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Perhaps the most contentious debate any artist has to face at
one time or another in their career is the one between art and
commerce. Though all films are by default exploitation films,
just by virtue of the fact that they deal with a particular subject
matter and then charge admission for it, there will always be
attempts made to draw a hard line between "commercial"
films that pander to the lowest common denominator and true "art"
which challenges and provokes. Perhaps no other filmmaker in history
has had to ride the tension between these two extremes more than
Steven Spielberg.
Responsible for some of the biggest blockbusters in motion picture
history, including Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park and the Indiana Jones
film among them, he has often been accused of simply producing
"Big Macs" for mass consumption. However, he seemed
to satisfy the critical contingent in 1993 with his personal holocaust
testament Schindler's List, which swept the Academy Awards and
finally managed to bring him the critical recognition he never
quite achieved with his supposed "commercial" works.
Following this life-altering work on Schindler's List, he began
to explore more historical and non-fantastical subject matter,
with the slave drama Amistad
and now the subsequent war epic Saving Private Ryan. In interviews
and biographies, Spielberg has talked openly about the influence
the WWII stories his father told him had had on him during his
formative years, and he has dealt with the subject before to varying
degrees in films like 1941 and Empire Of the Sun. However, with
Ryan, he confronted the era head on, and attempted to memorialize
the sacrifices of WWII veterans while creating the most visceral
and realistic portrait of war ever put on film.
The film opens (after first being framed by much-debated "bookends,"
but more on that below) with a highly-lauded sequence recreating
the legendary D-Day invasion, a piece of film that runs nearly
30 minutes and is not for the squeamish. Quite simply, it is appropriately
horrifying and incredibly bloody. This film just starts and doesn't
let up. Without dispute, even the harshest detractors of the film
were in unanimous agreement that these battle scenes are impeccably
executed and, dare I say it, flawless. However, once the story
gets underway, it is here that reactions began to differ.
Essentially, you might classify this as a war "road movie."
I hate plot synopses, but just to set it up, basically we have
a travelogue that follows the search for the last remaining Private
Ryan, whose other four siblings have all been killed in combat.
A crack combat team lead by everyman Tom Hanks is assigned the
duty, and they don't take all that kindly to their new mission.
While searching for the fabled Ryan, much discussion and exploration
on the themes of honor, sacrifice, duty and ultimately the valuing
of one man over many ensues. We also are immersed in the violent
and chaotic backdrop that is war. Some found the drama, from a
script by Robert Rodat, to be contrived, obvious and nothing more
than a John Wayne movie, but with lots of impressive battle sequences
thrown in for good measure. However, others found it moving, profound
and a thoughtful dissemination of American heroism in the face
of the insanity of war.
Personally, after seeing it twice in the cinema, I found it to
be complicated and flawed, but also a powerful and at times moving
piece. I've always felt the cinema of Steven Spielberg to be often
contradictory in general, in the sense that he strives to make
art while still trying to please and excite the masses. But I
find this combination fascinating. For example, in Ryan, the controversial
bookend framing device has come under fire as maudlin, obvious
and unnecessary (and I agree). However, there are also moments
in the film that counteract this approach with incredible subtlety
and restraint atypical to most commercial blockbusters.
There is a crucial scene near the end when the young, innocent
Private Upham (warning, plot spoiler here) kills a German soldier
he has previously befriended and helped set free. This is the
defining moment for the film and the character, and illustrates
everything Spielberg feels about the war. Yet, rather that get
heavy-handed, Spielberg employs a surprisingly light touch. Instead
of telegraphing some "big moral" or moment, he simply
lets it happen onscreen with no music or other visual clue to
tell us what to think. This leaves it for us to decide whether
Upham's change is a tragedy or a victory. The crowd I saw it with
both times was split down the middle. Some were saddened, others
cheered. Few films allow for such extreme and personal reactions
to an individual moment.
Personally, I love that. I want to be challenged and stimulated
and not be told what everything "means" all the time,
though such moments often infuriate some, who want easy-to-swallow
messages (usually the same people who love the mawkish bookends).
So, though many cite Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan
as the start of the "new" Spielberg, I continue to see
these films more as a dissolution of his previous style, not a
transformation. For every subtle moment like Upham's corruption,
there is still another "Spielberg moment" like the framing
device. And, in my opinion, his choice of composer John Williams
for all his films can be a detriment at times, and here I felt
Williams' score to be inappropriate and overbearing (in fact,
no score at all would have improved the film, in my opinion).
But, it is precisely this push and pull between the overt and
the subtle in the films of Steven Spielberg that continues to
fascinate me.
But, I could talk about this film and the complexities of Spielberg
cinema all day. You just want to know how the DVD is, right? This
is a landmark event for DVD, not only because it represents a
strong show of support by Mr. Spielberg for the format, but because
the disc itself is such a potential powerhouse in terms of audio
and video presentation. So, here comes the question...does Private
Ryan successfully complete his mission?
