“If it’ll get me a few hundred miles across country, sure - I’ll take a shot in the mouth.” - George Carlin (Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back)

He was speaking to all Americans, then and now, when he said that.

is it more powerful than "THIS IS SPARTA!" hahaha

"Negative, I am a meat popsicle." Corbin Dallas (Bruce Willis) in The Fifth Element.

A bit of a tangent - but you made me think. These are words I'm very thankful that God does not say to us. I wouldn't be able to earn anything for myself. But when Jesus came he said: "It is finished." He saved us before we could possibly earn it.

I'd imagine veterans have different points in the movie that always gets them. For me, it's always the scene on the homefront when the mother gets the letter about her sons. That's like another level.

I read about a ww2 veteran who had to leave because he could smell diesel fumes in the theater.

They could smell diesel after seeing the beach scene.

Required viewing for all Americans.

Dude, the first time I watched this movie, at around 12 or 13 I cried at the opening scene, but ESPECIALLY when he asked his wife to tell him he was a good man. Seven hells that hit hard and I'm an autistic stoic. I don't show much of any emotion for much. That hit so hard.

Your grandfather was Canadian?

@@MPascolin yes. Me too.

This is horrible. He should have been sent home after the first injury. These were young boys 18 and 19 years old and they were not professional soldiers. What did we gain from all that? Today it just sounds stupid to think of Germans or Japanese as enemies. It was all a war forced on the world by powerful forces that didn't give a damn about the lives ruined

My mother's first marriage was to a veteran who had similar impacts and issues. The truth is that the war's impact echoed for years afterwards, through the individuals who served and through their families. Your comment shows how well you have come to understand and empathize with what your grandfather and other veterans suffered. All wars lead to these lingering wounds, so hopefully we will be sensitive to those living in our communities now who are dealing with them.

@@yaimavol We gained freedom from tyranny and oppression. The only reason it sounds stupid is because WE won. Germany and Japan were major threats only 80 years ago, look up The Nanking Massacre as one example of Japanese brutality, and I shouldn't need to point out what the Germans were doing to the Jewish population. Britain most likely would've fallen if not for American intervention, the political landscape today could've looked a lot different. Otherwise, the amount of technology that came out of the war exponentially brought humanity forward - not that I'm saying it was "worth it", but its a well known fact that warfare necessitates innovation and most of our modern communications can be attributed to achievements made during this period, not to mention the advancements in rocket technology from acquired German assets.

The Pacific gets lost in the shadow of Band of Brothers. That show shows the brutality of the Pacific Theatre. It was personal. It was brutal. It was gruesome.

Band of Brother was produced by Tom Hanks and is definitely up there with Saving Private Ryan and in many ways surpasses it simply because it's based on true events and the length of the series gives you some sense of what it was like living (or not living) through this time.

@@binder38us totally agree well the Pacific is not about a specific company of soldiers, it does tell true stories of individuals who found themselves in incredibly dangerous and horrific situations during major battles that decided the war.

Generation Kill, another HBO war series, gets lost in the shadow of Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Very realistic portrayal of a Recon Marine PLT during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Usually too realistic for viewers who expect all the glory of the other two HBO series. Iraq wasn't Grandpa's war.

@@binder38us Every one always tries and pair The Pacific with Band of Brothers but it simply is not on the same level of quality or message.

elzar760 I've seen comments from viewers saying that he needed to hear his wife say those words because of his "survivor's guilt". But i don't think that's it. He had traveled to France and that graveyard to speak directly to Captain Miller. He said that he thought every day about "those words you said to me on that bridge (earn this, earn it)". He explained that he had tried to live his life to the best of his ability. When he was joined by his wife, he asked her to say out loud ("tell me ") that he had led a good life, that he was a good man. She seemed a bit puzzled, but complied. He could have asked her that at home - i think it was for Miller's hearing. I think it was just that important to Ryan that Miller would rest in the peace that his sacrifice had been honored.

@@Blue-qr7qe Good point,this movie is so close to reality.

I tear up every time I hear those lines

For all the gut wrenching moments in this movie, that question to his wife is so emotional and shows that he carried that 'Earn This' his whole life

Like most war veterans, Ryan apparently has never told his wife or his family his story in the war. His wife had to read Capt. John Miller’s name in the marble cross grave marker-not knowing who he was. Ryan wanted his wife to confirm before Miller’s grave that he had honored Miller’s death wish-for Ryan to live a good life and that he had been a good man. Ryan was overcame by the realization of the enormity of the sacrifice Miller and his men who died in France in order for him to live a full happy life and have a family. Ryan felt he could never really repay their sacrifice and the best he could do to honor them was to have a family and live a long happy life. Indeed, the free world that came off WW2 owe an eternal debt to the “greatest generation” who fought that war and liberated the world from fascist tyranny. Thank you for your sensitive and touching reaction to this Spielberg film masterpiece.

