a very few exceptions...such as bullets not being able to kill you more than a few inches 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 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 to get the last brother, and it turned out that one brother that had been thought dead had actually only been captured.
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.
Well they could from a small caliber firearm but anything bigger than that no.
@@gregorygant4242It also could’ve just been shrapnel. There were explosions and debris flying all over the place.
I appreciated the underwater firing scene in John Wick (2?) for this reason, though it's otherwise a more traditional action movie of course. There, the bullets stop after 30 cm or so and then sink. Even a .50 BMG won't go more much more than meter underwater. That's why the Soviets made those harpoon-looking bullets; you need some serious sectional density for something to travel efficiently underwater.
When he said, "Earn this",, that was for All of us!
The plan was for air bombardment to take out those pillboxes prior the Normandy landing, but somehow the co-ordinates related to the air power were miscalculated causing the bombardment taking place too far inland which resulted losing thousands of men in the beach landing.
Actually the Normandy landing lasted around 7 hours. My dad was on the USS Frankford who provided covering artillery when a soldier came up out of a disabled tank and signaled pointing up toward the German pillbox up the hill. The soldiers were pinned down and had already lost so many and were unable to try to advance as they would have lost way too many more. He went back inside his tank and radioed the co-ordinates to my dads ship. My dad was one of the sailors at the 5 silo guns. They used the co-ordinates and took out the pill box so the soldiers could advance up the hill. The Frankford's captain ordered the ship to move toward the beach going parallel so close the soldiers thought they would run aground and risk being totally destroyed. Other destroyers followed suit. General Bradley and General Nimitz were seriously considering calling off the landing due to the immense loss of life, but because of what the Navy Destroyers accomplished it went forward and was a success. There are articles about how the Navy saved the landing. So proud of my dad, he's been gone 30 years and I still miss him.
One of the things about the "you lucky bastard" on the guy who gets shot on the helmet wasn't just that the helmet was what got hit, but that these helmets were not even meant to stop bullets. They were mainly for shrapnel protection.
So excited to see you back!! You are THE BEST reactors on You Tube. I had a lot of work to do this morning but I put it on hold to watch you!! Thanks so much for your authentic reactions! MSPOG for LIFE!
You're the best!
34:00 Baby Nathan Fillion surprises me every time because I'm so used to him being the adult, filled-out Nathan of Firefly and onward. 😆
LOL...He was an olive drab coat long before he was a Browncoat. 😜
Awesome!!!!!!!!! Very glad to see you guys back doing reactions (& without any of those BS interruptions from YT too)! Please watch "Warrior" and "Million Dollar Baby" at some point! =)
The *German Captive* that *Upham* convinced *Captain Miller* to spare is the one who shot & killed *Captain Miller* & then he says *Upham* name & he take his one & only shot in the movie killing him
Do not forget folks that this film did not win the Oscar for best picture. That went to Shakespeare in love. SIL won 7 Oscars!
What does that tell you about the values of the academy?
You can thank good old Harvey Weinstein----"Ryan" had been the odds on favorite when Weinstein hit the Academy with massive amounts of cash/gifts/bribes to make sure his film would come out on top.
Saving Private Ryan changed the War movie genre forever. It's not without it's faults, but it is an inspirational piece of Cinema history. Much like Schindler's list was before it. I don't think anyone with a heart could watch this film and not be affected. That is the message I think Spielberg was trying to get across. It's incredible that people are seeing it for the first time so many years after it was released. I watched it once in the local cinema when it was released in the UK in 1998 and it was so good in the theater it was an experience. Would love to see it again on the big screen one day.
16:44 - _“Please don’t shoot me! I am not German, I am Czech, I didn’t kill anyone! I am Czech!"_
12:12 What a lot people don't know is that there was supposed to be an airstrike before the ships got there. Weather prevented it from happening. So they pulled up expecting to see damaged bunkers and to pick off whoever was left. Instead they faced a fully functional base.
Yes, the bombing run (4:00 AM) was affected by cloud cover. As a result they dropped their bombs 2 miles inland. When the landing force hit the beaches in force (8:00 AM), the pillboxes and defences were intact. Not only that, the airborne dropped the night before (2:00 AM) behind enemy lines were all missdropped
There were airstrikes, a tremendous amount of ordinance spent trying to take out the bunkers and other fortifications by both RAF and USAAF squadrons along with naval prep bombardment.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of the drops directed at the shore defenses missed or were otherwise ineffective
Of Omaha Beach's 8 large bunkers, 35 fortified smaller bunkers, and 85 machine gun nests, none were taken out by pre-invasion bombing, and there were no German casualties.
