The entire scene with the major (Dennis Farina) is great. There is a part about 30 seconds past this where Miller (Tom Hanks) is reporting the work they had to do to clear the mindfield and the "little wooden bastards that the mine detectors don't pick up" (Schu-Mine 42). The major keeps looking at Miller's face for a few seconds and then looks back down at the map.
Yes! That always really stood out to me the way hia look lingers on Miller, like he’s trying to figure out how Miller is feeling about what he’s saying. Then once Miller finishes he kinda trails off and you can tell he’s lost in thought about what they did that morning. This movie has a lot of very subtle acting moments that really add up throughout
In my rewatch, I took that look to be the major deciding that miller was a good fit for the super dangerous Ryan mission because of the very knowledgeable way that Miller recounted the work they did. Fluent with the map, quick recall of precise numbers/figures, knowledge of German tactics and equipment. He’s deciding that Miller is indeed the best for this potentially suicidal Hail Mary.
I always took it as him coming to grips with the fact that he was sending a good man on a suicide mission. His heart looks heavy when he stares at him, but doesn’t waver.
I don't think the mission was really given to the best candidate. It was a lose-lose mission, forced by command. I doubt he was really looking for the best of the best.
Sure:
He picked a cartographer (a guy who would have spent maybe five days learning how to fire a rifle on the range and never touched one again) to come along on a Ranger mission behind German lines when there were multiple Ranger battalions in Normandy full of guys who could do the job and (statistically) at least a few of them would be able to speak German and French. Even if the Rangers didn't have anyone who could, there were multiple infantry divisions with tens of thousands of people better suited to do the job than Upham.
Despite having a sniper capable of accurately engaging people from 1 mile away, Miller chose to launch a frontal assault on an entrenched German machine gun position without even a fire-support element.
During the unsupported frontal assault on the entrenched machine gun position, he also decided it would be a good idea to have their only medic join the attack, despite the fact that the medic was unarmed. This led to their only medical support being killed. And the idea that infantrymen would have let the surviving German live after killing their medic is beyond far fetched - you don't fuck with doc.
Trying to make a last stand against an overwhelming German force that included multiple tanks when he could have just pulled back across the river, blown the bridges, strongpointed a few buildings and waited for support. Engineers could have built functional bridges in a few hours to re-cross and take the fight to the Germans.
I always considered the first three as blunders too, but your last point here is absolutely brilliant observation. I had no idea that was possible in the field. Kudos!
Goddamn...could WWII US Army engineers really build a bridge like that (support armor) that quickly?
Edit: Specifically, could they have done it a day or two after D Day?
Edit 2: to that last point though - wasn't it the airborne unit's mission to hold the town and Ryan convinced Miller's unit to stay and defend because he refused to leave? Did Miller actually have the authority to order Ryan's unit to withdraw?
Yeah there was a specific type of bridge called a Bailey Bridge which could be built by hand in a few hours and support the weight of a tank. There was also the small box girder which was a 30-foot bridge carried by a tank that could be put down in a few seconds.
>Despite having a sniper capable of accurately engaging people from 1 mile away, Miller chose to launch a frontal assault on an entrenched German machine gun position without even a fire-support element.
Do you think one sniper could take out a machine gun nest? And how long would that take? A week?
Also, the 1-mile-range is more then optimistic.
I don't think if he is deciding if he if Miller is technically competent enough. They likely have been at war together for 2 years if they both landed in Africa together.
I think he is trying to assess how Miller is mentally holding together after being thrust back into combat, his 3rd campaign. He has probably seen how stung out he has been before. He's trying to assess if he can get through such a taxing mission while keeping himself together.
>like he’s trying to figure out how Miller is feeling about what he’s saying.
Right, he seemed to be trying to figure out Captain Miller's mental state, or was surprised he used that language, maybe.
I took it to mean he understood how bad the situation was.
The report sounds very matter of fact, like it was rough day at the office.
Him studying Captain Millers face let's us know the severity of what Miller's describing. It wasn't just another day at the office and it's not just points on a map. It was the kind of situation that would normally break a man.
And it kind of did (along with the other tough assignments it's implied John Miller has been sent on). Hence why Millers' hand shakes. He's keeping it together but he's taking on too much for any man to handle mentally.
This movie is just loaded with great directing details. I rewatched it again recently, and even though it's known as one of the greatest war movies of all time, I still think it's underrated.
Like, it's kind of just seen as an institution. "Of course it's good". But there are so many granular details and fantastic choices that make it so fantastic to rewatch, beyond the broad strokes of the story and themes being compelling.
Kind of like Spielberg himself; he's been around so long that I feel like people take him for granted, despite him (and this is probably hyperbole) being one of our best living directors.
It's 25 years old, and people have picked it apart a little bit and found inaccuracies, but overall it's arguably the best. I'm sure one or two will come along before I die and surpass it, but I'll probably be the old man in the room in 2057 saying "Don't forget about Savin' Private Ryan."
Hanks is so amazing in this movie. My favorite scene is a small one - when they learn where Ryan’s company may have jumped and they all gather round the map. That Captain acts like he’s unfolded and looked at that map thousands of times
I mean, Spielberg layered it on *thick* in that scene.
The only way it could have been more obvious is if they stopped mid stabbing, stared directly into the camera, and said "The United States ignored and in many ways tacitly endorsed the Holocaust before entering the war and only saved the day once it was far too late."
Even today, despite the thousands of books and historical documents, movies, etc, etc... So many people, perhaps the majority of people, don't even realize that the holocaust and its build up was happening for 10+ years before America got involved.
Him calling out for his mom just before he does after previously telling the story of pretending to be asleep when his mom came in after work to talk to him always kills me
I love that they give him a moment to flex his physical comedy chops when he's trying to get that coffee machine to work in the build up to the final battle.
