This was a movie! Both of my grandfathers fought in this war. They never talked about it. When this came out and my wife and I saw it, we were in tears. We Finally understood why they didn’t talk about it. So heart breaking yet also inspiring. That generation is called the greatest for a reason. I’m so proud.
1. Many WWII vets left the theaters because the D-Day battle scenes were so realistic. 2. The German Captain Miller was talked into letting go is the same one that killed him. Upham finally put him down. 3. The story Ryan tells Miller about the last time he saw his brothers was made up by Matt Damon. He was told to say something interesting, so he did, and it was kept in the movie. 4. There was a USS Sullivans(DD- 68) dedicated to the brothers lost on one ship. 5. I did 24 years in the US Navy. Outstanding leadership/management skills to dampen the friction between Horvath and Reiben. 6. My favorite character is Private Jackson/sniper, and my second favorite is Sargent Horvath. RIP Tom Sizemore😇 7. Sizemore also played Boxman in "Flight of the Intruder". A movie I'm in briefly.
"Thunder" and "Flash" were the identification sign and countersign of the day. When encountering other combatants, you might not be able to see them so you issue the challenge sign, which for that day was "thunder", if the unseen troops are American or an allied nation, they reply with the countersign "flash". Usually the words will change each day, and the words chosen are difficult for the enemy to pronounce correctly. For instance words that contain letters or sounds that don't exist in the enemies language.
There are a thousand things I could say but this masterpiece speaks for itself beyond belief. You are now obligated to see Band of Brothers. They trolled us so brilliantly from the beginning thinking Ryan was actually Captain Miller with the eyes. As horrific and spectacular this film is in every way, the hardest part for me to see is still the knife fight. When he's trying to reason with him as a person. It illustrated the pointlessness of War. "If I don't laugh I will cry."
Yes, "Thunder/Flash" was a sign/countersign used by allied troops to identify one's self as friendly, but Spielberg actually got it backwards. The sign would have been "Flash" and the countersign would've been "Thunder". Allied troops used words that the Germans would have trouble pronouncing. The "th" sound in Thunder does not exist in the German vocabulary. One of the few inaccuracies of an otherwise awesome movie. Thanks for the reaction . I always look forward to new reactions to SPR.
The best movie ever made about US veterans returning from war was The Best Years of Our Lives, won Oscar for best picture in 1946. Highly, highly recommend.
AGREED! “The Best Years of Our Lives” is filled with realistic details from the experiences of the writer of the novel on which it is based who was a war correspondent, and includes experiences of the director, cast and crew who had recently returned from service. The film accurately captures the emotions of people at the time and how they would think, react, speak and behave, which is sometimes different from how contemporary films depict those things. It won 7 Oscars and many other awards. Yes, highly, highly recommended.
Harold Russell the disabled vet in The Best Years Of Our Lives did a cameo in the tv show China Beach. The episode was about Nurse McMurphy returning home from Vietnam. She exchanges a knowing look from her WWII relative, played by Russell, as she struggles through an overwhelming welcome home party.
The bruise on Barry Pepper's thumb is caused by M-1 Garand rifle and is called M-1 thumb. If you don't lock the bolt back properly when cleaning or just handling the rifle, chances are you will wind up with M-1 thumb. M-1 thumb happens when the bolt slams your thumb into the receiver. It's equivalent to hitting your thumb with a hammer. Barry was using a 1903 Springfield rifle not an M-1. He got the M-1 thumb off the set messing around with one of the rifles.😊
It would make sense also that his character had Garand thumb despite him using a Springfield. In the months leading up to D-Day, the troops trained with all weapons. So you had your designated assigned weapon, but you would train with other versions of rifles as well in case you ever needed to pick one up on the field.
How did he become a captain? Most likely, he went to OCS (Officer Candidate School). After 1941 OCS pushed out 100000 officers over the next two years. A candidate had to take a number of tests to get in. Since the Captain was a High-school teacher, he likely had some post High school training. He also led students as a sports coach. He had a good combination of leadership skills, academic skills, and physical skills. He likely started as a lieutenant, in charge of a platoon, and worked his way up, likely with battlefield commissions. If you haven't seen "Band of Brothers", I suggest you explore that short series. It is based on a true story. 101st Airborne division (of which the fictional private Ryan was a member) and it concentrates on one Company E (Easy). It is excellent.
In the actual Omaha Beach landing--it took all day--not 15-20 minutes like in this movie--to breach the Nazi lines. They landed at 8:00 AM and made the opening behind the trenches around 4:30 PM.
My grandfather fought in the battle of the pacific during the world war 2 and made it back. If he died there,I would not be here.he passed away a year before I was born.
One of the factors that contributed to Omaha being a bigger bloodbath than the four other Operation: Overlord invasion beaches (Gold, Sword, Juno, Utah) is the lack of armor support. Hanks' character briefly mentions that no DD tanks made it to the beach; these were tanks called 'Duplex Drives' and were modified to be dropped offshore and swim in. On the four other beaches, most of the tanks made it ashore and provided valuable assistance to the infantry, but the tanks assigned to Normandy were released into the water too far out from the beach and also hit a strong cross-current in which almost all of them foundered and sank. They would have been able to engage machine-gun emplacements, as well as provide rolling cover for the foot soldiers.
What a great reaction. Most people don’t have a basic understanding of military and battles. You two did a good job. I’ll be looking out for you on more of the same.
I'd also note at the end Ryan's wife reads the name "captain John Miller" off the cross like she's never heard it before - probably 50 years married (given when the film was made) and he's never talked about it even with his wife in all that time.
@@krisfrederick5001So true. It took humanity less than 100 years to recover from the trauma and level of destruction of the most devastating war in history, difficult to imagine today. We humans never learn..
I really wish Spielberg wouldve attempted to portray the 2nd Ranger Batralion scaling the 100 foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc. Wouldve been a great addition to an otherwise awesome movie
When the American soldiers shot the 2 surrendering soldiers and said "I washed my hands for supper" the 2 soldiers they shot were Czech conscripts forced to fight. many soldiers were thrown in the front lines for the Germans from all the other countries they occupied. A subtle way the movie tries to portray that the average American soldier at the time didn't really have a full picture of what was going on in Europe
Thank you for reacting to this very special movie. You are so right, this should be viewed by all younger generations. We also owe a debt of gratitude to all the European resistance fighters and civilians who risked their lives to preserve our democracy and human decency.