A good book that covers this in detail is "Hitler's Atlantic Wall: Normandy" by Paul Williams.
"Tell me I have lived a good life, tell me I'm a good man" is the hardest hitting line of any war film next to we were soldiers "I'll never forgive myself, because my men died and I didn't".
The shaking is from fear guys. Just pure fear not booze. Such a great movie.
The sulfa (that's how they spell it) was an early antibiotic. Each soldier's first aid pouch had a packet of sulfa power and a Carlisle bandage to apply to open wounds. It worked well, but was never meant to be useful with deep bullet wounds. US soldiers had a relatively good survival rate with many common injuries, and the sulfa no doubt really helped.
6:00 The plastic bag on the rifle was not protection from water, it’s to keep sand out of the action. Water will flow out. Sand will jam moving parts.
Hanks even says this during the approach to the beach: "Keep your actions clear."
I am a 70 year old woman and wanted to say that whenever I watch this movie or any other WWII movie I think of my father. My father and two of his brothers and one of my mothers brother were in WWII. My mom's brother was at Normandy, like at the begining of this movie. But God must have been watching over them because all 4 of them came home safe.
This is why these men were the Greatest Generation...and it isn't close.
My grandfather was in WWII. I never saw him show emotion his whole life. He sobbed a few times during this movie. Saving private Ryan is THE best war movie ever, and top 5 movies all time.
By 1944 the Allied Forces controlled the air, which means they also controlled the water. Only German Uboats could venture into the Atlantic by that time. The only German surface navy was far into the Baltic or Mediterranean.
But there was a lot of counterintelligence operations designed to make the Germans to think that that the Allies would attack the Pas de Calais region of France which was the shortest point between England and France and it was very effective.
The paratroopers dropping the night before D-Day and removing German 88s (Artillery) and controlling the bridges, holding those which they could and destroying those which the couldn't which stopped reinforcements of German armor saved tons of Allied lives.
Eisenhower thought 90% of the paratroopers would die on their mission. 50% did and it was considered a resounding success.
When the soldier and the chaplain went to visit Ryan's mom, she knew it was bad because if she just lost one son, she would have just gotten a telegram. The flag with the stars cut out were sent to each family that sent men to war got one of those flags with a cut out star for each family member. When that family member died, the government sent you a gold star to paste into that spot so anyone visiting the family or who walked by their home would know if they had lost a loved one.
The two guys that tried to surrender but got shot by the Americans were speaking Czech. They said something along the lines of "we are Czech, not Germans but POWs and forced to fight. We didn't shoot anyone.
My GrandUncle Bob Stout was on Normandy and D-Day. He told me that once when he was really drunk then didn't ever say another word about it.
There is a story circulating about a man that saw this with his grandpa. After they left the theater, the grandpa said "it was actually worse than it looked".
The reason that all the enlisted men are mean to the cruel guy is they all had friends coming out of basic training, and a lot of them would have died by this point in the war. So it took a lot more to make friends, you had to be sure the person had some survival instincts, or at least wouldn't die right away.
The soldiers were told if they encounter someone and they can't tell which side they are on to call out "thunder" and the response was "flash".
Are you the dude that writes Wikipedia?
Old retired Army Ranger and amateur historian. The glider scene has some truth. Brigadier General Donald Pratt was in his Jeep, the landing went long and crashed into some trees. The Jeep stayed strapped down so the pilot wasn’t killed but did suffer fractures. Pratt had a broken neck, and was buried there wrapped in a parachute. Later he was disinterred and placed in Arlington National Cemetery. There is a memorial there in France near the spot where he died in the crash. He was the highest ranking Allied officer killed on D-Day.
Every soldier has an individual canteen, usually two with one on each hip of the pistol belt. Two dogtags - one on a neck chain, and another on a much shorter chain hanging off of it. Take the one on the short chain and leave the other for Graves Registrations. We used to get two more and place in each boot through the lace in case the upper body was gone.
One thing that your channel does that I love (and is really rare among the other reactors) is how you actually PAUSE the movie when you discuss.
So many other reactors just talk and talk right over the movie and miss great scenes and dialogue. It can be really annoying sometimes.
Good job. Great commentary. You got a sub.
100% agree... so many others miss major plot points because they won't shut up.
36:13 Ryan is just a pawn in this mission. They're saving hope. The military doesnt want Americans thinking they'll get all of their children killed. While families might lose one or two, they're not supposed to lose their entire genetic line. It's called the sole survivor policy.