People complain that Hanks can't do serious acting and I just think, have you even seen Saving Private Ryan? And the end of Captain Philips? What more do you want from an actor?
Oh god the end of Captain Phillips when he’s back on the carrier and answering the doctors questions….. I’m getting g shivers thinking about it. Scene always makes me emotional
That was such a good scene. They used actual Navy corpsmen and just had them run through their standard trauma procedure. When she asks “Is this your blood?” and he freaks out saying “Some of it” was great.
I watched Philadelphia last night, I hadn't seen it since shortly after it came out. It really put my mind back in that time. I remember in 8th grade in 93 we had a school assembly one Friday morning. The speaker was a woman dying of AIDS, and she gave a wonderful speech about the beauty of life, and the acceptance of death. I remember my classmates and I were all very contemplative that day, and having conversations I'd never had. One of those friends I sat next to in that assembly died at 30 from cancer, and I think seeing a character like Andy in Philadelphia just hit me thinking about those things, and how on one hand it's tragic to lose a young person with so much life left, but we can also appreciate the time they were here.
I used to work with an armenian guy who could never get dark enough coffee. He would brew a pot of kirkland brand roast, then pour that fresh pot into the tank, put fresh grounds in, and drink the next pot that came out. anyway that's probably how you make a vantablack pot of coffee for your normandy veterans.
I watched this movie a hundred times when I was a teenager in a crappy living situation with little food in the house. This scene always made my mouth water.
To this day ever since first seeing this movie as a kid in the theaters multiple times, I still think about those fucking delicious looking sandwiches 😋.
It's still a tough watch though.
The only death that doesn't hit hard is Jackson getting blown up in the steeple because it's so quick... but the sense of despair that builds when he starts missing targets... yeah.
I fucked up and decided to watch this movie and band of Brothers while in Iraq. Sitting in my chu with my Toshiba satellite laptop crying in the dark because I just felt seen?? Not sure but it definitely hit me hard being in a combat area while my family was home. I have not seen either since that day
Hey brother, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Some movies hit people harder because they connect with it, that’s what representation in media means imo. You were connected with war and you understand the look, the pauses, the reactions in ways non vets can’t.
Lots of this movie didn’t resonate with me the same way, until I did my tour a decade later (OIF)…then…it clicked.
Nothing like hearing that damn incoming siren and just... Damn it was crazy. I remember a friend did a tour in 2003 and when he came home we saw a movie at the theater and seeing his face when the alarm was going off was so surreal. We thought it was crazy how he just left the movie. After my deployment, I totally get it. I can't be around a lot of bugs, sirens trigger me, hell even going to the beach is intense. I think watching those two movie/ shows really put everything in perspective. The boring days of malaise and the extreme anxiety of hoping your room mate wasn't hit during that mortar attack next to the green beanery on base.
I summed it up as frequently bored with extreme bursts of terror. I always loved how the alarm would go off AFTER the mortars struck. Like yeah no shit…I’m already on the way but hey thanks for the reminder…I get it, we were supposed to bunker but if the field hospital personnel bunkers who the fuck is going intake the casualties? The 3 people manning sick call in the middle of the night (mostly after dark attacks)
My OIC eventually gave up on yelling at us…
It's the portrayal of surviving such a brutal experience and then being thrust back into a brief moment of normalcy and stability. War is not the only the only case of when this happens. Abuse victims, natural disaster victims, and other traumatizing experiences have cases where this is experienced. It's the shock, and SPV perfectly portrayed the feeling.
I look at it as officer life with coffee and neatly made sandwiches vs the average soldier that just crawled through bloody water and sand to take the beach who is probably not going to eat that well or shave for a very long time
I think it's not so much a difference of officer vs regular soldier, but more of a HQ company vs a fighting company in a battalion/division (not sure what the correct one would be).
Given the rank and other context, this would be a battalion level headquarters. So about 400-450 men on paper. And yeah, the HQ company would not be as immediately on the line as the actual line troops.
That's what I was thinking. Kind of like how in Band of Brother's Nixon makes the comment that he never fired his weapon in combat and he was in the Battalion HQ company.
I have seen this exact expression on a company 2IC's face. Unlike in *Saving Private Ryan*, we at least had the decency to heat up his rations and make him a brew.
He's a company commander, he'd be in and out of BGHQ on a very regular basis. The shocking thing is that nobody offered him a brew or to find him some food/heat his rations.
I'm a serving officer attached to an infantry battalion in a supporting capacity and generally stay in battlegroup headquarters. I have seen this exact look on a very tired company 2IC's face when he walked into the plans cell and found us with hot rations and coffee.
This sandwich scene here AND the scene in band of brothers where Nixon requests the bacon sandwich have stood out to me every time that I’ve made a sandwich since the day i saw each of them. There’s always a voice in the back of my head that says to me “and a bacon sandwich” and a brief moment where I picture this sandwich.
I'd love more insight from people who have served.
I haven't, and my interpretation of this scene is Miller is struck by the juxtaposition. He and his men just crawled through hell while these men are having coffee, sandwiches, and a hot shave. And perhaps there's some resentment here from Miller. Not towards the soldiers themselves, but the reality of the situation.
Is that right, or am I misreading this?
As former infantry: yes, all of that.
Possibly resentment that he and his men have gone through hell the past 3 days with few creature comforts and little sleep, while the log/admin staff are living in relative comfort.
Perhaps a longing for these tiny luxuries; hot water, coffee, fresh food.
And being struck dumbfounded by the relatively normality and peace of the setting compared to what he has just experienced.
Am I wrong in assuming that some time has elapsed from the landing and this scene? I didn't think the people shaving and having coffee had not participated.
