Search - Saving Private Ryan [DTS] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Not For Children, Profanity, Watch With Your Teen, War Violence Movie Release: 1998 DVD Release: 11/02/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 49 mins Studio: DreamWorks Members Wishing: 6 Genres: War, Combat Films, War Epic, Ensemble Film See Also: Saving Private Ryan, Saving Private Ryan [D-Day 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition], Saving Private Ryan [D-Day 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition] [DTS], Saving Private Ryan [Special Edition]

Steven Spielberg directed this powerful, realistic re-creation of WWII's D-day invasion and the immediate aftermath. The story opens with a prologue in which a veteran brings his family to the American cemetery at Normandy, and a flashback then joins Capt. John Miller (Tom Hanks) and GIs in a landing craft making the June 6, 1944, approach to Omaha Beach to face devastating German artillery fire. This mass slaughter of American soldiers is depicted in a compelling, unforgettable 24-minute sequence. Miller's men slowly move forward to finally take a concrete pillbox. On the beach littered with bodies is one with the name "Ryan" stenciled on his backpack. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall (Harve Presnell), learning that three Ryan brothers from the same family have all been killed in a single week, requests that the surviving brother, Pvt. James Ryan (Matt Damon), be located and brought back to the United States. Capt. Miller gets the assignment, and he chooses a translator, Cpl. Upham (Jeremy Davis), skilled in language but not in combat, to join his squad of right-hand man Sgt. Horvath (Tom Sizemore), plus privates Mellish (Adam Goldberg), Medic Wade (Giovanni Ribisi), cynical Reiben (Edward Burns) from Brooklyn, Italian-American Caparzo (Vin Diesel), and religious Southerner Jackson (Barry Pepper), an ace sharpshooter who calls on the Lord while taking aim. Having previously experienced action in Italy and North Africa, the close-knit squad sets out through areas still thick with Nazis. After they lose one man in a skirmish at a bombed village, some in the group begin to question the logic of losing more lives to save a single soldier. The film's historical consultant is Stephen E. Ambrose, and the incident is based on a true occurance in Ambrose's 1994 bestseller -D-Day: June 6, 1944. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

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

Expectations were high for a special edition treatment of Saving Private Ryan on DVD. Those expecting an extensive "awards edition" like =American Beauty were disappointed, but the presentation of the film is still so impressive that it is an essential DVD. The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is absolutely incredible. When DVD initially promised theater-quality picture and sound, this is what promoters of the format had in mind. The use of directional speakers to immerse the viewer in the action are remarkably upheld with a good surround system, and the breakthrough camerawork retains its edge and grit. Thankfully, the disc is not completely void of extra features. The DVD opens with a message from director Spielberg about his feelings on World War II and the film. The production featurette "Into the Beach" (originally aired on HBO) focuses as much on the history of the events as on the making of the film. A special added feature of the documentary is the inclusion of some of the early 8 mm war movies Spielberg made as a young man. Two theatrical trailers are also included. A DTS-encoded version of the film was also released. Some may be disappointed that =Saving Private Ryan isn't chock full of extra supplements, the quality of the transfer and the production featurette alone are enough reason to own it. ~ Oliver Thornton, All Movie Guide