Much of the discussion regarding the narrative "flaws" in SAVING PRIVATE
RYAN seems misguided to me.  Because the film appears on some level to
mislead is being held up as a sign that the film is on some special level
dishonest or flawed.  This idea takes as its premise the idea that films
are to be realistic, that they are never to be contrived.  But virtually
all stories are manipulative, contain rhetorical elements, are contrived
in order to make some impact or effect on their audiences. Every single
mystery film, for instance, withholds information from its audience.  And
often the most interesting examples of films in other genres also use
great narrative manipulation: MILDRED PIERCE, for isntance, which
withholds the identity of the murderer and implies, through a variety of
means, that Joan Crawford is the guilty party.   The Robert Aldrich horror
films WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE and HUSH, HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE also
do the same thing.  There is even interesting narrative manipulation in a
Preston Sturges comedy like THE PALM BEACH STORY.  The fact that so much
of the hype and comment on PRIVATE RYAN has tended to emphasize its
"realism"--whatever we mean by that--has tended to obscure its
contrivance.
 
Myself, I responded very favorably to the framing device--my favorite
thing in the film, actually.  WE are meant to initially believe that
Hanks is the narrative, but I changed my mind at the moment we saw Ryan's
mother receive word of her sons.  She is shot exiting her house in a shot
which specifically recalls the opening of John Ford's THE
SEARCHERS--woman at the center of the home, silhouetted poetically.  And
that western is about a searcher who brings back home safely the object of
his quest, but who himself is unable to return to any "home"--which for
me, made me presume, from that scene on, that Hanks would probably die,
but succeed in his mission.  There are other visual references as well.
 
And about the objection that if Hanks isn't the narrator of the film, how
can Ryan be, because he wasn't present on the D-Day beach, well, we see
all kinds of things--on the beach and throughout the film, that Hanks
isn't privy to either.   Narrative manipulations and complexities are the
glories of the cinema.
 
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"Only Connect."   E. M. Forster
 
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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
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