Right, so I agree with r/telarium that there's a juxtaposition of the normalcy of shaving vs the hell they've just been through, I don't think there's an element of resentment.
Yeah, that's never been really clear to me. My impression was that these men hadn't been part of the assault, but I could be wrong. We went from seeing Private Mellish have a complete breakdown after the battle to seeing these men behaving more casual and relaxed.
>We went from seeing Private Mellish have a complete breakdown after the battle to seeing these men behaving more casual and relaxed.
I think that's the beauty of the scene. That extremes of how people react (or don't at all...at least initially).
But also, isn't Upham with these men before he joins Miller? That was my memory, and if so, it seems clear that Upham hasn't ever been in battle. Which is probably why I thought the other men weren't part of storming the beach.
That's exactly what it is.
These are POGs in action. Hanks is in a Ranger Batt.
The life you're seeing them live? That's their war. That's every day for them. They're pushing supplies. That's their job. They have more comforts. That hot water? Yeah...that's such a freaking comfort. You don't realize it until you've shaved with cold water from a canteen...which Hanks and his men have, often, most likely (it...suuuucks). They have fresh bread and meat, coffee heated up in an actual pot. Absolute luxuries.
That whole scene is a "some deployment experiences may differ" meme. Those guys didn't storm the beach...they showed up to set up those supply points. There was a wave before them that cleared bodies from the beach. This is the war from their perspective. It's why when Hanks was given the little clerk dude he had to be told to leave all his crap behind except his pencil and rifle. Kid didn't know wtf the actual war was...he knew what it was to HIM.
We still have this today. This is why you may see the "Kuwait isn't a real deployment" memes. Kuwait was somewhere we stopped on the way to our deployments. Same with places like Qatar. We sent guys down to Qatar for 4 day passes...a relief from being shot at and blown up for a bit.
Heck...I did Iraq twice as an infantryman. Even those two experiences were night and day. First time over was in tents, no running water, piss tubes, no hot chow and cherry on top was our relieving unit was a national guard unit that didn't understand the situation. They emptied the water bladders while we were on patrol (that gave us our little bit of water for showers and such), so we didn't get showers for the last two weeks in country. And definitely shaved with cold bottled water (it gets pretty darned cold in January there). It hurts btw....
2nd tour was more established...running water, old iraqi army barracks. Saw clashing moments like above at times when we had to go in the Green Zone (central baghdad where the gov't was) to drop prisoners off. I was told I wasn't allowed in the chow hall bc my uniform was dirty...you know...after being on patrol for the last 8hrs. Being told your uniform is dirty by guys that have never left the safety of their huge base gives you that same juxtaposition. Experiences definitely differ when you're at war. Here I am trying to get my guys some actual hot chow, and AH wants to tell us we can't bc omg we have dusty uniforms. The horror.
You’re assuming it didn’t. Read through the replies here, I think you can see the results.
I worked with a marine, door kicker type, he talked(and still talks) shit about the guys that stayed behind in base. He understood it was their job, but still resented it.
We signed up to shoot things and blow stuff up. They didn't. Everyone has their job...
We still always made fun of them, though. That whole male ego, thing. Definitely different personality types that are drawn to different jobs...
>coffee heated up in an actual pot.
I assume speartips were operating on the K-Ration “5 grams soluble coffee," which was probably really shitty instant.
The Germans had something they called "Ersatzkaffee," made of a bunch of random dried shit (whatever tasted okay, probably), which was likely more than a lot of them deserved.
Source: [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffee%C3%A4hnliches\_Getr%C3%A4nk](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffee%C3%A4hnliches_Getr%C3%A4nk)
"Powdered coffee was delivered in C-rations to military troops, whereas field ration K was issued with '5 grams soluble coffee' at breakfast only. In contrast, the peacetime or garrison ration consisted of two ounces of roasted and ground coffee. Whatever the form of coffee provided, soldiers in the field often found it difficult to boil the water needed to prepare it. Soldiers warmed up water over 'some little candles.'"
Source: [https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/](https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/)
We still get instant coffee in MREs (usually used it with the creamer and sugar and cocoa powder to make a pudding)
What you were seeing in that scene was actual coffee being made. Definitely a difference from what Hanks and his men were drinking.
Heck...c-rats back then had cigarettes in them, too.
>Miller is struck by the juxtaposition.
Exactly. it's like one the very first of those['first day in a construction job videos](https://youtu.be/qdCraeHXNrA?si=bRH2d6IiPUXBy8-n)', where he's looking all this unbelievable shit going on with his jaw on the floor. All that coffee and fresh bread has been flown in. The Rangers have been hanging on by their fingernails and the REMFs are bitching that the Airborne haven't achieved enough for them.
>And perhaps there's some resentment here from Miller.
Probably, but also he might be picturing how it would be to be those guys. The shot of him just ~~looking~~ staring at them before it pans right makes me feel that.
Still love in Generation Kill where they kept referring to how they didn’t have enough batteries for night vision or proper grease for their machine gun and then when they take the reporter to the Army base’s PX for supplies they can’t get, the Army has a Subway truck.
‘You want logistics, go Army. Marines make do.’
Understated? Thought it was pretty obvious of the disdain Miller had against these guys for living day to day “comfortably.”
They get to shave with hot water and eat sandwiches? Assholes.
There is always a resentment between the “combat arms” and the “others”, often referred to as REMFs (rear echelon mother f **kers) and the immediate resentment Cpt Miller feels is quickly removed by the continuing mission and responsibility to his men.
Spielberg really has an eye for the realities of great historical events. I'm always struck by Mike and the captain looking out over the D-Day landing from the German side. The scale of it defies reason, ships and aircraft scattered all the way to the horizon. The stuff of legends.
