Sorry guys. Basically this entire reaction is me saying “oh my God” and having my mouth wide open! Unbelievable movie 🤯 Winner is the person who counts how many “oh my God”s there are.
I don't know why, but every time I see that German begging for his life, and the American soldier getting that knife through his heart, I get nauseous. All that killing and only murder: Upham murdering that German at the end. He murdered that German for revenge, for killing Captain Miller. Everyone else was killing under orders. And think: how did we feel when he did murder him? Moral dilemmas in this film? You bet!
I was only an Airman for a few years before Crohns Disease ruined my military career. Kills me that I haven't been able to do more my life has always felt like there's a hole in it.
I would highly recommend the show band of brothers. Made by Spielberg and Tom Hanks, it's based on the real story of the soldiers of Easy Company and their journey through WW2.
If you enjoyed this movie, I'd recommend you watch the adult film "Saving Ryan's Privates", it's fantastic! Along with these other great flicks; "Batman and Throbbin" "Forest Hump" "Edward Pnis Hands" and many more
As many people as there are who give the character shit, Upham is the Everyman character of the movie. He's the touchstone for the millions of people who haven't been in combat, or even to boot camp. I understand the frustration people feel but in reality that's probably 95% of us if we had been suddenly thrown into this situation with Upham's experience
As someone who has never been in combat and probably never will be, I think it’s insulting to veterans for me to even speak my opinion on what I think it would be like
I totally agree I felt the fear he was emitting, it flight or fight and 90% of everyday Americans is taking flight including me I'm not staying around bullets flying and shut blowing up and it's not being a coward it's being smart
I just wonder how many actual ww2 veterans would be so quick to label him a coward. Nobody knows what they would do in that situation unless they actually live it. Nobody.
@@rtmis1not many, my grandfather's were both WWll vets mom's dad was in the Pacific theatre, Dad's father landed on Nebraska beach. The guys in this movie landed on Omaha beach which was the most heavily defended. N e way, they both told me, and I saw, and felt it myself being a combat veteran myself now. Basic training forces a lot of the flight tendencies out of you, but not all. Sometimes a crippling fear will overtake you, you want to move with every fiber of your being, but you simply can't. Some can overcome it, some can't. No shame in being human. If you survive it, learn from it, and force yourself to perceiver. Seeing your friends as well as enemies killed, and mutilated scars you no matter how tough externally you are. I don't mention specifics, because to do that is to put myself back there. I've seen guys freeze like him one time, and the next they're the first ones to jump into action. I've frozen myself. The ones you should feel bad for are the ones that show no emotion, or internalize it. Those are the men that usually eventually take their own lives, or worse take other life unnecessarily then their own. There's being born hard, and there's being irreparably broken. I'm a fourth generation veteran my family has fought in every modern war. My hope is that our service and sacrifice spares my son's from having to go to war. My greatest fear in our current climate is that our next war will be fought in our yard. That would mean that we have learned absolutely nothing from history. Me personally, I didn't fight for a party, or a president, I fought for the idea that we are all Americans, whether you share my politics or don't, at the same time. I don't care if you're left, or right. Progressive, or maga. If mine are threatened, I will answer with swift, merciless, and unforgiving rage. Hope y'all have a nice day. My eyes are never dry watching this movie.
as a veteran myself, i can’t hate Upham like some people do. i feel sorry for him. he froze because mentally he just couldn’t handle it. it’s very likely he didn’t sign up and was drafted, and ended up in a situation he never imagined. some people just aren’t made for combat 😕
Indeed. Very probably drafted, rear echelon postings for his whole time in the army, probably "stormed" the beach in the back of a truck carrying the whole map service guys and their stuff, and less than 48 hours later comes toe to toe with SS troops and a fucking Tiger. Honestly, I guess a lot of way tougher guys might have ended up frozen in place.
That's one thing I learned from an autobiography of a British sniper in Iraq back in 2004. They had a guy that, even when they encountered the enemy, never fired a single shot. At the time, they were of course, pissed off with him. But after the fact, even if you sign up, not everyone is suited to putting their life on the line and taking lives. And let's face it, most people would likely be the same. At least at first.
@@The_Real_Frisbee That's the one. Absolutely fantastic Autobiography. Love how well it's written and how it captures the drama of what it was like when the OMS kicked off.
fear is one of the strongest forces affecting poeple. Some people shut completely down when faced with exeistencial fear ... I can't blame him either despite how frustrating he was to watch
I had a dear friend who fought in WWII. The way he told it, most people resigned themselves to the idea that if it was your time, it was your time. There was nothing more you could do about it, so you should do what you trained to do in hopes that your duty might save some of your friends. He came home. He suffered considerably with survivor's guilt, though I doubt he ever called it that. He tried to live as good a life as possible to honor those friends, family, and community members who didn't make it home. He died at 95.
My father was British infantry and fought from D Day+7 until the German surrender. He said that during the battle of Caen he accepted that none of his unit would survive the war, and wherever they went their purpose was simply to kill as many Germans as possible before dying. When he came home a year after the war ended, he had changed from a young hard-as-nails budding gangster to a responsible, law abiding family man. But he never lost his pathological hatred of Germans until he died in 2005.
My grandfather was a farmer in Holland. He was captured and interred in a POW camp for half a year until the Nazis released him to keep farming due to their dwindling supplies. When he arrived home and called out to my grandmother she actually fainted. She thought she was hearing the dead. My father was born in Canada a few short years after his father immigrated here. There exists only one photo of that generation of my family and my own meeting. My grandpa Berts wife who fainted, Dora, holding my older brother as a newborn baby. She died the year after. I wish I had met them.
i think initially the men that went, went to get away, for the adventure ... they really had no idea what they were getting themselves in for ... but when they got dropped into the meat grinder it all became clear. and i believe that a lot thought they are dead already (it's just a matter of time ) ... and they fought on not just to survive but for their brothers next to them ... and they were all afraid but they focused on the mission and for their brothers, and that's how they dealt with their fear ... but what do i know .. i am just some guy on the internet ...
My Marine son recently became a veteran and the relief I felt that day, knowing I would never have a knock at my door with such horrible news, was indescribable.
My daughter did 2 stints in Afghanistan and the one she hated the most the Yugoslavian war. The British Army Review (BAR) has published a Special Report on ‘The Yugoslav Wars’. a special report chronicles the brutal conflicts that took place in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo after the break up of the former republic of Yugoslavia. That one line makes me go cold she never talks about it much whereas Afghan double she got on with, I wrote to her constantly and her replies I've kept all these years. So pleased for you that your son is home and after 22 yrs as is my daughter, immeasurably proud of her so thankful she's now like me a Veteran.
I'm happy for u my fellow father, My son sadly didn't make it home from the Vietnam war (I'm on my grandsons account) in the 1960s. His friend told me that my son sacrificed his life to save a medic that was in the open. Hey got shot by an M16 through the head, jaw, leg, and chest. RIP Jackie
No matter how many times I see this movie, the medic's death hurt me the most. Made my cry ugly tears What's also painful that most of these soldiers just graduated high school, they're still practically kids.
There's a song (by Paul Hardcastle - "19" I think) about the Vietnam war that contains a short sound grab, played in the background. "In WW2, the average age of the combat soldier was 26. In Vietnam, he was 19".
if all your buddies are signing up to go overseas and you’re too young, like 16, or 17 you lie about your age you falsify your ID, knowing that almost 80 years ago it was a lot easier to do that than today. I live in Normandy. I’ve been many times to American military cemetery that you see in this movie…. When going to national military cemetery in Arlington national cemetery in Washington DC. You have the soldiers who died in all the wars of the United States the date of death and date of birth. on the graves in Normandy you only have the dates of death …makes you wonder doesn’t it?
There were certainly plenty of that age, but the average age of the American soldier was mid-20s. Most of the men here are clearly no longer teenagers.
36:38 I think most of us had the same frustrated reaction to Upham at first, and it’s not until we are done with the movie we realized he was paralyzed with fear, he was physically incapable of moving, a condition called Emotional Paralysis, which makes sense since he goes from a desk job to the horrors of war in a very short time span. War is just horrible.
That's why it's so puzzling to me that so many people after watching it, even some previously or currently involved in the military, don't understand that. You'd think they're aware of something like that taking hold of you.
@@reservoirdude92 thats the funny thing about perceptions and concepts. It will dictate how we understand our problems. If we all had a similar problem, the results would hardly be the same. Because of the context of our life and experiences that will change how we view and think about the world are always going to be unique to us alone. Maybe these guys that are judging Upham do know about emotional paralysis and that everyone isnt made for war. They still are not wrong, by definition Upham was a coward for those moments. And its a statement not a judgment.
@@yaze3316 To be clear, war for centuries the way we fight now with armed weapons of mass destruction, that can burn you, shoot you out the sky, beam you from the sea, and kill you up close, blow you to blood and bits, etc is something we humans aren’t made for. *You don’t leave war, you survive war.* That is no truer statement than, wars from a century ago to the present.
@@yaze3316 yep, he definitely was a coward. Even until the end when he killed that German but still let everyone else off the hook. I don't care what anyone says, the guy made every wrong decision that led to the death of almost the entire squad.
My Grandpa 'Clyde' was in the 'Battle of the Bulge' as a tank commander. He told me a few horrific stories that even his wife didn't even know. 'War is Hell' he would say. This movie was the only movie he and I ever saw together in the theater. He agreed everything was realistic and when those planes came in at the end he shouted 'Angels on our shoulders'. I'll never forget that.
My grandpa was in the wehrmacht and my father told me that in the 50s and 60s he would still scream in his sleeps during some nights, destroying lamps on near his bed while reliving nightmares.
Clint thats a nice story about your grandpa. thanks for sharing. And Marc, I feel bad for your grandpa's suffering. He must have seen/regreted some terrible things as a German soldier. I hope he found peace.
My mother was one of the women who typed the letter’s informing the parents of the loss of a soldier during WWII. My dad fought in the pacific. He never shared any of his experiences. He only told me where he was. Guadalcanal, Okinawa, and Guam were some of the places he “visited”. They truly were the “Greatest Generation”.
Why? The average age of the later drafts was 18. So there where a lot of sixteenyearolds. So your nation sent children to the slaughter in a warvthat wasn't theirs. And in Iraq they killed hundreds of thousands based on a lie in order to find a scapegoat for 9/11. And all you guys say ust great and thank you for your service. Critical thinking never became your strong suit. So even a sad film like this serves as a template for hooray-patriotism and jingoism. Fantastic. 🙄
"Hard times makes strong men. Strong men makes good times. Good times makes weak men. Weak men makes hard times." I agree with you on "the greatest generation", but it also kinda explains why everything is turning out the way it has today. lol!
The way I shuddered when he talked about Upham and said “I feel like he’s gonna come in clutch later”. Literally the most unclutch character I’ve ever seen in a movie or tv show lol
I was serving in the Army at Fort Riley when this movie came out. Some friends and I watched it at the theater but later my comand took a training day and had the entire unit go and see it. Thank you to all my brothers and sisters who have served and are currently serving.
had to take the time to actually write a comment to this as I'm currently stationed there with two weeks left. five years of service have come to an end right here in Junction city. made a vow my career wouldn't end on this installation, but such is life.
I saw saving private Ryan in the theatres five times. The first time was for me. The other four was to watch the crowd. The fifth time I watched, the theatre was filled with vets, mostly Shriners. After the movie ended I was able to see there reactions between each other. That moment will always stick out to me. There were tears and hugs and stories and I got to see it. I felt I was a fly on the wall to something special. The tickets were worth it.
While stationed in Germany I watched this movie in the base theater. Usually when it's a war film you'll hear military folks laughing and critiquing the mistakes that Hollywood gets wrong. This movie you could hear a pin drop from the moment the ramp dropped on the LCI " landing craft infantry" to the end of the movie.
Something I always point out when I see someone reacting to this movie, at the beginning, the two men who get gunned down trying to surrender are speaking in Czech, the translation isn't exact but what they're saying is "please, we had no choice, they have our families", a practice the Germans had was forcing soldiers of conquered nations to fight for them holding their families hostage
I'm sixty years old. I knew several world War two veterans who were still alive when this movie came out. Many of them went to see it. But few were able to stay for the whole movie. To a one, they all told me that the Movie was so realistic that they began experiencing flashbacks. And the emotions were just too strong. I myself was in the Army. I was a Combat MP. And I was good friends with many veterans. From WWII , KOREA, Vietnam, and finally Desert Shield and Desert Storm. I'm glad to see the emotions that this movie caused in you. That by itself tells me, that although you can never grasp what it's like to put your life on the line for your country, you at least understand the sacrifice and valor it takes to do so. And I and every other veteran appreciates that. Too many citizens just don't even consider it and take all their freedoms for granted. Freedom is never free. It's paid for in blood, sweat and tears of brave Men who paid it's price so that others may live under it's protections.
3:26 - 4:09 When Steven Spielberg and his production researched what happens to you in battle, and what one experiences in war, they purposefully constructed the scene to portray it as accurately as they could (the ringing in the ears; the weird slo-motion feel, etc). What you're seeing here is one of the closest portrayals of what a soldier experiences in battle. It's mind-boggling.
@@alexhefnerstvmovievault They had a special screening for WW2 vets and during the D-Day scene many of them got up and left. Spielberg went out to ask them if they didn't like the scene and found them in tears and hugging each other, the PTSD was so bad because it was so accurate. They said the only thing missing was the smell of blood and diesel, and there were a lot more bodies. The beaches of Normandy were stained red for weeks afterwards with all the blood.
Yeah, when I saw the dead fish on the beach along with the soldiers' bodies, I couldn't help but imagine that they interviewed a bunch of veterans, and one casually remarked about the dead fish, and someone jotted that down, and then there they were, dead fish and dead soldiers on the beach, right there in the movie.
