SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998) Breakdown | Hidden Details, Making Of, Things You Missed & Real History

[@heavyspoilers]

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[@davelynch1228]

Bro Is YT trying to push people away from your channel? They have the same credit card commercial running every few minutes. Maddening.

[@mr_cobolts]

No. Don't get me wrong, good for you for getting sponsored, but I couldn't care less

[@jjww30]

Buddy, “East company?” Easy company. Easy.

[@fallout1953]

CoW is actually pretty good.

[@barbmenendez2275]

At heavy spoilers I always thought Ryan was a metaphor for us the audience or for everyone someone's brother,father, son or daughter

[@davidkhan1626]

Tom Hanks character going off alone to cry alone always hits me, he has to break down but he’s professional enough that he doesn’t let his men see him show vulnerability.

[@PodyTheCirate]

Honestly that moment defines his entire character for me. It makes the few moments he actually loses his composure that much more genuine.

[@davidkhan1626]

@@PodyTheCirate 100% agree

[@Quakeinc14]

You have to show the team that you have it all together in the amidst of uncertainty. Heavy is the head who wears the crown.

[@mr_cobolts]

"going off alone to cry alone"... If you can't speak, don't

[@thedoorsofperception2001]

​@@mr_cobolts chill out

[@rockstarJDP]

One of the details I noticed most is when they land, Cpt Miller starts out on dry land but when he comes out of his daze, he's back up to his waist in water. I think it's a nod towards how long the battle for Omaha actually took. 20 minutes in screen time but in reality it was more like 8 -12 hours. It shows that the tide had come in by the time he was able to figure out a plan.

[@cb5117]

Wow, that’s a helluva pickup. Thanks for sharing.

[@rockstarJDP]

@cb5117 Thanks! I always assumed it was a continuity error but when I learned more about the landings it made sense that it was intentional - a lot of accounts from the soldiers that were there say they were using the rising tide for cover from the incoming fire to make progress up the beach because unlike in the film, in reality bullets lose momentum very quickly in water and it was the only protection they really had

[@ryannolfe9051]

Actually, that really was just an error. The battle across all 5 beaches lasted hours, but the first wave, at certain sectors, were able to gain control in an hour or so. The entire Battle of Normandy lasted about 12 weeks.

[@rockstarJDP]

@ryannolfe9051 Apologies, I may have been a bit unclear in how I wrote it - yes the battle for Normandy was a months long one, I'm talking specifically about the landing on Omaha beach that's depicted in this film, that took almost all day from the first wave to capture the beach and the bluffs above.

[@ryannolfe9051]

@rockstarJDP I know what you mean. I'm saying in the movie where Tom Hank's character is wet, then not wet, really is just an editing error. The movie is full of them. The battle to control specifically the beaches ended in only an hour or so. It was the overall battle to establish a beachhead that took up to 12 hours.

[@Jonathan_Collins]

Ryan's wife at the end always kills me... the way she reads the tombstone, the way she reacts to when she's asked, "Tell me I led a good life, tell me I'm a good man" and looks back at the tombstone... she built a life with Ryan, had kids, had grandkids... and in those 30 seconds, she shows that he never talked about any of that, even with her, in all those years. She never heard of Miller, had no idea that man had such an effect on her husband. The shortest but most critical performance.

[@heavyspoilers]

yeah so good, incredible way to end it

[@thomashylemon9975]

​@heavyspoilers Vin diesel is in this too. I didn't realize it until this recap

[@KevFrost]

"Well Ryan, truth is: you sucked. "

[@denisevincent4050]

Generally, the WWII vets didn't share their experiences with family. They'd join the VFW, or they'd stay in contact with their war buddies, but around family would only nod at each other while they smoked their cigarettes in the backyard. However, at my parent's 50th wedding anniversary, my dad's nephews (my first cousins) got him drunk enough to answer the question, 'what was it like?' "Harrowing and Sublime" Dad answered, but I expected that answer, since I'd spent a significant part of my life trying to figure out what happened to my parents in WWII. Now I'm the family historian (I'm old and retired and wanted to know who my orphaned paternal grandfather's family were), so I get to be the one who adds the service history to people in my trees and send messages to DNA matches. 'Did you know your grandfather played a crucial role during this famous battle?' or 'Our great grandfathers were in the same place in Ohio because Revolutionary War Vets from both Massachusetts and Virginia had served together in several battles?' I'd like to think that a story could move people to research their families (which helps all of us), but I'm including military service because it's crucial that everyone understands the moral hazards of war. Especially now, at the beginning of WWIII.

[@MrOtistetrax]

My favorite bit about that scene is that Matt Damon has actually turned into the actor that plays the older Ryan.

[@Johny40Se7en]

Saving Private Ryan is one of those war films which is just timeless. An absolutely bleak, gritty, sorrow filled gem. I think films like this should be shown in schools. A typical school day is about 6 or 6 hours minus a couple of breaks, so two long films in one day.

[@hunteriii8253]

Funny you say that I remember in high school I suggested to my history teacher we watch it in class. He was all for it. I think we watched it over a few days because of the run time, but I was so happy our class watched it because of just how raw and real it looked. The film doesn’t sugar cost how violent WW2 was in bathes it in blood. The film is a timeless classic.

[@audreyquinn73]

Two films in one day: Saving Private Ryan / Schindler's List

[@Johny40Se7en]

@@audreyquinn73 Band Of Brothers is another one, which could be watched in history class over a half term. Der Untergang / Downfall is another cracking film, just with subtitles. It's been meme'd to death now though with people making humorous videos by putting their own subtitles in 😆😅

[@mixingjd]

As a audio engineer that has toured with Broadway musicals, I have to point out that it also won a Oscar for Best Sound Design! The audio in this film is amazing! Anyone that has not watched this film with a full surround sound system is missing out. The audio team did a amazing job!