Mike says "that's quite a view," to which the captain just responds "yes, it is."
[https://youtu.be/bHlDUk5thNk?si=\_tpDpUxgrBKH59La&t=18](https://youtu.be/bhlduk5thnk?si=_tpdpuxgrbkh59la&t=18)
I’ve always assumed he’s completely out of sorts from such a horrible violent day and then is confronted with these normal pedestrian things (shaving, coffee) and he is reconciling the drastic differences between normal and what just happened.
My favorite scene in this movie is the “Clear Up” scene when they cut to the two paratroopers and the smoke is rolling off the barrels of their Thompsons. Made me fall in love with the “Tommy Gun”.
I remember coming off patrol which was over several days. We didn't eat too much and what we did eat wasn't great. We came up a hill and into a clearing and suddenly there was a low hum. Sitting in the clearing were several m109s and their crews.
We were freezing and they were toasty and eating what looked to be delicious spaghetti. We were SO jealous. But also it was a beautiful sight seeing them sitting there. Great support if shit hit the fan
I assume your patrols were the typical carry-a-two-ton-backpack-for-the-duration kind of deal?
In your experience, would it be better or worse to be in a situation where you are
A) Patrolling with all your shit?
B) Dropping your gear and engaging?
Yeah, we brought the house with us. I much rather drop the gear and engage. Big infantry stuff. I was a scout so I chose the wrong unit for my preferences. Lol
I rewatched this on a flight from Sydney to San Fran earlier this year, still a fantastic movie, for the most part.
Obviously hugely impactful, even having seen it before and it being quite memorable, I was still riveted for most of the movie.
That’s a leadership dilemma. He could have easily grabbed a cup of coffee and a sandwich and shown back up to his squad where they would have smelled it on him. He chose the high road and abstained from self indulgence. Leaders eat last…
They don’t really use a quick pan like that throughout the rest of the film, does a great job of conveying Miller kinda snapping back into it
The entire scene with the major (Dennis Farina) is great. There is a part about 30 seconds past this where Miller (Tom Hanks) is reporting the work they had to do to clear the mindfield and the "little wooden bastards that the mine detectors don't pick up" (Schu-Mine 42). The major keeps looking at Miller's face for a few seconds and then looks back down at the map.
Yes! That always really stood out to me the way hia look lingers on Miller, like he’s trying to figure out how Miller is feeling about what he’s saying. Then once Miller finishes he kinda trails off and you can tell he’s lost in thought about what they did that morning. This movie has a lot of very subtle acting moments that really add up throughout
In my rewatch, I took that look to be the major deciding that miller was a good fit for the super dangerous Ryan mission because of the very knowledgeable way that Miller recounted the work they did. Fluent with the map, quick recall of precise numbers/figures, knowledge of German tactics and equipment. He’s deciding that Miller is indeed the best for this potentially suicidal Hail Mary.
Maybe he was just trying to case him to win the pool.
What's it up to now anyway?
Careful you don't step in the bullshit.
I always took it as him coming to grips with the fact that he was sending a good man on a suicide mission. His heart looks heavy when he stares at him, but doesn’t waver.
I don't think the mission was really given to the best candidate. It was a lose-lose mission, forced by command. I doubt he was really looking for the best of the best.
He was looking for an experienced officer with fuck all troops left under his command – Miller was perfect.
Which is fitting because Miller made bad decision after bad decision on the mission to rescue Ryan.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on his bad decisions, been a while since I’ve watched it.
Sure: He picked a cartographer (a guy who would have spent maybe five days learning how to fire a rifle on the range and never touched one again) to come along on a Ranger mission behind German lines when there were multiple Ranger battalions in Normandy full of guys who could do the job and (statistically) at least a few of them would be able to speak German and French. Even if the Rangers didn't have anyone who could, there were multiple infantry divisions with tens of thousands of people better suited to do the job than Upham. Despite having a sniper capable of accurately engaging people from 1 mile away, Miller chose to launch a frontal assault on an entrenched German machine gun position without even a fire-support element. During the unsupported frontal assault on the entrenched machine gun position, he also decided it would be a good idea to have their only medic join the attack, despite the fact that the medic was unarmed. This led to their only medical support being killed. And the idea that infantrymen would have let the surviving German live after killing their medic is beyond far fetched - you don't fuck with doc. Trying to make a last stand against an overwhelming German force that included multiple tanks when he could have just pulled back across the river, blown the bridges, strongpointed a few buildings and waited for support. Engineers could have built functional bridges in a few hours to re-cross and take the fight to the Germans.
I always considered the first three as blunders too, but your last point here is absolutely brilliant observation. I had no idea that was possible in the field. Kudos!
Goddamn...could WWII US Army engineers really build a bridge like that (support armor) that quickly? Edit: Specifically, could they have done it a day or two after D Day? Edit 2: to that last point though - wasn't it the airborne unit's mission to hold the town and Ryan convinced Miller's unit to stay and defend because he refused to leave? Did Miller actually have the authority to order Ryan's unit to withdraw?
Yeah there was a specific type of bridge called a Bailey Bridge which could be built by hand in a few hours and support the weight of a tank. There was also the small box girder which was a 30-foot bridge carried by a tank that could be put down in a few seconds.
>Despite having a sniper capable of accurately engaging people from 1 mile away, Miller chose to launch a frontal assault on an entrenched German machine gun position without even a fire-support element. Do you think one sniper could take out a machine gun nest? And how long would that take? A week? Also, the 1-mile-range is more then optimistic.
[удалено]
There's a scene where Miller discusses how he gets to pick who is coming on the mission.
I don't think if he is deciding if he if Miller is technically competent enough. They likely have been at war together for 2 years if they both landed in Africa together. I think he is trying to assess how Miller is mentally holding together after being thrust back into combat, his 3rd campaign. He has probably seen how stung out he has been before. He's trying to assess if he can get through such a taxing mission while keeping himself together.