@@alexhefnerstvmovievault The only big inaccuracy in the beach landing scene is that the real thing went on for 5 hours, not 20 mins. Just grok that for a minute...
My Grandad was a medic on Omaha Beach. I never knew that until I was in my late teens. He never talked about it. Only time I ever seen where he talked about it was he was interviewed in the late 80's by a local Newspaper that was doing a feature about D-Day. After hearing what he went through, I realized why he never talked about it. Also, that was probably the reason he was a heavy drinker most of his later life.
I saw this the day before it opened at a special screening for veterans in Greenville, SC. There were 25 WW2 vets in the theater. 5 American, 1 Canadian, and amazingly 1 German who were there. After the movie these 7 men were embraced by every man and woman in the room.
Hey Alex, as a veteran who was overseas, this movie hits hard. The part where Cpt was saying he was a school teacher and felt further from home with each shot, I feel that. I was a musician before the army and since deploying haven't touched an instrument in over a decade. I served as a mortuary affairs specialist for 10 years. Been out for almost three years now and just haven't been able to mentally leave that part of my life behind. I think that's why I waited so long to watch this reaction of yours. I knew it would drag up memories and feelings. But all in all, thank you for reacting to this masterpiece and providing an escape from the day to day. Keep it up.
Visiting Arlington National Cemetery and witnessing the seemingly endless white parallel grave markers is one of the most moving things I have ever experienced. I was 14 in 1998 when I visited, but the image in my memory is as clear as if it was yesterday. There are over 400,000 American military veterans buried there. I wish I could individually thank them all for their service to our country. God bless you veterans!
Upham was an excellent character. Really highlighted that inevitably not everyone will be capable of war, and conscripting those who aren't into combat situations can cost lives. Love you Alex, let's raise a glass for peace.
"So many people lost their lives, so many people were killed from the war, and even the people that came home, the War still killed them..." Storytime: My grandfather was in Northern Europe during WWII (not D-Day, he was sent over in the waves of men afterward) and did two tours in Korea during the Korean War. My dad has worked a regular day job most of his life, but finally living out his dream to make an album of original music. One of his songs is about my grandfather (and other veterans) who struggle after returning home. No joke, the lyrics to the last verse are, "My father was a warrior, killed but left alive. He came home, but he didn't survive. Captured by the nightmare, We call the American Dream, and I don't know if he ever got free. Did he ever get free?" The PTSD the survivors dealt with (and modern veterans still deal with) was absolutely soul-crushing.
The short piece of lyrics you shared instantly brought tears to my eyes. So true they are. Veterans nowadays and past vets have never been appreciated. If they were they would the serious aftercare after being through some serious and mental situations. Not a vet but like you my grandfather was in pacific during ww2.
@@stephencaveney4840 Thank you for the comment. So many people are touched by war, whether directly or indirectly (by relatives). We owe it to each other to be kind and seek understanding, and, ultimately, to seek freedom for our veterans.
The first battle scene of Omaha Beach was condensed into like half an hour but the real battle lasted over 8 hrs and over 3000 american soldiers died in the battle. D Day was a much larger scale than just the beach landings as there is a miniseries done by Spielberg and Hanks called Band of Brothers that follows some of the paratroopers that landed in Normandy the night/morning before. To answer the question about the rifles each soldier had, Capt Miller had the Thompson sub machine gun, Sgt Horvath had a Carbine rifle (M1 or M12 Carbine), Rieben had a BAR-Browning Automatic Rifle, Jackson had an M1903 Springfield sniper rifle and the rest had M1 Garand rifle's.
Actually the battle at Omaha was 5 hours+ not 8 hours. The paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines prior to the invasion also went wrong, many were misdropped to other areas rather than their designated drop zones. I also heard that it was quite scary for some of them bcoz machine gun bullets and anti-aircraft rounds were flying into the air while they are parachuting down.
i love how empathetic alex is in movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump and Shawshank Redemption, just shows what kind of person you are, Alex you are my favourite youtuber for this reason, you're probably not going to see this but i love you man, so much
I served in the Army during the "Cold War", and after war games in West Germany I stopped at a WW1 American military cemetery in Belgium, the grounds were immaculate, all of the grave markers in perfect symmetry. I knew no one there, had no direct connection to any of the fallen and cried like a 10 year old girl.
I joined the Army in 1987, turned 21 in basic training. Spent 2 years in Germany, went to Ft. Hood, Desert Sheild and Desert Storm. 2003-04, downtown Baghdad. None of it is good.
There's a military graveyard in my town for the British, and one a few miles over for German soldiers. The only graveyard in our country of that kind. Both are impeccably clean. There's always flowers. Even those German soldiers mostly were normal guys, sent into hell. Treat all the fallen soldiers with respect.
@@zulawoo It's one if the things a lot of people don't realise - there were obviously radical sociopaths in the German Army - the SS being the obvious ones, but a large chunk of German forces in WWII were conscripts from occupied countries like Poland, Czechoslovakia etc. Those guys didn't have a choice and didnt want to be there either.
When the medic says "smell that leg there, find out if it's south of cheese," he is getting the other's opinion on whether or not the wound is significantly infected. Due to limited supplies, they triage the wounded so infection could be the difference between cleaning & closing or amputating. So if it's "south of cheese" it's more pungent than cheese and significantly infected. If you ever have experience with large, serious, traumatic injuries (and I hope you don't) there's no mistaking the smell of infection - usually like a very oderous cheese or almonds or something like that.
First time I smelled death was my great-grandmother, and I was 8. She died from gangrene, but not before it took her leg. Something like that, once you recognize it, you know it instantly the next time it hits you and makes your blood run cold.
@@littleredhen8205nope. That smell is instantly recognized anywhere. I was a medic in the military for 4 years and an emt for 8, then I worked in organ procurement for 2. You get used to it but you never forget it.
The opening landings scene, when Hanks’ character stops hearing and looks around at all these different scenes (the guy licking up his arm, the flamethrower getting blown up, etc) were stories told to Spielberg from vets who were actually there and any specific memories they had that day. Didn’t all happen in one spot like that, but they are accurate anecdotes for the landings in general along the 5 Normandy beaches.
32:28 "i love how calm Captain is" You just answered your own question about what the big deal about Tom Hanks' hand shaking half the movie. The men need to see that he is calm and that his nerves aren't shot to hell. That fear and anxiety will permeate through the rest of the unit if you see your leader not being able to keep it together. Great reaction. I ran out of fingers and toes to count your "OMG's"....lol.
I went to theaters and saw this with my dad , It was the first time i saw him cry... Now that im older and understand how precious life is war movies make me cry too. Both my Grandfather and Great Uncle were part of D-Day in France, Gpa was an American GI and my GU was a Canadian Sgt. M1 Garand with most, 1903 Springfield for the US Sniper , M1 Carbine for the Sgt , Thompson submachine gun M1A1 for Capt Miller , Browning automatic rifle (BAR) for the one guy.
About Upham - there's the fight/flight response that everyone knows about, but there's also a 3rd thing the body can do which is feeeze. In humans this isn't generally 'playing dead' like some animals do, but can be basically what happened to Upham. Also since he wasn't combat experienced it was possibly the first time it happened to him, but over time he could have got past it.
@@baronfriday989 No one: Normal Soldier: Don't know who/enemy name, don't care Upham: The first blood/kill is someone he know 💀 (at least he get some combat experience for that)
My dad was in Vietnam. He was a Seabee. Most of my life he's never really talked about it and in moments when it came up and got serious, he always just had this distant pained look in his eyes he never really had to say much of anything I knew it was bad. However, he's always loved to talk about the guys he served with and the shenanigans they'd get up to, his young silly Cassanova moments, and all the travel ya know the good stuff in between. He enlisted at 17 and stands by that choice to this day. I'm proud of him always will be, and when I think about how the troops who made it back my dad included were treated with such disrespect and hatefulness it makes me sick. They didn't deserve that. Every war EVER fought in the history of the world has been brutal and disturbing no one ever really gets away unscathed, but they do what they feel they have to, to survive to succeed and they should be appreciated for that. People I think have come to see that more over the years and when someone sees my dad and recognizes that he's served and they come over to him and ask to shake his hand and thank him, I can't tell just how much that means to me and I'm sure to him. It hits hard and the pride and bittersweetness I feel knowing that he's earned that, and that it wasn't easy I just thank God he made it home and that he's my dad. Hope you're well Alex, take care man.
My grandfather, Irving Cohen, was a GI. I wish I remembered the details better, but I believe he was awarded a medal for bravery during WW2. An ammo truck caught fire in camp, so he drove it off a cliff, jumping out of the cabin before it went over. RIP Grandpa... see you again someday. ❤
I saw this in the theater, and when the credits started you could hear a pin drop. Very few if any left until the end of the credits. When the list of cast members started everyone stood and gave a standing ovation. Some of the older men and even younger ones even saluted the cast. The movie and the response was epic. Nothing I've seen before or since can compare.
My dad and uncles were in WWII and I was a Marine and I can't watch this movie or even this reaction without tearing up. I currently work a VA hospital and if you want to know war effects people this is it. Within the last ten years we have gotten tons of Vietnam vets who are finally seeking help. I've talked with many in group therapy. The reason they getting help only now is because they are retiring and there is no place to get away from it anymore. I'm from Michigan and so most of these guys worked at auto plants. They talk about bad relationships with kids and wives because they worked every chance they could. Stayed late, did overtime, weekends anything to avoid having to deal with the trauma they felt. The younger people we are trying to get in now from more recent wars and they are the same way they avoid everything not to talk about it. I work with a few guys who were there and only a few will talk about it. Even then it's mostly about how hot is was and not the real stuff they need to talk about. If you have a vet in your family be there for them and cherish them.
In a similar vein, PTSD is why Frodo couldn't stay in the Shire (from LotR). He just wasn't able to live in the idyllic Shire anymore. Tolkien saw many of his friends die in battle and it influenced his writing.
One of my favorite stories about the making of this film. The entire crew had to go through a basic training type boot camp. All except for Matt Damon. He was allowed to skip it. Spielberg did that because the soldiers were supposed to be resentful to Ryan when they found him. So he made sure to kick their butts for the entire boot camp, knowing Damon didn't have to do any of it so they actually were angry with him when they got to filming that part lol.
I wanted to help you out on a couple of your comments and questions. 1. The opening scene is fillmed exactly where these men fought and died, Normandy beach. That memorial is a sobering reminder of what the horrors of war are all about. The crosses and Star of David markers seem like they go on forever and that does not include the Wehrmacht casualties! 2. The rifles you asked about were the American M-1 Garand, which was the f1st semi-automatic rifle fielded as the main battle rifle for a major power. All the others fielded bolt-action rifles (one that requires that you actuate the bolt to eject and reload the weapon after each round is fired.)including the German Mauser K98, the British Lee Enfield, and the Russian Mosin Nagant. This was an incredibly important weapon in the war and it certainly played a massive role in the ultimate victory. You could simply keep pulling the trigger until the stripper clip that held 8 rounds was empty. No bolt action. No need to adjust your aim after moving the bolt, and much faster firing. It fired a full sized rifle round and it was a heavy bitch compared the the new M4's used now. The other gun you saw Vin Diesel using was the Browning BAR which was the squad light machine gun which is used on place of the modern SAW weapon used today. The infantry used tactics that worked well with these weapons and they were quite a bit different from the German Schützen squad tactic whic relied on Hitler's "chainsaw" (MG42 or MG34 for the Fallschirmjäger troops) to lay down a wall of suppresive fire while the riflemen flanked their oppenents where possible. the average squad infantryman in the US platoons had a better firepower even with the MG42 on the other side. 3. The clerk turned infantryman character's behavior was actually quite a bit more common than not as after the war and after the mass attack tactics used by the Chinese in Korea, the Army concluded that the average infantryman did not carry the fight to the enemy in almost 85% of the time. So we had 15% of the hard chargers really making the attacks. This number required new training menhods to change and through poop up silouette training by the Vietnam war we moved to 75% of the troops fighting.The aftereffects were horrific and PTSD started to really permeate the ranks were as prior the hindividuals that were "built' for compartmentalizing that is necessary to fight in a war didn't have as many problems when they came home.
This is the first video of yours I've seen, but I'm glad you went into this movie with a respect for what's going on. Really could tell these were honest reactions, and it was definitely clear you got what the film was all about. Mad respect man. Some people in here have recommended Band of Brothers for you to watch next, and that series is seriously some of the best television I've ever seen, but I also wanna recommend you The Pacific (if you can stomach it). Both of those shows are very honest looks into the second world war based on the accounts of real people, and they're masterfully done. All the best man!
@@traviscarrier1342 yeah The Pacific is really a story about one of the epochal tragedies of human history. It is not for the faint of heart but it's a very important story that needed to be told
I've seen this movie many times before and I'm always left speechless and with tears in my eyes from it. The acting, the directing, the cinematography. It's all on point to create one of the very best war movies out there.
The first time I saw this movie in the theater I was practically paralyzed at the end. I couldn't move from my seat. I still recall several audiences teared up. What makes this movie effective is that it sure makes us feel humbled and appreciative of what little things we have. Even though we have no luxury whatsoever, we're lucky in a way that we're still living and we owe it to them in a way. May they rest in peace.
My father was in the army during the Korean War, I was on a submarine during the cold war, my son was a Marine Scout sniper and my daughter was in the Navy as a fire control technician. I appreciate all who served. This is probably the best war movie ever, and the fact that it lost best movie Oscar to freaking Shakespeare in Love is a travesty of justice.
A late fact. Upham's character is supposed to represent all of the countries that saw the sign's of what Hilter was doing before the War started. Examples before the War like, when Hilter began re-militarizing Germany, re-militarizing the Rhineland (which was de-militarized after World War 1) and occupying small countries. Larger countries (mainly France and Great Britain) did nothing to stop what was going on. These are portrayed in the movie by Upham when he was watching them storm the radar site and he just watched. When they captured the German soldier he fought to have the German released and not killed (you can hear him saying thank you to the Captain for letting him go). And finally when he was slowly walking up the stairs as Mellish was being attacked, he again did nothing to help save Mellish.
