Saving Private Ryan – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

Can you believe it has been slightly over 10 years, since Saving Private Ryan was released theatrically? Spielberg’s 1990′s were akin to Hitchcock’s 1950′s/early 1960′s, as both did no wrong. This film is perhaps the pinnacle of his decade of brilliance, even having critics proclaim that it’s the best war film ever made.  It might very well be, but I think it’s the best war film made in this generation, and certainly an influential one. War films depicting the courage of the Greatest Generation is nothing new, as we’ve seen plenty of superb war films throughout the last 50 years, but where would modern war movies be without Saving Private Ryan? Exactly.

The opening 24 minute Omaha Beach battle scene changed all of that, a real game-changer if you will, and is notable for more than just the technical brilliance of the scene. It’s a scene that for the first time on film, whether it was historically accurate or not, showcased the full-on brutality and carnage of WWII. It was the type of scene, that made everyone put down their popcorn and nachos, and just sit and watch. I know, as I saw this at my theater in 1998 and many didn’t pick that food back up until well over an hour later; they were stunned. It’s easy to understand what those young men went through now, but before that scene, it was all stories and old photos. Spielberg bludgeoned us early on, making us off-guard. But we weren’t lost, as he took our hands through an arresting, emotional journey about men and their honor, pride, and the horrors of war.

It sounds all rudimentary doesn’t it? While their were films leading us into these various thematic elements, as all good films have forefathers, Saving Private Ryan is a technically proficient masterpiece, but its true strength is its (sometimes overbearing) emotional weight. Yes, most of the film is fictitious, but that doesn’t render the weight any less, as it portrays what our grandfathers went through. From job stress, to finding the strength to kill another man, to honor and codes, and even all of that might matter not to some, who just want to go home. It might be a simplistic plot, but that doesn’t render its characterizations limp. The acting is great, as it needed to be. But talking about that seems fruitless due to what the film is about, and that’s what made the film the 11-time Oscar nominated film, but also a film that seems to never age. After seeing this film, even just once, one has a deeper appreciation for I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, than any old, boring History class ever taught.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Paramount’s Sapphire Series is their line of prestigious titles that get the best in video and sound. Well, if anything is guaranteed for this release, it should be that, and it is. After seeing their Sapphire Series release for Braveheart, I am surely confident about this line. The film is shot with that ‘war-look’ filter, so keep in mind Spielberg’s artistic intent, but the HD picture greatly increases the details in everything. Blacks are appropriately deep and skin tones are natural, so combining this all together, this release is a visual pleaser. No one will find issues here; it’s borderline perfect.

The DTS track is what you would expect it to be. Loud, aggressive, and deep. The surround elements whiz on by in the rears, but dialogue doesn’t suffer. It’s clear and precise, without being drowned out, even in the more action-oriented scenes. Now, this a slight issue starting in the opening of Chapter 15 where the dialogue is out of sync. Paramount hasn’t officially announced if they’re going to issue replacements. I didn’t notice really, the first go round.

The extras are on Disc 2, under two areas: Saving Private Ryan and Shooting the War.

Saving Private Ryan tab is all of the film making goodies. All of these are in SD and have been seen before on previous DVD editions. An Introduction by Spielberg, Re-Creating Omaha Beach that gives us the lowdown on the standout scene, Into the Breach is really good, as it deals with interviews from the cast and vets on the war, and other behind-the-scenes typicals. We do receive the Trailers in HD, though.

Shooting the War is a feature length documentary narrated by Tom Hanks. WWII was the first war to be fully captured by cameras, and that’s what the documentary examines. From John Ford’s short films to colorized footage (now made famous by WWII in Color from the History Channel), the length of details it covers is quite amazing. History buffs should really enjoy this.

Conclusion: Saving Private Ryan‘s Blu-ray is the first must-own of the year.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: