Numbing shock...on a cellular level...motivated me to return to the theater a week later, to experience it again. I was not in the least disappointed. Indulged myself by acquiring the DVD soon after its release and reliving the experience on numerous occasions!
In RYAN, Spielberg succeeds in getting inside the viewer's head by immersing us in his ingeniously structured cascading time-lapse glacier of chaos, resulting in a 2½ hour free-fall rush into overwhelming impotence! RYAN seers the hell of war into every pore of your psyche, like no other war movie before or since. Watching it is a delightful exercise in masochistic pleasure.
Certainly, anything but war friendly, Spielberg's 1998 classic, the highest rated war themed film in the history of cinema (#24-IMDb Top 250 today), only makes oblique reference to the diabolical nature of the Nazi juggernaut. RYAN tenaciously and consistently drives home the only "shades of gray" nature of the nuts and bolts, day-to-day, moment to moment decision options available in the heat of battle! I offer, as an example of this, various moments of onscreen interaction with German prisoner of war, nicknamed "Steamboat Willie"...Just watch, eventually you will understand!
Also, I think a special note of recognition is due to Denise Chamian...If the name doesn't ring a bell, don't feel bad...she did not register with me either! Her name appears for The CASTING Credit of RYAN. Superb job, Ms. Chamian! (Minority Report/Big Fish) She has been nominated on multiple occasions by the Casting Society of America...but RYAN seems to be her only win! (An extremely well deserved one, in my opinion)
The Ensemble cast also received a Screen Actors Guild Nomination in that category. After having seen RYAN at least 10 times, I stand firmly by this accolade: One of the BEST Ensemble performances ever!
To anyone out there who hasn't seen RYAN, maybe because of its War or Action genre label...This is one hell of a humanistic Greek tragedy that you simply must see! To those of you who have seen it once or twice, but who haven't in years.... Please give it another look...You won't be disappointed in the least...RYAN only gets better with each viewing!
ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!
Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!
In RYAN, Spielberg succeeds in getting inside the viewer's head by immersing us in his ingeniously structured cascading time-lapse glacier of chaos, resulting in a 2½ hour free-fall rush into overwhelming impotence! RYAN seers the hell of war into every pore of your psyche, like no other war movie before or since. Watching it is a delightful exercise in masochistic pleasure.
Certainly, anything but war friendly, Spielberg's 1998 classic, the highest rated war themed film in the history of cinema (#24-IMDb Top 250 today), only makes oblique reference to the diabolical nature of the Nazi juggernaut. RYAN tenaciously and consistently drives home the only "shades of gray" nature of the nuts and bolts, day-to-day, moment to moment decision options available in the heat of battle! I offer, as an example of this, various moments of onscreen interaction with German prisoner of war, nicknamed "Steamboat Willie"...Just watch, eventually you will understand!
Also, I think a special note of recognition is due to Denise Chamian...If the name doesn't ring a bell, don't feel bad...she did not register with me either! Her name appears for The CASTING Credit of RYAN. Superb job, Ms. Chamian! (Minority Report/Big Fish) She has been nominated on multiple occasions by the Casting Society of America...but RYAN seems to be her only win! (An extremely well deserved one, in my opinion)
The Ensemble cast also received a Screen Actors Guild Nomination in that category. After having seen RYAN at least 10 times, I stand firmly by this accolade: One of the BEST Ensemble performances ever!
To anyone out there who hasn't seen RYAN, maybe because of its War or Action genre label...This is one hell of a humanistic Greek tragedy that you simply must see! To those of you who have seen it once or twice, but who haven't in years.... Please give it another look...You won't be disappointed in the least...RYAN only gets better with each viewing!
ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!
Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!