I would have a problem if anyone reacting to this didn't tear up. I've stopped watching some KZfaqrs because of how heartless their reactions are.

The movie was more based on the Niland brothers.

@@mack7882 This is correct. Fritz Niland was the brother that served in the 101th Airborne. His eldest brother did survive being shot down, but as he was a POW, the family only knew about that near the end of the war. As a sidenote, Fritz was a close friend of Warren Muck and Donald Malarky of Easy company of Band of Brothers fame.

Yep, couldn't agree more. If ever there was a movie where it's justified to get emotional, it's this one. Not just because it's one of Spielberg's best but also because the subject matter is definitely emotionally charged. There's real pain and pathos behind that war.

+1 for Das Boot. Best submarine film ever made IMO.

Need to add the Pacific to that list

I would add the new Midway (2019), Pacific and most likely the coming Masters Of The Air.

Come and see: Am I a joke to you?

I would add Downfall, Letters of Iwo Jima, and Tora! Tora! Tora! to this list too.

Great movie

...and thank you for your service too. My dad is a veteran. He gave the best years of his life (and health) in service to the nation (and those other places where he served). I appreciate your sacrifices as well as the sacrifices of your family too. My dad missed many holidays, birthdays and other events while serving overseas. However, we didn't begrudge him for it because we were proud of what he was doing. We never forgot how much he loves his nation and the people in it (and just people in general). My dad is my hero.

Thank you for your service!

Also that more than two doses was probably lethal on its own

He knew he was dying when he realized his liver was shot. And yees that 2nd shot of morphine is likely lethal given his blood loss. He knew that. Heartbreaking scene

@@heywoodjablome619 Yes sir

God bless him!

Yes. I think the idea here was to give the viewer the subjective feeling of American soldiers, they don't speak Czech and most of us don´t, so he´s giving us a disoriented feel as well. That provides to viewers a feeling of greater immersion in the battlefield.

They were conscripts forced to fight on the front lines as cannon fodder, which was common for the Nazis to do in territories they annexed. Also, the Allies were under orders to take no prisoners for the first 3 days of the invasion, due to the logistics nightmare of trying to hold POWs whilst taking an incredibly fortified position. The reason this is shown is to demonstrate that in war, there is no black and white, only shades of grey. Everyone likes to think the Allies were saints defending the world from the forces of darkness, but we did some pretty bad shit ourselves, and justified it in the name of victory. Always remember, it is the victors who write history :/

@@lordmortarius538 it sucks they had to kill prisoners, but that is so minor compared to the crimes of the axis powers. Suggesting they are equivalent is pretty cringe. If the axis don’t start a genocidal war of annihilation, the Allies never have to successfully invade Western Europe.

@@qwerty30013 No one said that those things are equivalent, so wtf are you talking about?

@@qwerty30013 "never have to successfully"... My gosh, get your prideful booty for something youve never contributed towards out of here, hurt weirdo. What the us did to Native Americans + slavery. What the Brits did in the colonies. The french before to revolution to its own people. Every country has severe shit on its boot. There are no clean sheets in the world. Humanity is evil and no country has the right to call others generally evil or themselves good.

Yes, there really was a concerted effort to send at least partly accurate circumstances downwind to end up in those letters. But, even if it was sketchy, they still wanted the families to get what at least feels real and personalized and heartwarming.

Writing of those letters was arguably one of the hardest duties of platoon,company, battalion, and regimental commanders. In WW2 it was formalized to a degree never done before in the US (the proliferation of transatlantic telegraph cables made much more rapid communication possible). Although for example Harry S. Truman 33rd President of the US, was an Army CaptaIn in WW1, commanding Battery D of the 129th. The letters he wrote home to the families of his men gave him a prominence in Missouri that he never had before; quite likely those letters and the memory of them set him on the path to be President.

Master and commander is a great movie.

I wonder what the commanders of the 13 Americans who died during Biden's failed Afghanistan evacuation wrote. You can bet it wasn't what he wanted to say. And I know the 6 children he murdered to cover up the bad press will only get $$$$$.

@@patfranks785 I bet you’re fun at Thanksgiving dinner.

It teared me up. Especially when he turns to his wife and practically begs her to tell him, in front of the man who saved his life, his life has value.