When you feel up to more World War II content, you should watch the award winning 2001 11-part series "Band of Brothers" + "We Stand Alone Together", based on real people and events, also from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. It is still one of the most acclaimed tv series twenty-three years later.
Just FYI, the opening Omaha Beach scene was shot at Curracloe Beach in Wexford County, Ireland. Most of the rest of the movie, besides the opening and closing cemetary scenes shot in Normandy, were shot in The UK.
At the end there, the paper taken out of the Captains pocket were the written orders that they were operating under to retrieve Private Ryan not the letter.
Yes, they got foot infections. Especially if the socks got wet, which was often. "Trench foot" it was called, and it would hobble a soldier just as badly as catching shrapnel in the foot. Many troops had to wear the same socks for weeks, trying to dry them any way they could if there was a lull in the action. And many had to have their feet amputated even without being wounded.
The landing scene was based on the landing zone with the heaviest losses in the whole invasion. They almost didn't make it off the beach there. It is fortunate that the deception methods worked so well that most of the German forces were around Calais and didn't move for a few days.
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. 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
Great information...but one small thing is not quite fully true. Spielberg did not give Jackson Garand thumb deliberately, Barry Pepper went through the "boot camp" with the rest of the cast (minus Matt Damon of course), and he just got Garand thumb naturally just like most people do when they first operate the M1 Garand. LOL Dale Dye, has confirmed that is what happened.👍😁
If you've ever taken a blow to the liver you'd have some idea of how much it would hurt, too. The liver is a solid organ so the bullet woild have had a lot of effect on it.
The two guys they shot and were making fun of were not German, they were forced Czech conscripts. One of the reasons the allies invaded at Normandy, even though the Pas de Calais would have been a strategically easier place to resupply (being its very, very close to England) was that Normandy was staffed by lots of injured, convalescent German soldiers, as well as several forced Conscripts from captured nations.
I appreciate and enjoyed your reaction. Thank you! Someone mentioned in the comments that this movie was exaggerated because it was an American movie? Why the disdain? Great movie but in reality this didn’t even begin to depict the horrors of combat.
Saving Private Ryan YES! THIS is the right movie!!! After Vietnam, America transformed into a country whose military became one of … professional soldiers. Drafts were discontinued … in favor of an all volunteer force. Only about 3% of Americans had ever served in the military. This may be the reason for the lack of empathy toward veterans and wars, itself.” I would call upon you, and everyone, to not just “watch” a combat-accurate movie …. but, to watch it while considering yourselves as unseen soldiers-participants that are THERE, experiencing the occurrences along with “your fellow soldiers, friends”. Great every Veterans Day, Memorial Day. This movie is a fictional film of WWII’s D-Day invasion … in which three of four brothers are KIA (killed in action) and a squad / platoon (8 men) search for the remaining live brother. D-Day remains the LARGEST amphibious invasion in history … the transfer of 39 divisions (22 American), over 1 million soldiers to Normandy France. The Allies began their invasion at 6:30am and and finally repelled the Germans by days end … at a cost of more than 10,000 KIA & MIAs. That would LITERALLY BE staring at death and bloodshed EVERYWHERE …. one could look nowhere that was absent its brutality! American soldiers that survived the first day’s invasion attested to the films’, accuracy in the nature & brutality of combat. A slightly unknown factoid is that German machine gunner that was depicted firing down onto Americans landing at Dog-1 Omaha Beach … massacring them before they could even get off their LST. That machine gunner identified himself well after the war as Heinrich Severloh, an 18 year old son of a farmer, that was conscripted by the Germans. Heinrich admitted that he believed he killed more Americans in a single day than any other soldier … more than 1000, possibly over 2000 … and for the rest of his life, the nightmares would never stop! Soldiers on both sides would have to eventually unpack & deal with all of their horrors …. secreted away for later, more convenient times for reflections. Another surreal oddity was the character of the typist Upham …. his character oddly reflects the character of our nation …. America. From 1937, years before America was attacked at Pearl Harbor (and beyond) …. America sat back, failing to act as Germany began exterminating 6MILLION men, women, children, and elders because of their race, using them as reasons for German failings …. We sat back, refusing to involve ourselves in Europe’s ‘Problem’ …. while Germany invaded and overwhelmed every other country except England. We finally pulled ourselves together and entered the combat! In combat, EVERY man (boys 17-20) reacts differently …. assimilates combat differently …. but, EVERYONE is afraid! We all lock our horrors away in the recesses of our minds …. only later to have to deal with them again! Back to SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, I would hope that you & EVERY American would sit down a day or two before every Memorial Day & Veterans Day and rewatch this film (or, Hacksaw Ridge). But, next time rejoin the film, mentally doing so AS AN UNSEEN MEMBER OF THE SQUAD … to mentally & emotionally connect to the other soldiers as friends, buddies … hopefully, to understand all of the veterans combat problems. America, the people (the 97% never experiencing war, are now highly insulated from soldiers / veterans … stunned into remembering the wounded, maimed & dead … but seem to never comprehend those with invisible wounds … those that returned with PTSD, the veterans that choose to be homeless because feel they don’t deserve to continue living a good life, those 22 that are committing suicides every day. This movie was produced loosely on a true story and several similar situations. I’m not seeking compassion … rather a realistic understanding of WHY we returned as we did! Even though we got back to family & loved ones. They only recognized our shell, but found strangers with in. Some of us got back … but, not really, not completely! Others couldn’t accept the peaceful life, their friends couldn’t return to … and chose life on the streets as self-punishment. Movie done, how did you make it??? How’s that ‘assimilating combat’ and ‘survival guilt’ working for you? Not so good for me … and others, either!!!
Thank you for sharing! "The United State Government - unlike others - is not in the business of wiping out family trees." "Earn This" = Exercise the freedoms and rights you have, so our sacrifices are not in vane! "Thanks" does not only go to American's, but to every nation that sent their forces to fight in WW2; 70 of 99 'recognized' countries fought in WW2.