[@chuckschillingvideos]

You are of course correct. The sound design, the cinematography, the set dressing, the costumes, etc. are all top notch. They paid very careful attention to the uniforms, weapons and accoutrements of US soldiers, unit badges of the uniforms and helmets, how officers and NCO's were identified, etc. Those folks researched the hell out of this film and I can't think of another war movie in which soldiers are more accurately depicted. I'll forgive the ludicrous fake Tiger in the final scene because it isn't as though there are many of them about to just roll into a movie scene.

[@jeffreystroman2811]

Tech moment here, screw 5.1 pro logic all that crap, take two identical speakers for the rear, run both negative together (or thru a 100 watt potentiometer for volume) then take both speakers plus up to your main amp to each plus (one for left one for right) any two Chanel audio can then be "decoded" with this linear matrix, providing your FOH amp can source current (most if not all decent ones can) congratulations you now have better surround sound than your neighbors

[@mixingjd]

@@jeffreystroman2811 I think giving this type of advice without a Demo video is very dangerous. A novice could fry their amp.....

[@pashby3]

..Had the DVD playing thru a 360box to a still working 24yrs later logitech z-5500 thx-certified 5.1system, nearly forgot to Breath during most of the Battle Scenes, wasn't till the second time i watched it with the volume up (as it should be) The Neighbour found where the battle was coming from. Had watched this film in a cinema in Arnhem, some vet's were in the audiance - some also left early & never returned. As for context to the film Omaha's slaughter was in great part down to Grandcamp-Maisy, France, buried straight after capture & has an amazing story on being found & excavated in recent memory, From a old map in a German uniform pocket.

[@ronstreet6706]

@@chuckschillingvideos There is only ONE SURVIVING, WORKING, Tiger tank, and it is owned by the Tank Museum at Bovington, Dorset. It was used in Fury.

[@aldotheapache9951]

As a retired Army vet, this movie makes me cry every single time. Ryan asking his wife if the sacrifices for him were worth it is absolutely soul crushing. Great breakdown and I wasn’t expecting or prepared for you to do this movie. It will affect the rest of my night. But thank you for great work as always.

[@ferociousfil5747]

Such a burden to have for all those years…

[@MajorJakas]

You're okay with the U.S. military using it's own soldiers' as corpse mules to traffic drugs into America, too?

[@denisrousse5342]

Thanks for your service. I am grateful for all those like you who have served so that this country can be free. 🙂

[@MajorJakas]

@@denisrousse5342 what do proxy wars have to do with us? No true patriots have enlisted since the Vietnam draft.

[@WeirdAlsOdderCousin]

Another story from my own family. My paternal grandfather was one of 6 brothers that all served in WWII. Paul (one of the brothers) had been told that Russell had been killed in Omaha Beach. Paul ended up fighting through Italy and ended up in a small town in southern Germany in a mortar hole being pinned down by a sniper. They heard running footsteps behind them, and he glanced back to see that they were Americans approaching the 'fox hole' from the rear. As these guys jumped into the pit, he turned to ask the new guy next to him for a cigarette. It was his brother Russell who had lost his ammo bag on Omaha, and some other soldier and picked it up before being blown apart and they used the bag to identify what was left of the body. It was old home week while a sniper kept shooting. All 6 of the brothers made it home without so much as a wound. If you wrote that into a movie, no one would believe it, but I heard them recount the tale all through my childhood. My grandfather was the last living member of 17 children born on their farm in Kentucky. We lost him in 2020 at 98 years old.

[@carlosfalcon7569]

Funny how brothers meet. My uncle was in the Big Red One and was hit in the chest by shrapnel, he woke up in England and the medical tech was his own brother! My dad was a P-61 gunner in the Pacific an other brother was a ball turret gunner in the 8th AF. They all came home, my mother lost a brother in the Pacific and one in Korea.

[@KrazzyKelsie]

Thanks for shareing. Such a wonderful story in such a dark time.

[@daRiddler32]

My grandfather had 6 brothers and a brother-in-law that fought in the War, and all 7 of them made it home without a physical wound as well. I believe they are all dead now as my grandfather is 93 now and was the youngest child

[@MattRNewcomb]

My grandfather was on that beach. The only story he told me was him talking to a friend in a foxhole. They’d chat between mortar shelling. Then he realized his friend no longer had a face. The fact that gore was actually in the movie made it real for me. Also knowing that battle lasted three weeks and my grandfather eventually had to scavenge corpses for ammunition. I’m awe of the horrors he faced and thankfully survived, but he came home a changed man, broken by seeing the worst of humanity

[@Bobby_sprinkles]

That's horrific. It's wild that your grandfather was able to even tell that traumatic story. The damage that humans deal to humans us horrendous and we never seem to learn.

[@iceblack95]

Great grand parents were medics in the French resistance during France's occupation. Great grand mother used to tell me stories about rescuing woundeds on the battlefield and hearing Nazi's plane above them. Never fully understood what they really went through until seeing the first 20 mins of that movie

[@warrenc1829]

Jesus, that’s grim. No wonder it affected him so much in later life. I used to beg my grandad, who was a Sapper in Burma, to tell me war stories. He never told a soul. Not even my Nana. A shame those details died with him, but he no doubt had his reasons.

[@MattRNewcomb]

@@warrenc1829 They were good reasons. Probably one of them was that those tales aren’t heroic, they’re horrific. He spared you a lifetime of nightmares he had to live so that your nana and everyone else could focus on everything else that goes into life 💜

[@ellessandraramsay1841]

I've seen Private Ryan lots of times and I've never noticed that water canteen shot filling with blood. Damn.