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Saving Private Ryan is presented in anamorphic widescreen with
an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The video is very difficult to describe
and rate as the transfer purposefully alters the look of many
of the things one generally looks for in a DVD. Color and contrast
are muted, grain is apparent, and even accentuated by the choice
of film elements used for the transfer. All of this was done in
order to capture a certain look for this film, one reminiscent
of vintage WWII footage.
In spite of the fact that many of the typical rules of video
are bent, the effect is nothing short of stunning and artistically
powerful, adding an extra dimension to the hyper-realistic documentary
style the film strives to portray. The grainy, contrasty quality
of the film does a terrific job of convincing you that you're
actually watching a film, and helps dispel the idea that you're
watching a DVD. And in spite of this grainy quality, detail is
never sacrificed one iota, and overall I found the look of this
DVD absolutely mesmerizing. The DTS and Dolby Digital DVDs are
virtual twins in the video department, each indistinguishable
from the other.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
Saving Private Ryan's DTS soundtrack is one of the very best
I've ever heard providing a consistent 360" soundfield that
is fully enveloping and thunderously dynamic. The soundstage is
deep and wide, imaging along the rear and sidewalls to an amazing
degree. The surrounds are aggressive throughout the entire film,
putting you in every acoustic space portrayed on screen. The LFE
channel is tight, deep and tuneful, recreating the many percussive
explosions and rumblings to astounding effect. The LFE provides
a deep, tight rumbling that is completely non-localizable, massaging
the room with bass energy and giving an amazing account of explosive
warfare off in the distance.
The Academy Award winning sound effects are amazing! I've obviously
never heard Panzer tanks rumble through a small town in France,
but Saving Private Ryan did an amazing job of convincing me I
was hearing just that! These are the most palpable, lifelike sound
effects I've ever heard, portraying crunching munching machinery,
gun shots and explosions with frightening precision and realism.
As good as the 448k Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is, it is no
match for the 768k DTS soundtrack. The DTS soundtrack for Saving
Private Ryan completely fills the room with sound, offering superior
sidewall imaging and sounds placed far out into every part of
the room. The Dolby Digital presents a noticeably less coherent
soundfield, often seeming to bounce sound back and forth between
the front and surround speakers as opposed to smoothly panning
from front to back or vice verse. Dynamic range is even more impressive
in the DTS version, making for more impact on the many transient
effects of the many gunshots and explosions. The DTS' LFE is tighter
and deeper, providing more gut-socking impact.
As a result of the above, the Omaha Beach sequence takes on an
even more visceral quality in the DTS version (check out the underwater
piece, it's impressive.) Subtle sonic details are also better
resolved in the DTS, such as the many empty bullet casings clanging
to the ground throughout, as well as the mechanical sounds of
the heavy machinery. The acoustic rendering of the space of the
cathedral in chapter 9 is also more convincing, as the voices
really float into the space in the DTS version naturally while
the DD tends to call attention to itself as the voices bounce
clumsily from front to back. In this same scene the battle raging
in the distance is also more of a sonic presence in the DTS version
with the LFE nicely punctuating the effect.
Another scene in which the DTS version's LFE distinguishes itself
is the end of chapter 15 when the German tanks make their presence
felt sonically long before they begin to appear. In the DD version
it seems the actors are reacting to a barely perceptible effect,
while the DTS version makes the tanks' impending arrival a truly
frightening proposition.
As you can guess from what's above, I wholeheartedly recommend
the DTS DVD for it's superior soundtrack. I think this is an important
release as it represents the first viable test of the marketability
of DTS DVDs. Saving Private Ryan is the first DTS DVD that is
arriving day and date with the Dolby Digital release, at the same
price, and with nearly the same features.
Saving Private Ryan is also important as it marks the debut of
DTS DVDs encoded at the 768k data rate, which is half of the 1536k
data rate used on previous DTS DVDs. This disc sounded every bit
as terrific as anything I've heard encoded at the higher data
rate, which bodes well for fans of the DTS format as the more
bit-budget friendly 768k data rate will most certainly result
in more DTS DVD support.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The DTS and DD versions of Saving Private Ryan include two theatrical
trailers, which are OK, but nothing to write home about, as
well as the usual cast and crew bios and production
notes. Also included on both versions is an exclusive introduction
from Steven Spielberg.
The Dolby Digital version only contains a 25-minute documentary
on the film entitled "Into the Breach." I didn't care a whole
lot for this piece, as I found it a bit jingoistic for my taste.
DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc
in your PC?
No ROM extras have been included.
Parting Thoughts
Discs like Saving Private Ryan are what home theater is all about.
The quality of the presentation here guarantees that you do not
just watch this film, but experience it. Dreamworks has served
up another big winner here.
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