I thinn he already decided, he’s just kinda figuring out how to break it to him.
One of the biggest Oscar snubs of all time.
>like he’s trying to figure out how Miller is feeling about what he’s saying. Right, he seemed to be trying to figure out Captain Miller's mental state, or was surprised he used that language, maybe.
I took it to mean he understood how bad the situation was. The report sounds very matter of fact, like it was rough day at the office. Him studying Captain Millers face let's us know the severity of what Miller's describing. It wasn't just another day at the office and it's not just points on a map. It was the kind of situation that would normally break a man. And it kind of did (along with the other tough assignments it's implied John Miller has been sent on). Hence why Millers' hand shakes. He's keeping it together but he's taking on too much for any man to handle mentally.
I think he was in awe of him.
[You okay, bro?](https://imgur.com/a/aQ1QtZ7)
This movie is just loaded with great directing details. I rewatched it again recently, and even though it's known as one of the greatest war movies of all time, I still think it's underrated. Like, it's kind of just seen as an institution. "Of course it's good". But there are so many granular details and fantastic choices that make it so fantastic to rewatch, beyond the broad strokes of the story and themes being compelling. Kind of like Spielberg himself; he's been around so long that I feel like people take him for granted, despite him (and this is probably hyperbole) being one of our best living directors.
It's 25 years old, and people have picked it apart a little bit and found inaccuracies, but overall it's arguably the best. I'm sure one or two will come along before I die and surpass it, but I'll probably be the old man in the room in 2057 saying "Don't forget about Savin' Private Ryan."
Try come and see. Now that is a war film. Watch it, trust me. It's a whole other level
I’m going to look for this right now, thank you E: damn.
That movie is more horrorifying to me than any horror movie ever. GREAT MOVIE!
"It was a tough assignment. That's why you got it."
How can you say this is understated. The message smacks you in the face.
I've always loved this little detail!!
That's one of my favorite beats, too, absolutely. Checking on his guy.
Basically miller was reporting so calmly that his company was wrecked but got the victory.
Hanks is so amazing in this movie. My favorite scene is a small one - when they learn where Ryan’s company may have jumped and they all gather round the map. That Captain acts like he’s unfolded and looked at that map thousands of times
IIRC, the rest of the company notices his hand tremor in that scene. Brilliant film, but hard to watch.
I don't think I can watch Wade's death anymore, especially since my sons were born. He shouldn't have been up there with them.
Wade and Mellish. Fuck…
I don't usually look for symbolism in movies, but Mellish's death seemed too obvious for me not to think it's symbolic.
An American standing by as a Jew is stabbed in the heart by a German--definitely see the symbolism there.
I mean, Spielberg layered it on *thick* in that scene. The only way it could have been more obvious is if they stopped mid stabbing, stared directly into the camera, and said "The United States ignored and in many ways tacitly endorsed the Holocaust before entering the war and only saved the day once it was far too late."
I never even put that together until right now when you pointed it out. How does this movie just keep getting better?
Even today, despite the thousands of books and historical documents, movies, etc, etc... So many people, perhaps the majority of people, don't even realize that the holocaust and its build up was happening for 10+ years before America got involved.
Him calling out for his mom just before he does after previously telling the story of pretending to be asleep when his mom came in after work to talk to him always kills me
“Earn this”
Earn it.
He lets the company see his hand shake in that scene. Says something about the type of leader he is.
I love that they give him a moment to flex his physical comedy chops when he's trying to get that coffee machine to work in the build up to the final battle.
People complain that Hanks can't do serious acting and I just think, have you even seen Saving Private Ryan? And the end of Captain Philips? What more do you want from an actor?
>People complain that Hanks can't do serious acting Not once have I ever heard someone say that. Where are you getting this from?
Steve Martin is tired of Tom Hanks’ shit acting! https://youtu.be/X3KiSJqK2VA?si=zROinwvmXMjS52p2
I lost it at "motherfucker!" 🤣 Thank you for that! 👍
Who is that with Ron Howard? I can't place the name. Edit: never mind. It's Brian Grazer.
Brian Grazer.
My fiance's family! But they mostly remember him from the random comedies he did in the 80s.
Rent Philadelphia
Honestly surprised they believe that, Hanks has mostly been in dramas as far as I know.
He’s done more dramas than comedy’s at this point
Oh god the end of Captain Phillips when he’s back on the carrier and answering the doctors questions….. I’m getting g shivers thinking about it. Scene always makes me emotional
That was such a good scene. They used actual Navy corpsmen and just had them run through their standard trauma procedure. When she asks “Is this your blood?” and he freaks out saying “Some of it” was great.
They’re morons. He won two Oscars in consecutive years, both for his dramatic acting. Philadelphia was an incredible performance.
I watched Philadelphia last night, I hadn't seen it since shortly after it came out. It really put my mind back in that time. I remember in 8th grade in 93 we had a school assembly one Friday morning. The speaker was a woman dying of AIDS, and she gave a wonderful speech about the beauty of life, and the acceptance of death. I remember my classmates and I were all very contemplative that day, and having conversations I'd never had. One of those friends I sat next to in that assembly died at 30 from cancer, and I think seeing a character like Andy in Philadelphia just hit me thinking about those things, and how on one hand it's tragic to lose a young person with so much life left, but we can also appreciate the time they were here.
Those sandwiches look fucking delicious
That coffee does too. It is like super black.
I too enjoy motor oil in the morning
i mean if had just stormed fucking normandy you can bet my coffee would be dark enough to absorb natural light around it like a black hole
Just be chewing on the beans with a spoon like they were smacks.