[@Dee-nonamnamrson8718]

I watched it last week for the 100th time and noticed it, and it blew my mind.

[@ryanSLF]

I noticed that 20 years ago when I was a young lad

[@irvinm1957]

It got me too, incredible detail

[@mcake1234]

How can a water canteen fill with blood? I don't get it.

[@Dee-nonamnamrson8718]

@mcake1234 the bullet is supposed to have passed through him and then the canteen, he's bleeding into the canteen and the canteen is spilling out of the other side.

[@Boyso5407]

The moment where the doors go down on the landing craft and the guys standing in front get hit with the machine gun fire and get absolutely obliterated is still one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever seen in a movie. It was so jarring and unexpected.

[@marksauck3399]

I agree, and the soldier stumbling around looking for his arm that was just blown off in the middle of all that chaos added power to the insane horror in that whole sequence. I felt numb after watching the landing in that movie.

[@warrenc1829]

I agree. It’s almost like we watch the rest of the film with shell-shock.

[@Unpainted_Huffhines]

My grandpa landed at Normandy (day 3 luckily for me) and fought across France into Germany as a radio operator for a AAA battalion. I remember watcging this with him, and him saying the never-ending rain and trudging though muddy streets and hedgerows in France was extremely accurate, the feeling of being soaked head to toe, all the time.

[@TheRealBatCave]

Mine was a gunner on a tank, when this was on he told us to turn it off and left the room.

[@Unpainted_Huffhines]

@@TheRealBatCave Mine didn't get emotional, though he did instantly list off the models of tanks and planes that were in the film, like it was yesterday for him. I know he didn't have an easy time there, and lost people, and "eliminated enemies" (thanks algorithm) in combat, because that was the only part he refused to talk about when he told me stories.

[@oliverklosov5153]

I remember when Saving Pvt Ryan came out in theaters and my college roommate went to see it. When he came back home he looked like he'd been to war himself. I asked what had happened and he only replied with three words. "Watch that movie"

[@jllucci]

When SPR came out I started to understand my father. When I saw the Great Raid with him in 05 I came to know him even better. The trauma never really goes away it just faded to his subconscious and was hidden.

[@Divadtube]

My Dad was a Vietnam Vet, and died of Brain cancer related to his exposure to Agent Orange. I will always feel like WE, all of us, are Private Ryan. It is our veterans who make the sacrifice for all of our freedom, we are all soldier who gets to be home because of their sacrifice. Thank you to all our vets, and everything you sacrificed at the altar of Freedom.

[@thatonechristian2487]

No doubt your father was a good man, my condolences.

[@tobysmith5661]

My father died of colon cancer due to agent orange

[@BzhToine]

One of the most intelligent comment I ever seen. So true...

[@colb9916]

My deepest condolences on your dads passing. Not only were Vietnam vets poisoned by their govt, they were denied recognition of the lasting, life ending injuries it caused for decades. As an Aussie, with Both gt grandads fighting at Gallipoli, then on to the western front WW1, Grandad & his brother ,Nth Africa, Malaya & New Guinea WW11, Uncles in Vietnam I feel the same. Every ANZAC day, ill ride in, then stand (in pouring rain if need be) as respect and thanks for what those Men, and many tens of thousands more from many nations faced, so our world could be a better place. We Are what they fought & sacrificed much for. Lest We Forget.

[@Divadtube]

@colb9916 I am truly touched, and thank you so much. I rarely mention my Dad as ive receive cruel comments about how im faking it for, idk, youtube credit, I dont listen to those morons though. Vietnam vets were not celebrated when they first came home, they screamed baby killer at my father and many other Vietnam vets. He got his respect and acknowledgement later in life after his 50s, but the war cost him his life in the end. He talked about watching the drop planes dropping agent orange over the jungle, then the wind changing and the mist coming and hitting all of them. He said they had to use motor oil to bond to it, then soap to the oil, and that was the only way to wash it off. It's like the war killed him, but he took an extra 50 years to die from it. When he went, he went fast. Thank you for your understanding and kind words, I don't share for that, but it's is very much appreciated. I am also deeply sorry for your loss and family that suffered and you are so right, those who know, know how it was for our Vietnam vets. I am forever greatful for the time I had with my Dad and for the sacrifice of all Veterans.

[@HypocritesExposd]

Wade’s cries for Mamma always gets me and it got me in your breakdown! His story is heartbreaking on a somewhat personal level as I don’t consider myself to be close to my own mother. I can barely talk to her so his story of ignoring her and regretting it hurts deep. And in the end all he wanted was her presence sends me right over the edge every time. Amazing film from start to finish.

[@XodyCalizander]

"Is that Matt Damon?" I died.

[@SHrehman12]

19:13 lowkey had me dying too.

[@h8GW]

I'll add your names to the list of letters to send home.

[@stephenurban9880]

A friend told me I had to see this movie in a local theater that had just upgraded its sound system. Doing so resulted in triggering my PTSD from incidents I had experienced while a Marine. One of the greatest movies ever made.

[@firedamaged]

My grandad was a Royal Marine Commando and fought on D-Day. He let us into very little about his experiences, but the few stories he did tell were all horrendous. I cannot imagine going through this.

[@SolidMikeP]

When he talks about his mom, and pretending to sleep....HITS SO DAMN HARD

[@heavyspoilers]

Genuinely think about that scene once a week

[@SolidMikeP]

@@heavyspoilers Brings up those moments as a child when you tried to hurt the one that loves you the most....and for what reason, but to do it. I am glad you mentioned that, thanks for the Vid

[@furiousapplesack]

@@SolidMikeP Yeah... I did the same thing as him. It was so stupid. It was a buried memory for about 10 years until I saw the movie when it came out and was like, "wtf was I thinking? Why?" I hated myself immediately. I actually told my mom about that (and the scene which reminded me) and she started crying, and then I started crying. Humans are amazing, terrible creatures...