The moment when that enemy soldier walks past Upham is actually super realistic. Lots of soldiers in war report moments when they knew they should be fighting but they just couldn't do it(on both sides) so that they get real close but both walk away. Upham wasnt a threat, he obviously hadnt been running around killing that guy's friends. Plus he was so pathetic in that moment.
@kelsqi-books4835 is very true, although in the chaos of battle, I'm not sure an SS soldier would walk away. I've always interpreted his actions as he was looking for real soldiers to kill.
You guys are reading into this way too much. Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) did not have a drinking problem. His shaking hand was caused by "combat fatigue" or combat stress. As hinted in the church scene, Captain Miller already fought the Germans in Italy, which occurred in 1943. The Italian campaign was also a very tough fight. Therefore, John Miller had been continuously fighting over a year. He endured too much combat and needed a break. However, for the all-important upcoming Operation Overlord, the Allies needed every available soldier, especially a veteran officer of a Ranger Battalion, to participate in the D-Day invasion. Hence, it was implied that John Miller never caught a break and had not been home for at least two years (one year of training to become a Ranger and one year of fighting in Italy).
Sgt. Horvath was also a veteran at the time of D-Day. Unlike Capt. Miller, Horvath had been fighting the Germans from the very beginning of WW2 in 1942. As he collected the sands of Normandy into a tin can labeled "France", Horvath had two more cans in his pack labeled "Africa" and "Italy". The first campaign against the German was in North Africa. Horvath had fought Rommel's Afrika Korps.
On the Tom Hanks festival.. you can’t miss Turner and Hooch… the Burbs.. The money pit.. 😂 ❤
Also...Joe Versus the Volcano LOL
@@iKvetch558 oh yes! 👍
Second The Burbs.
Glad to see you guys back
Go easy on Upham. Not a one of us who hasnt been there can say what we'd actually do in the moment. Killing someone is not easy, even when forced to it. Upham was essentially mentally and physically paralyzed by the immense weight of knowing two guys just died because of his fear and inability to move. It happens. Some people just arent able to do it. But the betrayal by the German he got set free... that pushed him over the edge and he shot him point blank after he had surrendered. With the draft and basic training stripped to the bare minimum they were sending an awful lot of people over that shouldnt have been there. It wad a numbers game when it came down to it. Have more guys than the enemy has bullets.
There is no way to know for sure how anyone will respond to being thrown into the meat grinder of warfare. Even the most macho man could break down and not do his job. There is no way to practice seeing Death come for you.
@@Stogie2112 Seriously. Very rarely do reactors actually get Upham's character. Everyone, sitting in their comfy chair, in comfy clothes, in a warm house with food in the fridge... they all think they'd rush up the stairs and shoot the German and save the guy. Most of them would turn tail and flee in terror merely feeling the tank shaking the ground before they could even see it down the street. I've never been a soldier. My grandfather was an Army Col and landed on Omaha Beach the day after the invasion. He liberated dozens of villages all over France, fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He refused, flatly, to ever talk about it at all. Often he'd just ignore your question like you weren't there. It was his unwillingness to speak about it that from a young age made me realize that war is not what it is so often depicted as.
Major shoutout to the sound department on this masterpiece. You're right there. It's unreal.
*That canteen is basically a water bottle; every soldier carries one in the field. There’s a scene with the French family when MIller asks Upham to fill up all the canteens with rain water.*
The hand shaking Tom Hanks character had was a early form of PTSD from taking place in so many invasions throughout the war, if you saw at the beginning of the movie with Tom Sizemoores character was collecting dirt from all the countries he was in, he had dirt from Africa, Italy and France which his and Tom Hanks character had been fighting at
Hey Guys,
Great to see you again. If looking for something fun and light, I highly recommend "Idiocracy". A total gem and is very current although from the early 2000's.
Cheers from Australia.
I love your guys reaction and commentary, my Grandpa is one of the survivor from Pacific theater...
Thank you so much for the video, I will wait when you guys react to Hacksaw Ridge and Lone Survivor later
Glad you're back!
This law was created because of the Fighting Sullivans. 5 brothers on the same ship and all died when the ship was attacked and sank. Glad you two are back, missed you both.
There is no rule nor law that prevents family members from serving in the same unit/aboard ship together. That's a myth. There is no "Sullivan Rule". My brother and I served together during the Vietnam War. The assignments are done upon request or by random posting.
@@Nomad-vv1gk You are right. Sorry I misspoke. The Sullivan "rule" is so that families of military members have one remaining child at home, in a "safe" job. It's so families are not wiped out by war.
Try The Deer Hunter (1978) for a REALLY good war drama.
I love all the Tom Hanks movies you have been doing. I recommend Apollo 13 as another historical film, but based on the true story.
