Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Throughout his illustrious career as a director, Steven Spielberg has never been afraid to tackle big subject matter and when this World War II epic was first released to theaters twenty five years ago this July, it was a BIG deal.  Not only was he returning to the time period and broad category of subject matter (World War II) which had last earned him an Oscar and widespread acclaim with Schindler's List less than five years prior but he was collaborating with who was at the time our most beloved movie star Tom Hanks....who was coming off of two recent Oscar wins himself for Philadelphia and Forest Gump.  It also comprised a stacked cast of talented actors, many of whom were on their way towards becoming stars including Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, and Tom Sizemore.  All of the stars were aligned for what many expected to be a masterpiece....

And in the eyes of most audiences and critics, it WAS.   The film was a massive hit at the box office, received universal acclaim and also ended up winning several Oscars as well....including a second Best Director Oscar for Spielberg.  It also had a sizeable cultural impact, not only having an effect on most war film moving forward but also the overall perception of World War II including those who fought it who were nicknamed "The Greatest Generation."  But how does it hold up as an actual movie?  It's time to revisit this story of eight man on a mission to save ONE.

 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
 Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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