Saving Private Ryan

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

One of the most important World War II films of our time and winner of five Academy Awards, Saving Private Ryan is a seemingly routine DVD, but it packs a big punch. In addition to standard DVD extras such as production notes, cast and crew bios and the theatrical trailer, this disc includes "Into the Breach", a 25-minute making-of featurette that is both an informative history lesson on D-day and a story of Spielberg's fascination with war. "Into the Breach" includes interviews with D-day survivors as well as of Spielberg and his father and spotlights his early student war films Escape to Nowhere and Fighter Squadron. The film itself receives a great transfer in widescreen 1:85, and Dolby Digital or 5:1 Surround. ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • Exclusive message from Steven Spielberg
  • "Saving Private Ryan: Into the Beach"
  • Two theatrical trailers
  • Production notes
  • Cast and filmmakers' bios

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Cinematography - 1998 (Janusz Kaminski)
•     Won Best Director - 1998 (Steven Spielberg)
•     Won Best Editing - 1998 (Michael Kahn)
•     Won Best Sound - 1998 (Gary Rydstrom, Ronald Judkins, Andy Nelson, Gary Summers)
•     Won Best Sound Effects Editing - 1998 (Gary Rydstrom, Richard Hymns)
•     Nominated Best Actor - 1998 (Tom Hanks)
•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1998 (Lisa Dean Kavanaugh, Tom Sanders)
•     Nominated Best Dramatic Score - 1998 (John Williams)
•     Nominated Best Makeup - 1998 (Conor O'Sullivan, Lois Burwell, Dan Striepeke)
•     Nominated Best Original Screenplay - 1998 (Robert Rodat)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1998 (Mark Gordon, Ian Bryce, Gary Levinsohn, Steven Spielberg)

• American Society of Cinematographers

•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1998 (Janusz Kaminski)

• Broadcast Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Director - 1998 (Steven Spielberg)
•     Won Best Picture - 1998
•     Won Best Score - 1998 (John Williams)

• Chicago Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Picture - 1998

• Directors Guild of America

•     Won Best Director - 1998 (Steven Spielberg)

• French Academy of Cinema

•     Nominated Best Foreign Language Film - 1998

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Director - 1998 (Steven Spielberg)
•     Won Best Picture - Drama - 1998

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Cinematography - 1998 (Janusz Kaminski)
•     Won Best Director - 1998 (Steven Spielberg)
•     Won Best Picture - 1998

• National Board of Review

•     Nominated Best Picture - 1998

• National Society of Film Critics

•     Won Best Picture (Runner-up) - 1998

• New York Film Critics Circle

•     Won Best Picture - 1998

• Screen Actors Guild

•     Nominated Best Actor - 1998 (Tom Hanks)
•     Nominated Best Ensemble Acting - 1998

• Toronto Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Actor - Runner-up - 1998 (Tom Hanks)
•     Won Best Director - 1998 (Steven Spielberg)
•     Won Best Picture - 1998

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Tom Hanks - Capt. John Miller
       Edward Burns - Private Richard Reiben
       Tom Sizemore - Sgt. Horvath
       Jeremy Davies - Cpl. Upham
       Vin Diesel - Pvt. Caparzo

• Director:

  Steven Spielberg

• Producer:

  Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Steven Spielberg

• Screenwriter:

  Robert Rodat

• Cinematographer:

  Janusz Kaminski

• Composer (Music Score):

  John Williams

• Editor:

  Michael Kahn

• Production Designer:

  Tom Sanders

• Art Director:

  Tom Brown, Ricky Eyres, Chris Seagers, Alan Tomkins

• Supervising Art Director:

  Daniel Dorrance

• Co-producer:

  Bonnie Curtis, Allison Lyon Segan

• Associate Producer:

  Kevin de la Noy, Mark Huffam

REVIEWS:

• {#Saving Private Ryan} marked another foray into World War II for {$Steven Spielberg}, this time examining the soldiers' struggles to maintain their sense of mission even in situations that seemed to defy reason and hope. To show the carnage of the D-Day Omaha Beach landing, Spielberg used a barrage of sound and the unpolished immediacy of a hand-held camera to thrust the viewer into the conflict for a 24-minute sequence of relentless, random violence more intense than in any previous Hollywood war movie. The desaturated color further recalled WWII newsreel footage while rendering the blood a matter-of-fact part of the landscape. Adapted from an incident recorded by historian Stephen E. Ambrose, the mission to save one man after the Normandy invasion becomes a means for Capt. Miller and his troop of WWII film archetypes to debate the sacrifices of war, even a "good" war. Critically hailed for its stunningly realistic battle sequences and heartfelt performances, the film became a summertime hit despite its realistic violence and serious subject. After winning several critics' prizes, {#Saving Private Ryan} garnered 11 Academy Award nominations and won five, including {$Spielberg}'s second Oscar for Best Director and {$Janusz Kaminski} for Best Cinematography. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
• Saving Private Ryan marked another foray into World War II for Steven Spielberg, this time examining the soldiers' struggles to maintain their sense of mission even in situations that seemed to defy reason and hope. To show the carnage of the D-Day Omaha Beach landing, Spielberg used a barrage of sound and the unpolished immediacy of a hand-held camera to thrust the viewer into the conflict for a 24-minute sequence of relentless, random violence more intense than in any previous Hollywood war movie. The desaturated color further recalled WWII newsreel footage while rendering the blood a matter-of-fact part of the landscape. Adapted from an incident recorded by historian Stephen E. Ambrose, the mission to save one man after the Normandy invasion becomes a means for Capt. Miller and his troop of WWII film archetypes to debate the sacrifices of war, even a "good" war. Critically hailed for its stunningly realistic battle sequences and heartfelt performances, the film became a summertime hit despite its realistic violence and serious subject. After winning several critics' prizes, Saving Private Ryan garnered 11 Academy Award nominations and won five, including Spielberg's second Oscar for Best Director and Janusz Kaminski for Best Cinematography. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

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