[@SolidMikeP]

@@furiousapplesack agree with everything, it brings out a feeling much deeper and more intense than Sadness”

[@endrankluvsda4loko172]

@@furiousapplesackWe falling beings in a messed up world. We do things we shouldn't even though we know deep down they're wrong. And yeap, I did this same thing before.

[@sidekickz2180]

It's not about one man's life." It's about a mother...a family...that sacrificed 3 soldiers being given the opportunity to salvage SOMETHING (Ryan). The cost of that was great, for sure.

[@FigmentForever]

Excellent film but I swear you had me rolling at “Is that…” insert cameo here. More cameos than the Oscars mate. Brilliant. Never expect to see Walter White in the military either.

[@heavyspoilers]

lol I couldn’t believe when I seen Fillion. First time properly noticing him.

[@FigmentForever]

@@heavyspoilers I’ve seen it 4/5 times & he’s the ONLY one I missed out on as well. I’m usually the one going “insert DiCaprio OUATIH Meme” every time I see random actors before they got well known 😂

[@macmedic892]

That wasn’t Walter White, that was Hal, the dad of Malcolm in the Middle. Who also moonlighted as Jerry Seinfeld’s dentist.

[@Desmond9100]

@@heavyspoilers I was hoping for a Leland Orser shout. Oh well you can´t win them all. He almost broke his arms keeping the glider steady for one general, one man.

[@porge1984]

Missed Max Martini

[@Killin_365]

Giovanni Ribisi’s death hit me the hardest everytime I watch this movie. Tom Seizmore’s is rough as well. He was perfect in these kind of movies. Black Hawk Down, Heat.

[@natural-born_pilot]

Ive always been a big fan of Seizmore he was a great actor.

[@holeefuksumtingwong5788]

Him crying for his mother and the guy being stabbed slowly kills me every single time. Even all these years later. Especially him crying for his mother. Makes me cry every time b

[@michaelwilliams5506]

The slow stabbing was the part that was super disturbing for me. To be there with him, seeing it go from his advantage to him being on his back, seeing the blade coming towards him, then realizing it was really going to happen is just terrifying to me... It makes it so real and intimate vs the quick and brutal deaths normally seen in movies. It really got past my emotional distance and brought me into the terror of that experience. Hell, just writing this made me shudder, since i can replay it in my head so clearly.

[@michaelwilliams5506]

Also... Love your username. I was watching that news broadcast here in SF when it first aired. I couldn't believe it and had to rewatch it multiple times

[@holeefuksumtingwong5788]

@@michaelwilliams5506 so wrong but so funny at the same time lol. Laughed so hard when that aired.

[@KineticTaco]

This was shown in my 6th grade history class. Made a huge impact on my life and I’ve never had more respect for a generation of men than I do that had to live through this hell.

[@kennyholmes6642]

Same here, we had to have permission slips signed and ready.

[@natural-born_pilot]

I wish that lesson was a mandatory one given to every student. It agitates me to no end with the many that have very limited knowledge as to why they are living free. What sets me overboard is when disrespect is show for vets and makes me fighting mad. My dad💜 and all my uncles fought in WW II and Im a twenty yr veteran that fought in VN.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

One inaccuracy/goof that everyone seems to overlook is the photograph of the four Ryans in uniform on their mother's hutch. That photograph is an impossibility. If you remember, in the scene where the youngest Ryan relays the story about the barn incident to Miller, at the conclusion of the story Ryan tells him that that night in the barn was the last night the brothers had all been together, which clearly was long before all of them had enlisted or been drafted and been through basic training. And the odds of them all being able to pose for a photograph during wartime when they were in different service branches in different theaters of war makes it that much more unbelievably improbable. This is one of several examples in the film of Spielberg succumbing to his recurring urge to make emotional points at the expense of historical accuracy to the extent that he concocted a completely impossible and internally contradictory event in his film.

[@iKvetch558]

That inconsistency was created by Matt Damon improvising the whole story of the last time he was with his brothers...Spielberg liked the story so much, he left it in, and made the picture an issue.👍

[@Bobby_sprinkles]

It goes to show that accuracy is always forfeited for a positive outcome in emotion with creativity

[@branden3785]

@@iKvetch558 Great point.

[@S1L3NTG4M3R]

One of the Greatest War movies ever... That's for sure. Great job.

[@S1L3NTG4M3R]

I never got to see it in a theater... I wish I had.

[@dr.vanpennypacker1989]

At 13 yrs old wades death was so terrifying an humbling to me. The scene really shed a light on war an death as well as love an embracing family while you have the time I hadn’t fully realized at that age.

[@theothermike3195]

Great video Paul! One of the incredible details of this movie that I always loved is when after Miller and the troops take the machine gun nest before they capture Steam Boat Willy, you can hear the heavy machine gun "ticking" as the metal cools. Same noise your car makes shortly after you park it. It always sold the continuity of the scene and added to the realism.

[@MrOtistetrax]

You’re right. The sound design on this movie is as impressive as all the other incredible stuff in it, but often gets overlooked.

[@natural-born_pilot]

Your so right and a good point. I thought that part really added to the accuracy of that scene.

[@FloridaGeorgia]

Great Breakdown! 9:03 As a war veteran myself (Gulf War 1991) Unfortunately, fake surrender happens in war in order for deceivers to get in closer range of the enemy. It was difficult as a 19 year old soldier to see and hear about these situations in real life in real time.