I fought in Iraq many years ago. While I was deployed my mother came home from work to find two soldiers in Class A's walking up to her door. She immediately panicked, sure she was about to hear that I'd been killed. I'd already been wounded a few months earlier, and she'd been a wreck ever since. When she started breaking down and crying as she approached them, one of them noticed the blue star in her living room window and realized what she thought was happening. Turns out they were on their way to an event in a nearby neighborhood and had gotten lost. They were just going to knock on her door and ask for directions. She still talks about that to this day, nearly fifteen years later.
Even though this movie is loosely based on a true story, I would recommend "Hacksaw Ridge", it is the true story of Desmond Doss, a combat medic who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, as a conscientious objector who never fired a weapon during the battle of Okinawa.
I just watched your reaction to one of my favorite movies of all time. The first time I saw this movie was in August 1999 when I first arrived in the United Kingdom at my second base in the Air Force. Needless to say, 6 months later, I deployed to the desert. As an Air Force and Army veteran, and now 46 years of age, I want to say thank you for your true genuineness to not just this movie but to all of your movies. You really do bring a brighter side to all of the chaos and craziness to this world. Thank you for what you do and how you continue to reach people of all walks of life.
My grandfather shared only one story about fighting in the trenches in Germany. He told me how he came face to face with a German soldier. They looked at each other for a few seconds before the German soldier said “good American.” I asked what happened next and my grandfather replied, “well I’m still here.” I never understood as a kid why he wouldn’t share more. Seeing movies like this help me understand why now as an adult. Whenever he was sleeping in his room, you had to stand at the bedroom door and call his name until he woke up because if he sensed anyone near him he came up fighting. After he returned home my grandparents had to sleep in separate beds. Thank you to every person that has served!
Went to see this in theaters, as a senior in high school. The beach scene made me puke into the popcorn. I had to wait a few weeks before returning to finish the film.
I was 12 when this came out in theaters and still remember sitting through it the first time, and my small mind was absolutely blown. This movie single handedly sparked a huge interest in WW2 era history for me. An absolute masterpiece.
@@deckzone3000 This was real. It actually happened. I was exposed to this at around the same age and it put into perspective for the first time just how much was sacrificed for our freedoms. It made me abhor violence, and cherish life.
As a Marine, when I watched this movie the opening sequence scared the shit out of me. While I never served in combat, our training during peacetime is as close as you can get. Short of getting shot or blown up, it's all there. The sights, sounds, smells are all there. I've served with a number of Marines who served in Nam and my old man, Army, was there during the Tet offensive in 1967-1968.
THE scene where all the landing craft are hitting the beaches was shot in Co Wexford Ireland and most of the extras were soldiers from the Irish army .. I read that an awful lot of GI vets who went to see it at the movies were moved to tears so realistic were the landing scenes which brought back so many memories to them ..
This opening scene hits so hard. Reading a story one time of where they invited WWII come preview the movie before it was released to the public and they said that in the first 5 minutes of them they actually had to get up and leave. That you had 80 90 year old men we're just in tears walking out of the theater at the opening moments
20 years ago, a lightning bolt struck next to me and the bang was so loud that I heard nothing for 1-2 minutes, then for about a quarter of an hour little and muffled and for about 2 weeks slightly muffled, like after the disco. This was illustrated here with these quiet scenes, after a bomb explosion, where only a faint tinitus sound could be heard!
"Earn This" was also kind of Tom Hanks/ John Miller talking to us the viewers to Earn The freedom we got for what all the soldiers sacrificed to give us during WW2. Best WW2 movie ever made. My great grandfather served in WW2, fighting against the Soviet in Finland during the Finnish Winter War
Koti, uskonto, ja isänmaa! :) My Finnish relatives fought and died for the US in WW2, just one generation into citizenship. I’m so happy how similarly respectful the Finns still are for the sacrifices made in the Patriotic War!
@@jaredrobbins4440 I believe the Soviets and Russians call their WW2 actions “patriotic war”, in Finland we talk about Winter War and Continuation War.
Just wanna say thx to all veterans of the USA idc if you’re in army, Air Force, marines, navy or national guard. Idc if you served and lived idc if you served and never saw combat or even never fired your weapon. You served and got an honorable discharge… you get my respect and I have some family members who served that always know that I’ve gotten nuthin but respect for your service
The crazy think about that opening scene, THat was about 30 minutes in movie time. In reality, they hit the beach at 6am and didn't get off the beach until 4 pm. They were stuck there for that long because they couldn't get through the obstacles on Omaha. Eisenhower nearly evacuated them and D-day would have failed.
My grandfather survived the Invasion Of Normandy beach. He never spoke of it, but I kinda know one story and it's sort of in the opening scene. I know he was there with his best friend who jumped on a grenade to save my grandfather's life. He didn't even die right away, and my grandfather stopped fighting amidst a hail of bullets and explosions to try and put his friends intestines back inside his chest cavity. My grandfather passed away almost 20 years ago, but I was always told to never bring up WWII. I always wondered how he survived not just that day, but his entire time there when most everyone died. The few that did must have the most horrifying stories and must be equally brave telling those stories just as much as experiencing them.
I remember my great-uncle Bill who served in WWII. A lot of the time, he wouldn't look at anything. It was like he was talking to someone on the phone or trying to remember something. He'd get this blank, unfocused stare, and then he'd hum. To this day I have no idea what he was humming, but whenever he did, he looked far away. It was a past he wanted to forget as desperately as he wanted to remember. I don't know what he saw or what happened to him, but that look? I'll never forget it as long as I live.
The thing that gets me about Upham is that he was afraid to kill. I'm sure he was afraid to die, sure, but his breakdown came when he realized that he would have had to kill to save Mellish. Wasn't until Steamboat Willie killed Captain Miller that his heart hardened enough for him to do what needed to be done.
@@fishinman539 It's easy for us to say that because to us we're only seeing him from the audience's perspective. But in real life, it's a different story.
I got to admit. I would be him. I was in the Forces once and just to be in training alone is daunting. I cannot imagine to be deployed in such a situation.
When I saw this film in the theater when it was first released 24 years ago it was without a doubt the most emotionally impactful thing I had ever seen (and nothing so far has surpassed it in that respect). As we were leaving the theater after the end of the film I saw an older gentleman who was also leaving and he was wearing a cap indicating he was a WWII veteran. He had tears in his eyes as did I and I offered my hand and thanked him for his service. It seemed not nearly enough. I have never watched "Saving Private Ryan" again since that day - I just don't think I could take it. If you have not yet seem it I highly recommend "We Were Soldiers" starring Mel Gibson - similar reality and emotional impact. You will be moved.
Saving Private Ryan is one of my top movies to watch and recommend. Your reaction video is also the best I've seen for this particular movie. (and I've watched many) The movie is an eye-opener and I'm glad you appreciated its intent. I remember when it came out and I watched it in the theater, after the movie ended there was complete silence in the theater. Nobody moved for several minutes. It was as if the entire audience gave a moment of silence for all of the fallen soldiers.
I was stationed in Germany for a joint warfighter exercise when this movie came out on post. The theater was packed with U.S., French, German and British soldiers and marines. Normally when a theater empties, there's lots of chatter. There was not so much as a cough during the entire showing and as the theater emptied, it was pure silence, all of us looking at each other with tears and respect.
I'm 51. My dad was born in 1930. About a month before he died I asked him what it was like growing up in this time. He told me a story about his dad who had served in WWI. He'd just listened to the news on the radio. It was sometime in the summer of 1941. And my dad remembered him sitting out on the back porch and crying. It was clear what was coming. It was clear what was happening and what would happen to millions of young men. I remember commenting that nothing like that had really happened in my life. We had this conversation in July 2001. Don't wish for big history. You might get it!
Your final reactions nail it - speechless - no words. War is hell is not even an irony here. Spielberg truly captured the nightmare fuel of battle and the epic costs of lives lost (and those doomed to live in the aftermath). Dude I saw this openign day in NYC's late, great Ziegfeld Theatre (a movie palace no more) and the opening 20 min. D-Day sequence you could hear a pin drop in the audience - beyond transfixed and gutted. Hanks' Miller's tremor is obviously from the toll it took (seeing him FINALLY breakdown silently away from his men is devestating). "On the level" means are you being truthful with me. Barry Pepper is the actor who plays Jackson the skillful sniper (he'd go on to co-star w/Hanks again in THE GREEN MILE - a must see too). The major giving Hanks the mission is the late, great Dennis Farina.
the scene where Matt damen and tom Hanks are sitting down talking and Matt is talking about his brothers and laughing. was completely improvised by Damen.
From someone who's done the whole military thing. My ears were ringing for two weeks after a flash grenade went boom in a small room I was in. And nothing, and I mean NOTHING is better than a pair or clean, dry socks. Didn't get feeling back in both of my big toes after at least three years after I lost it. Super cold above the Arctic circle during winter. That's all I'll say. Haha. Oh, quick edit. On the wall of the building entering our camp, it said "hell isn't warm, it's fucking cold", in Norwegian of course. Pretty accurate if you ask me.
There is a terrific film called "The Best Years of Our Lives," that came out right after WWII that touched on PTSD, even though it wasn't called that yet. It featured a man named Harold Russell, who lost both hands in the Army and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Whether you decide to do a reaction or just watch on your on time, Band of Brothers is a must watch. Amazingly written, awesome cast, sensational camera work, and the cast is based on real soldiers that briefly give testimonials before each episode. Spielberg and Hanks produced it after this film came out. I watch it at least once a year because it is just that good.
I was 2/3 of the way to the back of the theater and found myself with my fists near my chin, shaking uncontrollably, not having blinked for minutes on end. I cried so hard at the realization that family members had endured such things. They NEVER talked about combat. My heart aches for them and every young person thrown into a hell like that even now.
@@alexhefnerstvmovievault Yeah...same here, saw it first day it came out...though I was not in the front row...I think it was the first time I wished I had brought tissues to a movie. For my part, I start to choke up as soon as I see the first grave marker in the Normandy American Cemetery whenever I watch this movie. ✌ Oh, and Alex...do not be too upset about that soldier that took off his helmet at 5:45 even if he had been wearing it, that bullet would have gone right through. Helmets in WW2 could not stop bullets except under pretty rare circumstances...there are several film shots before that one that clearly show bullets going right through the helmets. In fact, if you watch it back, you will note that the reason that guy took off his helmet in the first place, was to look at the two holes that the first shot had just made as it went though his helmet TWICE but somehow managed to not his his head inside it. 💯✌
I second that. Almost had been too late. Got the last ticket and just made it smack dead in the middle of the front row to the faded image of the flag. And then all hell broke loose. Without a doubt one of the best movies EVER.
You have about the same reaction to this I did seeing it in the theater. I watched it alone and then went home in silence. It was a gut wrenching movie. I haven't served, but I did study military history for my BA (and largely the WWII era). I can vouch that you can find stories like what is shown in this movie for pretty much everything that happened. That includes guys freezing up, surrendering soldiers being shot (on all sides), the chaos and brutality of battle, everything.
"The entire movie and I'm literally sitting here, and I'm like.... it's not a normal movie reaction." That makes sense, Alex, because Saving Private Ryan is not a normal film.
Upham was based on real experiences. From stories of veterans who witnessed men freeze instead helping a man less then foot away while they cried for help. There was a interview with one of the veteran consultants where he told his similar experience.
The Dday scene was so well researched, shot, and portrayed that veterans of Dday, and wwii in general when watching this movie reported that it actually triggered ptsd flashbacks of the war for them. That is how authentic to the horrors those brave men faced this movie is
Hey Alex. Appreciate your reaction to the movie. This one is a wild roller coaster of a film. Seen it probably ten or twenty times since it released in 1998. Appreciate your raw emotion regarding death and the violence and confusion that is combat. I served in the Army from 2017-2021 in a Armor Unit. I was on the M1A2 SepV2/V3 Abrams Tank. That whole experience watching this film growing up and listening to the stories from my father, uncles and grandparents that have served in previous Wars really paints a picture that freedom and the price of living in a free world is so very costly a sacrifice. Leaving home to a conflict where you step off into the unknown is such a surreal and eye opening experience. one of the stories that really stuck with me was from my dad listening to his dad talk about his Vietnam experiences in the Navy while attached as a Corpsman to a Seal platoon in the 1960s/70s. My grandfather was never a Seal but he earned his trident just through the sheer valor and self sacrifice when he went down in several different chopper crashes during his time in Vietnam, one such incident was over the Laos border. Pilots both killed, most of his small unit was flung from the chopper as it was crashing. My grandfather was knocked out from the crash came to and his entire platoon was dead besides him. He suffered a bayonet wound to his upper chest by a Vietcong guerilla or North Vietnamese soldier sticking him. Thinking he was dead, he awoke patched himself up and then proceeded to pick up all his platoon mates corpses off the ground and from what little details we know; he carried them to a safe spot and then crawled his way back to friendly lines just to get another chopper to come pick up everyone's bodies from that wrecked helicopter. Incredibly surreal experiences. Hardly talked about it when he got home, never took his shirt off either. He would only talk about what happened when he got drunk, and even that was a rare occurrence. My grandmother actually had a little tape recorder of my grandfather and his other navy buddies in Saigon during the Tet Offensive in 1968. He was on top of a hospital or embassy or some such building; drunk as a skunk watching the marines on the ground fight it out with attacking guerilla forces, seeing the Red and green tracer fire flying back and forth as hes drinking beer and smoking. just hanging out on a rooftop. Incredibly sobering experiences that i hope; paint some sort of picture as to the sacrifice and struggles that veterans come home with. he was a short man 5'2" lived a long life, passed away in 2002 from lung cancer. I have not had the privilege of serving in a Combat Zone; even though i was in a Combat MOS i was a 19Kilo - M1A2 Abrams Crewman. - I did see my fair share of fucked up shit; seen people die in training accidents, been to one too many funerals for my unit. Even though we're not actively engaged in a combat zone currently there is still so much danger and risk involved with just training. We have had people die from Vehicle roll over's. Suicide, drunk driving, impaired driving from sleep. Like i had a friend of mine lose his fingers in California at the National training center when the Hatch on the tank came swinging down after hitting a ditch and making his hand into a pile of mincemeat. Its a really sobering experience being in the military and experiencing the loss and sheer emotional turmoil that is associated with just being exposed to everything that could go wrong. I actually have hearing loss and suffered a TBI from when the Main gun of the Tank went off during an offensive engagement - i was driving and my hatch popped open due to a faulty locking mechanism. and i could not hear anything; so just dealing with that has been interesting to say the least. But there are a lot more people messed up way more than me; especially combat vets. i cant respect them enough. - Thank you again Alex for reacting to this movie. it really sets the tone for initiating a conversation about traumatic experiences and the loss you feel in combat and being in the military. Appreciate you brother.