“War is sweet to those who have no experience of it. But the experienced man trembles exceedingly in his heart at its approach.” Pindar

When people react to the landing scene in this movie, it is always sobering. So many people know what D-Day was, but don't know what it meant.

That’s the first time I’ve heard that they paused the viewing after the beach scene. That’s really cool, give the veterans time to decompress.

@@realburglazofficial2613 must have been in the British cinema lol.

100% British cinema, no? I could never imagine American cinema pausing a movie in theatres, much less tea over coffee.

It won't inspire peace sadly, it's also an American flag waving propaganda film so if any war film inspired peace it wouldn't be this one.

"it is well that war is so terrible, else we would grow too fond of it" Robert E. Lee

@@aaronburdon221 But people are too fond of it, despite how terrible it is.

@@Mr.Goodkat never heard or met a person that was fond of war you’re talking out your ass man.

@@Mr.Goodkat have you actually seen the movie what’s propaganda about it? They show the evil and the sadness and the loss on both sides.

Sounds like your uncle and my dad followed the same path. France, Belgium, and the Bulge. He didn't talk much about it, but I have the letters he sent to his parents.

"....but also hope we never have to repeat the kind of things that happened all those years ago." Wait - What? Where have you been my friend - with the exeption of a reletively short period - we've been constantly at war ever since.

@@jackmack7533 Not to mention all the "civil war" rhetoric coming from parts of the vox populi. They want this to happen here.

@@jackmack7533 That is true I guess I am just overly optimistic.

@@jackmack7533 Not nearly on the scale of ww2, pretty sure more Americans were killed on d-day alone than the entire time spent in Afghanistan.

This is exactly what I hold against the film and Spielberg: He could have really delivered a good anti-war film here, showing the brutality of war - and that people fight on both sides, good and bad with all shades of gray in between. Instead, after the landing, it became a standard U.S. war movie with heroic U.S. soldiers and the evil Germans. This film could have done a lot to show that normal people are also fighting on the side of the Germans, who do not only stand for the primordial evil. Instead, of course, it has to be the German soldier, let off on his word of honor, who shoots Miller, just to further incite anger at the Germans. Chance wasted.

There are good anti-war films out there when you want one: maybe that's not what Spielberg wanted this film to be. There are other wars that are better suited to the anti-war theme, like Vietnam for example when it could be argued that the Vietnamese were never going to be a threat to America. But out of all the biggest wars, it's more difficult to make a case for WW-II being unnecessary. Diplomacy was tried with the Nazis in 1938 and they weren't interested. The only way to stop Hitler and Mussolini's fascism was by force, back in the days when fascism was not tolerated but was snuffed out wherever it raised its head.

I'm still surprised when I hear this, because every time I think it's the same guy (they look a lot alike to me, though I suppose everyone does with that haircut). If the guy who killed Mellish was just another German soldier, why did he let Upham live?

I just saw it as one of those unexpected things: he was in a fight to the death with Mellish, but Upham had his hands up and wasn't a threat, so he walked past him. A similar thing happened to Adolf Hitler when he was a private in WW-I. He was injured and a British soldier found him and raised his rifle at him, but took mercy on him and didn't shoot him.

@@Chewie1802 I never saw it that way. The German soldier they released did exactly what Reiben said he would do -- rejoin any German troops who picked him up. He didn't shoot Miller because he was particularly villanous. He did it because he was a German soldier. The fact of that being the consequence of letting him go I always saw as again morally complicating things. Just like I saw Upham shooting him later as Upham losing his last bit of humanity, coming to view his feelings of right and wrong with the same contempt the other men had shown earlier. None of it is black and white and none of it is glorious. I've seen reactors who view it as a "Yeah! Got him!" moment but I don't think Spielberg presented any of it that way.

I met a man that had two older brothers and a father that served in the Marines during WWII. The sons were in combat units and the father was signal corps typically well behind "the lines". They lived on a farm and would see those notification cars go past once in awhile. When they did see one, the mom would always say "Please Lord. Not one of my boys." One day the car turned down the road to their house. Even though the man didn't hear his mom say her usual prayer, he knew that she had said it. Unfortunately, her prayer was answered. The father had been killed when the jeep that he was in hit a mine.

I would think this is a common practice, not just for the paratroopers? Well maybe the pass words were historically "thunder"/"flash" for paratroopers, but one would think they were the same for all allied units to avoid friendly fire.

@@kala1780 likely the challenge/password was set at the Regiment or Battalion level for units in the same sector. Capt Miller likely would not know this unless specifically briefed being part of the Rangers while the 1st town they entered was being held by the Pathfinders.

