HAVE WE "EARNED THIS"?
A PERSONAL LOOK AT SPR

"Earn this James. Earn this." They were not words merely spoken to Private James Ryan of the 101st Airborne, rather they were words spoken to an entire generation. They are words which bare relevance to every man, woman and child who has lived in the post World War II period. Hundreds of thousands have died saving our freedoms and way of life. But have we as a society earned the freedoms and peace they secured?

Saving Private Ryan poses many questions, some of which have become clichés in light of the hype surrounding this phenomenal movie. Is it worth risking the lives of eight in order to save one? Should a POW be let free or gunned down on the spot? There are no easy answers to these, and as human beings on God's planet it is probably not up to us to give a solid answer.

What did I think of "Ryan"? It is most definitely not a film one goes to see to be entertained, rather I see it as a film which we should all see both to pay respect to those who have fought and died in all wars, and to be educated about how terrible war really is. Saving Private Ryan delivers this message with a form of brutality which few of us have seen on the screen before. Everything other reviewers have said about this film is true - it is realistic, horrifying, suspenseful, and deeply depressing. There is really little I can say that hasn't already been said for me.

Any criticisms people have directed towards this film should be tossed away and disregarded. A film like this deserves respect, it is both a triumph in movie making, and in realistic storytelling. It is not until one witnesses all the action that is occurring simultaneously throughout the film that you realize how gifted Steven Spielberg is as a director. There is nothing I would change about this film if it were mine. The cinematography was what I've always dreamed of - discarding the camera stands and dollies in favor of handheld camera work which captures perfectly all the confusion and terror. The sound is something one can never forget. I had not heard what real gunshots sounded like unlike I saw "Ryan" for the first time. The sounds of the bullets hitting the metal barricades during the opening sequence was incredible. And speaking about the opening sequence, all I can say is "wow".

There were a few scenes in this movie that I will never forget, the sort of scenes that totally drained me of emotion and left me feeling hopeless. In Titanic you could site in the theater and think how you may have done things differently, but in Saving Private Ryan there was no escape from the images on the screen. Had you actually been there, there was nothing you could have done differently to what they were doing on the screen. The scenes I shall never forget include :

· the soldiers disembarking from the landing craft in flames after the flame thrower was struck by a bullet.
· the soldier crying for his mother as his entrails hung out of his shattered body.
· The death of T4 Medic Wade - it was agonizing and extremely difficult to watch.
· The poor soldier who held the "sticky bomb" too long and paid the price for his mistake · the group of US soldiers standing on the German tank when the 20mm machine gun took to them.
· The feeling of totally helplessness as a German tank aimed its turret at the bell tower where Private Jackson was stationed
· the film's prologue and epilogue. It was perfect and truly put the film into context.

I have now seen Saving Private Ryan twice at the theaters and that will be enough for me. It is too terrifying and depressing to watched over and over again. This film is worth an A+ all the way, but let's remember its not without it's flaws. As I was saying though, any flaws in this movie should be overlooked - Steven Spielberg has created a masterpiece which will be remembered for years to come, something this film truly deserves.

Every Allied man who has died in every war died for a cause. Whether they were fighting in Europe, Guadalcanal, Vietnam or Kuwait they fought for a common reason. They fought to ensure we remain free, they fought to ensure future generations wouldn't have to do the same thing. My generation has a lot to be thankful for, every generation before it…..my dad's, my grandfather's, my great grandfather's have had to endure a major war where mere boys were being shipped to foreign lands to fight. Were their losses and selfless sacrifices in vain? Have we earned the freedoms they secured? I feel we have a long way to go. We still fight wars - in our cities, on our streets and even in our houses. In 1930s-1940s we fought one disease - his name was Adolf Hitler. In the 1990s we fight many diseases - religious intolerance, racism, crime, drugs, divorce, corruption and the list goes on…..The longer these diseases continue the greater likelihood another Adolf Hitler will rise to power….and if that happens then everything Saving Private Ryan stands for will become meaningless, and all those sacrifices would be for nothing.

Lest We Forget

Reviewed by Trent White
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