This was the standard 1 qt aluminum canteen, for water. This is his 5th invasion, north Africa, sicily, Salerno, and anzio. He's got the shakes from combat.
I saw your Forest Gump watch first out of random youtube rec. Saw your Green Mile vid, and seeing this one. You guys are probably the best most genuine movie watching channel I've found. Please don't change, stay genuine like this, don't do fake reactions like so many of them do. Definitely subbing to you.
Thanks for the sub and the kind words!
I don't know how anyone can not like Tom Hanks. He is such a good after. You need to watch him in the movies Big and Castaway, or The Money Pit.
I'm really glad to see you two men back! Your reactions are really down to earth. And I appreciate it very much. Xx
"Thunder" is in reference to a challenge to ensure that whoever is present that they are friendly and not enemy. So you would challenge "Thunder" and if they, in this case, answer "Flash," then you know they're friendly
So glad to see you guys are finally back!!!! Your energy has been missed
I live about 7 kms from the beach where the opening scene was filmed. The vast majority of the people walking that part of the beach today have no idea the film was made there. Spielberg was ordered to return the beach to it's original condition and he did.
Taking the dog tag (one stayed with body for identification) was to get to command for records and that’s what generated the letters that were sent to the families. That’s why the tags were collected in bag at the glider crash scene. In WWI the British had one tag that the bottom could be broken into two pieces. The bottom was removed for the same reason.
"Bangalores" The Bangalore torpedo was invented by Captain R. L. McClintock of the Royal Engineers while he was attached to the Madras Sappers and Miners in the Indian Army at Bangalore, India, in 1912. It is basically an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "Bangalore mine", "banger" or simply "Bangalore" as well as a pole charge. It is still used but in my day we had the Giant Viper system which to launched a 250-metre-long hose, packed with plastic explosive, across a minefields, which cleared a path about 7 meters wide.
Steven Spielbergs message is simple. This is the sacrifice that was made, earn it..
Great reaction. The misconception of this movie is when the bullets hit the water when you're in the water, the bullets lose momentum so you're safe.
And the reason with omaha beach was so bloody was because the artillery missed the beach.So they didn't really have any cover getting on there.
Mythbusters had an episode to various guns and calibers.
From what I remember the more energy the bullet has, the more velocity, it shatters, and after 1 meter or less there is not much danger.
The shore bombardment had minimal effect because the Germans had four years to fortify the defense line along the coast. The location of the fortifications and the natural terrain negated the shells fired from ships because of a problem with the trajectory of the projectiles. Overcast sky affected aerial bombing as did the natural terrain allowing shore fortifications to be place so as bombs would cause minimal if any damage. Most of the bombs missed the targets and cause a lot of damage to the town of Normandy. During the duration of the Battle of Normandy more than 20,000 residents of the town were killed.
Our favorite UA-cam uncles are back baby! Heck yeah! Great reaction fellas! Keep these reactions coming! We're not going anywhere fellas.
I am a hard core movie fan and a big time movie reaction fan. I seriously watch ~3-5 movie reactions a night. You two hit my top 10 with Arrival. Keep it up!!! 👍
At our age its difficult but we'll try...
I went and watched their Arrival reaction on the back of your comment and you’re right, it’s a fantastic reaction to a wonderful, unique film.
So thanks 😁
"Thunder!" was a reply between soldiers to let another know you were on the same side. If you heard noise, or suspected an enemy, say in the woods, or behind a door, you'd say "Flash!". If the other person didn't reply "Thunder!", then you knew you might just be in a firefight momentarily.
27:45
Flash/Thunder was the allied call sign used by the Americans, Canadians and Brits to identify friendlys behind enemy lines. Flash was the challenge, Thunder was the response. They used that because Germans can't say "Thunder". When the Germans try to say "thunder", it comes out as "toonder" or "zoonder". You detect a group of soldiers in the dark and call out Flash. If you don't hear a clear Thunder in response, you open fire.
The important piece, often missed, is that it is an allegory. We are all Private Ryan. They did this for us. We need to earn it.
I watch videos like this to see other people react to movies i already know and love. Don't listen to comments telling you to stop pausing and commenting on the movie.
I loved the reaction and that you guys showed real emotions
They were not different breed. They were just humans. No matter what side, they were all "different breed". Humans fighting. No matter what Hollywood says.
Thanks for this reaction!
A powerful and profound film which came out in 1947, won 7 Oscars and incorporates some elements from the experiences of the cast and crew is “The Best Years of Our Lives.” Follows the return home of servicemen. Highly recommended.