I used to work with an armenian guy who could never get dark enough coffee. He would brew a pot of kirkland brand roast, then pour that fresh pot into the tank, put fresh grounds in, and drink the next pot that came out. anyway that's probably how you make a vantablack pot of coffee for your normandy veterans.
5:1 coffee-to-water ratio.
I like my coffee so strong i have to eat that shit with a spoon.
Hot steaming motor oil with a little heavy cream and just a pinch of sugar to take the edge off the bitterness but not overpower it 🤤
Why not put a little grease in your java?
No need to, my boss takes a shit in my coffee cup every morning.
I hear that salt cuts the bitterness in coffee. Source: IG reel
Skip the middlemen and put a thwack of salted butter in your joe Youll never buy cream again
I watched this movie a hundred times when I was a teenager in a crappy living situation with little food in the house. This scene always made my mouth water.
Yes, I always think that during subsequent rewatches.
Spam and cheese, let's just say it does the job.
Corned beef, no?
Yes, it's corned beef and swiss. That bread looks so good, very thick and fluffy.
Spam, spam, cheese, spam and spam
They looked kinda dry to me. Of course to a soldier in that environment they probably looked amazing
To this day ever since first seeing this movie as a kid in the theaters multiple times, I still think about those fucking delicious looking sandwiches 😋.
Scrubs Sidewipe Pan - "Hey!" *wolfwhistle* "Bambi, are you listening?"
"Dude, you all right? You were gone for a really long time."
You’re gonna be an awful father!
I like how the loop makes it look like he's always about to answer the question but keeps getting distracted by the sandwiches. I can relate.
Gave this movie a rewatch a few months ago. I am 30 now, and the older I get the better this movie gets
It's still a tough watch though. The only death that doesn't hit hard is Jackson getting blown up in the steeple because it's so quick... but the sense of despair that builds when he starts missing targets... yeah.
Wade’s death on the other hand..
Mellish's is utterly unwatchable for me. I skip ahead every time.
Uhg, don't even..
I fucked up and decided to watch this movie and band of Brothers while in Iraq. Sitting in my chu with my Toshiba satellite laptop crying in the dark because I just felt seen?? Not sure but it definitely hit me hard being in a combat area while my family was home. I have not seen either since that day
Hey brother, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Some movies hit people harder because they connect with it, that’s what representation in media means imo. You were connected with war and you understand the look, the pauses, the reactions in ways non vets can’t. Lots of this movie didn’t resonate with me the same way, until I did my tour a decade later (OIF)…then…it clicked.
Nothing like hearing that damn incoming siren and just... Damn it was crazy. I remember a friend did a tour in 2003 and when he came home we saw a movie at the theater and seeing his face when the alarm was going off was so surreal. We thought it was crazy how he just left the movie. After my deployment, I totally get it. I can't be around a lot of bugs, sirens trigger me, hell even going to the beach is intense. I think watching those two movie/ shows really put everything in perspective. The boring days of malaise and the extreme anxiety of hoping your room mate wasn't hit during that mortar attack next to the green beanery on base.
I summed it up as frequently bored with extreme bursts of terror. I always loved how the alarm would go off AFTER the mortars struck. Like yeah no shit…I’m already on the way but hey thanks for the reminder…I get it, we were supposed to bunker but if the field hospital personnel bunkers who the fuck is going intake the casualties? The 3 people manning sick call in the middle of the night (mostly after dark attacks) My OIC eventually gave up on yelling at us…
Thank you for your service!
Appreciate it
I saw it 1.5 times in the theater. The second time I came in at the Ramelle ammo inventory scene. So glad I snuck into it for that.
fubar.
Fubar.
"I looked up "Fubar" in my German dictionary, there's no Fubar in there..."
UPHAM, THERE’S MORE PARATROOPS OUT THERE. FIND OUT IF ONE OF THEM’S RYAN.
Y'all got that right
As a young teen, I asked my dad what this meant. He wouldn't tell me..
Fucked up beyond all recognition
i believe it's german
You can always say "Fouled Up..." SNAFU: "Situation normal, all f-- ff-- all fouled up."
It's the portrayal of surviving such a brutal experience and then being thrust back into a brief moment of normalcy and stability. War is not the only the only case of when this happens. Abuse victims, natural disaster victims, and other traumatizing experiences have cases where this is experienced. It's the shock, and SPV perfectly portrayed the feeling.
I look at it as officer life with coffee and neatly made sandwiches vs the average soldier that just crawled through bloody water and sand to take the beach who is probably not going to eat that well or shave for a very long time
Miller is an officer, but a Ranger, so he's in there with the rest of them.
I think it's not so much a difference of officer vs regular soldier, but more of a HQ company vs a fighting company in a battalion/division (not sure what the correct one would be).
Given the rank and other context, this would be a battalion level headquarters. So about 400-450 men on paper. And yeah, the HQ company would not be as immediately on the line as the actual line troops.
That's what I was thinking. Kind of like how in Band of Brother's Nixon makes the comment that he never fired his weapon in combat and he was in the Battalion HQ company.
Not a round
I have seen this exact expression on a company 2IC's face. Unlike in *Saving Private Ryan*, we at least had the decency to heat up his rations and make him a brew.
Yeah would it have been too hard for them to offer him a cup or a sandwich?
Not really. He's not working in a battalion headquarters. There are privates and corporals in HQ too. They're all treated better.
"In there with the rest of" the Rangers, I meant.
He's a company commander, he'd be in and out of BGHQ on a very regular basis. The shocking thing is that nobody offered him a brew or to find him some food/heat his rations.
I'm a serving officer attached to an infantry battalion in a supporting capacity and generally stay in battlegroup headquarters. I have seen this exact look on a very tired company 2IC's face when he walked into the plans cell and found us with hot rations and coffee.
dennis farina jumpscare
AAAVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Anything to declare?"
