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The heavy breath of a man worn out by the years seems to be interrupted by the desire to find that cross. That white cross identical to thousands of others, differentiated by the name or date in cases of homonymy, engraved on the side parallel to the ground. A memory that makes the hands tremble at the mere shimmer of a dramatic recollection. Quiet murmur, retching, signs of the cross, the cold water licking helmets already soaked and the indistinguishable camouflages. The last orders, the last hypocritical precautions, and the opening of the iron panel raise the fierce curtain on one of the greatest futile massacres in history.
Too soon the sea tends to change color. Too many screams tragically break the silence, slightly disturbed by the mere waves of the sea. Nothing more real, nothing more exceptional in that half-hour of film that has left a masterly mark in the history of cinema. Gruesome, apoplectic scenes of too true cruelty follow one another with extraordinary professionalism in the depiction of the Normandy landing by U.S. troops. Thousands of soldiers are riddled by the whistling German cartridges even before setting their heavy boots on the blood-soaked sand of Omaha Beach. Spielberg's genius is evident in the masterful use of the camera, where no digital technologies were used and most scenes were shot with hand-held cameras to best ensure the imprint of the newsreels of the time. Shots that diagonally cut through the scene, accompanied by sinister sound effects, (to best create the sound of a bullet embedding in flesh, shots were recorded on cow carcasses) render the landing sequence absolutely inimitable.
When it seems that everything is momentarily over, the moral massacre of American warmongering hypocrisy begins. It's necessary to save a certain Ryan! It's an order from above that cannot be evaded. A team of a few men, five or six, must be created to save one. In the midst of a Nazi colony. As in "Paths of Glory" and "Hamburger Hill," this film also highlights the worthlessness an individual can assume who is fighting for his country. Beyond the noble or ostensible gesture of sending home at least the only surviving one of four brothers who died to save the skin of the U.S.A., the all-too-recurring vileness of those who impose orders on inferior ranks thrown into the meat grinder is evident. Amid a humorous remark, a bet on the possible role of the task force leader, a firefight with related losses, and the story of another injustice suffered due to the obtuseness of superiors de quibus, here is Ryan, who probably shows the only true sincere feeling of patriotism that positively balances, even if just for a short time, the hypocritical principles of war.
Preferring the battlefield to the warmth of the family hearth and "fighting to the end with my companions because they have suffered, risked, and fought as much as I have" is perhaps the only whisper of hope that still resides in the heart of some men. Thus comes to an end, after a dramatic battle against the Nazis, one of Spielberg's most beautiful films, shot with little patriotism and without rhetoric. War is abominable, hypocritical, and it respects no one, and everyone on one side or the other tries to save their life. The origins of a conflict should be evaluated before judging if the good ones were really the Americans and the bad ones were really the Germans. Assuming everything should be condemned about the disgraceful Nazi-repressions, the Russian purges, and the logistical Japanese suicides... but did the Americans really behave so well?
Memory tends to make me reflect and remember the great man that Captain Miller was. The knees buckle a bit with emotion. The final salute to the visor with deference and respect, too many white crosses. The United States flag. Fade out...
Spielberg, still epic, Hanks still excellent as well as Burns, Sizemore, Damon. John Williams refined, Janusz Kaminski impressive, Michael Kahn meticulous and masterful. Hollywood, even more crass. Only 5 Oscars and best film to the sugary and lavish romantic comedy "Shakespeare in Love." Monstrosity!
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