Saving Private Ryan (Sapphire Series) (1999)

"Saving Private Ryan" is, by all accounts, an American masterpiece and one of the premier World War II films. Its release on Blu-Ray has been highly anticipated and, for the most part, it doesn't disappoint. First of all, the transfer is every bit as astonishingly sharp as expected. I am by no means a videophile, but there didn't appear to be a single moment of artificial enhancement of the film. The print is appropriately accompanied by a slight sheen of grain whilst still retaining a high level of detail. As far as I'm concerned this is an easy five star transfer. The film runs 2:49:28 and features audio and subtitles in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Prior to the menu loading are two easily skippped trailers for the "Minority Report" Blu-Ray and the long overdue home video release of "The African Queen".

There are no features on the first disc, not even a commentary track (Spielberg is well known for his dislike of commentary tracks). The special features are included on the second disc and all are presented in standard definition with the exception of the two film trailers. This is disappointing but not surprising, as it's something of an industry trend. There were no new features produced for this release, which is especially surprising considering the wealth of new high definition features that were produced for the "Minority Report" Blu-Ray. The positive side is that it pulls the features from all previous DVD editions. So even if it is all in standard definition, at least the consumer is presented with the complete special features collection. Most of the titles are rather self-explanatory, but here's a complete rundown of the features:

1) "Introduction" (2:35) Director Steven Spielberg discusses what attracted him to this project. This would've made more sense if it was included on the first disc with the film, as most will only put the second disc in after watching the film, thus making this more of an epilogue!

2) "Looking Into the Past" (4:40) This functions as a sort of extension of the introduction, as Spielberg discusses the influences that ultimately led him to creating this film.

3) "Miller and His Platoon" (8:23) This feature discusses the different personalities of the principle characters with particular focus on Tom Hank's character. Spielberg and Hanks also speak candidly about their interest in World War II in general. There's some interesting on-set footage included as well.

4) "Boot Camp" (7:37) This features the great Captain Dale Dye discussing how he helped train the actors for their roles, as well as the unique boot camp the actors participated in during production.

5) "Making Saving Private Ryan" (22:05) A strong making-of feature which highlights Spielberg's directing style relative to the film with some outstanding behind the scenes footage. This is far better than the typical promotional fluff studios place on video releases with a "making of" label attached.

6) "Re-Creating Omaha Beach" (17:58) An interesting feature discussing how the crew mounted the most impressive battle scene of the film.

7) "Music and Sound" (15:59) Composer John Williams discusses how he went about scoring the film.

8) "Parting Thoughts" (3:43) A nice bookend feature that contains bits of interview footage with Hanks and Spielberg.

9) "Into the Breach: Saving Private Ryan" (25:01) A standard behind-the-scenes feature covering production of the film. This feels like a promotional piece that was bumpered between films on television during its theatrical run. This feature was ported over from the original DVD release of the film and is in rather poor quality (even for standard definiton). I'm definitely glad they included this, but the "Making Saving Private Ryan" feature is far superior.

10) "Shooting War" (1:28:05) Tom Hanks (in full beard, as this was filmed while "Cast Away" was under production) hosts this feature focusing on the men who filmed and photographed World War II. This is perhaps the strongest feature here, bolstered by plenty of amazing war footage and anecdotes from veterans.

11) Theatrical Trailer in High Definition (2:16)

12) Re-Release Trailer in High Definition (2:05)

To be fair, all the features truly do look quite excellent with the notable exception of the "Into the Breach" feature. I've been spoiled on the clarity of Blu-Ray, however, so it's still something of a disappointment. Aside from that, this is by far the best release of the film yet. The print is fantastic, it's a huge upgrade over the DVD, and the features are expansive and plentiful. Highly recommended!

UPDATE 05/11/10: Apparently this Blu-Ray has been recalled because of an audio sync problem that occurs after Chapter 15 (about two hours into the film). I was aware of the claims on its release date, but even after watching my copy twice I never encountered any issues. Still, for the company to take this sort of action proves the problem is indeed legitimate, so hopefully Paramount's response will be swift and painless for those who have already purchased this product.

FOLLOW-UP 05/26/10: The Blu-Ray issue has been resolved, Amazon only offers the corrected copies for sale and all other retailers should have them on the shelves now. If buying locally, the easiest way to tell the difference is to check the backside of the Blu-Ray for a yellow UPC sticker. Also, whereas the original defective discs were grey, the new corrected copies are blue discs.

