After thoroughly researching the existing scholarship on Saving Private Ryan I found one reoccurring theme; the opening scenes of the film are acclaimed as being shatteringly realistic, graphic to a sobering degree, and supported as authentic by veterans and war historians alike. This finding, along with the reoccurring discussion revolving around Saving Private Ryan acting as a source of encouragement for my generation and future generations to be more grateful and aware of the sacrifices made for us during World War II, prompted me to conduct an experiment. My aim was to support the claim that Saving Private Ryan does indeed bridge a generational gap and motivate individuals of my generation to experience a new sense of pride in the American military and gratitude for those who fought in wars past.
I recruited a group of 6 University of Georgia students to be a part of my experiment and had them view the first 26 minutes of the film, said to be the most poignant footage. Immediately after viewing the opening scenes the students were asked to complete a questionnaire with questions regarding the thoughts and feelings evoked by what they had just watched, their views on war and our troops involvement, and other questions of the like.
Below I have listed the post-test questionnaire, as well as an analysis of the answers provided by the students.
1. How would you define American triumphalism and what does it mean to you?
The majority discussion on American triumphalism was one that correlated with concepts like pride, patriotism, victory, and overcoming adversity. Across the board the respondents defined American triumphalism as a belief that it doesn’t get much better than the American way, and that in general, this country knows what it takes to come out on top. There was a certain sense of boastfulness and extreme nationalism in the responses, which I attribute to the intensity of the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan. Before conducting this experiment, and after watching the film myself, I found that although the opening 26 minutes are hard to watch the realistic nature of the scenes really gets your blood pumping and has you highly involved in the combat, rooting for America. Following their definitions, the respondents described American triumphalism as being very close to their hearts, one participant went as far as to say that they felt as though it is a personal duty to uphold American triumphalism and remind everyone the importance of a country united behind victory. I found the participants’ responses to be particularly interesting because of their passionate wording and hype about America, again, which I attribute to the intensity of the scenes that they had just been exposed to.
2. What does the concept of World War II as a “good war” mean to you?
Over half of the participants displayed no hesitation in their responses, generally stating that a good war is one that needs to be fought in order to preserve American values and safety. They voiced very strong support for the troops who risk their lives for America and there was a sort of “all for one, one for all” attitude present in their answers. Not unlike the concept of “serving with the soldiers” that we discussed in lecture while on the topic of supporting the troops. I was expecting a response similar to the latter as the opening scenes have the ability to draw the viewers in and make them feel as though they themselves are engaged in combat. The realistic nature of the footage encourages a sense of camaraderie that impressively ties the characters on the screen to the audience. However, the minority displayed a bit of hesitation in their responses, prefacing that war is never good but sometimes necessary. All of these participants were very grateful for the service of the men who served in WWII and proud that America was victorious but still unsure that you could really call any war a “good war.”
3. In what way did the opening scenes surprise you?
The response to this question was unanimous; participants were absolutely shocked by how violent and gruesome the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan were. One participant stated that they were preparing themselves for some pretty rough combat scenes, but that they’d assumed that the footage would be much like other war films they had seen. They went on to say that Saving Private Ryan definitely takes the cake in regards to brutal combat imagery. Another participant, in agreement that the opening scenes are terrifyingly violent, commended Spielberg for creating such a captivating start to the film and explained that “the opening scenes were like a bad car accident, you want to look away because it’s so awful, but at the same time you’re drawn to the craziness of what’s happening.” The documentary style filming that Spielberg utilized in Saving Private Ryan also had quite an impact on the participants. Over half of the viewers commented on the way that the footage was captured, saying that it made it seem less like a feature film and more like a real encounter. Across the board, participants felt themselves glued to the screen, almost fighting the battle themselves and feeling the same anguish that soldiers felt while watching their comrades suffer at the hands of the enemy.
4. In what ways did the opening scenes fulfill your expectations of what combat is like? Did you find it to be an authentic recreation?
A few of the participants were better versed in war history and had seen several war films prior to this experiment; regardless of having background knowledge or not, all of the participants responded along the lines of having their expectations more than fulfilled in regards to the recreation of WWII combat. A few of the participants stated that they were almost overwhelmed by how realistic the opening scenes were, but that at the same time they believed realistic and gruesome was a better route to take than a sugar-coated recreation. Those who had been exposed to other war genre films included comparisons in their responses, saying that Saving Private Ryan was by far the most seemingly authentic recreation of combat and that it seemed as though Spielberg did a lot of research before filming (a spot on assumption considering the training that Spielberg had the actors go through, and his extensive consulting of veterans and war historians). The participants with no prior viewing of war films said that they hadn’t really ever thought about what combat was like, other than the surface aesthetics of war like the uniforms, the clean cut presentation of soldiers, and the chaos associated with battle. One participant’s answer struck me as particularly insightful: “I have been lucky enough to be far removed from war. I have never known a soldier personally, I have never had to serve, and I can choose what media I consume during wartime. These opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan served as a sort of reality check because I can’t imagine war getting any more real for me than the way that Spielberg captured it.”