"Thunder/flash" was used in both Europe and the Pacific by American troops during the war. Many stories of how it was effective against Japanese soldiers who had learned the countersign because the "L" sound in 'flash' does not exist in the Japanese language and would often give them away.

I heard that they got the sign/countersign reversed in SPR and corrected it in Band of Brothers. So the correct challenge for Operation Overlord (the D-Day invasion) was Flash, the reply would be Thunder. In real life I've heard after the initial invasion the challenge/reply would change frequently. My Grandfather was a signalman on a Destroyer Escort in the Pacific Theater.

@@zh2184 that is a classic example of a shibboleth. That's one reason why South Vietnamese soldiers would quickly identify Viet Cong attempting to blend in during the Vietnam War as dialects, accents, etc. for particular words worked as shibboleths.

Yes, thunder was chosen because even a German, who speaks very good English struggles to pronounce that word

Very human. A special sensitive woman.

2 more episodes are close by geopraphically: the region of Eindhoven (episode 4) and the region of the Nijmegen salient (episode 5) are also close to Flanders. I'm don't know where exactly where Mary lives, but there's a good chance both regions are even closer by than Bastogne.

Well, the wait for BoB might not be that long... ;)

I can't think of a serious war film (not just an action movie) that glorified or ramanticized war...they may support the cause or the ideals of a certain side and depict them as the good guys but I've never seen a movie actually depict war as anything other than emotional, psychological and physical hell. Maybe there's some old black and white films that glorified and romanticised war but everything I've seen made from the invention of technicolour has treated the subject as tragic and serious.

@@Shamelesscritique1 That's not how it works. Just because an artwork depicts the horrors of war doesn't necessarily mean they don't also glorify war. Most heroic epics have the hero go through hell (sometimes literally) but they use storytelling techniques to make their sacrifice seem admirable and the ones who served and died seem noble. There were more movies willing to be critical of war and the military coming out of the Vietnam era. You can see that stark difference when you compare them. This movie I think wavers between Speilberg's competing instincts to be a filmmaker who challenges his audience and his more jingoist rah-rah-USA sensibilities (that slow-mo final shot of the American flag waving majestically in the wind made me roll my eyes hard when I saw this in theatres).

@@zammmerjammer ...like I said sometimes films do take sides and support a cause...world war 2 is typically considered a "just" and "necessary" war from the allies perspective at least, as it wasn't fought for greed, resources, territory or even politics really...just survival and "freedom" but it isn't depicted as glorious or romantic. It's always the exact opposite...the general depiction and message is that war regardless of the politics, reasons or justification is hellish. As for the patriotic shot of the flag that made you roll your eyes...it's there because the film maker and the general audience tend to believe we were the good guys (at least we were back then) and the flag symbolises that feeling...it's there to reassure the audience that in the end they won and all the horror, sacrifice and suffering depicted in the film wasn't entirely in vain. Like I said I can't think of single war film made in colour going back to the late fifties and early sixties that glorified or romanticised war...it's always depicted as a tragic, terrifying and generally unpleasant situation or scenario that any sane and moral person would want to avoid...a situation and scenario where human behaviour runs a wide spectrum from disgusting and deplorable to noble and heroic (such is the human experience) but it's never treated as a "good" or "great" thing.

@@Shamelesscritique1 "the film maker and the general audience tend to believe we were the good guys" -- yeah, and they believe that because of jingoistic fairytales they've been told and retold. That's exactly my point.

@@Shamelesscritique1 Typically the brutal nature of war of is overshadowed by heroic desperation, or a greater cause being fulfilled. I.E. This person dying is worth it because they died fighting the good fight. I don't think that it is wrong, per se, but it is because of this that perpetrates this perception that it is seen as acceptable or even noble to kill people who don't want to fight. The Nazi's are obviously bad, but what these movies never show you is the people who stood strong against a dictator, who opposed their "leaders" and stood for what was right. How many movies showcase Americans kicking Nazi ass? How many movies showcase a German man plotting to overthrow a nation-wide dictator? 10:1 I'd say, and the only ones you will find showing the attempted assassinations of Hitler by German's is in documentaries. I'll never sympathize with any European power that went alongside the Nazi's rule, but I can understand that not everyone is 100% willing to risk their life and their family's in order to attempt to change the world. It's easy to say that if I were German, 18 years old, and alive during 1945 that I would assassinate Hitler, and to actually move against and entire nation an economy that has been indoctrinated to believe you're the master race. If I'm 5 years old in 1933, and 18 in 1945 it's nearly impossible to expect me to rise above my indoctrinated education, my parents feeding me all these lies and excuses about other peoples, to renege my schooling while at war with outsiders while being told I'm perfect and the invaders are disgusting sub-humans trying to topple our great nation. It's incredible how disgusting the nature of subversion is. Hating others is so easy, but learning to understand is not so simple. I really, really hate anyone who tries to justify Axis war crimes. Japanese or German, both were beyond abhorrent. I'm Canadian, and I know that during WW1 Canadians were one of the top contributors to war crimes. We literally took no prisoners and operated on a "kill the wounded" policy. We killed anyone and everyone not allied to us and we did it by storming trenches with 16 inch bayonets. We literally marched behind advancing artillery strikes, we blasted entire cities to rubble in order to make our way through them. You know what they called us in WW1? Stormtroopers. We were one of the most efficient fighting forces of WW1 and it was because of the brutality we were willing to deal. History written by the victores is BS.