I wasn't in the military (Viet Nam period), but a new movie theater had just opened about a mile from our home when this movie came out. My wife and I walked to see this movie, and walked home completely in silence...then, for no apparent reason, we had a big argument at home, but neither of us can remember what it was about. Our nerves were just so on edge. I've seen this movie several times, and I cry each time.
Had several family that served in WWII, even an uncle who was Killed in Pattons army. He was in a tank. I recall my grandma talking about him, her mom received one of those telegrams, I can't even begin to imagine what that had to be like for her and her family. This movie should be a reminder of the price that was paid so we can be free today. I know this world is crazy right now and these are crazy times, but we can't forget. Solid reaction man.
One of the best movies ever made IMO. Still gets me quite emotional. But if you're trying to get on a war movie trend, Fury, Lone Survivor, American Sniper and Hacksaw Ridge are really good ones just to mention a few.
@@versecontro4898 Yeah, as much as I believe Fury is a great movie, I can't help but walk away angry and crying at the end. Fury, The Patriot, Les Miserables, and Hacksaw Ridge always make me cry.
@@BB-BA55akaMR-BLEGH Fury is like red dawn for me lol. The 2012 not the 80's one but it always makes me wanna stop what I'm doing and enlist while I'm watching it.
14:23 Most of the infantry had M1 Garands. IIRC sometimes you see one of them with the smaller M1 Carbine instead. Sergeant Horvath carries an M1 Carbine exclusively. Jackson (the sniper) has an M1903 Springfield. Captain Miller carries an M1A1 Thompson submachine gun. And Reiben (the support gunner) has a B.A.R. (Browning Automatic Rifle), a light machine gun. 19:16 Infected wounds smell horrible. 26:55 "On the level" means true / confirmed.
Just for some medical education...the smelling of the wound was an indication of gangrene and will often mean amputation. It is a horrible smell for sure. I would love to have a M1 Garand but they are very expensive now. I wish I would have bought one 20+ years ago.
15:43 ish.... that sniper shot through the scope was based off of a Vietnam War sniper named Carlos Hathcock who made that shot against a Viet Cong sniper
Thank you for covering this movie Alex. Two years after this great film came out, my grandfather passed away from cancer in 2000. He enlisted in 1942 (age 20-21) & served in the 5th Ranger Battalion that trained in Tennesee. Eventually shipped out to Britain in late 1943/early 1944 in preparation for Operation Overlord. Trained in Special Cliff Operations in the Highlands of Scotland in early 1944 alongside his fellow Rangers (plus other Allied/UK Special forces) before D-Day. On June 6th, 1944, he subsequently climbed the cliffs of Point du Hoc. He had to carry his BAR into battle in rough terrain under heavy fire, search & eventually destroy the German Howitzers that greatly saved thousands of his fellow countrymen on the beaches. As history goes, the Rangers had to traverse miles of the French countryside for the repositioned guns after hours of naval & air bombardment prior to the invasion forced the Germans back from Point du Hoc. My grandfather was one man out of 75 men (out of 225 Rangers, 67% of the unit were wounded or killed) who was able to reach the top of Point du Hoc & keep on fighting beyond the Longest Day. Played a part of Operation Cobra in the breakout out of Normandy. Into the battle of Saint-Lo in July 1944, he got wounded when a piece of mortar shrapnel hit his leg (from his calf to above his ankle) & took him out of action. The 29th Infantry Battalion alongside another American division with small groups of Army Rangers (intermix of the remaining 2nd & 5th Ranger Battalions) took massive losses from German artillery destroying the town. My grandfather would have met his end at Saint-Lo, but thankfully he had a guardian angel over him. Over the years, I was told by my father & my aunt that after he got wounded, my grandfather was saved by a Sherman Tank Crew from the 747th Independent tank division that came to support the 29th Infantry division to take ruins of Saint-Lo & were attempting to gather all the wounded GIs during the course of the battle. It's still very unclear how many were saved on that day alongside my grandfather, but as a result of them saving lives, the Sherman Tank Commander was the only casualty while gathering up the wounded men under heavy fire. Due to their courageous actions, my grandfather lived, was able to go home to raise a family, & eventually serve as a police officer (SGT) for nearly 25 years until he retired in 1978. He got the Bronze Star for his heroic actions on D-Day & 2 Purple Hearts in the Fall of 1944. In both civilian life & his long days in law enforcement, he had to take small amounts of morphine (inside a capsule attached to a sliver neck chain around his neck) every day due to the wounds he received in the war until his last days on this earth. A reminder of the sacrifices he made in the defense of America, her people & the liberation of Europe. My grandfather's mother was a German immigrant & orphan who came to America in the 1890s when her homeland (early German Empire) was facing some social destabilization. My grandfather had no ill will against the majority of the German troops he fought against in the Liberation of France. He always respected the Germans (the Wehrmacht/cousins) for their military leadership, combat efficiency & historical discipline. He absolutely hated the Nazi idealogy, who only represented Hitler & a few thousand people in the SS divisions that committed the Holocaust. Like everyone else who first watched the movie, I began to truly understand & greatly appreciate the sacrifices my grandfather & the millions of soldiers made in WWII. That includes the common German Soldier (non-SS/Nazi) who fought not for Hitler, but for their family & their country. This film will always be one of my favorite films about WWII despite some of its flaws. I always got emotional at the end of the film when Miller tells Ryan that "Earn this" & it cuts to Ryan asking his wife if he was a good man. My grandfather never ever saw Saving Private Ryan in the last years of his life (did like the movie The Longest Day), but like most veterans, he would have attempted to avoid seeing the horrors of war again. I am immensely grateful to have known him before his passing & I am proud to be his grandson. This is a story I like to share with those who have first watched this film and Band of Brothers. If I had to create a title to describe his WWII story, it would be called... "Liberation at the Gates"
I remember seeing this at the cinema when it first came out. The surround sound being so deafening and sounding like the bullets whipping around you. Was an intense movie experience. But also one of the best war movies ever. As others have said though. Highly recommend giving band of brothers a look in. Amazing, emotional, gritty and an all round rollercoaster of a show.
this movie is a reminder of what it took to called the greatest generation. Tough times make tough men, tough men make easy times, easy times make weak men, weak men make tough times. Take a guess where we are in that cycle.
That movie is IMO one of the best ever. What that generation did was incredible, born during and right after WWI, kids through teens during the great depression and then they defeated the Germans, Italians, and Japanese to win WWII and after that went to work in the 50's and BUILT lives for their families while creating and growing the middle class. Amazing people. that's why they are "the greatest generation"
I was lucky enough to see this at the cinema, with a great sound system when it first came out. The noise of that P51D blowing up the tank was unreal. It also happens to be one of the best movies I've ever heard on a 5.1 sound system. Used to share a house with a friend (who had a great home cinema setup), and this on DTS was amazing, especially the opening beach scene.
'one of the best movies I've ever seen' hits the nail on the head dude, this film is truely epic. Without a doubt the standard all other war films are measured by. The only one that has come close to this for me was *haksaw ridge* with Andrew garfield, fantastic true story about an absolute hero.
Mel Gibson killed Hacksaw Ridge. Brilliant film, the cinematography and sound design was both horrific and beautiful. We cant comprehend the genius it takes to pull off this films. You cant be level headed or “normal”. Not going into the darkness of these topics.
I saw this movie in a huge theatre back then ... you can't imagine the loud, real surround-sound, while watching this movie on the big screen! It was too much for some viewers, so they actually left the theatre very early. One guy in the room even threw up before he left, which is absolutly understandable! My grandfather fought in WW2 and barly survived as he was badly (!) wounded ... He never talked about it. Actually: He never talked at all after the war. He isolated himself in his room, which only his wife was allowed to enter to bring him food, cigarettes and drinks. Even living in the same house, my mom only saw him twice a year: on her birthday and on christmas eve. It was a hard time for the whole family as everybody had to work as he wasn't able to! I am pretty sure we can't imagine what those people went through back then ... scary as hell!!! :(
"what guns are those?" You asked early on in the film, Rieben was at the foreground when you said it, he has the BAR which stands for Browning Automatic Rifle. It's a very heavy automatic weapon that was widely used in WW2, it was actually designed for use in WW1 but didn't make it in time. In the interwar period many gangsters utilised them alongside the ubiquitous Tommy gun sub machine guns like Tom Hanks character Capt Miller uses in the film. The BAR fired the same powerful round that the M1 Garand semi auto rifle most of the squad is armed with. It did a hell of a lot of damage but the BAR was let down by only having a twenty round magazine. It was very useful when assaulting however as it was possible to fire on the go, and move quicker than having a belt fed MG. I've enjoyed your reaction so far, a fantastic film that will probably remain a classic for years to come.
I went to Gold Beach about 20 years ago and it is eerily calm there, especially compared to the opening of this movie. Not a lot of wave crashing or anything like that, but there's still huge concrete floats they used to support heavy vehicles going to ground after the initial waves of soldiers cleared the beach. You don't normally think concrete will float, but at that scale and that shape it did, but all the more eerie that they are overturned and covered in moss and growth from 80 plus years of just sitting there.
I can say that after my tour in Iraq I felt like I would be the same guy I was when I went over, my life, my soul has never returned to me, I am not that same person. I'm quoting myself, not trying to make a statement, just saying the first thing that came to mind after watching your awesome reaction to this very close to how shit is movie. Thanks man!
Sorry guys. Basically this entire reaction is me saying “oh my God” and having my mouth wide open! Unbelievable movie 🤯
Winner is the person who counts how many “oh my God”s there are.
You'll love watching "Hamburger Hill".
We'll get you watch that one day.
Fury is a real good film, as is Letters from Iwo Jima.
6,384,296? 😂
I don't know why, but every time I see that German begging for his life, and the American soldier getting that knife through his heart, I get nauseous. All that killing and only murder: Upham murdering that German at the end. He murdered that German for revenge, for killing Captain Miller. Everyone else was killing under orders. And think: how did we feel when he did murder him? Moral dilemmas in this film? You bet!
Schindlers List is a must watch, another great WW2 movie also directed by Steven Spielberg.
“Earn this” wasn’t just for Pvt Ryan…….it was for all of us. We need to Earn what those men and women gave their lives for.
I was only an Airman for a few years before Crohns Disease ruined my military career. Kills me that I haven't been able to do more my life has always felt like there's a hole in it.
@O d V with the military, or with the way our government the military?
That’s actually a great way of looking at it
And we are failing them now.
@O d V no. Why would I do that?
I would highly recommend the show band of brothers. Made by Spielberg and Tom Hanks, it's based on the real story of the soldiers of Easy Company and their journey through WW2.
Must watch and a lesson in leadership
100% encourage you to watch the series BAND OF BROTHERS. The story of Easy Company went on to influence military policy.
This comment has a jillion likes.
I love that show the cast is great and I love that they started (or was it ended?) Every episode talking to the real Soldiers
Band of Brothers is a 💯 must watch! Right up there with this movie.
The D-Day scene is so accurate, some veterans who were there, had to leave the theater. The only criticism they had was there wasn't enough bodies
They also said the smell.
Boat traps were also the wrong way round apparently
Geographically, not. The real Dog Sector Green didn't look anything like that.
@@M1GarandMan3005if you wanna get real nitpicks, the battle went on for HOURS.
These guys were there for mere minutes in the movie.
The ending of this movie kills me. Every time. Seeing that old man begging his wife to tell him he's a good man. . . Can't stop the tears.
You'd have to be a sociopath to not feel that scene
Same here. It doesn't matter if it's a clip of the end or I've just watched the entire movie... it always destroys me.
If you enjoyed this movie, I'd recommend you watch the adult film "Saving Ryan's Privates", it's fantastic! Along with these other great flicks;
"Batman and Throbbin"
"Forest Hump"
"Edward Pnis Hands" and many more
@@Clayton.Bigsby.360 💀
As many people as there are who give the character shit, Upham is the Everyman character of the movie. He's the touchstone for the millions of people who haven't been in combat, or even to boot camp. I understand the frustration people feel but in reality that's probably 95% of us if we had been suddenly thrown into this situation with Upham's experience
F that. Upham is a pos
As someone who has never been in combat and probably never will be, I think it’s insulting to veterans for me to even speak my opinion on what I think it would be like
I totally agree I felt the fear he was emitting, it flight or fight and 90% of everyday Americans is taking flight including me I'm not staying around bullets flying and shut blowing up and it's not being a coward it's being smart
I just wonder how many actual ww2 veterans would be so quick to label him a coward. Nobody knows what they would do in that situation unless they actually live it. Nobody.