[@jhanks2012]

only cowards entertain the idea of taking prisoners on the battlefield

[@branden3785]

@@jhanks2012 ??? what a bizarre comment

[@markanthony1004]

I forgot this movie came out in 1998. For some reason I remember it coming out in 2000 or 2001 then that's just me thinking of Band of Brothers series. I love your take on one of my absolute favorite movies and I will be subscribing to this channel. As a veteran everything about this was top notch

[@DocM49]

Absolutely one of the best films ever made.

[@ryannash9582]

Paul, first off I love the channel and have been watching your videos for a long time. SPR is one of my favorite films so this was great to see a breakdown on. A couple technical mistakes though. At 9:48 you state the Hitler Youth knife taken off a dead German and given to Melish is the same knife he’s killed with during the final battle but if you look closely the German soldier who stabs Melish is using a rifle bayonet as evidenced by the barrel ring on the crossguard for attaching to the muzzle end of a service rifle. Also at 18:23 you state that Jackson tying his sling off to his bicep is a technique used for executions which is incorrect, it is a basic rifle marksmanship technique taught in boot camp for shooting a rifle more accurately utilizing a leather shooting sling to stabilize the rifle for more precision shots than regular offhand/unsupported shooting. Otherwise it was an excellent video! Keep up the great work.

[@stop736]

I laughed a little bit when he mentioned that about the sling. We learn that at boot camp for rifle quals. But it’s definitely not something we do in the field of course. Nowadays it’s different because the slings are so different than the stuff we got in the early 2000’s even. It’s a small detail the video got wrong, but when you’ve lived that life it’s easy to pick out little mistakes like that. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@ericpercival102]

and ill add another small detail, he said he "unloads the M1 so it can't be used to shoot the group" but he doesn't unload it he removes the trigger and tosses it away so no one can use the weapon later

[@dbltap7615]

It was Melish's issued bayonet that was used against him. Brief moment in the film where you can see him reach into his waistline and produce the bayonet.

[@Peanutbuttermatt]

Came here to say the exact same about it being a Bayonet.

[@CheekyMenace]

Watching this on Memorial Day ... May the memory of the brave soldiers that fought and died for our freedoms, forever live on. 🇺🇲

[@GmGrayfox]

My wife rented out an entire theater and screened this movie for me, during the pandemic . I was too young when it came out in theaters. It was incredible, especially the sound design.

[@skr6511]

damn... what a thoughtful gift. your wife is solid gold, imo. health, wealth and happiness to the both of you.

[@Redlox70]

❤​@@skr6511

[@brucekaraus7330]

Disabling a weapon that has to be left behind (18:36) is standard practice in the field. The idea being to deny its use to the enemy. It was not specific to this particular soldier. He isn't unloading it, that has already been done, his is removing the trigger assembly to prevent it being used. At 18:55, not wearing a wedding ring was common for men of that period. From the depression to the late 40's, many men didn't wear wedding rings. The odd thing about Jackson in the bell tower is that none of the German infantry use suppressing fire of any type on his position. The confusion between the two different German soldiers can also been clarified when we see that the man who killed Malish has an SS rune on his collar and Willie has the standard German army collar insignia. Last bit of trivia, the Tiger tank is actually a wood mock up of a Tiger on top of a WW2 Soviet T-34 tank chassis.

[@doesntmatter2341]

Willie is actually alluded to in the film. When they're having the intense argument about to release him or not, one them says that if they do, he'll just fill in with the closest German unit he meets. This proves to be correct, that is the first friendly unit he finds.

[@JayM409]

@@doesntmatter2341 - And he magically gets his shelter quarter back as well.

[@Killin_365]

I remember being a kid and telling adults Vin Diesel was in this movie, but none of them believed me. 😂

[@thetragicschoolbuspodcast]

I never saw it. But your breakdown makes it look so interesting. I remember when it was in theaters and all I kept hear about it was people leaving the cinema within the 1st 15 minutes. I assumed it was bad. But i'll definitely check it out now.

[@shakeandbreak2938]

For a video on the attention to detail, you completely missed that Sgt. Miller said that he taught English composition. His hand shook from shell shock, which was common for combat vets who have been in a battle, even a small battle can cause the nerves to be shook.

[@marvinthomas477]

coached baseball too...

[@IndianaJoe0321]

I have spoken with many soldiers who fought in both theaters. They all have stated that it was not prudent to wear one's wedding ring. One fella insisted on wearing his and, during a retreat, that ring finger -- with a wedding band -- was shot off and it rolled down a hill they had just climbed. Screaming for his buddies to save his ring, two guys slid back down the hill, toward the enemy, and retrieved the finger & ring. The soldier was not able to have the finger reattached, but was able to keep custody of his wedding band until he got back to the States.

[@A-MR.E]

My eyes water every time I hear the theme of this movie.

[@iananderson8363]

I’m always impressed with how much information you can throw in while keeping a good pace through the summary.

[@Just_lift_anyone]

I really didn't think I'd be laughing so much to a Heavy Spoilers video about Saving Private Ryan xD Those - 'wait is that ...' moments are hilarious 🤣🤣

[@DarthWells]

I first heard FUBAR in Tango & Cash (1989) Great video, so many details; thank you for taking the time to find them all and share them with us all

[@sithcarebear1]

Hands down the greatest war film of all time. You were correct in your defense of it on Amazon Screen Test. Thank you for taking the time to breakdown this exceptional work of art. I managed a cinema when it was released and despite the R rating, I never checked a single ID because I feel everyone should see this film. Cheers, Paul!

[@Mr2greys]

@5:15 the thing about garand thumb is you cannot get it if loading a full enbloc clip as your thumb would ride along the top of the topmost bullet missing getting pinched. The bolt slamming forward tends to be slower because of the force needed to extract the bullet from the top of the clip, this sliding also tends to sweep your thumb out of the way. You get GT if you are stupid enough to push down on the follower with your thumb. @18:22 lol using the sling as provided has zero to with execution but is part of early marksmanship training. It creates extra stabilizing force, now whether or not he would do it when they are about to shoot him is irrelevant especially that close.