This is a fictional account of a very real day. 9000 allied, over 12,000 German & untold number of french citizens caught in the crossfire died that day. If you go to another war cemetery, perhaps you will look at the graves you will remember they aren't just stones. Days like that are why that generation is so well revered. I am a veteran of the US Navy, I saw this on a Tuesday afternoon with 12 other veterans. At the end all of us had tears. One old man's hat said it all "D-Day Survivor, Purple Heart Recipient " He said of all the movies about D-Day I've seen, that was the most accurate depiction I've ever seen. As for the ACTUAL D-Day, it didn't come close. What they showed took 20 minutes in real life took about 8 hours. The distance between the shore and the beach was 400-450 yards. All under fire. There simply wasn't a way to film it accurately that wouldn't have people running from the theater.
The men “captured” during the assault on the beach could not be “imprisoned” because it was not yet established that the land was under control of the Allies and there was no “place” to put them, no location was free of fighting, and there were no soldiers available to watch prisoners (all were still involved in the invasion.) The Germans still were in possession of the country, and it was not at all certain that the Allied invasion was going to be successful (Tom Hanks had the radio operator report that the beach was not secured.) You can’t “take prisoners” when you are still attempting to invade and overcome the ones in control. Later of course, once the Allies had successfully secured positions along the coast and were working their way inland, the rules were more likely to be followed. But in the midst of battle, the intention (tragically but realistically) is to eliminate as many of the enemy as possible. Also, when the call was made to “let them burn” when they throw grenades or other explosives into those cement “bunkers”, it isn’t just meant as attempts to be cruel, but to save ammo, since which was a goal mentioned earlier. This film does deal with the many types of ethical dilemmas faced by the soldiers.
What you have to be aware of is that the Germans held Ohmha Beach for several hours! and over 2,000 American soldiers fell just on that section of the beach. Only the 4th or 5th wave was able to break through the wall. Which of course isn't shown in the film otherwise the beginning would take too long. But what you shouldn't ignore is letting soldiers burn and shooting those who surrendered were war crimes and the allies started doing it as soon as they were in enemy territory
the letter from Abraham Lincoln is real. he wrote a letter to a mother who lost 5 sons in one war and said how useless his words were, basically that it was unacceptable for that to happen. similarly, they should not let 4 brothers die in a single war as that is simply a tragedy
Hello, if you don’t mind, can you do a movie reaction on a movie called, 1492: Conquest of Paradise. Adventure/Drama (1992). It stars Gérard Depardieu, Siqourney Weaver, Armand Assante. It portrays a version of the travels to the New World by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus and the effect this had on indigenous peoples. Directed by Ridley Scott.
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 at 5:44 and then got shot in the head...that next shot would have killed him even if he had kept his helmet on. The helmets of WW2 would almost never stop a bullet, except under very very rare circumstances. The movie is not a true story, and it differs from the actual history of D-Day in many ways...but the basic plot is loosely based on the 4 Niland Brothers, one of whom served with the 101st Airborne Division. However, when 3 Nilands were reported dead, no mission was sent behind enemy lines to get the last brother, and it turned out that one brother that had been thought dead had actually only been captured. The 4th brother was found and notified by an Army Chaplain, and was sent home, but as far as the brothers none of what happened in this movie happened in real life. There really was a Company C of the 2nd Rangers that landed on Omaha Beach, but they were commanded by Captain Ralph Goranson, and they did not land quite where it was shown in the film. Probably the most important historical thing that Spielberg got wrong is that he had the boats that carried the Rangers to the beach being driven by Americans...they were not. On D-Day, the boats that carried the US Rangers to the beach were driven by UK sailors of the Royal Navy. There are many other things in the film that are not accurate to the real history of D-Day, but that one really fails to honor some of the men that fought and died at Omaha Beach, so it is definitely the one most worth noting. The location at the beginning and end with the French and US flags is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial...located in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. Most of the US servicemen killed in the 2 and a half month long Normandy Campaign are buried in this cemetery...a total of 9388 burials.
Just found you guys but had to subscribe. Very smart, and great insights! Keep on keeping on my friends! Check out a film called Memento if you want an amazing mystery/thriller. The whole film plays backwards, with each new scene occurring right before the previous scene. Which answers some questions, and creates even more. But by the end you will really love the story I think!
The guy on the stairs shoots cpt miller. Upham executes the guy they let go at the radio tower. If you watch it back they’re wearing different uniforms. They shouldn’t have cast two bald guys tho they look the same
@@qwerty30013 No, "Steamboat Willie" is the guy that shot Miller. He is also the one they let go from the machine gun nest. The soldier on the stairs is an SS soldier, THAT'S the uniform difference. Before Upham shoots, "Steamboat Willie" even says Upham. How do you think they met? He's the guy they let go earlier.
I love her unchecked honesty. Its easy to say watching a movie but if you came across the English Channel to fight well known nazis in occupied France i don't think you take prisoners when you land and watch your brothers get slaughtered
Well, youearned my sub with your reaction!!, btw, each soldier gad towrite a letter to their families in case the were killed, and your buddy or superior would take the letter to pass on to your family. As far as the medic, it was common knowledge that i vile of morphine would end the pain twi or more would end uour life!, the d-day landing yook just under 8 hours there were over 3000 killed and wounded,, and as bad as it sounds, there are no prisoners taken during the attacking battle! Thanks, and ill see you at the next movie!!!!!🇺🇲
Nice try on the accent guess. Hollywood tends to make guessing hard, as actors emulate a neutral U.S. accent for a lot of parts, and the Midwest... Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa accent is that neutral base. Overwhelmingly U.S. TV and movies use that accent base even if the actor isn't from there. Thunder call sign, and Flash response was because most native Germans couldn't say them without an obvious accent. In the Japanese front, they'd use words with a lot of L's.
World War 2 began on September 1st 1939 with Germany invading Poland. Britain joined in on September 3rd after Germany refused to withdraw from Poland. The USA refused to get involved until the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour on September 1941.
99% of prisoner shootings occur in the first 5 minutes. It is hard to control these raw emotions when everything you just witnessed was so fundamentally wrong. If they were arrested for war crimes, there would be no soldiers left to fight. I am retired military and know this. You cannot force men threw these horrors and expect them to always be perfect gentlemen. I know it is wrong to shoot a prisoner, but that's what happens.