@@rtmis1not many, my grandfather's were both WWll vets mom's dad was in the Pacific theatre, Dad's father landed on Nebraska beach. The guys in this movie landed on Omaha beach which was the most heavily defended. N e way, they both told me, and I saw, and felt it myself being a combat veteran myself now. Basic training forces a lot of the flight tendencies out of you, but not all. Sometimes a crippling fear will overtake you, you want to move with every fiber of your being, but you simply can't. Some can overcome it, some can't. No shame in being human. If you survive it, learn from it, and force yourself to perceiver. Seeing your friends as well as enemies killed, and mutilated scars you no matter how tough externally you are. I don't mention specifics, because to do that is to put myself back there. I've seen guys freeze like him one time, and the next they're the first ones to jump into action. I've frozen myself. The ones you should feel bad for are the ones that show no emotion, or internalize it. Those are the men that usually eventually take their own lives, or worse take other life unnecessarily then their own. There's being born hard, and there's being irreparably broken. I'm a fourth generation veteran my family has fought in every modern war. My hope is that our service and sacrifice spares my son's from having to go to war. My greatest fear in our current climate is that our next war will be fought in our yard. That would mean that we have learned absolutely nothing from history. Me personally, I didn't fight for a party, or a president, I fought for the idea that we are all Americans, whether you share my politics or don't, at the same time. I don't care if you're left, or right. Progressive, or maga. If mine are threatened, I will answer with swift, merciless, and unforgiving rage. Hope y'all have a nice day. My eyes are never dry watching this movie.
as a veteran myself, i can’t hate Upham like some people do. i feel sorry for him. he froze because mentally he just couldn’t handle it. it’s very likely he didn’t sign up and was drafted, and ended up in a situation he never imagined. some people just aren’t made for combat 😕
Indeed. Very probably drafted, rear echelon postings for his whole time in the army, probably "stormed" the beach in the back of a truck carrying the whole map service guys and their stuff, and less than 48 hours later comes toe to toe with SS troops and a fucking Tiger. Honestly, I guess a lot of way tougher guys might have ended up frozen in place.
That's one thing I learned from an autobiography of a British sniper in Iraq back in 2004. They had a guy that, even when they encountered the enemy, never fired a single shot. At the time, they were of course, pissed off with him. But after the fact, even if you sign up, not everyone is suited to putting their life on the line and taking lives. And let's face it, most people would likely be the same. At least at first.
@@pelicanofpunishment6 Are you talking about Sniper One? I read that book when I was going through basic/AIT. Absolutely loved it.
@@The_Real_Frisbee That's the one. Absolutely fantastic Autobiography. Love how well it's written and how it captures the drama of what it was like when the OMS kicked off.
fear is one of the strongest forces affecting poeple. Some people shut completely down when faced with exeistencial fear ... I can't blame him either despite how frustrating he was to watch
I had a dear friend who fought in WWII. The way he told it, most people resigned themselves to the idea that if it was your time, it was your time. There was nothing more you could do about it, so you should do what you trained to do in hopes that your duty might save some of your friends. He came home. He suffered considerably with survivor's guilt, though I doubt he ever called it that. He tried to live as good a life as possible to honor those friends, family, and community members who didn't make it home. He died at 95.
God Bless Your Friend.
My father was British infantry and fought from D Day+7 until the German surrender. He said that during the battle of Caen he accepted that none of his unit would survive the war, and wherever they went their purpose was simply to kill as many Germans as possible before dying.
When he came home a year after the war ended, he had changed from a young hard-as-nails budding gangster to a responsible, law abiding family man. But he never lost his pathological hatred of Germans until he died in 2005.
My grandfather was a farmer in Holland. He was captured and interred in a POW camp for half a year until the Nazis released him to keep farming due to their dwindling supplies. When he arrived home and called out to my grandmother she actually fainted. She thought she was hearing the dead. My father was born in Canada a few short years after his father immigrated here.
There exists only one photo of that generation of my family and my own meeting. My grandpa Berts wife who fainted, Dora, holding my older brother as a newborn baby. She died the year after. I wish I had met them.
i think initially the men that went, went to get away, for the adventure ... they really had no idea what they were getting themselves in for ... but when they got dropped into the meat grinder it all became clear. and i believe that a lot thought they are dead already (it's just a matter of time ) ... and they fought on not just to survive but for their brothers next to them ... and they were all afraid but they focused on the mission and for their brothers, and that's how they dealt with their fear ...
but what do i know .. i am just some guy on the internet ...
@@mikem1765 very interesting story Mike ... thanks for sharing
My Marine son recently became a veteran and the relief I felt that day, knowing I would never have a knock at my door with such horrible news, was indescribable.
That's wonderful. Best wishes to you both x
Glad to hear your son made it home and best wishes, prayers, and luck to him for his service
I'm very happy for you!
My daughter did 2 stints in Afghanistan and the one she hated the most the Yugoslavian war. The British Army Review (BAR) has published a Special Report on ‘The Yugoslav Wars’.
a special report chronicles the brutal conflicts that took place in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo after the break up of the former republic of Yugoslavia.
That one line makes me go cold she never talks about it much whereas Afghan double she got on with, I wrote to her constantly and her replies I've kept all these years. So pleased for you that your son is home and after 22 yrs as is my daughter, immeasurably proud of her so thankful she's now like me a Veteran.
I'm happy for u my fellow father, My son sadly didn't make it home from the Vietnam war (I'm on my grandsons account) in the 1960s. His friend told me that my son sacrificed his life to save a medic that was in the open. Hey got shot by an M16 through the head, jaw, leg, and chest. RIP Jackie
Wanna know how accurate that opening was? A Vet was there, saw this movie, and all he said about that scene "All it was missing was the smell".
No matter how many times I see this movie, the medic's death hurt me the most. Made my cry ugly tears
What's also painful that most of these soldiers just graduated high school, they're still practically kids.
There's a song (by Paul Hardcastle - "19" I think) about the Vietnam war that contains a short sound grab, played in the background. "In WW2, the average age of the combat soldier was 26. In Vietnam, he was 19".
if all your buddies are signing up to go overseas and you’re too young, like 16, or 17 you lie about your age you falsify your ID, knowing that almost 80 years ago it was a lot easier to do that than today. I live in Normandy. I’ve been many times to American military cemetery that you see in this movie…. When going to national military cemetery in Arlington national cemetery in Washington DC. You have the soldiers who died in all the wars of the United States the date of death and date of birth.
on the graves in Normandy you only have the dates of death …makes you wonder doesn’t it?
There were certainly plenty of that age, but the average age of the American soldier was mid-20s. Most of the men here are clearly no longer teenagers.
36:38 I think most of us had the same frustrated reaction to Upham at first, and it’s not until we are done with the movie we realized he was paralyzed with fear, he was physically incapable of moving, a condition called Emotional Paralysis, which makes sense since he goes from a desk job to the horrors of war in a very short time span. War is just horrible.
That's why it's so puzzling to me that so many people after watching it, even some previously or currently involved in the military, don't understand that. You'd think they're aware of something like that taking hold of you.
@@reservoirdude92 thats the funny thing about perceptions and concepts. It will dictate how we understand our problems. If we all had a similar problem, the results would hardly be the same. Because of the context of our life and experiences that will change how we view and think about the world are always going to be unique to us alone. Maybe these guys that are judging Upham do know about emotional paralysis and that everyone isnt made for war. They still are not wrong, by definition Upham was a coward for those moments. And its a statement not a judgment.
@@yaze3316 To be clear, war for centuries the way we fight now with armed weapons of mass destruction, that can burn you, shoot you out the sky, beam you from the sea, and kill you up close, blow you to blood and bits, etc is something we humans aren’t made for.
*You don’t leave war, you survive war.*
That is no truer statement than, wars from a century ago to the present.
Everyone is always mad at Yohan and I’m just like “wow that’s exactly what I would do.”
@@yaze3316 yep, he definitely was a coward. Even until the end when he killed that German but still let everyone else off the hook. I don't care what anyone says, the guy made every wrong decision that led to the death of almost the entire squad.
My Grandpa 'Clyde' was in the 'Battle of the Bulge' as a tank commander. He told me a few horrific stories that even his wife didn't even know. 'War is Hell' he would say. This movie was the only movie he and I ever saw together in the theater. He agreed everything was realistic and when those planes came in at the end he shouted 'Angels on our shoulders'. I'll never forget that.
I do live 15 miles away from Hürtgenwald.
There is an amazing documentary about this battle called "You enter germany".
My grandpa was in the wehrmacht and my father told me that in the 50s and 60s he would still scream in his sleeps during some nights, destroying lamps on near his bed while reliving nightmares.
Clint thats a nice story about your grandpa. thanks for sharing.
And Marc, I feel bad for your grandpa's suffering. He must have seen/regreted some terrible things as a German soldier. I hope he found peace.
amazing story ... thanks Clint for sharing ... those people were something special ... greatest generation ...
My mom had a friend named Walter. He was German and served as a tank battallion commander during the war. He deserves a movie.
My mother was one of the women who typed the letter’s informing the parents of the loss of a soldier during WWII. My dad fought in the pacific. He never shared any of his experiences. He only told me where he was. Guadalcanal, Okinawa, and Guam were some of the places he “visited”. They truly were the “Greatest Generation”.
And now Trump is destroying everything they fought for .
Why? The average age of the later drafts was 18. So there where a lot of sixteenyearolds. So your nation sent children to the slaughter in a warvthat wasn't theirs.
And in Iraq they killed hundreds of thousands based on a lie in order to find a scapegoat for 9/11.
And all you guys say ust great and thank you for your service.
Critical thinking never became your strong suit. So even a sad film like this serves as a template for hooray-patriotism and jingoism. Fantastic. 🙄
"Hard times makes strong men. Strong men makes good times. Good times makes weak men. Weak men makes hard times." I agree with you on "the greatest generation", but it also kinda explains why everything is turning out the way it has today. lol!
The way I shuddered when he talked about Upham and said “I feel like he’s gonna come in clutch later”. Literally the most unclutch character I’ve ever seen in a movie or tv show lol
yeah he was the opposite of clutch.
I was serving in the Army at Fort Riley when this movie came out. Some friends and I watched it at the theater but later my comand took a training day and had the entire unit go and see it. Thank you to all my brothers and sisters who have served and are currently serving.
had to take the time to actually write a comment to this as I'm currently stationed there with two weeks left. five years of service have come to an end right here in Junction city. made a vow my career wouldn't end on this installation, but such is life.
I saw saving private Ryan in the theatres five times. The first time was for me. The other four was to watch the crowd.
The fifth time I watched, the theatre was filled with vets, mostly Shriners.
After the movie ended I was able to see there reactions between each other. That moment will always stick out to me. There were tears and hugs and stories and I got to see it. I felt I was a fly on the wall to something special.
The tickets were worth it.
While stationed in Germany I watched this movie in the base theater. Usually when it's a war film you'll hear military folks laughing and critiquing the mistakes that Hollywood gets wrong. This movie you could hear a pin drop from the moment the ramp dropped on the LCI " landing craft infantry" to the end of the movie.
Something I always point out when I see someone reacting to this movie, at the beginning, the two men who get gunned down trying to surrender are speaking in Czech, the translation isn't exact but what they're saying is "please, we had no choice, they have our families", a practice the Germans had was forcing soldiers of conquered nations to fight for them holding their families hostage
When he said "I bet he's gonna come in clutch later" talking about Upham,
all I could think was "This isnt that kind of movie"
I'm sixty years old. I knew several world War two veterans who were still alive when this movie came out. Many of them went to see it. But few were able to stay for the whole movie. To a one, they all told me that the Movie was so realistic that they began experiencing flashbacks. And the emotions were just too strong. I myself was in the Army. I was a Combat MP. And I was good friends with many veterans. From WWII , KOREA, Vietnam, and finally Desert Shield and Desert Storm. I'm glad to see the emotions that this movie caused in you. That by itself tells me, that although you can never grasp what it's like to put your life on the line for your country, you at least understand the sacrifice and valor it takes to do so. And I and every other veteran appreciates that. Too many citizens just don't even consider it and take all their freedoms for granted.
Freedom is never free. It's paid for in blood, sweat and tears of brave Men who paid it's price so that others may live under it's protections.
3:26 - 4:09 When Steven Spielberg and his production researched what happens to you in battle, and what one experiences in war, they purposefully constructed the scene to portray it as accurately as they could (the ringing in the ears; the weird slo-motion feel, etc). What you're seeing here is one of the closest portrayals of what a soldier experiences in battle. It's mind-boggling.
That is so insane! It makes me happy the production team goes that far in depth but it is also absolutely heartbreaking people went through that
@@alexhefnerstvmovievault They had a special screening for WW2 vets and during the D-Day scene many of them got up and left. Spielberg went out to ask them if they didn't like the scene and found them in tears and hugging each other, the PTSD was so bad because it was so accurate. They said the only thing missing was the smell of blood and diesel, and there were a lot more bodies. The beaches of Normandy were stained red for weeks afterwards with all the blood.
Yeah, when I saw the dead fish on the beach along with the soldiers' bodies, I couldn't help but imagine that they interviewed a bunch of veterans, and one casually remarked about the dead fish, and someone jotted that down, and then there they were, dead fish and dead soldiers on the beach, right there in the movie.
@@alexhefnerstvmovievault The only big inaccuracy in the beach landing scene is that the real thing went on for 5 hours, not 20 mins. Just grok that for a minute...
@@MrHws5mp That and the solders getting shot under water. In reality water would slow the bullet down to a stop after a meter or so.
My Grandad was a medic on Omaha Beach. I never knew that until I was in my late teens. He never talked about it. Only time I ever seen where he talked about it was he was interviewed in the late 80's by a local Newspaper that was doing a feature about D-Day. After hearing what he went through, I realized why he never talked about it. Also, that was probably the reason he was a heavy drinker most of his later life.