[@ralphalvarez5465]

How can Jackson get Garand Thumb when he is armed with the 1903 Springfield? The M1 Garand was a gas operated semi-automatic internal magazine fed rifle while the 1903 Springfield was bolt action with an internal 5 round magazine.

[@branden3785]

@@ralphalvarez5465 That was my thought, too, but surely he had experience on the Garand, as well. I like the detail, even if it isn't perfectly accurate.

[@carpemkarzi]

Thanks Paul, I am loving these classic/older revisits. Made me want to watch as it’s been a while.

[@hansvonmannschaft9062]

- At 1:02 you can see (what could be) Mellish's grave behind Old Ryan, on the screen's right edge. - Regarding weapons, the 1911 pistol in WWII was carried with an empty chamber, hammer down. Both times Sgt. Horvath's draws it, he racks the slide first, I figured it was a pretty neat detail.

[@CharlieSmith-yr8ox]

you should totally do Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and The Masters of the Air

[@marcush4741]

Thank you fornmentioning that the typewriter scene was a heartbreaking scene. I'm a combat vet. I lost a lot of my brothers to combat or... choices made after getting home and not being able to adjust to civilian life. Everybody expects me to not be okay with violent scenes when a war movie is on. Nobody expects THIS scene to send me into full breakdown. There is only one thing in this world I would sell my eternal soul to never have experienced. It's calling my brothers' families. This scene breaks me every single time.

[@ThatWolfFromHyruleGaming]

Couple things. First, you mention Jackson has a thumb injury from “Garand Thumb”. His sniper rifle is a Springfield ‘03-A4 bolt action rifle fitted with scope rings. It is highly unlikely he had his thumb snapped in the action as it is manually operated, unless he had an M1 earlier in the film, which the only other time he does not have his sniper rifle is during the radar assault where Miller told Jackson to swap rifles with Upham. Further, Jackson is left handed so if he had an M1, he would loaded the rifle with his other hand. Riflemen were taught to load the M1 with the edge of the palm holding the bolt back in case it released early and to push down with their thumb parallel to the bolt to prevent the bolt closing with their thumb in the way. Second, sniper scopes do not lose zero unless the dials are messed with or the scope was not properly secured to their mounts. There are likely a few factors to why Jackson was missing like being impatient and jerking the trigger or taking a breath during a shot, which can screw up your point of aim. Last, I want to mention Jackson managed to fire about 7 shots from what is typically a 5 shot rifle during his final scene. Even "barney" loading (extra round in the chamber with full magazine) you only get 6 and we do not see Jackson reloading between that.

[@charliewilton_]

I was thinking this about Garand thumb! Didn’t pick up on the 7 shots tho so props to you my man 🫡

[@ianadams1132]

Knock your scope in any way will probably put the sight off

[@nicholasbaldwin1876]

i LOVE how serious this video is, and then BAM - Vin Diesel... lol!

[@zedchillman2685]

Bro, get out of my head. You keep doing these on movies I've watched in the last 48hrs and I have the same feeling about the wade scene in the church. I'd definitely have a beer with you lol

[@danmorrison8194]

I’m a classical musician and I’ve played the music from Saving Private Ryan many times on summer and movie pops concerts. I always well up while playing when I think of the imagery from the movie.

[@Gwallacec2]

Fuck I cried just watching this video. This movie is one of the movies that just breaks me.

[@heavyspoilers]

Yeah I teared up a bit making it haha. I’m sure you can hear my voice crack a fair bit at the end.

[@chrishenderson9130]

That's all of us.

[@Booze_Rooster]

9:37 Mellish is killed with his own bayonet, not an HJ knife. You can tell its a bayonet for an M1 as it has the muzzle ring. The Mauser K98 bayonet was secured with a long rail and groove in the handle of the knife. 18:40 He's not unloading them to deprive specifically SBW from having a weapon, its a standard procedure for disabling an M1 Garand by pulling out the entire trigger group and magazine floorplate- as the rifles are being used as grave markers, you would disable the weapons to prevent their use by the enemy and to ensure that as a useless rifle they are left in place until graves registration could arrive and catalog the graves. Also the rifle sling thing with Jackson- where do you come off saying that's specifically for execution? Its a way of bracing a rifle against the non-firing arm for making a shot in the kneeling or standing position. Jackson was doing that because he presumed he'd be taking a shot at SBW at long range after they let him wander off- he'd probably ditch the blindfold and make a break for the treeline- Jackson was getting ready with a marksmanship technique, not an executioner's technique. Executions are hardly made at long range. 21:28 His two scopes are a Weaver 330 and an Unertl 8x not "Ureti". No sniper would change scopes in the field without having to make adjustments- its an excellent point made- though moving targets and the adrenaline of the situation would contribute more to missing, as well as his scopes being zeroed for longer range and Jackson shooting at targets closing within 100m making the scope ill-suited. He's relying on "kentucky windage" with a crosshair devoid of stadia lines for reference. I'll speak from experience on this one as I was a designated marksman for a period in the 101st Airborne in 2012. Another thing that bugs me about his scopes- he starts adjusting the objective lens of his Unertl (for some reason) talking about "two clicks" as if that has something to do with a range of "450 yards"- his Weaver 330 would have been more than adequate in the first place as "450 yards" is well within the capabilities of the iron sights of any rifleman around him.

[@brandonsilva8566]

iv been waiting for this breakdown loved it!