@@catherinelw9365 The challenge and passwords are also always used in s sentence so that it isn't so easy for the enemy to determine them. They're also changed on a regular basis; usually multiple times during a 24 hr period.
@@anthonyguadagnino2681 They got it wrong in the movie...in real life on D-Day, the challenge was "flash" and the response was "thunder".👍 Also, that was only the code for D-Day...there was a new code for each day, so when they show Miller and his guys using the same code 3 days and more after D-Day, that is also wrong.
Edit: I stand corrected. Two different characters/actors. The German soldier they let go in the field was the German who slowly stabbed Mellish in the chest and walked down the stairs past Upham AND he was also the German soldier who shot Captain Miller (Tom Hanks). He was the German soldier without a hat or helmet just before Upham finally finds some courage to shoot.
The guy that killed Mellish is not the same man that they let go after Wade was killed and who killed Miller at the end. You can see this on IMDB, the one they let go is listed as Steamboat Willie...the one that killed Mellish is listed as Waffen SS soldier...the pictures confirm that it is 2 different characters with 2 different actors...Joerg Stadler vs Mac Steinmeier. The information has been confirmed by producers of the film, so that is the way it is listed on IMDB.👍 Here is a YT short that will show you the two different men. ua-cam.com/users/shortsl3MqXSY2dnI?feature=share
No it’s not the same person, actor or character. The German soldier (a Private) who killed Mellish with the knife is NOT THE SAME guy (Steamboat Willie) that they let go, and who subsequently shot and killed Captain Miller. They are two different characters. Steamboat Willie is portrayed by Joergt Stadler; the Waffen-SS Solider who killed Mellish is portrayed by Mac Steinmeier and his role is uncredited. The two have different faces, their uniforms and insignias are completely different. You can fact-check this by checking the movie credits on IMDb, or just Google ”who killed Private Mellish”
@@iKvetch558 No I’m not wrong. Check the movie credits. They clearly are not the same person or actor. As I said above, they are even wearing different uniforms.
@@SciTrekMan I am looking at the credits on IMDB...they are official...there are two separate actors and two separate characters. I already gave you all the names. This is verified 100 percent.
Bunkers like that was not real Bunkers where little more brutal and the trenches between them it was good bud not this good Of these bunkers where stil standing this was litterly impossible Have been on Normandy And it’s nothing like this at all Bunkers where on key in placement And trenches a lot of them and long Bud again nothing like this at all
Yeah. The real bunkers had much smaller firing slits and were more angled to fire lengthwise down the beach rather than straight ahead. This protected the occupants and created crossfire zones for their MGers.
Well war in the West may have been bad, but in the east it was whole lot worse..this movie is quite good, but also exaggerating..American movies have to do that I guess
"Europeans should be thankful to Americans for saving Europe" This seems to be how Europeans see the liberation of Europe. The fact that the UK stood alone against the NAZIs During the D Day landings, they took 2 of the 5 beaches, the same as the USA (UK being the size of the state of Idaho) and the Canadians took the 5th beach. The UK devastated and bankrupt itself to achieve the liberation of Europe. BUT it seems that Europeans are not taught of this UK sacrifice. They were saved by Americans!
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My Fathers name was James Frederick, that mistaken identity always get me.
This was a movie! Both of my grandfathers fought in this war. They never talked about it. When this came out and my wife and I saw it, we were in tears. We Finally understood why they didn’t talk about it. So heart breaking yet also inspiring. That generation is called the greatest for a reason. I’m so proud.
1. Many WWII vets left the theaters because the D-Day battle scenes were so realistic.
2. The German Captain Miller was talked into letting go is the same one that killed him. Upham finally put him down.
3. The story Ryan tells Miller about the last time he saw his brothers was made up by Matt Damon. He was told to say something interesting, so he did, and it was kept in the movie.
4. There was a USS Sullivans(DD- 68) dedicated to the brothers lost on one ship.
5. I did 24 years in the US Navy. Outstanding leadership/management skills to dampen the friction between Horvath and Reiben.
6. My favorite character is Private Jackson/sniper, and my second favorite is Sargent Horvath. RIP Tom Sizemore😇
7. Sizemore also played Boxman in "Flight of the Intruder". A movie I'm in briefly.
It wasn't because the DDay battle was realistic. It was highly not realistic. It was because the gore was realistic.
"Thunder" and "Flash" were the identification sign and countersign of the day. When encountering other combatants, you might not be able to see them so you issue the challenge sign, which for that day was "thunder", if the unseen troops are American or an allied nation, they reply with the countersign "flash". Usually the words will change each day, and the words chosen are difficult for the enemy to pronounce correctly. For instance words that contain letters or sounds that don't exist in the enemies language.
There are a thousand things I could say but this masterpiece speaks for itself beyond belief. You are now obligated to see Band of Brothers. They trolled us so brilliantly from the beginning thinking Ryan was actually Captain Miller with the eyes. As horrific and spectacular this film is in every way, the hardest part for me to see is still the knife fight. When he's trying to reason with him as a person. It illustrated the pointlessness of War. "If I don't laugh I will cry."
Except it wasn't really a troll. The old man's eyes are blue and Tom Hanks' are green.
Another movie to watch is Fury with Brad Pitt....IMHO just as well made as SPR....
Yes, "Thunder/Flash" was a sign/countersign used by allied troops to identify one's self as friendly, but Spielberg actually got it backwards. The sign would have been "Flash" and the countersign would've been "Thunder". Allied troops used words that the Germans would have trouble pronouncing. The "th" sound in Thunder does not exist in the German vocabulary. One of the few inaccuracies of an otherwise awesome movie. Thanks for the reaction . I always look forward to new reactions to SPR.
The best movie ever made about US veterans returning from war was The Best Years of Our Lives, won Oscar for best picture in 1946. Highly, highly recommend.
AGREED! “The Best Years of Our Lives” is filled with realistic details from the experiences of the writer of the novel on which it is based who was a war correspondent, and includes experiences of the director, cast and crew who had recently returned from service. The film accurately captures the emotions of people at the time and how they would think, react, speak and behave, which is sometimes different from how contemporary films depict those things. It won 7 Oscars and many other awards. Yes, highly, highly recommended.