So was mine, Pacific theater
I saw this the day before it opened at a special screening for veterans in Greenville, SC. There were 25 WW2 vets in the theater. 5 American, 1 Canadian, and amazingly 1 German who were there. After the movie these 7 men were embraced by every man and woman in the room.
Hey Alex, as a veteran who was overseas, this movie hits hard. The part where Cpt was saying he was a school teacher and felt further from home with each shot, I feel that. I was a musician before the army and since deploying haven't touched an instrument in over a decade. I served as a mortuary affairs specialist for 10 years. Been out for almost three years now and just haven't been able to mentally leave that part of my life behind. I think that's why I waited so long to watch this reaction of yours. I knew it would drag up memories and feelings. But all in all, thank you for reacting to this masterpiece and providing an escape from the day to day. Keep it up.
Visiting Arlington National Cemetery and witnessing the seemingly endless white parallel grave markers is one of the most moving things I have ever experienced. I was 14 in 1998 when I visited, but the image in my memory is as clear as if it was yesterday.
There are over 400,000 American military veterans buried there. I wish I could individually thank them all for their service to our country.
God bless you veterans!
Upham was an excellent character. Really highlighted that inevitably not everyone will be capable of war, and conscripting those who aren't into combat situations can cost lives. Love you Alex, let's raise a glass for peace.
Kind of crazy that Upham went on to play Balder in God of War. Crazy good actor.
"So many people lost their lives, so many people were killed from the war, and even the people that came home, the War still killed them..."
Storytime: My grandfather was in Northern Europe during WWII (not D-Day, he was sent over in the waves of men afterward) and did two tours in Korea during the Korean War. My dad has worked a regular day job most of his life, but finally living out his dream to make an album of original music. One of his songs is about my grandfather (and other veterans) who struggle after returning home. No joke, the lyrics to the last verse are,
"My father was a warrior, killed but left alive.
He came home, but he didn't survive.
Captured by the nightmare,
We call the American Dream,
and I don't know if he ever got free.
Did he ever get free?"
The PTSD the survivors dealt with (and modern veterans still deal with) was absolutely soul-crushing.
The short piece of lyrics you shared instantly brought tears to my eyes. So true they are. Veterans nowadays and past vets have never been appreciated. If they were they would the serious aftercare after being through some serious and mental situations. Not a vet but like you my grandfather was in pacific during ww2.
@@stephencaveney4840 Thank you for the comment. So many people are touched by war, whether directly or indirectly (by relatives). We owe it to each other to be kind and seek understanding, and, ultimately, to seek freedom for our veterans.
The first battle scene of Omaha Beach was condensed into like half an hour but the real battle lasted over 8 hrs and over 3000 american soldiers died in the battle. D Day was a much larger scale than just the beach landings as there is a miniseries done by Spielberg and Hanks called Band of Brothers that follows some of the paratroopers that landed in Normandy the night/morning before.
To answer the question about the rifles each soldier had, Capt Miller had the Thompson sub machine gun, Sgt Horvath had a Carbine rifle (M1 or M12 Carbine), Rieben had a BAR-Browning Automatic Rifle, Jackson had an M1903 Springfield sniper rifle and the rest had M1 Garand rifle's.
Horvath also pulled a 1911 on Rieban
@@johnbuck3374 yeah, that’s the pistol later on. He had asked about the rifles they had
M1903 😍 I fired one years ago and wow. Just. Wow.
My Grandfather was one of the pilots that flew the paratroopers to drop in the night before.
Actually the battle at Omaha was 5 hours+ not 8 hours. The paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines prior to the invasion also went wrong, many were misdropped to other areas rather than their designated drop zones. I also heard that it was quite scary for some of them bcoz machine gun bullets and anti-aircraft rounds were flying into the air while they are parachuting down.
Tom hanks crying in this film was one of the most touching film scenes i have ever watched. What a great actor.
i love how empathetic alex is in movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump and Shawshank Redemption, just shows what kind of person you are, Alex you are my favourite youtuber for this reason, you're probably not going to see this but i love you man, so much
I served in the Army during the "Cold War", and after war games in West Germany I stopped at a WW1 American military cemetery in Belgium, the grounds were immaculate, all of the grave markers in perfect symmetry. I knew no one there, had no direct connection to any of the fallen and cried like a 10 year old girl.
I joined the Army in 1987, turned 21 in basic training. Spent 2 years in Germany, went to Ft. Hood, Desert Sheild and Desert Storm. 2003-04, downtown Baghdad. None of it is good.
There's a military graveyard in my town for the British, and one a few miles over for German soldiers. The only graveyard in our country of that kind. Both are impeccably clean. There's always flowers. Even those German soldiers mostly were normal guys, sent into hell. Treat all the fallen soldiers with respect.
I spent 6 years of my life in active war zones. Didn't feel a thing until I got back home. Then it hit. That's how it goes.
@@chairmanofthebored6860 I hope you will find your Peace...
@@zulawoo It's one if the things a lot of people don't realise - there were obviously radical sociopaths in the German Army - the SS being the obvious ones, but a large chunk of German forces in WWII were conscripts from occupied countries like Poland, Czechoslovakia etc. Those guys didn't have a choice and didnt want to be there either.
When the medic says "smell that leg there, find out if it's south of cheese," he is getting the other's opinion on whether or not the wound is significantly infected. Due to limited supplies, they triage the wounded so infection could be the difference between cleaning & closing or amputating. So if it's "south of cheese" it's more pungent than cheese and significantly infected.
If you ever have experience with large, serious, traumatic injuries (and I hope you don't) there's no mistaking the smell of infection - usually like a very oderous cheese or almonds or something like that.
Kind of smells like death. That never leaves your sinuses.
First time I smelled death was my great-grandmother, and I was 8. She died from gangrene, but not before it took her leg. Something like that, once you recognize it, you know it instantly the next time it hits you and makes your blood run cold.
@@littleredhen8205nope. That smell is instantly recognized anywhere. I was a medic in the military for 4 years and an emt for 8, then I worked in organ procurement for 2. You get used to it but you never forget it.
The opening landings scene, when Hanks’ character stops hearing and looks around at all these different scenes (the guy licking up his arm, the flamethrower getting blown up, etc) were stories told to Spielberg from vets who were actually there and any specific memories they had that day. Didn’t all happen in one spot like that, but they are accurate anecdotes for the landings in general along the 5 Normandy beaches.
32:28
"i love how calm Captain is"
You just answered your own question about what the big deal about Tom Hanks' hand shaking half the movie.
The men need to see that he is calm and that his nerves aren't shot to hell.
That fear and anxiety will permeate through the rest of the unit if you see your leader not being able to keep it together.
Great reaction. I ran out of fingers and toes to count your "OMG's"....lol.
I went to theaters and saw this with my dad , It was the first time i saw him cry... Now that im older and understand how precious life is war movies make me cry too.
Both my Grandfather and Great Uncle were part of D-Day in France, Gpa was an American GI and my GU was a Canadian Sgt.
M1 Garand with most, 1903 Springfield for the US Sniper , M1 Carbine for the Sgt , Thompson submachine gun M1A1 for Capt Miller , Browning automatic rifle (BAR) for the one guy.
About Upham - there's the fight/flight response that everyone knows about, but there's also a 3rd thing the body can do which is feeeze. In humans this isn't generally 'playing dead' like some animals do, but can be basically what happened to Upham. Also since he wasn't combat experienced it was possibly the first time it happened to him, but over time he could have got past it.
Ive seen people freeze and shake uncontrollably with fear
I always wonder if this character was named after Charles Upham. If so, then it is the exact opposite of the real person.
Upham is just a cowered
He didn't just lack combat experience, he literally never got combat training.
@@baronfriday989 No one:
Normal Soldier: Don't know who/enemy name, don't care
Upham: The first blood/kill is someone he know 💀 (at least he get some combat experience for that)
Fun fact: Matt Damon's story about his brothers was completely improvised.
My dad was in Vietnam. He was a Seabee. Most of my life he's never really talked about it and in moments when it came up and got serious, he always just had this distant pained look in his eyes he never really had to say much of anything I knew it was bad. However, he's always loved to talk about the guys he served with and the shenanigans they'd get up to, his young silly Cassanova moments, and all the travel ya know the good stuff in between. He enlisted at 17 and stands by that choice to this day. I'm proud of him always will be, and when I think about how the troops who made it back my dad included were treated with such disrespect and hatefulness it makes me sick. They didn't deserve that. Every war EVER fought in the history of the world has been brutal and disturbing no one ever really gets away unscathed, but they do what they feel they have to, to survive to succeed and they should be appreciated for that. People I think have come to see that more over the years and when someone sees my dad and recognizes that he's served and they come over to him and ask to shake his hand and thank him, I can't tell just how much that means to me and I'm sure to him. It hits hard and the pride and bittersweetness I feel knowing that he's earned that, and that it wasn't easy I just thank God he made it home and that he's my dad. Hope you're well Alex, take care man.
As a veteran, I can basically guarantee there is a huge amount of survival remorse in that beginning scene.
My grandfather, Irving Cohen, was a GI. I wish I remembered the details better, but I believe he was awarded a medal for bravery during WW2. An ammo truck caught fire in camp, so he drove it off a cliff, jumping out of the cabin before it went over. RIP Grandpa... see you again someday. ❤
That's so fucking badass
I saw this in the theater, and when the credits started you could hear a pin drop. Very few if any left until the end of the credits. When the list of cast members started everyone stood and gave a standing ovation. Some of the older men and even younger ones even saluted the cast. The movie and the response was epic. Nothing I've seen before or since can compare.
My dad and uncles were in WWII and I was a Marine and I can't watch this movie or even this reaction without tearing up. I currently work a VA hospital and if you want to know war effects people this is it. Within the last ten years we have gotten tons of Vietnam vets who are finally seeking help. I've talked with many in group therapy. The reason they getting help only now is because they are retiring and there is no place to get away from it anymore. I'm from Michigan and so most of these guys worked at auto plants. They talk about bad relationships with kids and wives because they worked every chance they could. Stayed late, did overtime, weekends anything to avoid having to deal with the trauma they felt. The younger people we are trying to get in now from more recent wars and they are the same way they avoid everything not to talk about it. I work with a few guys who were there and only a few will talk about it. Even then it's mostly about how hot is was and not the real stuff they need to talk about. If you have a vet in your family be there for them and cherish them.
In a similar vein, PTSD is why Frodo couldn't stay in the Shire (from LotR). He just wasn't able to live in the idyllic Shire anymore. Tolkien saw many of his friends die in battle and it influenced his writing.
One of my favorite stories about the making of this film.
The entire crew had to go through a basic training type boot camp. All except for Matt Damon. He was allowed to skip it. Spielberg did that because the soldiers were supposed to be resentful to Ryan when they found him. So he made sure to kick their butts for the entire boot camp, knowing Damon didn't have to do any of it so they actually were angry with him when they got to filming that part lol.
It was Dale Dye who put them through the boot camp, they were also tired and hungry with little sleep as well to give the haggard look
I wanted to help you out on a couple of your comments and questions. 1. The opening scene is fillmed exactly where these men fought and died, Normandy beach. That memorial is a sobering reminder of what the horrors of war are all about. The crosses and Star of David markers seem like they go on forever and that does not include the Wehrmacht casualties! 2. The rifles you asked about were the American M-1 Garand, which was the f1st semi-automatic rifle fielded as the main battle rifle for a major power. All the others fielded bolt-action rifles (one that requires that you actuate the bolt to eject and reload the weapon after each round is fired.)including the German Mauser K98, the British Lee Enfield, and the Russian Mosin Nagant. This was an incredibly important weapon in the war and it certainly played a massive role in the ultimate victory. You could simply keep pulling the trigger until the stripper clip that held 8 rounds was empty. No bolt action. No need to adjust your aim after moving the bolt, and much faster firing. It fired a full sized rifle round and it was a heavy bitch compared the the new M4's used now. The other gun you saw Vin Diesel using was the Browning BAR which was the squad light machine gun which is used on place of the modern SAW weapon used today. The infantry used tactics that worked well with these weapons and they were quite a bit different from the German Schützen squad tactic whic relied on Hitler's "chainsaw" (MG42 or MG34 for the Fallschirmjäger troops) to lay down a wall of suppresive fire while the riflemen flanked their oppenents where possible. the average squad infantryman in the US platoons had a better firepower even with the MG42 on the other side. 3. The clerk turned infantryman character's behavior was actually quite a bit more common than not as after the war and after the mass attack tactics used by the Chinese in Korea, the Army concluded that the average infantryman did not carry the fight to the enemy in almost 85% of the time. So we had 15% of the hard chargers really making the attacks. This number required new training menhods to change and through poop up silouette training by the Vietnam war we moved to 75% of the troops fighting.The aftereffects were horrific and PTSD started to really permeate the ranks were as prior the hindividuals that were "built' for compartmentalizing that is necessary to fight in a war didn't have as many problems when they came home.
This is the first video of yours I've seen, but I'm glad you went into this movie with a respect for what's going on. Really could tell these were honest reactions, and it was definitely clear you got what the film was all about. Mad respect man.
Some people in here have recommended Band of Brothers for you to watch next, and that series is seriously some of the best television I've ever seen, but I also wanna recommend you The Pacific (if you can stomach it). Both of those shows are very honest looks into the second world war based on the accounts of real people, and they're masterfully done. All the best man!
I've watched both of those series. Band of Brothers is amazing. The Pacific is amazing as well but alot darker. I'd recommend them both
@@traviscarrier1342 yeah The Pacific is really a story about one of the epochal tragedies of human history. It is not for the faint of heart but it's a very important story that needed to be told
I've seen this movie many times before and I'm always left speechless and with tears in my eyes from it. The acting, the directing, the cinematography. It's all on point to create one of the very best war movies out there.
