Saving
Private Ryan
(1998)
- Information at Internet
Movie Database
- "Saving
Private Ryan," About.Com Christianity Guide, Charles Henderson.
-
Cinema in
Focus, a social and spiritual commentary by Hal Conklin and Denny Wayman.
-
Movie Parables
review.
-
Looking Closer, review by Jeffrey Overstreet, "searching for truth, beauty
and meaning in the movies."
- Visual review at Hollywood
Jesus.
-
Review, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Health -
Spiritual Practices for Human Being.
- Themes
- Guilt/Regret, Grace
- The regret of the now-elderly Ryan
as he remembers the story. Has he "earned it"? Can anyone?
- Clip - at the end of the movie as Tom Hanks is
dying, he tells Private Ryan to make it worth it. As the old Ryan
stands before the grave of Hanks, he asks his wife if he was a good
man. His wife told him he was. The point - this man lived his entire
life wondering if what Hanks had done for him was repaid by his good
life, always wondering if how he had lived was enough to repay Hanks
for saving him. (Rev. Paul W. Mueller, DMiss)
- Thank God Jesus did not say "Earn This" from the cross.
In fact, "Forgive Them" is literally the opposite of "Earn This."
(Doug Lowe)
- Prayer
-
In Saving Private Ryan the
sniper, Jackson, prays continually while doing his awful work.
There is a scene just after the landing where his prayer for
strength as he aims his rifle is intercut with a priest on the
beach praying over a dying soldier. (Mike Clark,
Hamilton, Canada)
- Saving/Savior
- Ryan is searched for and
"saved" in the midst of hell.
- War
- I used the last 7 minutes of Saving Private Ryan as a
clip to speak about the lack of Glory in War and to help us move into the
topic of Allegiance to God vs Allegiance to Country. The clip shows the
pain of the war, and flashes back to Ryan in the present time reflecting
on those who had died for him. (Pastor Michael
Stadtmueller Christ the Lord Lutheran Church Elgin, IL)
Index of Movie Titles
Index of Movie Themes