5. Briefly explain the extent to which you had learned of and thought about this monumental point in war history prior to viewing these scenes?
Prior to the experiment I hadn’t made any predictions as to how participants would respond to this question, as each individual is pursuing a different major, has different interests, and different personal backgrounds. However, their responses showed that aside from the brief information taught in entry level history classes that a few of the participants had taken, and a few Hollywood encounters with subject, these individuals really had no grasp on WWII and the Normandy beach invasions. General dates, a rough understanding of the conflict, and an awareness of the enemy were reoccurring discussions amongst the responses. Two of the participants admitted to feeling slightly ashamed to admit that it’s not a point in history that they’ve often or ever really reflected on, and that they blame that on being a part of a removed generation, a concept that was explored in several pieces of scholarship that I reviewed. Over half of the participants also mentioned that the fact that they had been so oblivious to the happenings on the Normandy beaches so many decades ago made the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan that much more numbing. None of the participants had any personal connections to individuals in the military or any individuals who had fought in WWII.
6. What are your personal thoughts on the men that fought this war and sacrificed their lives for the sake of America?
The responses to this question made it very obvious that viewing the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan has a serious effect on one’s level of patriotism. The participants boldly declared their undying support for their country and their gratefulness for the men who served in WWII in the name of America. There was no hesitation in any of the responses, but rather a steady stream of declaration of pride and gratitude. Two of the participants said something along the lines of not being able to wrap their heads around the opening scenes of the film having actually occurred, as it just seemed too awful for any human to endure. One went on to express their immense shock and thankfulness that their were are still are men in existence that were so willing to put their lives on the line for America. Another participant admitted that they had never previously formed an opinion on the topic but that viewing the opening scenes of the film stirred up so much emotion and made the war so real to them that it was impossible to not reflect on those brave soldiers. All of the participants seemed very sincere and passionate in their responses.
7. To what degree do you feel as though the veterans of this war and the sacrifices made by them are remembered by your generation?
Sadly, the responses to this question read just as I had predicted prior to the experiment. The driving interest behind this experiment was the discussion of this generation being so unaware of WWII, and in turn unknowingly ungrateful, that came up in so many of the articles that I read. All of the participants admitted that while they don’t see our generation as being unaware they do believe that the majority has just cast historical events such as past wars aside. One participant attributed the disregard to the fast paced nature of modern life stating, “there’s just so little time to reflect on the past when everyone is constantly concentrated on building up the future.” Participants wanted to make it clear that they weren’t trying to throw their generation under the bus and label them as ungrateful but that the truth of the matter is that those men that made the ultimate sacrifice are not a daily thought of the majority. However, one participant exclaimed that if everyone took 26 minutes to watch the opening scenes of this film that they have no doubts that it would have a striking effect just as it had on them. The latter supports the beliefs of many of the scholars who have written about Saving Private Ryan’s unparalleled realism having the ability to bring this generation and future generations to realization about the sacrifice the WWII soldiers made for America.
8. Has the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan changed your thoughts on WWII and the soldiers that fought for America? If so, how?
The majority of the participants enthusiastically responded that the opening scenes of the film had a serious impact on their view of WWII and the men that fought in it. The impact was very positive, and lined up with the high hopes scholars had for the film, in that the participants described themselves as being much more aware of the past and having a stronger tie to the soldiers that made such great sacrifices. One participant said that the scenes were eye-opening and made them feel almost ashamed for having been so blinded to the details surrounding this part of history; Saving Private Ryan made this particular participant interested in war history as a whole, which is a huge impact for a film of this genre to make. The lesser half of the participants who were not as zealous in their responses were not negative but just less affected by the scenes. There answers were more generic, along the lines of feeling shocked and disgusted by the realistic portrayal of combat but having only taken those gory images at face value.
This experiment yielded the exact conclusion that I had hoped for and hypothesized; the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan are in fact so authentic that they have the ability to impact the way that my generation remembers the Normandy beach invasions, and also the ability to encourage remembrance of the men that endured the brutal combat and led America to victory. I pride myself on my enthusiasm for my country but I willingly admit that before viewing Saving Private Ryan, and really thinking about what I was watching, I had been blinded to the true horrors of combat and had taken for granted the sacrifices made by soldiers. Steven Spielberg has managed to craft a film that reaches out to its audiences, no matter their age, and draws them into WWII and that is an ability that only a handful of war genre films are noted for possessing.
