We were to watch this film for my history class, and the suggestion the
prof, Annie Gilbert Coleman ([log in to unmask]), had was, as I understand
it, that if James Frederick Ryan had been the Ryan they were looking for,
it would have been about war's detrimental effects on people, yet the fact
that James Francis Ryan was the all-American soldier boy who did not want
to leave, and the fact that Cpl. Upham had to kill "Steamboat Wille" to
make the transition to become a soldier suggests that the war and serving
your duty is the right thing, without question.  In that respect, it is
difficult to view it as an anti-war film, despite the intense carnage and
realism of being entrenched in the battle with the camera eye looking
about as if part of the crowd.  It is for this reason I can also imagine
people hating this film.  I never said I did, but I understand well the
point, if this is the reason.
 
Scott
 
 
 
On Mon, 14 Sep 1998, Carolina Trujillo wrote:
 
> There was a great article in The Economist (believe it or not) on why "Saving
> Private Ryan" fails as an anti-war film compared to "The Deer Hunter" and
> others.
>
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> University of Alabama.
>
 
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