Harold Russell the disabled vet in The Best Years Of Our Lives did a cameo in the tv show China Beach. The episode was about Nurse McMurphy returning home from Vietnam. She exchanges a knowing look from her WWII relative, played by Russell, as she struggles through an overwhelming welcome home party.
The bruise on Barry Pepper's thumb is caused by M-1 Garand rifle and is called M-1 thumb. If you don't lock the bolt back properly when cleaning or just handling the rifle, chances are you will wind up with M-1 thumb. M-1 thumb happens when the bolt slams your thumb into the receiver. It's equivalent to hitting your thumb with a hammer. Barry was using a 1903 Springfield rifle not an M-1. He got the M-1 thumb off the set messing around with one of the rifles.😊
It would make sense also that his character had Garand thumb despite him using a Springfield. In the months leading up to D-Day, the troops trained with all weapons. So you had your designated assigned weapon, but you would train with other versions of rifles as well in case you ever needed to pick one up on the field.
You have to watch Band of Brothers. Thats a show that makes a man cry
How did he become a captain? Most likely, he went to OCS (Officer Candidate School). After 1941 OCS pushed out 100000 officers over the next two years. A candidate had to take a number of tests to get in. Since the Captain was a High-school teacher, he likely had some post High school training. He also led students as a sports coach. He had a good combination of leadership skills, academic skills, and physical skills. He likely started as a lieutenant, in charge of a platoon, and worked his way up, likely with battlefield commissions. If you haven't seen "Band of Brothers", I suggest you explore that short series. It is based on a true story. 101st Airborne division (of which the fictional private Ryan was a member) and it concentrates on one Company E (Easy). It is excellent.
In the actual Omaha Beach landing--it took all day--not 15-20 minutes like in this movie--to breach the Nazi lines. They landed at 8:00 AM and made the opening behind the trenches around 4:30 PM.
My grandfather fought in the battle of the pacific during the world war 2 and made it back. If he died there,I would not be here.he passed away a year before I was born.
One of the factors that contributed to Omaha being a bigger bloodbath than the four other Operation: Overlord invasion beaches (Gold, Sword, Juno, Utah) is the lack of armor support. Hanks' character briefly mentions that no DD tanks made it to the beach; these were tanks called 'Duplex Drives' and were modified to be dropped offshore and swim in. On the four other beaches, most of the tanks made it ashore and provided valuable assistance to the infantry, but the tanks assigned to Normandy were released into the water too far out from the beach and also hit a strong cross-current in which almost all of them foundered and sank. They would have been able to engage machine-gun emplacements, as well as provide rolling cover for the foot soldiers.
The German soldier that Upham shot was the guy Captain let go when the Medic was shot. It's not the same guy who walked past Upham after stabbing.
What a great reaction. Most people don’t have a basic understanding of military and battles. You two did a good job. I’ll be looking out for you on more of the same.
For the European theater (ETO), the end came (V-E day) was in May of 1945j. Almost a year after D-Day.
When he tells him "earn this" at the end it's a message to all of us to earn what all those men did to give us the future we have.
I'd also note at the end Ryan's wife reads the name "captain John Miller" off the cross like she's never heard it before - probably 50 years married (given when the film was made) and he's never talked about it even with his wife in all that time.
That sentiment is so lost on these Generations.
@@krisfrederick5001So true. It took humanity less than 100 years to recover from the trauma and level of destruction of the most devastating war in history, difficult to imagine today. We humans never learn..
I saw the movie when it first came out. When i watch these reactions, I can never get past momma collapsing on her front porch.
When she saw the priest, she knew everything.
I really wish Spielberg wouldve attempted to portray the 2nd Ranger Batralion scaling the 100 foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc. Wouldve been a great addition to an otherwise awesome movie
When the American soldiers shot the 2 surrendering soldiers and said "I washed my hands for supper" the 2 soldiers they shot were Czech conscripts forced to fight. many soldiers were thrown in the front lines for the Germans from all the other countries they occupied. A subtle way the movie tries to portray that the average American soldier at the time didn't really have a full picture of what was going on in Europe
And the two Americans that shot them were also most likely conscripts. So I'm pretty sure they understood how a draft works.
@@jcarlovitch not what im talking about dude
Thank you for reacting to this very special movie. You are so right, this should be viewed by all younger generations. We also owe a debt of gratitude to all the European resistance fighters and civilians who risked their lives to preserve our democracy and human decency.
the best first 20 mins in film history
When you feel up to more World War II content, you should watch the award winning 2001 11-part series "Band of Brothers" + "We Stand Alone Together", based on real people and events, also from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. It is still one of the most acclaimed tv series twenty-three years later.
Just FYI, the opening Omaha Beach scene was shot at Curracloe Beach in Wexford County, Ireland. Most of the rest of the movie, besides the opening and closing cemetary scenes shot in Normandy, were shot in The UK.
25:21 I love the detail like Jackson is getting ready for the execution but then he realise they are letting him go so he stop.
At the end there, the paper taken out of the Captains pocket were the written orders that they were operating under to retrieve Private Ryan not the letter.
I have seen a lot of reactions to Saving Private Ryan. This one is very well edited. Kudos.
Yes, they got foot infections. Especially if the socks got wet, which was often. "Trench foot" it was called, and it would hobble a soldier just as badly as catching shrapnel in the foot. Many troops had to wear the same socks for weeks, trying to dry them any way they could if there was a lull in the action. And many had to have their feet amputated even without being wounded.
The “Is that Vin Diesel ?” question signals the end of the beachfront assault on the German position at Normandy.
The landing scene was based on the landing zone with the heaviest losses in the whole invasion. They almost didn't make it off the beach there. It is fortunate that the deception methods worked so well that most of the German forces were around Calais and didn't move for a few days.
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.
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
Great information...but one small thing is not quite fully true. Spielberg did not give Jackson Garand thumb deliberately, Barry Pepper went through the "boot camp" with the rest of the cast (minus Matt Damon of course), and he just got Garand thumb naturally just like most people do when they first operate the M1 Garand. LOL Dale Dye, has confirmed that is what happened.👍😁
They were actually pinned down on the beach for four hours or more before they broke through and made any headway to advance.