The first time I saw this movie in the theater I was practically paralyzed at the end. I couldn't move from my seat. I still recall several audiences teared up. What makes this movie effective is that it sure makes us feel humbled and appreciative of what little things we have. Even though we have no luxury whatsoever, we're lucky in a way that we're still living and we owe it to them in a way.
May they rest in peace.
My father was in the army during the Korean War, I was on a submarine during the cold war, my son was a Marine Scout sniper and my daughter was in the Navy as a fire control technician. I appreciate all who served. This is probably the best war movie ever, and the fact that it lost best movie Oscar to freaking Shakespeare in Love is a travesty of justice.
I'm no american, sir. But i respect what you did for your country. Hope you do good in life.
A late fact. Upham's character is supposed to represent all of the countries that saw the sign's of what Hilter was doing before the War started. Examples before the War like, when Hilter began re-militarizing Germany, re-militarizing the Rhineland (which was de-militarized after World War 1) and occupying small countries. Larger countries (mainly France and Great Britain) did nothing to stop what was going on.
These are portrayed in the movie by Upham when he was watching them storm the radar site and he just watched. When they captured the German soldier he fought to have the German released and not killed (you can hear him saying thank you to the Captain for letting him go). And finally when he was slowly walking up the stairs as Mellish was being attacked, he again did nothing to help save Mellish.
I fought in Iraq many years ago. While I was deployed my mother came home from work to find two soldiers in Class A's walking up to her door. She immediately panicked, sure she was about to hear that I'd been killed. I'd already been wounded a few months earlier, and she'd been a wreck ever since. When she started breaking down and crying as she approached them, one of them noticed the blue star in her living room window and realized what she thought was happening. Turns out they were on their way to an event in a nearby neighborhood and had gotten lost. They were just going to knock on her door and ask for directions. She still talks about that to this day, nearly fifteen years later.
I hope you realized you were used like many other young men to go to a private war for the rich to get even richer.
@@traderbychoice7560 we do, we don’t like to be reminded of it. Especially by people who _weren’t_ sent to a private war to make the rich even richer.
@@traderbychoice7560 show some respect for those who served to keep you free and able to sit there and flap your ignorant jaw like that.
Even though this movie is loosely based on a true story, I would recommend "Hacksaw Ridge", it is the true story of Desmond Doss, a combat medic who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, as a conscientious objector who never fired a weapon during the battle of Okinawa.
The dude who had the grenade go off by his ear is Opie from Sons of Anarchy! And Beta from Walking Dead
What?!?! I knew he was Beta, but I didn’t know he was Opie!! 🤯
I didn't recognize him he's so young in this movie I love Sons of Anarchy and Walking Dead
@Scott Allen Ryan Hurst.... aka Gerry Bertier
@@dawnburris6412 yes he will always be Opie for me!! My favorite character ever 😎❤️
And the voice of Thor in the upcoming video game God of War: Ragnarok.
I just watched your reaction to one of my favorite movies of all time. The first time I saw this movie was in August 1999 when I first arrived in the United Kingdom at my second base in the Air Force. Needless to say, 6 months later, I deployed to the desert. As an Air Force and Army veteran, and now 46 years of age, I want to say thank you for your true genuineness to not just this movie but to all of your movies. You really do bring a brighter side to all of the chaos and craziness to this world. Thank you for what you do and how you continue to reach people of all walks of life.
My grandfather shared only one story about fighting in the trenches in Germany. He told me how he came face to face with a German soldier. They looked at each other for a few seconds before the German soldier said “good American.” I asked what happened next and my grandfather replied, “well I’m still here.” I never understood as a kid why he wouldn’t share more. Seeing movies like this help me understand why now as an adult. Whenever he was sleeping in his room, you had to stand at the bedroom door and call his name until he woke up because if he sensed anyone near him he came up fighting. After he returned home my grandparents had to sleep in separate beds. Thank you to every person that has served!
The Omaha Beach sequence was apparently so well done it gave veterans in the audience flashbacks & PTSD...
I believe that 100%
And many of them couldn't finish the movie and walked out. Not saying I blame them.
I believe they have flashbacks and anxiety attacks. But PTSD is what they already had, not something the movie gave them.
Went to see this in theaters, as a senior in high school. The beach scene made me puke into the popcorn. I had to wait a few weeks before returning to finish the film.
One veteran said that he actually smelled diesel gas during the opening scene and had to leave. Heavy stuff
I was 12 when this came out in theaters and still remember sitting through it the first time, and my small mind was absolutely blown. This movie single handedly sparked a huge interest in WW2 era history for me. An absolute masterpiece.
Irresponsible parents letting a 12 year old watch this.
@@deckzone3000 This was real. It actually happened. I was exposed to this at around the same age and it put into perspective for the first time just how much was sacrificed for our freedoms. It made me abhor violence, and cherish life.
@@deckzone3000 Irresponsible?
@@DontbeaGoof There's a lot of real things that small kids don't need to see.
As a Marine, when I watched this movie the opening sequence scared the shit out of me.
While I never served in combat, our training during peacetime is as close as you can get. Short of getting shot or blown up, it's all there. The sights, sounds, smells are all there.
I've served with a number of Marines who served in Nam and my old man, Army, was there during the Tet offensive in 1967-1968.
THE scene where all the landing craft are hitting the beaches was shot in Co Wexford Ireland and most of the extras were soldiers from the Irish army .. I read that an awful lot of GI vets who went to see it at the movies were moved to tears so realistic were the landing scenes which brought back so many memories to them ..
This opening scene hits so hard. Reading a story one time of where they invited WWII come preview the movie before it was released to the public and they said that in the first 5 minutes of them they actually had to get up and leave. That you had 80 90 year old men we're just in tears walking out of the theater at the opening moments
20 years ago, a lightning bolt struck next to me and the bang was so loud that I heard nothing for 1-2 minutes, then for about a quarter of an hour little and muffled and for about 2 weeks slightly muffled, like after the disco. This was illustrated here with these quiet scenes, after a bomb explosion, where only a faint tinitus sound could be heard!
"Earn This" was also kind of Tom Hanks/ John Miller talking to us the viewers to Earn The freedom we got for what all the soldiers sacrificed to give us during WW2. Best WW2 movie ever made.
My great grandfather served in WW2, fighting against the Soviet in Finland during the Finnish Winter War
Koti, uskonto, ja isänmaa! :) My Finnish relatives fought and died for the US in WW2, just one generation into citizenship. I’m so happy how similarly respectful the Finns still are for the sacrifices made in the Patriotic War!
@@jaredrobbins4440 I believe the Soviets and Russians call their WW2 actions “patriotic war”, in Finland we talk about Winter War and Continuation War.
America won their freedom in the Revolutionary War, not WW2.
Just wanna say thx to all veterans of the USA idc if you’re in army, Air Force, marines, navy or national guard. Idc if you served and lived idc if you served and never saw combat or even never fired your weapon. You served and got an honorable discharge… you get my respect and I have some family members who served that always know that I’ve gotten nuthin but respect for your service
The crazy think about that opening scene, THat was about 30 minutes in movie time. In reality, they hit the beach at 6am and didn't get off the beach until 4 pm. They were stuck there for that long because they couldn't get through the obstacles on Omaha. Eisenhower nearly evacuated them and D-day would have failed.
My grandfather survived the Invasion Of Normandy beach. He never spoke of it, but I kinda know one story and it's sort of in the opening scene.
I know he was there with his best friend who jumped on a grenade to save my grandfather's life. He didn't even die right away, and my grandfather stopped fighting amidst a hail of bullets and explosions to try and put his friends intestines back inside his chest cavity. My grandfather passed away almost 20 years ago, but I was always told to never bring up WWII. I always wondered how he survived not just that day, but his entire time there when most everyone died. The few that did must have the most horrifying stories and must be equally brave telling those stories just as much as experiencing them.
I remember my great-uncle Bill who served in WWII. A lot of the time, he wouldn't look at anything. It was like he was talking to someone on the phone or trying to remember something. He'd get this blank, unfocused stare, and then he'd hum. To this day I have no idea what he was humming, but whenever he did, he looked far away. It was a past he wanted to forget as desperately as he wanted to remember. I don't know what he saw or what happened to him, but that look? I'll never forget it as long as I live.
The thing that gets me about Upham is that he was afraid to kill. I'm sure he was afraid to die, sure, but his breakdown came when he realized that he would have had to kill to save Mellish. Wasn't until Steamboat Willie killed Captain Miller that his heart hardened enough for him to do what needed to be done.
Dudes a coward!
@@fishinman539 He's a human being.
@@fishinman539 It's easy for us to say that because to us we're only seeing him from the audience's perspective. But in real life, it's a different story.
I got to admit. I would be him. I was in the Forces once and just to be in training alone is daunting. I cannot imagine to be deployed in such a situation.
@@cirrustate8674 so was every other soldier fighting lol
When I saw this film in the theater when it was first released 24 years ago it was without a doubt the most emotionally impactful thing I had ever seen (and nothing so far has surpassed it in that respect). As we were leaving the theater after the end of the film I saw an older gentleman who was also leaving and he was wearing a cap indicating he was a WWII veteran. He had tears in his eyes as did I and I offered my hand and thanked him for his service. It seemed not nearly enough. I have never watched "Saving Private Ryan" again since that day - I just don't think I could take it. If you have not yet seem it I highly recommend "We Were Soldiers" starring Mel Gibson - similar reality and emotional impact. You will be moved.
Saving Private Ryan is one of my top movies to watch and recommend. Your reaction video is also the best I've seen for this particular movie. (and I've watched many) The movie is an eye-opener and I'm glad you appreciated its intent. I remember when it came out and I watched it in the theater, after the movie ended there was complete silence in the theater. Nobody moved for several minutes. It was as if the entire audience gave a moment of silence for all of the fallen soldiers.
I was stationed in Germany for a joint warfighter exercise when this movie came out on post. The theater was packed with U.S., French, German and British soldiers and marines. Normally when a theater empties, there's lots of chatter. There was not so much as a cough during the entire showing and as the theater emptied, it was pure silence, all of us looking at each other with tears and respect.
I'm 51. My dad was born in 1930. About a month before he died I asked him what it was like growing up in this time. He told me a story about his dad who had served in WWI.
He'd just listened to the news on the radio. It was sometime in the summer of 1941. And my dad remembered him sitting out on the back porch and crying. It was clear what was coming. It was clear what was happening and what would happen to millions of young men.
I remember commenting that nothing like that had really happened in my life. We had this conversation in July 2001.
Don't wish for big history. You might get it!
Your final reactions nail it - speechless - no words. War is hell is not even an irony here. Spielberg truly captured the nightmare fuel of battle and the epic costs of lives lost (and those doomed to live in the aftermath). Dude I saw this openign day in NYC's late, great Ziegfeld Theatre (a movie palace no more) and the opening 20 min. D-Day sequence you could hear a pin drop in the audience - beyond transfixed and gutted. Hanks' Miller's tremor is obviously from the toll it took (seeing him FINALLY breakdown silently away from his men is devestating). "On the level" means are you being truthful with me. Barry Pepper is the actor who plays Jackson the skillful sniper (he'd go on to co-star w/Hanks again in THE GREEN MILE - a must see too). The major giving Hanks the mission is the late, great Dennis Farina.
the scene where Matt damen and tom Hanks are sitting down talking and Matt is talking about his brothers and laughing. was completely improvised by Damen.
From someone who's done the whole military thing. My ears were ringing for two weeks after a flash grenade went boom in a small room I was in.
And nothing, and I mean NOTHING is better than a pair or clean, dry socks. Didn't get feeling back in both of my big toes after at least three years after I lost it. Super cold above the Arctic circle during winter. That's all I'll say. Haha.
Oh, quick edit. On the wall of the building entering our camp, it said "hell isn't warm, it's fucking cold", in Norwegian of course. Pretty accurate if you ask me.
There is a terrific film called "The Best Years of Our Lives," that came out right after WWII that touched on PTSD, even though it wasn't called that yet. It featured a man named Harold Russell, who lost both hands in the Army and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Whether you decide to do a reaction or just watch on your on time, Band of Brothers is a must watch. Amazingly written, awesome cast, sensational camera work, and the cast is based on real soldiers that briefly give testimonials before each episode. Spielberg and Hanks produced it after this film came out. I watch it at least once a year because it is just that good.
I seen this for the first time in theatres sitting on the front row no less and that D-Day scene ... DUDE, that sh*t blew me away. I was NOT ready. 😳
I wasn’t either bro! Holy shit! FRONT ROW?!?! My gosh that’s insane
I was 2/3 of the way to the back of the theater and found myself with my fists near my chin, shaking uncontrollably, not having blinked for minutes on end. I cried so hard at the realization that family members had endured such things. They NEVER talked about combat. My heart aches for them and every young person thrown into a hell like that even now.
@@alexhefnerstvmovievault Yeah...same here, saw it first day it came out...though I was not in the front row...I think it was the first time I wished I had brought tissues to a movie. For my part, I start to choke up as soon as I see the first grave marker in the Normandy American Cemetery whenever I watch this movie. ✌
Oh, and Alex...do not be too upset about that soldier that took off his helmet at 5:45 even if he had been wearing it, that bullet would have gone right through. Helmets in WW2 could not stop bullets except under pretty rare circumstances...there are several film shots before that one that clearly show bullets going right through the helmets. In fact, if you watch it back, you will note that the reason that guy took off his helmet in the first place, was to look at the two holes that the first shot had just made as it went though his helmet TWICE but somehow managed to not his his head inside it. 💯✌
I second that. Almost had been too late. Got the last ticket and just made it smack dead in the middle of the front row to the faded image of the flag. And then all hell broke loose. Without a doubt one of the best movies EVER.
You have about the same reaction to this I did seeing it in the theater. I watched it alone and then went home in silence. It was a gut wrenching movie.
I haven't served, but I did study military history for my BA (and largely the WWII era). I can vouch that you can find stories like what is shown in this movie for pretty much everything that happened. That includes guys freezing up, surrendering soldiers being shot (on all sides), the chaos and brutality of battle, everything.