[@Joe_Biden915]

This was one of the first movies that employed DTS surround sound. Others might have done it before but it was really noticeably different for SPR. Surround sound technology is so common now we take it for granted. I remember being in the theater in and wanting to duck over and over again because it felt like bullets were landing and firing from every direction. I was completely immersed. I'm glad to have grown up during the implementation of great technologies and a lot of their first (or best uses of the time) were done by Spielberg. The first time I saw a living dinosaur was Jurassic Park. The first time I entered a war zone was SPR. The first time I saw a shark eat a man was in Jaws and I fell in love with my first alien in E.T.

[@Killin_365]

When I was a child, I was really confused by the premise of the movie, but as an adult you realize it’s really the only way to show what WAR actually is. You’re not fighting for any other reason then the guy to the right and left of you, Your Brothers.

[@sealnico731]

I absolutely love Tom Hanks, his acting in this movie. We just need him to play a fighter pilot, a tanker, and mortar/arty man so Hanks will have played pretty much ever big combat MOS

[@CGa2887]

Excellent deep dive. Good work.

[@tmarie69]

This movie makes me ugly cry. Wade dying is one of the most heartbreaking scenes I’ve ever watched. No actually it IS the most heartbreaking scene I’ve ever watched.

[@lostallmymoney2082]

After Miller let the German prisoner go after the nest fight, he isn't removing the bullets from the M1 Garand that's staked in the ground. He's removing the trigger group from the bottom side of he rifle. M1 Garands bullets are loaded from the top of the rifle. This is so even if the German found ammo for the rifle, he still wouldn't be able to use the rifle since it has no a trigger on it.

[@nissanzenkiboy]

Lol the way “wait is that!?” 💀

[@doggmansnapperdude3405]

I use to do the same thing.. pretending to be asleep and I saw this movie when I was a teenager and it made me feel something along with just feeling like all these people died the worst kind of deaths. My grandfather landed on one of those beaches and he only spoke about it once with me but on other occasions I heard him say that this movie was very close as in the closest thing to what it was really like.

[@TheJames802]

Miller didn’t quote Emerson, it was Uppham. Miller said that was Emerson’s way of looking at things and that was the clue that gave it away

[@clavididk1236]

I always wondered why Jackson didn't just snipe the machine gunner spot therefore saving wade. They had a sniper and didn't even use the element of surprise just rush. No Jackson should have crawled around the side and after the first shot than the men move up and finish the shocked rest of the soldiers but instead wayne gets hit in the liver smh 🤦

[@chocolaterain5097]

One of the greatest movies ever. Tragic, triumphant, compelling. What movies are all about. Thank you to the men these movies are based on 🙏

[@Roadrunner99942]

A moment in time when freedom was not taken for granted.

[@elLooto]

A moment in time when freedom was not actively being destroyed.

[@BLD426]

It's simply the best WW2 movie of all time. Probably best war movie ever.

[@johnfonseca6135]

I always tear up when Ryan squares up and salutes the gravestone.

[@kaylamorgan9406]

I have so much to say but my tears hold me back, I'm thankful for the sacrifice and willingness of everyone to focus on one task and the ultimate sacrifice people made for that goal, I lost a great uncle on the Batman death march and another great uncle in the Ardennes along with both my grandfathers serving one in the Pacific and the other in European theater in almost every campaign you've heard of. So when you tell someone thank you for your service this is why you're thanking them

[@SaltyAstro]

15:10 Love seeing Sergeant Buck in a military uniform. Whether it’s ODST, Spartan, or WW2 style

[@Rembreiker_lychec9257]

Just to add, this sequence was so realistic that actual WW2 vets were having PTSD bouts watching this film. Its powerful.

[@charliezelenowski2701]

My Great Grandad, William Rowland and his 2 brothers served in ww2. One was stationed in Burma as part of the British expeditionary forces, along with the Ghurkha's, Indian and African divisions. He was captured and became a Japanese PoW. William Rowland fought against Rommel in Africa, he was an Artillery Major. El Alamein, Tobruk, Sicily and then Italy - Monte Cassino. Survived the war but went blind shortly after, later gained his vision back. Third one I am unsure of, he was Joe Rowland and lost his leg to a German landmine, I believe it was after D-Day. All survived luckily.

[@gened9632]

This movie came out just a few weeks after I'd returned from deployment in the Arabian Gulf. It was a time where America had all but forgotten that we were still engaged in combat operation. I'd even ran across an old HS teacher and he asked me if I was in the military. When I confirmed he said "yeah, figures". When I went to see the movie, it was the lights up at the end that got me. Such a mix of confusion and anger. I hated that it took something that "in your face" to make people aware of the sacrifices that our military puts out, not even mentioning what they deal with when they come home. Even after 9-11 when people started with "thoughts and prayers" and "thank you for your service" (which is really a good change and genuinely appreciated), still, 22 vets take their own lives every day, and over 35,000 experience homelessness. We can do better. As a United States, we can do better.

[@erictaylor5462]

19:00 It is really common for solders in combat to remove any rings. This is done primarily for safety as if the rung gets hooked onto something and literally pull your finger off. This happened to my cousin We wer3 water skiing and he jumped off the boat to sky, them popped out of the water and said, as calm as could be, "He look what happened." I found his finger on the deck attached to what I though was a long string. That ended the ski trip. In war they discourage men wearing the rings as it could be something the enemy can use against you if you are captured. So not wearing his ring doesn't mean he's trying to hide that he's married. He may have left it with his wife so she would have in just in case.

[@joeh4295]

Ive been in Fire/EMS for 34 years now with 20 of those also as a USAF medic. I saw this in the theater with 10 other medics. We all agreed the wounds and bleeding were horribly realistic. Those of us who had seen combat time were in shock. This movie too me back to Op Northern Watch when I was on the ground in N. Iraq. I was an ER tech at Incirlik AB, Turkey and got voluntold to go with an Army on a tasking aboard some Blackhawks. Everyone else on shift was nervous about a helo ride. I was lowest ranking, so it was me.