Wade knew he was shot in the liver and would bleed out in minutes, he also knew morphine would lower his blood pressure and kill him quicker.😢
If you've ever taken a blow to the liver you'd have some idea of how much it would hurt, too. The liver is a solid organ so the bullet woild have had a lot of effect on it.
The Band of Brothers miniseries please 😊
The two guys they shot and were making fun of were not German, they were forced Czech conscripts. One of the reasons the allies invaded at Normandy, even though the Pas de Calais would have been a strategically easier place to resupply (being its very, very close to England) was that Normandy was staffed by lots of injured, convalescent German soldiers, as well as several forced Conscripts from captured nations.
I appreciate and enjoyed your reaction. Thank you! Someone mentioned in the comments that this movie was exaggerated because it was an American movie? Why the disdain? Great movie but in reality this didn’t even begin to depict the horrors of combat.
Just imagine that the youngest man who died there was only 15. He faked his age to join and became a medic. Helped a lot of people on the beach.
What this movie says to me is that to win a war you have to have a heart. You can’t depend on weapons or numbers.
I appreciate your response.
All 5 Sullivan brothers lost their lives on the same ship in WW2. Thier mother got all five letters at once.
When Tom Hanks goes temporarily deaf it's called temporary acoustic trauma caused by an exceptionally loud noise.
Really enjoyed your reaction,,
75% of the first wave on Omaha Beach - what is portrayed in the film - were Killed in Action (KIA).
Saving Private Ryan
YES! THIS is the right movie!!!
After Vietnam, America transformed into a country whose military became one of … professional soldiers. Drafts were discontinued … in favor of an all volunteer force. Only about 3% of Americans had ever served in the military. This may be the reason for the lack of empathy toward veterans and wars, itself.”
I would call upon you, and everyone, to not just “watch” a combat-accurate movie …. but, to watch it while considering yourselves as unseen soldiers-participants that are THERE, experiencing the occurrences along with “your fellow soldiers, friends”. Great every Veterans Day, Memorial Day.
This movie is a fictional film of WWII’s D-Day invasion … in which three of four brothers are KIA (killed in action) and a squad / platoon (8 men) search for the remaining live brother.
D-Day remains the LARGEST amphibious invasion in history … the transfer of 39 divisions (22 American), over 1 million soldiers to Normandy France.
The Allies began their invasion at 6:30am and and finally repelled the Germans by days end … at a cost of more than 10,000 KIA & MIAs. That would LITERALLY BE staring at death and bloodshed EVERYWHERE …. one could look nowhere that was absent its brutality!
American soldiers that survived the first day’s invasion attested to the films’, accuracy in the nature & brutality of combat.
A slightly unknown factoid is that German machine gunner that was depicted firing down onto Americans landing at Dog-1 Omaha Beach … massacring them before they could even get off their LST. That machine gunner identified himself well after the war as Heinrich Severloh, an 18 year old son of a farmer, that was conscripted by the Germans. Heinrich admitted that he believed he killed more Americans in a single day than any other soldier … more than 1000, possibly over 2000 … and for the rest of his life, the nightmares would never stop! Soldiers on both sides would have to eventually unpack & deal with all of their horrors …. secreted away for later, more convenient times for reflections.
Another surreal oddity was the character of the typist Upham …. his character oddly reflects the character of our nation …. America. From 1937, years before America was attacked at Pearl Harbor (and beyond) …. America sat back, failing to act as Germany began exterminating 6MILLION men, women, children, and elders because of their race, using them as reasons for German failings …. We sat back, refusing to involve ourselves in Europe’s ‘Problem’ …. while Germany invaded and overwhelmed every other country except England. We finally pulled ourselves together and entered the combat! In combat, EVERY man (boys 17-20) reacts differently …. assimilates combat differently …. but, EVERYONE is afraid! We all lock our horrors away in the recesses of our minds …. only later to have to deal with them again!
Back to SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, I would hope that you & EVERY American would sit down a day or two before every Memorial Day & Veterans Day and rewatch this film (or, Hacksaw Ridge). But, next time rejoin the film, mentally doing so AS AN UNSEEN MEMBER OF THE SQUAD … to mentally & emotionally connect to the other soldiers as friends, buddies … hopefully, to understand all of the veterans combat problems. America, the people (the 97% never experiencing war, are now highly insulated from soldiers / veterans … stunned into remembering the wounded, maimed & dead … but seem to never comprehend those with invisible wounds … those that returned with PTSD, the veterans that choose to be homeless because feel they don’t deserve to continue living a good life, those 22 that are committing suicides every day.
This movie was produced loosely on a true story and several similar situations. I’m not seeking compassion … rather a realistic understanding of WHY we returned as we did! Even though we got back to family & loved ones. They only recognized our shell, but found strangers with in. Some of us got back … but, not really, not completely! Others couldn’t accept the peaceful life, their friends couldn’t return to … and chose life on the streets as self-punishment.
Movie done, how did you make it??? How’s that ‘assimilating combat’ and ‘survival guilt’ working for you?
Not so good for me … and others, either!!!
Thank you for sharing! "The United State Government - unlike others - is not in the business of wiping out family trees." "Earn This" = Exercise the freedoms and rights you have, so our sacrifices are not in vane! "Thanks" does not only go to American's, but to every nation that sent their forces to fight in WW2; 70 of 99 'recognized' countries fought in WW2.
This is a fictional account of a very real day. 9000 allied, over 12,000 German & untold number of french citizens caught in the crossfire died that day. If you go to another war cemetery, perhaps you will look at the graves you will remember they aren't just stones. Days like that are why that generation is so well revered.
I am a veteran of the US Navy, I saw this on a Tuesday afternoon with 12 other veterans. At the end all of us had tears. One old man's hat said it all "D-Day Survivor, Purple Heart Recipient " He said of all the movies about D-Day I've seen, that was the most accurate depiction I've ever seen. As for the ACTUAL D-Day, it didn't come close.
What they showed took 20 minutes in real life took about 8 hours. The distance between the shore and the beach was 400-450 yards. All under fire. There simply wasn't a way to film it accurately that wouldn't have people running from the theater.
Allied deaths that day were 4,400.
