|
Here's the thing about Saving Private Ryan. When I first saw it in theatres, I can remember walking out of the theater thinking that it would easily win the Best Picture Oscar. Sure, it came out in the summer meaning there were still a lot of movies to come, but I couldn't imagine anything else comparing to this movie. Then a strange think happened. I remember walking out of Shakespeare in Love and thinking that there was no way Saving Private Ryan could win. Sure, SPR was a great movie, but Shakespeare in Love had the award wrapped up. There wasn't a doubt in my mind. And it was true. Sure, Steven Spielberg won Best Director but it was just a consolation prize. But now, a few years later, after all the dust has settled, I gotta say that Saving Private Ryan is the better movie. It has stood the test of time. Whereas you rarely hear about Shakespeare in Love, people still talk about the impact of SPR.
The movie stars Tom Hanks, of course, as Captain John Miller, a man who must bring a squad behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan, played by Matt Damon. Why? His three brothers were killed in action, and as the only surviving son in his family, he's being sent home. So Miller, along with his ragtag group, venture depp into the heart of combat, questioning why they are there, and having to find the answers within themselves. It's not pretty. These are some of the most intense battle scenes ever put on film. But it goes along with the theme of the movie - 'war is hell'.
For the D-Day 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, we get some new bonus materials. (The movie has 2 previous DVD incarnations.) However, of the content here, you can't really call it 'new'. In a new format - yes. New material - no. Basically, what we have is a feature length documentary broken down into seven different parts looking at various aspects of the film including the story, the characters, the script, the actors (and most interestingly their boot camp experience), the Omaha Beach sequence, the music and sound. And, all this is rounded out with an introduction and conclusion by Steven Spielberg. What's wrong with that? Like I said - no new material. You'd figure after a few years in release they'd include a retrospective, but instead it's mostly comprised of interview footage from the set of the film - meaning all older interviews. Really, the only new material would be an interview with composer John Williams. How do I know? He references Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can" which came out a few years after SPR. Another thing that bothered me. In one interview, Tom Hanks said that he enjoyed watching war footage and looking for new material that he hadn't seen over and over again. But, in these features, a lot of the clips and interviews are used over and over again. I can think of one thing that was used at least three different times.
There are some other problems with this edition. Although the Dolby Digital audio track provided with the feature is simply amazing, I find it odd that they chose not to use the DTS track that was included in one the film's previous incarnations. I mean the first disc is the movie only - no special features - and typically of a Spielberg film, there's no audio track - so why not include the DTS track? And aside from the featurettes, there's nothing more. No trailers. No filmographies. No deleted scenes. For a two-disc set, I can't help but ask - where's the added value?
All that said, I can't really knock the film. It's simply an amazing achievement and a film that sets the benchmark for every other war movie that has ever been made or ever will be made. And as I said earlier, it may not have won Best Picture, but in the final analysis, it will stand the test of time better than most any film in recent memory. Be it the 75th Anniversary or the 100th Anniversary, Saving Private Ryan will be around for a long, long time.
|