[@hancho7791]

Still my top 5 fav movies of all time n ive watched it so many times, that watching this break down just makes me wanna watch it again...

[@KevinOwen87]

21:45 Ian McCollum from Forgotten Weapons has a great video specifically about Private Jackson's sniper rifle, specifically the scope and everything factually wrong with it. It's extremely informative and interesting.

[@BigT2664]

"Earn this. Earn it!" That concept has echoed through my life ever since losing a fellow soldier in a war zone. It is why so many of us veterans suffer survivor's guilt.

[@dreadfire1145]

20:01 the tiger tank depicted in the film wasn’t actually a tiger. They used a T34-85 and converted it to look like a Tiger. A noticeable comparison is the road wheels, a actual tiger tank had interweaving wheels. Another one is the turret is very forward of the hull in the film.

[@michaelhowell2326]

And there I was, me and my dogs, all ready to quit my phone for a while, and Bam! A Saving Private Ryan video came along and got me.

[@BigT2664]

At around 19:00 you comment on why Cpt Miller doesn't wear a ring. There are a lot of reasons why soldiers did this... In my case every time I went into a war zone my ring was on my dog tags. That came about because I almost lost my finger when my ring snagged on a piece of equipment. For the mechanics in our unit rings were conductors... They took their rings off to prevent getting shocked. First two years of my marriage I wore my ring everyday; the next 17 years of marriage it stayed on my dog tags near my heart. To this day I still wear my ring around my neck. My nephew called it the "One Ring."

[@marksauck3399]

When I first watched this movie I was stunned. It was the best and still is the best movie ever made of WWII. It put all the other war movies to shame and the only one that moved me and still moves me to tears. I watch it at home every anniversary of D Day.

[@ThePritch74]

Monumental that you did a 'deep dive' (urgh!) on this. So good. Always one of those films you revisit years after watching it the previous time and then saying, this is in my top 5!

[@christianfox7431]

17:48 I always thought they didn't want to give him the morphine because they knew he was already going to die and they didn't want to be out of morphine if they were in need as Wade is in this moment. But I'm glad it was because they were apprehensive of sealing his fate.

[@mitchelldavidson1821]

*Get's demonetized in Clockwork Orange* "We don't want that to happen again" *Shows the exact image that got it demonetized* Absolute legend move

[@raysmetaltracks6782]

My Grandfather was a gunner in the Air Force, my Dad and uncles were in Vietnam. For some reason this movie resonated with me - I've never been truly tested like they were. I would have been so very afraid. Not sure I would have had the guts to do what they did.

[@HenryT316]

2nd favorite movie of all time. This movie is always a roller coaster of emotions

[@LDN76]

Sniper Jackson is lefthanded, like me. I always wondered how that would work in a war. Reaching over the gun to reload

[@PyschoArmorer2111]

The part about Jackson missing shots because he changed scopes has some issues. 1. He wouldn't have changed scopes in the first place. That was not something a regular soldier would have done on the fly in the field. That was something armorers would handle. 2. If it wasn't zeroed, how was he able to pull off the shot through the scope earlier? 3. A technicality. The Weaver scope on the 1903a4 rifle when on the beach is the correct scope for Army snipers. The scope he "switched" to was on a completely different rifle. That scope was a Unertl that was mounted on a 1903a1 that was issued to Marine snipers. The mounting setups are completely different. The Weaver has a one-piece base on the receiver. Whereas the Unertl has a rear base with target knobs on the receiver and a forward mount on the barrel forward of the rear iron sight. The 1903a4 never had iron sights installed.

[@midago7332]

This Is one of my favourite war films ever second only to The Deer Hunter, while it is slow for the most part there’s a roulette scene which just breaks me every time, I bought a dvd copy from a market for 5 bucks and I’ll watch it again once every couple of years. Great breakdown for this one, thanks. 🙏

[@Billytheanarchist]

My great mother had the job of writing the sorry your son died letters she never told anyone in the family about it until I had that school project. Even my grandfather had never heard her story. It was.heartbreaking. I learned how war devastates everyone. She was home safe in the us and 50 years later cried to me about her trauma. War is awful.

[@CmenDmen]

Mellish isn't killed with a Hitler Youth knife, but instead killed with a standard K-98k bayonet.

[@chrisb4131]

Every time the Mellish scene comes up, I almost have to turn away, its a horrific scene that was very well done. Too well done IMO.

[@West_Kagle]

Great work as always on these videos. I do have to ask though, at the @2:51 mark, did you really blur out the dead fish on the beach? It seems very strange. In addition to being strange in and of itself, there seems to be no issue with the depiction of the 'dead' serviceman that's in the same shot as the blurred out 'dead' fish.

[@jp1891]

A loop sling is not a "before an execution" thing it's a stability thing.

[@samuelwoods164]

Something I only noticed a few weeks ago which must be about my 10th watch..... When Tom Hanks is shooting at the tank with his pistol I thought he hit a 1 in a million shot and took out the tank himself.... When it was an allied plane had clearly just got a direct hit.... For years I thought it was an unbelievable shot but obviously that makes much more sense.

[@Azor_Ahai031]

wade calling out for his mother as hes dying has to be one of the hardest things ive ever watched in a movie. first saw the movie when i was 12 and it changed how i viewed "war" in general, when i got to that scene i had to stop watching for a minute because it was so hard.

[@NunyaBesnas]

I forgot that scene where he’s dying and crying for his mom was in there. That hit me really hard as when I was a young Medic in the Army the first man I saw die cried for his mother. The only thing on my mind after it happened was how cliche it was. Now it doesn’t seem that way at all. It’s been over a decade and I can still hear it and I’m not sure I’ll ever really forget that.