The two surrendering soldiers that were shot were Czech soldiers saying (in Czech) "don't shoot us, we are not Germans"
The men “captured” during the assault on the beach could not be “imprisoned” because it was not yet established that the land was under control of the Allies and there was no “place” to put them, no location was free of fighting, and there were no soldiers available to watch prisoners (all were still involved in the invasion.) The Germans still were in possession of the country, and it was not at all certain that the Allied invasion was going to be successful (Tom Hanks had the radio operator report that the beach was not secured.) You can’t “take prisoners” when you are still attempting to invade and overcome the ones in control. Later of course, once the Allies had successfully secured positions along the coast and were working their way inland, the rules were more likely to be followed. But in the midst of battle, the intention (tragically but realistically) is to eliminate as many of the enemy as possible. Also, when the call was made to “let them burn” when they throw grenades or other explosives into those cement “bunkers”, it isn’t just meant as attempts to be cruel, but to save ammo, since which was a goal mentioned earlier.
This film does deal with the many types of ethical dilemmas faced by the soldiers.
Hello from California. You're the first Suomi reactors I've ever seen. 👍
Me too. Love to Finland from the Sierra Foothills. Maame.
Thanks
Thunder/flash- code words, must answer with the right answer or you will be considered an enemy.
What you have to be aware of is that the Germans held Ohmha Beach for several hours! and over 2,000 American soldiers fell just on that section of the beach.
Only the 4th or 5th wave was able to break through the wall.
Which of course isn't shown in the film otherwise the beginning would take too long.
But what you shouldn't ignore is letting soldiers burn and shooting those who surrendered were war crimes and the allies started doing it as soon as they were in enemy territory
Good reaction!
I knew a grizzled old Gunnery Sergeant who served in Vietnam who had to walk out of the first 20 minutes because it was too much like combat.
It hurts to see this but that's how we need to get on the beach 😢
Great reactions on a tuff watch,enjoyed watching thanks for sharing 😊👏👏👍✌️🇺🇸🇮🇱
the letter from Abraham Lincoln is real. he wrote a letter to a mother who lost 5 sons in one war and said how useless his words were, basically that it was unacceptable for that to happen. similarly, they should not let 4 brothers die in a single war as that is simply a tragedy
Thats why the world needs men.. don’t forget that generation.
In the opening beach scene, when they shot, the surrendering soldiers possibly it was because they had no way to take the prisoner's
Hello, if you don’t mind, can you do a movie reaction on a movie called, 1492: Conquest of Paradise.
Adventure/Drama (1992). It stars Gérard Depardieu, Siqourney Weaver, Armand Assante. It portrays a version of the travels to the New World by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus and the effect this had on indigenous peoples.
Directed by Ridley Scott.
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 at 5:44 and then got shot in the head...that next shot would have killed him even if he had kept his helmet on. The helmets of WW2 would almost never stop a bullet, except under very very rare circumstances.
The movie is not a true story, and it differs from the actual history of D-Day in many ways...but the basic plot is loosely based on the 4 Niland Brothers, one of whom served with the 101st Airborne Division. However, when 3 Nilands were reported dead, no mission was sent behind enemy lines to get the last brother, and it turned out that one brother that had been thought dead had actually only been captured. The 4th brother was found and notified by an Army Chaplain, and was sent home, but as far as the brothers none of what happened in this movie happened in real life.
There really was a Company C of the 2nd Rangers that landed on Omaha Beach, but they were commanded by Captain Ralph Goranson, and they did not land quite where it was shown in the film. Probably the most important historical thing that Spielberg got wrong is that he had the boats that carried the Rangers to the beach being driven by Americans...they were not. On D-Day, the boats that carried the US Rangers to the beach were driven by UK sailors of the Royal Navy. There are many other things in the film that are not accurate to the real history of D-Day, but that one really fails to honor some of the men that fought and died at Omaha Beach, so it is definitely the one most worth noting.
The location at the beginning and end with the French and US flags is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial...located in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. Most of the US servicemen killed in the 2 and a half month long Normandy Campaign are buried in this cemetery...a total of 9388 burials.
nice reaction .....war is hell, war goes on everyday... pray for peace on earth....SOMEDAY
You need to watch Schindler’s List.
Imagine the world we live in now if it wasn't for our greatest generation
Maybe try Das Boot (1981) or Stalingrad (1993) next, both great, grim German war movies
Every soldier writes a letter to their family in case they are killed.*
Just found you guys but had to subscribe. Very smart, and great insights! Keep on keeping on my friends! Check out a film called Memento if you want an amazing mystery/thriller. The whole film plays backwards, with each new scene occurring right before the previous scene. Which answers some questions, and creates even more. But by the end you will really love the story I think!
You didn't recognize the German, Captain Miller let go was the one that killed him.
U didn’t notice the guy who shoots miller is the guy they let go.
The guy on the stairs shoots cpt miller. Upham executes the guy they let go at the radio tower.
If you watch it back they’re wearing different uniforms. They shouldn’t have cast two bald guys tho they look the same
@@qwerty30013 yeah it’s not the guy on the stairs. It’s steamboat Willy. Why do u think he smiles and says “upham”.
@@qwerty30013 No, "Steamboat Willie" is the guy that shot Miller. He is also the one they let go from the machine gun nest. The soldier on the stairs is an SS soldier, THAT'S the uniform difference. Before Upham shoots, "Steamboat Willie" even says Upham. How do you think they met? He's the guy they let go earlier.
@@anthonyguadagnino2681 the guy on the stairs shoots miller. Upham kills the guy who they let go at the tower
@@waynepurcell6058the guy who shoots miller is not the guy they let go. Different people
This was the price that was paid to keep America and other countries free
Having a college degree to be a teacher makes you eligible to be an officer/ Captain
Alexandra! ❤
Censerd parts are sometimes not needed but great movie review
Watch. We Were Soldiers Once....1st Vietnam battle.. with Mel Gibson..... Classic
I love her unchecked honesty. Its easy to say watching a movie but if you came across the English Channel to fight well known nazis in occupied France i don't think you take prisoners when you land and watch your brothers get slaughtered
it's okay, 90% don't cry
When you say something, the picture fads. So, you have picture, talk, picture talk...etc.
“War crime?” How would you react after seeing all your friends ripped inside out in front of your eyes?
