Saving Private Ryan 1988
Introduction
Saving Private Ryan is an American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in the Second World War. Written by Robert Rodat and directed by Steven Spielberg; it revolves around efforts to extract Private James Ryan from the theatre of war and return him to his mother in the U.S following the deaths of his three brothers during the assault on Normandy beach. On hearing that three of the four Ryan brothers died during the assault and that their mother is to receive a telegram informing her of their deaths, General George Marshal on reading President Lincoln’s letter orders Private James Francis Ryan’s extraction and return to his mother. At this time Private Ryan was missing in action. Saving Private Ryan has received widespread critical acclaim and achieved major commercial success. The film was released on the 24th of July 1998 and grossed over $480 million on a budget of $70 million. The film was nominated for eleven academy awards and was selected in 2014 for preservation in The National Film Registry.
The Film’s Plot
On the 6th of June 1944, American soldiers prepared to invade Normandy. They landed on Omaha beach against heavily fortified German defenses and suffer heavy casualties and in the process, three of the four Ryan brothers are killed, while the fourth Private James Francis Ryan is missing in action around the area. A commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Captain John Miller is able to make it out of the initial landing and gathers a group of his men to cut through the German defenses. Back home in Washington, D.C., General George Marshall learns of the death of three of the Ryan brothers and that the fourth is missing in action.
The fact that their mother is to receive telegrams of the death of three of her sons on the same day moves the General to order that the fourth son be found and returned home to his mother immediately. Three days after the initial landing, Captain John Miller receives orders to find Private James Francis Ryan and return him home. He gathers seven of his men for the mission and they move to Neuville and joined up with a platoon from the Airborne Battalion. Initially, they found a Private James Ryan but soon discover he’s not the one they were looking for. They later learnt that Private James Francis Ryan’s landing point was at Vierville and eventually located him but he refused to go home insisting that it’s not fair for him to do so.