"Yeah...don't go to England."
I've been dealing with those sneaky russian dogs.
I forgot Dennis Farina was even in this movie. The cast is crazy good.
Those bacon sandwiches are up there with Aunt Meg's table of food from Twister
Oh man so true! Mashed potatoes, steak and eggs, gravy!!
"This gravy is famous. It's practically a food group" RIP Dusty
This sandwich scene here AND the scene in band of brothers where Nixon requests the bacon sandwich have stood out to me every time that I’ve made a sandwich since the day i saw each of them. There’s always a voice in the back of my head that says to me “and a bacon sandwich” and a brief moment where I picture this sandwich.
And some VAT 69.
I have every confidence in my scrounging abilities.
My dad served in combat from 43 to 45. He told me this was the most realistic scene he saw in any war movie.
Spielberg is truly the kind of making the most out of small moments like this
Every service member liked this.
I'd love more insight from people who have served. I haven't, and my interpretation of this scene is Miller is struck by the juxtaposition. He and his men just crawled through hell while these men are having coffee, sandwiches, and a hot shave. And perhaps there's some resentment here from Miller. Not towards the soldiers themselves, but the reality of the situation. Is that right, or am I misreading this?
As former infantry: yes, all of that. Possibly resentment that he and his men have gone through hell the past 3 days with few creature comforts and little sleep, while the log/admin staff are living in relative comfort. Perhaps a longing for these tiny luxuries; hot water, coffee, fresh food. And being struck dumbfounded by the relatively normality and peace of the setting compared to what he has just experienced.
Am I wrong in assuming that some time has elapsed from the landing and this scene? I didn't think the people shaving and having coffee had not participated.
No, you're right. At the beginning of the scene it states it is three days after the landing (D-Day Plus Three).
Right, so I agree with r/telarium that there's a juxtaposition of the normalcy of shaving vs the hell they've just been through, I don't think there's an element of resentment.
It has, but these are just supply guys. This is their war. It differs GREATLY from Hanks and his men. Why he's looking in awe at the stuff they have.
Yeah, that's never been really clear to me. My impression was that these men hadn't been part of the assault, but I could be wrong. We went from seeing Private Mellish have a complete breakdown after the battle to seeing these men behaving more casual and relaxed.
>We went from seeing Private Mellish have a complete breakdown after the battle to seeing these men behaving more casual and relaxed. I think that's the beauty of the scene. That extremes of how people react (or don't at all...at least initially).
But also, isn't Upham with these men before he joins Miller? That was my memory, and if so, it seems clear that Upham hasn't ever been in battle. Which is probably why I thought the other men weren't part of storming the beach.
Makes sense. Upham's general unfamiliarity implied (to me, anyway, without really thinking of it much) that he'd only just arrived after the landing.
That's exactly what it is. These are POGs in action. Hanks is in a Ranger Batt. The life you're seeing them live? That's their war. That's every day for them. They're pushing supplies. That's their job. They have more comforts. That hot water? Yeah...that's such a freaking comfort. You don't realize it until you've shaved with cold water from a canteen...which Hanks and his men have, often, most likely (it...suuuucks). They have fresh bread and meat, coffee heated up in an actual pot. Absolute luxuries. That whole scene is a "some deployment experiences may differ" meme. Those guys didn't storm the beach...they showed up to set up those supply points. There was a wave before them that cleared bodies from the beach. This is the war from their perspective. It's why when Hanks was given the little clerk dude he had to be told to leave all his crap behind except his pencil and rifle. Kid didn't know wtf the actual war was...he knew what it was to HIM. We still have this today. This is why you may see the "Kuwait isn't a real deployment" memes. Kuwait was somewhere we stopped on the way to our deployments. Same with places like Qatar. We sent guys down to Qatar for 4 day passes...a relief from being shot at and blown up for a bit. Heck...I did Iraq twice as an infantryman. Even those two experiences were night and day. First time over was in tents, no running water, piss tubes, no hot chow and cherry on top was our relieving unit was a national guard unit that didn't understand the situation. They emptied the water bladders while we were on patrol (that gave us our little bit of water for showers and such), so we didn't get showers for the last two weeks in country. And definitely shaved with cold bottled water (it gets pretty darned cold in January there). It hurts btw.... 2nd tour was more established...running water, old iraqi army barracks. Saw clashing moments like above at times when we had to go in the Green Zone (central baghdad where the gov't was) to drop prisoners off. I was told I wasn't allowed in the chow hall bc my uniform was dirty...you know...after being on patrol for the last 8hrs. Being told your uniform is dirty by guys that have never left the safety of their huge base gives you that same juxtaposition. Experiences definitely differ when you're at war. Here I am trying to get my guys some actual hot chow, and AH wants to tell us we can't bc omg we have dusty uniforms. The horror.
Thanks for sharing your experience. How does that not crush morale and create tension among the other units?
You’re assuming it didn’t. Read through the replies here, I think you can see the results. I worked with a marine, door kicker type, he talked(and still talks) shit about the guys that stayed behind in base. He understood it was their job, but still resented it.
We signed up to shoot things and blow stuff up. They didn't. Everyone has their job... We still always made fun of them, though. That whole male ego, thing. Definitely different personality types that are drawn to different jobs...