Well, youearned my sub with your reaction!!, btw, each soldier gad towrite a letter to their families in case the were killed, and your buddy or superior would take the letter to pass on to your family. As far as the medic, it was common knowledge that i vile of morphine would end the pain twi or more would end uour life!, the d-day landing yook just under 8 hours there were over 3000 killed and wounded,, and as bad as it sounds, there are no prisoners taken during the attacking battle! Thanks, and ill see you at the next movie!!!!!🇺🇲
Nice try on the accent guess. Hollywood tends to make guessing hard, as actors emulate a neutral U.S. accent for a lot of parts, and the Midwest... Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa accent is that neutral base. Overwhelmingly U.S. TV and movies use that accent base even if the actor isn't from there.
Thunder call sign, and Flash response was because most native Germans couldn't say them without an obvious accent. In the Japanese front, they'd use words with a lot of L's.
They are not just names on blocks
World War 2 began on September 1st 1939 with Germany invading Poland. Britain joined in on September 3rd after Germany refused to withdraw from Poland. The USA refused to get involved until the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour on September 1941.
Small typo… that was December 7, 1941, a day which will live in infamy
WWII in Europe. It was already going on in Asia since 1937.
@@catherinelw9365 There was no world war in Asia in 1937. It was a local conflict involving 2 countries.
Привет друзья✌
99% of prisoner shootings occur in the first 5 minutes. It is hard to control these raw emotions when everything you just witnessed was so fundamentally wrong. If they were arrested for war crimes, there would be no soldiers left to fight. I am retired military and know this. You cannot force men threw these horrors and expect them to always be perfect gentlemen. I know it is wrong to shoot a prisoner, but that's what happens.
The reality was worse.
They say “thunder” and the response if American is “flash”
It’s the other way around. Flash is responded with thunder.
@@catherinelw9365 The challenge and passwords are also always used in s sentence so that it isn't so easy for the enemy to determine them. They're also changed on a regular basis; usually multiple times during a 24 hr period.
Allied troops used countersigns that the Germans wouldn't be able to pronounce. Like the "th" sound that doesn't exist in the German alphabet.
@@catherinelw9365 he literally says “thunder” in in the movie and then the other American says “flash” after thunder. Watch it again
@@anthonyguadagnino2681 They got it wrong in the movie...in real life on D-Day, the challenge was "flash" and the response was "thunder".👍
Also, that was only the code for D-Day...there was a new code for each day, so when they show Miller and his guys using the same code 3 days and more after D-Day, that is also wrong.
Why the censorship and blurring of certain scenes, that I've seen openly on you tube several times as late as today with the same movie??
Why do any reaction channels blur anything
Edit: I stand corrected. Two different characters/actors.
The German soldier they let go in the field was the German who slowly stabbed Mellish in the chest and walked down the stairs past Upham AND he was also the German soldier who shot Captain Miller (Tom Hanks). He was the German soldier without a hat or helmet just before Upham finally finds some courage to shoot.
The guy that killed Mellish is not the same man that they let go after Wade was killed and who killed Miller at the end. You can see this on IMDB, the one they let go is listed as Steamboat Willie...the one that killed Mellish is listed as Waffen SS soldier...the pictures confirm that it is 2 different characters with 2 different actors...Joerg Stadler vs Mac Steinmeier. The information has been confirmed by producers of the film, so that is the way it is listed on IMDB.👍
Here is a YT short that will show you the two different men. ua-cam.com/users/shortsl3MqXSY2dnI?feature=share
No it’s not the same person, actor or character.
The German soldier (a Private) who killed Mellish with the knife is NOT THE SAME guy (Steamboat Willie) that they let go, and who subsequently shot and killed Captain Miller. They are two different characters. Steamboat Willie is portrayed by Joergt Stadler; the Waffen-SS Solider who killed Mellish is portrayed by Mac Steinmeier and his role is uncredited. The two have different faces, their uniforms and insignias are completely different. You can fact-check this by checking the movie credits on IMDb, or just Google ”who killed Private Mellish”
@@SciTrekMan LOL...look it up for yourself, if you don't believe me...but no matter what, you are mistaken. IMDB does not lie about such things.
@@iKvetch558 No I’m not wrong. Check the movie credits. They clearly are not the same person or actor. As I said above, they are even wearing different uniforms.
@@SciTrekMan I am looking at the credits on IMDB...they are official...there are two separate actors and two separate characters. I already gave you all the names. This is verified 100 percent.
Too many of these reactors keep blurring out parts of the video, ruins it for me. Thumb down
And now.......infinity Africans and Mohammedans. Was it worth it?
Bunkers like that was not real
Bunkers where little more brutal and the trenches between them it was good bud not this good
Of these bunkers where stil standing this was litterly impossible
Have been on Normandy
And it’s nothing like this at all
Bunkers where on key in placement
And trenches a lot of them and long
Bud again nothing like this at all
Yeah. The real bunkers had much smaller firing slits and were more angled to fire lengthwise down the beach rather than straight ahead. This protected the occupants and created crossfire zones for their MGers.
Well war in the West may have been bad, but in the east it was whole lot worse..this movie is quite good, but also exaggerating..American movies have to do that I guess
What was exaggerated, pray tell?
@@catherinelw9365 the casualty rates, to begin with
They had code words to identify friend or foe. If you said Thunder the other friend should answer Flash.😊 Well you figured it out on your own 😊
It's reversed. Flash, then thunder.
@@catherinelw9365 I don't know, in the movie they are saying Thunder first.
@@scottdarden3091 They're also using it way after DDay when it was no longer used by then.
"Europeans should be thankful to Americans for saving Europe"
This seems to be how Europeans see the liberation of Europe.
The fact that the UK stood alone against the NAZIs
During the D Day landings, they took 2 of the 5 beaches, the same as the USA (UK being the size of the state of Idaho) and the Canadians took the 5th beach.
The UK devastated and bankrupt itself to achieve the liberation of Europe.
BUT it seems that Europeans are not taught of this UK sacrifice.
They were saved by Americans!
It's only a war crime if you lose
They are not JUST NAMES ON BLOCKS. AMERICANS CROSSED THE SEA AND DIED FOR YOU
Trump 2024
/vomit