Saving Private Ryan - The Art of War

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Saving Private Ryan - The Art of War

Released in 1999, Saving Private Ryan shocked the United States. Devastatingly realistic, and never pulling a punch, Steven Spielberg's World War II film has gone down in history, winning multiple awards, and receiving praise from all around the world. Tom Hanks' superb acting, coupled with Spielberg's artistic sense in regards to film making, unleashed a powerhouse of a cinematic experience. The film could not have hit theaters during a better time. The World War II veterans were reaching their last years, and a majority of the nation's youth had no idea what a sacrifice these brave men made. Depicting the brutalities of war in a realistic way, Saving Private Ryan is a new found war classic that brought different people together, recognized the heroism of our WWII vets, and set a new standard for war epics.

Despite popular belief, the 1990's were not the most peaceful of times. While not reaching the same level of conflict as World War II, the United States had multiple conflicts on its hands. From Desert Storm, to the Battle of Mogadishu the U.S. had back to back confrontations. The difference between these conflicts, and the battles in previous history, was the news coverage. Americans could come home from work, and turn on the television, and watch the battles unfold. News coverage played a huge roll in how the average U.S. citizen perceived war, and Saving Private Ryan played into that perception as well. Released in 1999, the final year of the 90's, the film gave a brutally realistic insight into what our courageous soldiers had to go through to win the war against tyranny.

Saving Private Ryan is a tribute to the war effort of World War II. That is the easiest way to explain this ...

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...aham) The film broke the barrier in realistic film making, and as a result we have seen, and will continue to see war films that continue to push the envelope in bringing the chaos, action, and tragedies to theaters.

Working Bibliography

Ebert, Roger. "Saving Private Ryan." rogerebert.com,The Sun Times. The Sun Times, 24 0. Web. 2 Apr 2012.

Graham, Bob. "`Private Ryan' Is a True Epic Magnificent, horrific tribute to war effort." San Francisco Chronicle. N.p., 1999. Web. 2 Apr 2012.

Wietner, Sean. "The Spielberg Ending: Saving Private Ryan." flakmagazine. N.p., 2005. Web. 2 Apr 2012.

Pierce, Leonard. "Saving Private Ryan, Band Of Brothers, and The Pacific: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ World War II ." A.V. Club. N.p., 2010. Web. 2 Apr 2012.

Wallace, Amy. "'Ryan' Ends Vets' Years of Silence." Los Angeles Times. N.p., 1998. Web. 2 Apr 2012.

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