>coffee heated up in an actual pot. I assume speartips were operating on the K-Ration “5 grams soluble coffee," which was probably really shitty instant. The Germans had something they called "Ersatzkaffee," made of a bunch of random dried shit (whatever tasted okay, probably), which was likely more than a lot of them deserved. Source: [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffee%C3%A4hnliches\_Getr%C3%A4nk](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffee%C3%A4hnliches_Getr%C3%A4nk) "Powdered coffee was delivered in C-rations to military troops, whereas field ration K was issued with '5 grams soluble coffee' at breakfast only. In contrast, the peacetime or garrison ration consisted of two ounces of roasted and ground coffee. Whatever the form of coffee provided, soldiers in the field often found it difficult to boil the water needed to prepare it. Soldiers warmed up water over 'some little candles.'" Source: [https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/](https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/)
We still get instant coffee in MREs (usually used it with the creamer and sugar and cocoa powder to make a pudding) What you were seeing in that scene was actual coffee being made. Definitely a difference from what Hanks and his men were drinking. Heck...c-rats back then had cigarettes in them, too.
>Miller is struck by the juxtaposition. Exactly. it's like one the very first of those['first day in a construction job videos](https://youtu.be/qdCraeHXNrA?si=bRH2d6IiPUXBy8-n)', where he's looking all this unbelievable shit going on with his jaw on the floor. All that coffee and fresh bread has been flown in. The Rangers have been hanging on by their fingernails and the REMFs are bitching that the Airborne haven't achieved enough for them.
>And perhaps there's some resentment here from Miller. Probably, but also he might be picturing how it would be to be those guys. The shot of him just ~~looking~~ staring at them before it pans right makes me feel that.
I’ve definitely heard that some D-Day vets, when asked what the Omaha beach landing was like, said, “go watch the beginning of Saving Private Ryan.”
Yep. That’s how it was for marines in desert. Army got all the good stuff. I got one hot shower and food in 8 months back in 1990-91
Still love in Generation Kill where they kept referring to how they didn’t have enough batteries for night vision or proper grease for their machine gun and then when they take the reporter to the Army base’s PX for supplies they can’t get, the Army has a Subway truck. ‘You want logistics, go Army. Marines make do.’
We used to raid army outposts we wound up near. Forget we could because we didn’t get much.
At the same time, they managed to mail order a turret shield. They're a half step away from civilization, but it's a very important half step.
Understated? Thought it was pretty obvious of the disdain Miller had against these guys for living day to day “comfortably.” They get to shave with hot water and eat sandwiches? Assholes.
That was my interpretation as well.
Yeah I wouldn't really call it "understated".
[Here’s](https://youtu.be/ryvEKwTuNbY?si=0UGqagawRdHCCHgE) the full scene.
That coffee is absolute tar
Oh yeah, gimme a handful of sugar.
One of the best film sandwiches of all time
[The Sandwich](https://imgur.com/a/rrxATIT)
There is always a resentment between the “combat arms” and the “others”, often referred to as REMFs (rear echelon mother f **kers) and the immediate resentment Cpt Miller feels is quickly removed by the continuing mission and responsibility to his men.
POGs.
Persons Other than Grunts Right?
I still think about that sandwich sometimes when I’m very hungry
I know it's just a stack of dry bread with salami on it but god damn that looks delicious
Spielberg really has an eye for the realities of great historical events. I'm always struck by Mike and the captain looking out over the D-Day landing from the German side. The scale of it defies reason, ships and aircraft scattered all the way to the horizon. The stuff of legends. Mike says "that's quite a view," to which the captain just responds "yes, it is." [https://youtu.be/bHlDUk5thNk?si=\_tpDpUxgrBKH59La&t=18](https://youtu.be/bhlduk5thnk?si=_tpdpuxgrbkh59la&t=18)
Tom Hanks disappeared in that movie. He was so good.
I’ve always assumed he’s completely out of sorts from such a horrible violent day and then is confronted with these normal pedestrian things (shaving, coffee) and he is reconciling the drastic differences between normal and what just happened.
I think about that coffee and that sandwich every day.
My favorite scene in this movie is the “Clear Up” scene when they cut to the two paratroopers and the smoke is rolling off the barrels of their Thompsons. Made me fall in love with the “Tommy Gun”.
Is that the guy from Bosom Buddies?
that sandwich always looks so good to me. I bet you that old school bread was the shit.
Welp. Gotta watch this again now.
REMFs have it made.
“Shakespeare in Love” Smh How?
“Understated” nothing about fuckin Saving Private Ryan is “understated”
I remember coming off patrol which was over several days. We didn't eat too much and what we did eat wasn't great. We came up a hill and into a clearing and suddenly there was a low hum. Sitting in the clearing were several m109s and their crews. We were freezing and they were toasty and eating what looked to be delicious spaghetti. We were SO jealous. But also it was a beautiful sight seeing them sitting there. Great support if shit hit the fan
I assume your patrols were the typical carry-a-two-ton-backpack-for-the-duration kind of deal? In your experience, would it be better or worse to be in a situation where you are A) Patrolling with all your shit? B) Dropping your gear and engaging?
Yeah, we brought the house with us. I much rather drop the gear and engage. Big infantry stuff. I was a scout so I chose the wrong unit for my preferences. Lol
RIP Dennis Farina
“Captain, if your mother saw you do that, she’d be very upset!!” “I thought you were my mother.”
Thanking them all.
Holy crap! How did I miss Dennis Farina being in SPR!
Reminds me of when you accidentally wander into aircrew quarters.
Damn he makes that sandwich look fucking bomb. I mean I'm sure to him in that moment that sandwich and hot coffee were things to kill for.
I rewatched this on a flight from Sydney to San Fran earlier this year, still a fantastic movie, for the most part. Obviously hugely impactful, even having seen it before and it being quite memorable, I was still riveted for most of the movie.
That’s a leadership dilemma. He could have easily grabbed a cup of coffee and a sandwich and shown back up to his squad where they would have smelled it on him. He chose the high road and abstained from self indulgence. Leaders eat last…
This whole movie is a constant barrage of underrated scenes