I remember this movie finally helping me understand why my grandfather never wanted to talk about his experiences fighting in WW2.
"The entire movie and I'm literally sitting here, and I'm like.... it's not a normal movie reaction." That makes sense, Alex, because Saving Private Ryan is not a normal film.
Upham was based on real experiences. From stories of veterans who witnessed men freeze instead helping a man less then foot away while they cried for help.
There was a interview with one of the veteran consultants where he told his similar experience.
The Dday scene was so well researched, shot, and portrayed that veterans of Dday, and wwii in general when watching this movie reported that it actually triggered ptsd flashbacks of the war for them. That is how authentic to the horrors those brave men faced this movie is
Hey Alex. Appreciate your reaction to the movie. This one is a wild roller coaster of a film. Seen it probably ten or twenty times since it released in 1998.
Appreciate your raw emotion regarding death and the violence and confusion that is combat. I served in the Army from 2017-2021 in a Armor Unit. I was on the M1A2 SepV2/V3 Abrams Tank.
That whole experience watching this film growing up and listening to the stories from my father, uncles and grandparents that have served in previous Wars really paints a picture that freedom and the price of living in a free world is so very costly a sacrifice. Leaving home to a conflict where you step off into the unknown is such a surreal and eye opening experience.
one of the stories that really stuck with me was from my dad listening to his dad talk about his Vietnam experiences in the Navy while attached as a Corpsman to a Seal platoon in the 1960s/70s.
My grandfather was never a Seal but he earned his trident just through the sheer valor and self sacrifice when he went down in several different chopper crashes during his time in Vietnam, one such incident was over the Laos border. Pilots both killed, most of his small unit was flung from the chopper as it was crashing. My grandfather was knocked out from the crash came to and his entire platoon was dead besides him. He suffered a bayonet wound to his upper chest by a Vietcong guerilla or North Vietnamese soldier sticking him. Thinking he was dead, he awoke patched himself up and then proceeded to pick up all his platoon mates corpses off the ground and from what little details we know; he carried them to a safe spot and then crawled his way back to friendly lines just to get another chopper to come pick up everyone's bodies from that wrecked helicopter. Incredibly surreal experiences. Hardly talked about it when he got home, never took his shirt off either. He would only talk about what happened when he got drunk, and even that was a rare occurrence. My grandmother actually had a little tape recorder of my grandfather and his other navy buddies in Saigon during the Tet Offensive in 1968. He was on top of a hospital or embassy or some such building; drunk as a skunk watching the marines on the ground fight it out with attacking guerilla forces, seeing the Red and green tracer fire flying back and forth as hes drinking beer and smoking. just hanging out on a rooftop.
Incredibly sobering experiences that i hope; paint some sort of picture as to the sacrifice and struggles that veterans come home with.
he was a short man 5'2" lived a long life, passed away in 2002 from lung cancer.
I have not had the privilege of serving in a Combat Zone; even though i was in a Combat MOS i was a 19Kilo - M1A2 Abrams Crewman. - I did see my fair share of fucked up shit; seen people die in training accidents, been to one too many funerals for my unit. Even though we're not actively engaged in a combat zone currently there is still so much danger and risk involved with just training. We have had people die from Vehicle roll over's. Suicide, drunk driving, impaired driving from sleep. Like i had a friend of mine lose his fingers in California at the National training center when the Hatch on the tank came swinging down after hitting a ditch and making his hand into a pile of mincemeat.
Its a really sobering experience being in the military and experiencing the loss and sheer emotional turmoil that is associated with just being exposed to everything that could go wrong. I actually have hearing loss and suffered a TBI from when the Main gun of the Tank went off during an offensive engagement - i was driving and my hatch popped open due to a faulty locking mechanism. and i could not hear anything; so just dealing with that has been interesting to say the least. But there are a lot more people messed up way more than me; especially combat vets. i cant respect them enough. -
Thank you again Alex for reacting to this movie. it really sets the tone for initiating a conversation about traumatic experiences and the loss you feel in combat and being in the military. Appreciate you brother.
I wasn't in the military (Viet Nam period), but a new movie theater had just opened about a mile from our home when this movie came out. My wife and I walked to see this movie, and walked home completely in silence...then, for no apparent reason, we had a big argument at home, but neither of us can remember what it was about. Our nerves were just so on edge. I've seen this movie several times, and I cry each time.
Had several family that served in WWII, even an uncle who was Killed in Pattons army. He was in a tank. I recall my grandma talking about him, her mom received one of those telegrams, I can't even begin to imagine what that had to be like for her and her family. This movie should be a reminder of the price that was paid so we can be free today. I know this world is crazy right now and these are crazy times, but we can't forget. Solid reaction man.
One of the best movies ever made IMO. Still gets me quite emotional. But if you're trying to get on a war movie trend, Fury, Lone Survivor, American Sniper and Hacksaw Ridge are really good ones just to mention a few.
Absolutely. I was actually thinking of those movies as I watched this reaction.
Great lineup of movies right there.
I can get through most those movies, this one included, but hacksaw always get me to break down and cry a bit. Everytime
@@versecontro4898 Yeah, as much as I believe Fury is a great movie, I can't help but walk away angry and crying at the end. Fury, The Patriot, Les Miserables, and Hacksaw Ridge always make me cry.
@@BB-BA55akaMR-BLEGH Fury is like red dawn for me lol. The 2012 not the 80's one but it always makes me wanna stop what I'm doing and enlist while I'm watching it.
14:23 Most of the infantry had M1 Garands. IIRC sometimes you see one of them with the smaller M1 Carbine instead. Sergeant Horvath carries an M1 Carbine exclusively. Jackson (the sniper) has an M1903 Springfield. Captain Miller carries an M1A1 Thompson submachine gun. And Reiben (the support gunner) has a B.A.R. (Browning Automatic Rifle), a light machine gun.
19:16 Infected wounds smell horrible.
26:55 "On the level" means true / confirmed.
Just for some medical education...the smelling of the wound was an indication of gangrene and will often mean amputation. It is a horrible smell for sure. I would love to have a M1 Garand but they are very expensive now. I wish I would have bought one 20+ years ago.
15:43 ish.... that sniper shot through the scope was based off of a Vietnam War sniper named Carlos Hathcock who made that shot against a Viet Cong sniper
Thank you for covering this movie Alex. Two years after this great film came out, my grandfather passed away from cancer in 2000. He enlisted in 1942 (age 20-21) & served in the 5th Ranger Battalion that trained in Tennesee. Eventually shipped out to Britain in late 1943/early 1944 in preparation for Operation Overlord. Trained in Special Cliff Operations in the Highlands of Scotland in early 1944 alongside his fellow Rangers (plus other Allied/UK Special forces) before D-Day.
On June 6th, 1944, he subsequently climbed the cliffs of Point du Hoc. He had to carry his BAR into battle in rough terrain under heavy fire, search & eventually destroy the German Howitzers that greatly saved thousands of his fellow countrymen on the beaches.
As history goes, the Rangers had to traverse miles of the French countryside for the repositioned guns after hours of naval & air bombardment prior to the invasion forced the Germans back from Point du Hoc. My grandfather was one man out of 75 men (out of 225 Rangers, 67% of the unit were wounded or killed) who was able to reach the top of Point du Hoc & keep on fighting beyond the Longest Day. Played a part of Operation Cobra in the breakout out of Normandy.
Into the battle of Saint-Lo in July 1944, he got wounded when a piece of mortar shrapnel hit his leg (from his calf to above his ankle) & took him out of action. The 29th Infantry Battalion alongside another American division with small groups of Army Rangers (intermix of the remaining 2nd & 5th Ranger Battalions) took massive losses from German artillery destroying the town. My grandfather would have met his end at Saint-Lo, but thankfully he had a guardian angel over him.
Over the years, I was told by my father & my aunt that after he got wounded, my grandfather was saved by a Sherman Tank Crew from the 747th Independent tank division that came to support the 29th Infantry division to take ruins of Saint-Lo & were attempting to gather all the wounded GIs during the course of the battle.
It's still very unclear how many were saved on that day alongside my grandfather, but as a result of them saving lives, the Sherman Tank Commander was the only casualty while gathering up the wounded men under heavy fire.
Due to their courageous actions, my grandfather lived, was able to go home to raise a family, & eventually serve as a police officer (SGT) for nearly 25 years until he retired in 1978. He got the Bronze Star for his heroic actions on D-Day & 2 Purple Hearts in the Fall of 1944.
In both civilian life & his long days in law enforcement, he had to take small amounts of morphine (inside a capsule attached to a sliver neck chain around his neck) every day due to the wounds he received in the war until his last days on this earth. A reminder of the sacrifices he made in the defense of America, her people & the liberation of Europe.
My grandfather's mother was a German immigrant & orphan who came to America in the 1890s when her homeland (early German Empire) was facing some social destabilization. My grandfather had no ill will against the majority of the German troops he fought against in the Liberation of France. He always respected the Germans (the Wehrmacht/cousins) for their military leadership, combat efficiency & historical discipline.
He absolutely hated the Nazi idealogy, who only represented Hitler & a few thousand people in the SS divisions that committed the Holocaust.
Like everyone else who first watched the movie, I began to truly understand & greatly appreciate the sacrifices my grandfather & the millions of soldiers made in WWII. That includes the common German Soldier (non-SS/Nazi) who fought not for Hitler, but for their family & their country.
This film will always be one of my favorite films about WWII despite some of its flaws. I always got emotional at the end of the film when Miller tells Ryan that "Earn this" & it cuts to Ryan asking his wife if he was a good man. My grandfather never ever saw Saving Private Ryan in the last years of his life (did like the movie The Longest Day), but like most veterans, he would have attempted to avoid seeing the horrors of war again.
I am immensely grateful to have known him before his passing & I am proud to be his grandson. This is a story I like to share with those who have first watched this film and Band of Brothers.
If I had to create a title to describe his WWII story, it would be called...
"Liberation at the Gates"
The scene with the mother receiving the news destroys me every time I see it. As a Father, I can't begin to comprehend how that would feel.
I remember seeing this at the cinema when it first came out. The surround sound being so deafening and sounding like the bullets whipping around you. Was an intense movie experience. But also one of the best war movies ever.
As others have said though. Highly recommend giving band of brothers a look in. Amazing, emotional, gritty and an all round rollercoaster of a show.
this movie is a reminder of what it took to called the greatest generation. Tough times make tough men, tough men make easy times, easy times make weak men, weak men make tough times. Take a guess where we are in that cycle.
Heading towards tough times? lol
That movie is IMO one of the best ever. What that generation did was incredible, born during and right after WWI, kids through teens during the great depression and then they defeated the Germans, Italians, and Japanese to win WWII and after that went to work in the 50's and BUILT lives for their families while creating and growing the middle class. Amazing people. that's why they are "the greatest generation"
I was lucky enough to see this at the cinema, with a great sound system when it first came out. The noise of that P51D blowing up the tank was unreal. It also happens to be one of the best movies I've ever heard on a 5.1 sound system. Used to share a house with a friend (who had a great home cinema setup), and this on DTS was amazing, especially the opening beach scene.
'one of the best movies I've ever seen' hits the nail on the head dude, this film is truely epic. Without a doubt the standard all other war films are measured by. The only one that has come close to this for me was *haksaw ridge* with Andrew garfield, fantastic true story about an absolute hero.
Mel Gibson killed Hacksaw Ridge. Brilliant film, the cinematography and sound design was both horrific and beautiful. We cant comprehend the genius it takes to pull off this films. You cant be level headed or “normal”. Not going into the darkness of these topics.
I saw this movie in a huge theatre back then ... you can't imagine the loud, real surround-sound, while watching this movie on the big screen! It was too much for some viewers, so they actually left the theatre very early. One guy in the room even threw up before he left, which is absolutly understandable!
My grandfather fought in WW2 and barly survived as he was badly (!) wounded ... He never talked about it. Actually: He never talked at all after the war. He isolated himself in his room, which only his wife was allowed to enter to bring him food, cigarettes and drinks. Even living in the same house, my mom only saw him twice a year: on her birthday and on christmas eve.
It was a hard time for the whole family as everybody had to work as he wasn't able to! I am pretty sure we can't imagine what those people went through back then ... scary as hell!!! :(
The "tell me I'm a good man" line just kills me every time.
"what guns are those?" You asked early on in the film, Rieben was at the foreground when you said it, he has the BAR which stands for Browning Automatic Rifle. It's a very heavy automatic weapon that was widely used in WW2, it was actually designed for use in WW1 but didn't make it in time. In the interwar period many gangsters utilised them alongside the ubiquitous Tommy gun sub machine guns like Tom Hanks character Capt Miller uses in the film.
The BAR fired the same powerful round that the M1 Garand semi auto rifle most of the squad is armed with. It did a hell of a lot of damage but the BAR was let down by only having a twenty round magazine. It was very useful when assaulting however as it was possible to fire on the go, and move quicker than having a belt fed MG.
I've enjoyed your reaction so far, a fantastic film that will probably remain a classic for years to come.
I went to Gold Beach about 20 years ago and it is eerily calm there, especially compared to the opening of this movie. Not a lot of wave crashing or anything like that, but there's still huge concrete floats they used to support heavy vehicles going to ground after the initial waves of soldiers cleared the beach. You don't normally think concrete will float, but at that scale and that shape it did, but all the more eerie that they are overturned and covered in moss and growth from 80 plus years of just sitting there.
One of the most unforgettable films I've ever seen. That opening scene was an unflinching gaze into hell.
I can say that after my tour in Iraq I felt like I would be the same guy I was when I went over, my life, my soul has never returned to me, I am not that same person. I'm quoting myself, not trying to make a statement, just saying the first thing that came to mind after watching your awesome reaction to this very close to how shit is movie. Thanks man!