There’s another level to that Czech but they’re also lying about being conscripted. They’re wearing the uniforms of the SS. The SS was the elite super evil level. All SS were volunteers some were from other countries besides Germany such as the two that were shot in this so it’s a level on the level.

You are absolutely right. I guess the events of D-Day are contained in one or two paragraghs in today's American history books. It's only going to get worse as time passes.

Annoyed me to no end to see people asking if June6'44 was "an important battle", having no idea it was D-day. It makes me wonder what we are teaching our children today, I grew up in the 60s/70s and we learned a good amount 5th grade history. Then again, in 2005 a younger (decade+) coworker was going to see the (then) new King Kong remake and I said I was curious how it would compare to the older ones... She had no idea (at like 30) it was a remake. I was like, uhh 1930s, Faye Wray? There was a remake in the 70s too, but *everyone* in my generation knew the original.

Roosevelt put as a condition of the first aid that we did the destroyers for bases agreement that decolonization must happen after the war. The people must be free to choose their own government

It's one of the best war movies and the best submarine movie ever in my opinion. Watch the director's cut with subtitles. It was a german TV series that also came out as a movie but i think the director's cut gives the best balance for something like this. They did an english version too but it really doesn't transport that well. Even though the subtitles aren't very good sometimes, that version is much better than the dubbed one.

Agree with suggesting 1917, it reminded me a lot of Saving Private Ryan when I watched it, it's just so beautifully done.

This one brought me to tears when I watched it with my mum.

That is so cool. The majority of the german soldiers would have rather been home. Thank god he wasn’t captured by Russians, or you wouldn’t be here for me to respond to

@@heywoodjablome619 I’m glad you understand I tell people about this and call me a nazi and my family when in reality he would of been at home with his family. He didn’t want a war. Exactly Russians were ruthless.

@@molon___labe I'd have a German next to me in a trench any day. Majority of Germans were not Nazi's. It's not taught here about how many Germans were killed by those bastads, standing up against them. Then how Germany was split in half, and the beautiful city of Berlin ripped in half. I'm a proud American. but have total respect for you guys. My great uncle died on D Day + 5 Fighting Germans. And still nothing but respect for the soldiers.

They all know the US is racist though. That's a history class staple. I talked to 2 18 year olds recently that did not know why we have a North and South Korea. It's astonishing

The lack of knowledge is purely engineered by the people that perpetuate war. It scares me that the only "knowledge" people have of history comes from Hollywood movies.

@@jessecortez9449 A broken education system doesn't help

@@yaimavol the education system is not broken, it is deliberate not teaching of history propagated by the republican party that has allowed fascism to rise again.

@@MidnightKittehBoi We have a 40 year low in math test scores. Yes, it is broken

I saw it in the theatre... it was breathtaking... every bullet sounded like it just whistled by next to your head... it felt like you were a GI and missing your helmet. I think at times, I found myself holding my breath... might be the best anti-war movie every made.

This...is the way.

No. Sorry, but the person that was at the bunker, the one that killed Mellish, the one that shot Miller, and the one that was shot by Upham were all one in the same. His stage name is Joerg Stadler.

@@ytorwoody Absolutely not, this was confirmed by the director when people initially mistaken him as the same man. Joerg Stadler was only involved at the bridge at the end, the soldier that took out Mellish was a Waffen SS Solider played by Mac Steinmeier. You can Google this information for confirmation, look up "Saving Private Ryan Waffen SS Soldier and Steamboat Willie (Joerge Stadler)" or the actors names.

@@gpaje I got hammered good for this so put a normal comment in up above. Thanks for making me search a bit more.

@@ytorwoody Not at all, I thought the same thing, honest mistake we all made. I wrote the same thing as you and someone corrected me too :)