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Saving Private Ryan The powers-that-be have declared this film MA. Better rather to recommend this film as compulsory viewing. If war is not the brightly-coloured bang-fest -- all movement and sound and adrenalin -- that computer games and adventure films teach us, but a violent, frightening, gore-filled, nightmare of death-spitting bullets and screaming men, then it should be our aim to inoculate the young against it. If the inoculation is confronting and scary and keeps the audience awake at night then so be it. We shouldn't be afraid to get a little sick to prevent full-on illness.

This is easily Spielberg's best film, executed by a master craftsman and performed by working actors. From the opening sequence on the D-Day beaches, Spielberg walks a fine line humanising the characters in an environment that conspires to de-humanise them. Unlike Amistad, where Spielberg rubbed our noses in desperate symbolism weakening his message, Saving Private Ryan is filmed at the right distance. spielberg photographs the scenes objectively, letting us experience the fear of death without pushing himself into our consciousness.

Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan

The extraordinary attention to detail in this film brings to the screen one of the most truthful depictions of war ever seen. We are not shown matinee-idol perfection with good and evil clearly divided. Instead we see men whose every breath is grey. Each man is good and evil, each one interprets the war through his own conscience (or lack of it), and through this we learn that war is not just an external hell that threatens life and limb, but also an experience that puts survival and honour at odds, and where tiredness conquers the best intentions. Veterans who have seen this film have come away with new tools for processing their memories, and those who have not seen war have a better idea of just how unnecessary it is.

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Catharsis is something that the best films give to the audience, the opportunity to experience the story with the actors, to be part of something that we may never otherwise know, and to leave with a sense of having been (emotionally) there. Going to a cinema for about three hours isn't like living in the stench and horror and endlessness for a tour of duty, but it can give you some new insights. This is an important film, and everyone should watch it, regardless of age, creed, colour or whatever, because it's better to watch and experience war by proxy than to have your life turned to bloody rubble. Movie clip (That's my mission) .mov file 3717k removed as this film is no longer in initial release.

	Ali Kayn See also: Saving Private Spielberg For credits and official site details, click here. Search Festivale for more
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Enter movie, TV show, or person   Provided by Internet Movie Database.	Just the facts: Title: Saving Private Ryan (1998) Written by: Frank Darabont (uncredited), Scott Frank (uncredited), Robert Rodat Directed by: Steven Spielberg Produced by: Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Allison Lyon Segan (co-producer), Steven Spielberg   Edited by: Michael Kahn   Director of Photography: Janusz Kaminski
	The Players: Tom Hanks .... Captain John Miller Tom Sizemore .... Sarge Edward J. Burns .... Reiben Matt Damon .... Private James Ryan
	Official website
	For session times of current films, use the cinema listings on the Movie links page. For scheduled release dates, see the coming attractions section.

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Movie images, sounds, and video clips are solely owned by their respective companies. No other uses are permitted without the prior written consent of owner. Use of the material in violation of the foregoing may result in civil and/or criminal penalties. disclaimer Festivale Online Magazine Celebrate everything! www.festivale.info ISSN 1328-8008 Published in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia disclaimers | contact the editor | Festivale revision history Published in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia copyright © Festivale 1998 All rights reserved Filed: Jun-1998 Last updated: 10-Nov-1998 Last tested: 3-Jul-2014 Last Compiled: 3-Jul-2014 Entire site refreshed: Dec 2008-Feb 2009 | Site URL transferred: Jan 2005 (previously www.festivale.webcentral.com.au)