I was very impressed by ths film. I thought it would probably turn out to be rather cliched but it did seem to have a newer perspective on WW2. Some people say the characters are stereotypical well, I served in the British Army Reserves for four years and my platoon had a fierce Scot, joking Londoner, smiling Irishman and philosphical Welshman in it, plus me as the token University Boy so I think you'll find that real-life Army units can be like that. No African Americans? Since the US Army was segregated until the sixties that is hardly surprising. Caricatured Germans? Germans running away? Well, some of them DID run away you know they weren't all ruthlessly obedient supermen, and some were no doubt far more fed up with the war that the allies were. It would have been nice to see some British soldiers about but they were some way East taking out Caen at the time, so again, not a surprise. I wasn't sure about the film's comment on Montgomery ("overrated") and the British divisions though; Monty was a very good general indeed, at least as good as Patton or Eisenhower, and if he was so overcautious then why did the British lose so many men and tanks taking Caen? I think you'll find that about 80% plus of all the German armour in Normandy was at Caen, directed against the British not the sort of battle that can be won in an afternoon I'm sure you'll agree.

Excellent film though the most realistic combat scenes you will ever see on celluloid by far, and the plot is at least believable.

By the way, thanks very much to the US armed forces for doing a fantastic job as our allies in WW2, and other times. Long may Britain and the US continue to stand up for freedom.

Buy Saving Private Ryan (Sapphire Series) (1999) Now

Some people advise others to close their eyes during the loooong opening scene of Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. That would be a mistake. Yes, it's carnage, it's horrible, it's relentless, it's bloody, it's random death, it's a portrayal of fear and courage and raw coincidence. But it's also one of the most powerful pieces of cinematography ever filmed.

There are many other scenes that have stayed with me during the years since I last saw this unforgettable film, perhaps Spielberg's best ever. Perhaps the most poignant one that comes immediately to mind is the woman whose sons are all away at war. She's on a remote farm, washing dishes, and thru her window she sees the dust of approaching cars. She goes outside to meet the visitors, tenses as she sees military brass and a chaplain step from the cars, then crumples wordlessly to the worn boards of her front porch as she tries to take in the news: all her boys have been killed, except for one: Private Ryan.

Another related scene, the one that came just before this one, is equally gut-wrenching (and in both scenes, there is no dialogue, just heart-stabbing visuals that are more powerful than any words could have been) as a woman charged with sending out letters of the We Regret to Inform You variety realizes that she's seen three letters with the same address within the past few days, and she takes this terrible proof to her supervisor and thus is born the search for the surviving son, to bring him home to his momma.

Tom Hanks, with his own persona of morality and honesty, is perfectly cast as the good Captain Miller, a soldier's soldier charged with this onerous task, and of course there is terrible cost.

Saving Private Ryan is the film Spielberg HAD to make. Outstanding, in every possible way.

Read Best Reviews of Saving Private Ryan (Sapphire Series) (1999) Here

My father-in-law is a WWII veteran and was overseas for 2-1/2 years. I had always known that he had seen a lot of action but never heard him talk very much about it. He was in the D-day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge, plus many-many other battles. My father-in-law went to see this movie and cried through-out most of it (especially the first 30 minutes). We later talked about it and fifty years of thoughts came forth. The initial battle sequence in the film is exactly what it was like, the sounds, the smells, your hearing, etc. He said it was like being back on the beach all over again. He told me, unless you've been in battle, it's very hard to describe what it feels like. This movie hits the mark. See this movie and then thank a WWII vet for the contributions they made to the USA.

I've read alot of the other reviews, and many people should do some reading about the invasion before they criticize it. Many keep asking where are the British, well, they were over on the Gold and Sword beaches, while the Candaians were on Juno beach. The US 4th Infantry div. attacked at Utah beach and the US 29th Infantry div and US 1st Infantry division attacked Omaha beach. This movie was about the landing at Omaha beach. Therefore, the reason you don't see any Brits in the film is because they weren't supposed to be there. They fought on the Gold and Juno beaches.

Want Saving Private Ryan (Sapphire Series) (1999) Discount?

"Saving Private Ryan" tells the story of a United States Army captain (played by Tom Hanks) who, during World War II, is sent on a special mission in Europe: he and his team are to find and bring home a young soldier named Private Ryan. Ryan's brothers have been killed fighting the war, making him the last surviving son in the family; the U.S. government thus wants him pulled out of the combat zone.

Unlike some other war films, SPR includes no love story subplots; this is all about men at war. The combat scenes are brutally intense and graphic. But the violence is never gratuitous or glamorized. Rather, the violent scenes play like a documentary whose maker is intent on showing the terror and pain of war.

Steven Spielberg directs an excellent ensemble cast. Hanks brings a quiet, anguished dignity to his role as Captain Miller. The rest of the cast does equally admirable work.

The quest of Captain Miller and his squad involves both an internal and external struggle; they must fight enemy troops while struggling to stay in touch with their own humanity. The film raises such issues as loyalty, duty, the treatment of enemy prisoners, and the value of a single life in the midst of overwhelming death.

While the film clearly empathizes with Hanks' American soldiers, it does not demonize the Germans, and does not indulge in jingoistic imagery or rhetoric. In the end, "Saving Private Ryan" is a well-made film that is often disturbing, often moving, but always attentive to high human cost of war.

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