I recruited a group of 6 University of Georgia students to be a part of my experiment and had them view the first 26 minutes of the film, said to be the most poignant footage. Immediately after viewing the opening scenes the students were asked to complete a questionnaire with questions regarding the thoughts and feelings evoked by what they had just watched, their views on war and our troops involvement, and other questions of the like.
Below I have listed the post-test questionnaire, as well as an analysis of the answers provided by the students.
1. How would you define American triumphalism and what does it mean to you?
The majority discussion on American triumphalism was one that correlated with concepts like pride, patriotism, victory, and overcoming adversity. Across the board the respondents defined American triumphalism as a belief that it doesn’t get much better than the American way, and that in general, this country knows what it takes to come out on top. There was a certain sense of boastfulness and extreme nationalism in the responses, which I attribute to the intensity of the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan. Before conducting this experiment, and after watching the film myself, I found that although the opening 26 minutes are hard to watch the realistic nature of the scenes really gets your blood pumping and has you highly involved in the combat, rooting for America. Following their definitions, the respondents described American triumphalism as being very close to their hearts, one participant went as far as to say that they felt as though it is a personal duty to uphold American triumphalism and remind everyone the importance of a country united behind victory. I found the participants’ responses to be particularly interesting because of their passionate wording and hype about America, again, which I attribute to the intensity of the scenes that they had just been exposed to.
2. What does the concept of World War II as a “good war” mean to you?
Over half of the participants displayed no hesitation in their responses, generally stating that a good war is one that needs to be fought in order to preserve American values and safety. They voiced very strong support for the troops who risk their lives for America and there was a sort of “all for one, one for all” attitude present in their answers. Not unlike the concept of “serving with the soldiers” that we discussed in lecture while on the topic of supporting the troops. I was expecting a response similar to the latter as the opening scenes have the ability to draw the viewers in and make them feel as though they themselves are engaged in combat. The realistic nature of the footage encourages a sense of camaraderie that impressively ties the characters on the screen to the audience. However, the minority displayed a bit of hesitation in their responses, prefacing that war is never good but sometimes necessary. All of these participants were very grateful for the service of the men who served in WWII and proud that America was victorious but still unsure that you could really call any war a “good war.”
3. In what way did the opening scenes surprise you?
The response to this question was unanimous; participants were absolutely shocked by how violent and gruesome the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan were. One participant stated that they were preparing themselves for some pretty rough combat scenes, but that they’d assumed that the footage would be much like other war films they had seen. They went on to say that Saving Private Ryan definitely takes the cake in regards to brutal combat imagery. Another participant, in agreement that the opening scenes are terrifyingly violent, commended Spielberg for creating such a captivating start to the film and explained that “the opening scenes were like a bad car accident, you want to look away because it’s so awful, but at the same time you’re drawn to the craziness of what’s happening.” The documentary style filming that Spielberg utilized in Saving Private Ryan also had quite an impact on the participants. Over half of the viewers commented on the way that the footage was captured, saying that it made it seem less like a feature film and more like a real encounter. Across the board, participants felt themselves glued to the screen, almost fighting the battle themselves and feeling the same anguish that soldiers felt while watching their comrades suffer at the hands of the enemy.
4. In what ways did the opening scenes fulfill your expectations of what combat is like? Did you find it to be an authentic recreation?
A few of the participants were better versed in war history and had seen several war films prior to this experiment; regardless of having background knowledge or not, all of the participants responded along the lines of having their expectations more than fulfilled in regards to the recreation of WWII combat. A few of the participants stated that they were almost overwhelmed by how realistic the opening scenes were, but that at the same time they believed realistic and gruesome was a better route to take than a sugar-coated recreation. Those who had been exposed to other war genre films included comparisons in their responses, saying that Saving Private Ryan was by far the most seemingly authentic recreation of combat and that it seemed as though Spielberg did a lot of research before filming (a spot on assumption considering the training that Spielberg had the actors go through, and his extensive consulting of veterans and war historians). The participants with no prior viewing of war films said that they hadn’t really ever thought about what combat was like, other than the surface aesthetics of war like the uniforms, the clean cut presentation of soldiers, and the chaos associated with battle. One participant’s answer struck me as particularly insightful: “I have been lucky enough to be far removed from war. I have never known a soldier personally, I have never had to serve, and I can choose what media I consume during wartime. These opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan served as a sort of reality check because I can’t imagine war getting any more real for me than the way that Spielberg captured it.”