What nationalities fought on D-Day?
The majority of troops who landed on the D-Day beaches were from the United Kingdom, Canada and the US. However, troops from many other countries participated in D-Day and the Battle of Normandy: Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.
When the medic asked for another shot of Morphine, He knew it would be a fatal overdose as well as all the guys around him. You can see it in their faces. He knew there was no help for him out in the field with that massive internal bleeding and best to end it quickly and ease the suffering.
Overjoyed to see you guys back, made my day. Most of the men in our family served, I was conscripted after high school and served in the Angolan Bush War from the 1970s-80s, nothing can prepare you for war, but the consequences last for the rest of your life. Although movies like this are difficult to watch, it's theraputic in a weird kind of way.
Love ya buddy. A million thanks for your service. Movies like this are important to give us some small understanding of what our vets endured for us. ✌🏼🇺🇸
The goal with the d day opening was to be as raw as possible, to recreate what it was like as closely as possible. To put you in the thick of it. To horrifying you with the gruesome and sheer amount of death. To show the horror of war in the tiniest degree. WW2 vets who saw it opening night said it was pretty accurate except for the smell and there was way more blood. Many had to leave the movie.
My grandpa was an Army Col. He went over to Omaha after the initial wave secured the beach head and then lead his men through France liberating villages. Fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He never ever spoke about it. Would ignore questions about it.
This movie, by the end, has you jaded and ignoring a lot of the constant death. Numb to it. As the soldiers would have become out of necessity. You either go crazy and shut down or you learn to just turn off feelings and do your job. Its why so many of them lose it after a battle, it's gotta come out. This is one of the best portrayal of what it was like. Gotta watch Band of Brothers now.
HYDRATION! It's a huge factor in making it through a physical day without cramping up.
@@graciefolden2359 In basic training we were in formation in PT gear waiting for the Drill Sargent to come lead us away and one guy started peeing because he took the "you are to drink 1/2 to 3/4 canteens of water per hour, not to exceed 12 canteens per day" literally and couldn't wait. Then another guy started peeing once he heard the waterfall a couple feet away. There's nothing special about the canteen being in the scene. Also, only drink when you're thirsty.
Another term for you - defilade. Particularly when firing from a fixed position, such as the elevated bunkers or the sand-bagged, elevated machinegun nests on the bluff, there is a point where you can’t depress (point) your guns any further downward and still fire effectively. This creates a safe zone called a defilade.
You will also hear references to “moving in under their guns” sometimes, which is another way of saying to move into a defiladed position.
Great show guys. First time watching and really enjoyed it. Keep up the good work! Thanks.
The best reaction I've seen to this movie. Men who realize the nature of losses and values of life. Thank you for this reaction
lol that was a good intro, "oh no, is this a sad move?" ---- "Listen to the music." 😂
The shaking is because of battle nerves, not drinking. The canteen has been part of standard issued equipment for generations, and we only relatively recently moved away from the canteen to the camelback.
There was indeed an attempt to lure the Germans away. But it was troops and tanks, not a fleet. It was one of the most amazing intelligence operations of all time, and the double agent remains (to my knowledge) the only person to be awarded a medal for the same battle by BOTH SIDES. He fed the Germans such convincing disinformation that they gave him a medal for his high quality information. The British gave him a medal for getting a medal. Juan Pujol García. Total hero.
Steven Spielberg said himself that he would have probably been Upham in that last battle
Welcome back! 👍😁👍 Check out a crazy true story American Made, Tom Cruise was great in this and he actually flew the planes too.
38:11 I cant imagine the effects of shell shock, not only the constant risk of life, but the constant reminder too just down the road. Theres a recreation of the recording from the 11 11 Armistice of WW1, recorded the moment the ceasefire was called, that really throws it for you. The drop from all ranks unloading every remaining round to complete silence is shattering
Glad you guys are back!
Bangalore torpedos are essentially steel pipes with explosives in them. An explosive charge was placed at one end of one pipe, and other pipes, which had pyrotechnics which could send a flame down these so the explosive charge would explode, would then be connected with the pipe with the explosive charge, so it could be slid a long distance under barbed wire, which is what bangalores were designed to wreck.
The sulfa powder that was sprinkled on the medic is actually an antibiotic - the first one ever used in a mass conflict.
"So just open fire when you hit the shore;
all is fair in love and war!"
Hoist that Rag - Tom Waits
The Bangalore "torpedo" was basically a bunch of TNT-filled segments that could be attached together. You'd connect them, then shove them through a field of barbed wire to blow a path through (hopefully also destroying other obstacles like land mines) for the infantry to be able to advance through safely.