A PowerPoint by Steven H.

Setting of Saving Private RyanSaving Private Ryan takes place in 1944

Europe and starts off with the battle for Normandy beach. Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat, this film received five Oscars, and a whopping 52 wins and 53 nominations for various awards. This is an action film based around World War II and was released on July 24, 1998 in the United States.

Plot of Saving Private RyanThe plot of this film was, as the soldiers in

World War II would call, FUBAR. Eight soldiers from the 2nd Rangers who stormed Normandy are ordered by a high ranking officer to save a man named James Ryan, a Private in the military. The problem is there is no reason to believe that Private Ryan is still alive, and if he is he could be anywhere.

Actors Part OneTom Hanks plays the role of Captain John H.

Miller. Captain Miller leads a group of 2nd rangers to find Private Ryan. He doesn’t believe in the cause of this mission but follows orders and gives an excellent example of what a leader should do. Throughout the film you see that Miller’s right hand shakes uncontrollably from time to time, likely out of stress for the soldiers he has lost under his command. Tom Hanks does an excellent job of playing the leader and friend to his soldiers. He gave an A+ performance.

Actors ContinuedVin Diesel plays the role of Private Adrian

Caparzo. Although Matt Damon has a much larger roll I can’t even compare his acting to Vin Diesel’s. Vin Diesel’s character, Caparzo is the voice of reason and compassion for Millers squad. He is a sniper who does everything in his power to protect his brothers and civilians even, if it means ignoring orders. Early in the film Caparzo makes a choice to save a French child that has a horrific consequence on his squad which I won’t spoil. It is reactions to things like this that made Vin Diesel one of the most memorable actors in this film.

PresentationAs I mentioned before, the plot of this film is

FUBAR (MUBAR would be Messed Up Beyond All Repair; figure it out). Thankfully I am willing to overlook the plot ten times over thanks to the brilliant presentation. I would like to state that this movie is absolutely gore-filled. I’m talking about heads being popped off by a 50 cal brutal. The epic battles between the Germans and the Americans gives a slight idea of how horrific it must have been to battle it out on the beaches of Normandy. This is the kind of movie you have to see to appreciate.

What Happened During WWII?World War II was basically just a huge power struggle

that went out of control. Hitler and his Nazi followers conquered Poland and wreaked havoc around Europe. The United States, however tried to stay uninvolved in this war by any means necessary. This didn’t last long however, as Roosevelt lead Americans troops to aid Britain and France. In fear of espionage the American’s wrongfully capture many Japanese who were legally residing in California; some of these men even played a part in fighting the war. In 1944 U.S. Troops landed on five beaches in Normandy in an attempt to fight off the Germans. This played a huge role in ending World War II. By May 7th of the following year Germany surrendered unconditionally.

ComparisonThe film was accurate as far as dates and

events went. There was a lot of interesting information scattered throughout the film that helped give an understanding of the weapons being used during this time period. Also covered were high ranking military officers, Roosevelt, and a general idea of the different nations that got caught up in World War II.

Reflection & ReviewThe film and reading taught me a lot about

the events of World War II. I mainly learned about the battle for Normandy and the Nazi uprising. The sources provided on the course home pages offered information of the events that lead to World War II and Hitler’s army. A lot of said information can be found on the previous slide.

*****I Give this film the respectable rating of 9/10 stars!*****