5. Briefly explain the extent to which you had learned of and thought about this monumental point in war history prior to viewing these scenes?
Prior to the experiment I hadn’t made any predictions as to how participants would respond to this question, as each individual is pursuing a different major, has different interests, and different personal backgrounds. However, their responses showed that aside from the brief information taught in entry level history classes that a few of the participants had taken, and a few Hollywood encounters with subject, these individuals really had no grasp on WWII and the Normandy beach invasions. General dates, a rough understanding of the conflict, and an awareness of the enemy were reoccurring discussions amongst the responses. Two of the participants admitted to feeling slightly ashamed to admit that it’s not a point in history that they’ve often or ever really reflected on, and that they blame that on being a part of a removed generation, a concept that was explored in several pieces of scholarship that I reviewed. Over half of the participants also mentioned that the fact that they had been so oblivious to the happenings on the Normandy beaches so many decades ago made the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan that much more numbing. None of the participants had any personal connections to individuals in the military or any individuals who had fought in WWII.
6. What are your personal thoughts on the men that fought this war and sacrificed their lives for the sake of America?
The responses to this question made it very obvious that viewing the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan has a serious effect on one’s level of patriotism. The participants boldly declared their undying support for their country and their gratefulness for the men who served in WWII in the name of America. There was no hesitation in any of the responses, but rather a steady stream of declaration of pride and gratitude. Two of the participants said something along the lines of not being able to wrap their heads around the opening scenes of the film having actually occurred, as it just seemed too awful for any human to endure. One went on to express their immense shock and thankfulness that their were are still are men in existence that were so willing to put their lives on the line for America. Another participant admitted that they had never previously formed an opinion on the topic but that viewing the opening scenes of the film stirred up so much emotion and made the war so real to them that it was impossible to not reflect on those brave soldiers. All of the participants seemed very sincere and passionate in their responses.
7. To what degree do you feel as though the veterans of this war and the sacrifices made by them are remembered by your generation?
Sadly, the responses to this question read just as I had predicted prior to the experiment. The driving interest behind this experiment was the discussion of this generation being so unaware of WWII, and in turn unknowingly ungrateful, that came up in so many of the articles that I read. All of the participants admitted that while they don’t see our generation as being unaware they do believe that the majority has just cast historical events such as past wars aside. One participant attributed the disregard to the fast paced nature of modern life stating, “there’s just so little time to reflect on the past when everyone is constantly concentrated on building up the future.” Participants wanted to make it clear that they weren’t trying to throw their generation under the bus and label them as ungrateful but that the truth of the matter is that those men that made the ultimate sacrifice are not a daily thought of the majority. However, one participant exclaimed that if everyone took 26 minutes to watch the opening scenes of this film that they have no doubts that it would have a striking effect just as it had on them. The latter supports the beliefs of many of the scholars who have written about Saving Private Ryan’s unparalleled realism having the ability to bring this generation and future generations to realization about the sacrifice the WWII soldiers made for America.
8. Has the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan changed your thoughts on WWII and the soldiers that fought for America? If so, how?
The majority of the participants enthusiastically responded that the opening scenes of the film had a serious impact on their view of WWII and the men that fought in it. The impact was very positive, and lined up with the high hopes scholars had for the film, in that the participants described themselves as being much more aware of the past and having a stronger tie to the soldiers that made such great sacrifices. One participant said that the scenes were eye-opening and made them feel almost ashamed for having been so blinded to the details surrounding this part of history; Saving Private Ryan made this particular participant interested in war history as a whole, which is a huge impact for a film of this genre to make. The lesser half of the participants who were not as zealous in their responses were not negative but just less affected by the scenes. There answers were more generic, along the lines of feeling shocked and disgusted by the realistic portrayal of combat but having only taken those gory images at face value.
This experiment yielded the exact conclusion that I had hoped for and hypothesized; the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan are in fact so authentic that they have the ability to impact the way that my generation remembers the Normandy beach invasions, and also the ability to encourage remembrance of the men that endured the brutal combat and led America to victory. I pride myself on my enthusiasm for my country but I willingly admit that before viewing Saving Private Ryan, and really thinking about what I was watching, I had been blinded to the true horrors of combat and had taken for granted the sacrifices made by soldiers. Steven Spielberg has managed to craft a film that reaches out to its audiences, no matter their age, and draws them into WWII and that is an ability that only a handful of war genre films are noted for possessing.