Spielberg’s 1998 Masterpiece, “Saving Private Ryan”

Nominated for eleven, and winner of five, Academy Awards, “Saving Private Ryan” is considered by many to be the greatest war movie ever made. Presented by Coronado Island Film Festival as part of the popular monthly Classic Film Series, it will screen at Coronado’s Village Theatre, 820 Orange Ave., on Wednesday, September 25.

Doors will open at 5 pm for a Meet and Greet with complimentary wine, followed by the feature presentation at 5:30. Tickets are $15 and are available at coronadofilmfest.com.

Director Steven Spielberg won the Oscar for his work, as did cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. The opening 24-minute battle scene on Omaha Beach cost $12 million to film over a four-week period, using 1500 background actors, and is thought to be one of the greatest pieces of combat cinema ever made.

The film is set in Normandy, France, and stars Tom Hanks as Capt. John Miller, who has been ordered to locate a young private from Iowa named James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) behind enemy lines, to send him safely home to his grieving mother after his three brothers have all been killed in action.

The cast includes Edward Burns as rebellious soldier Richard Reiben, Tom Sizemore as Mike Horvath, Miller’s great friend and second-in-command, and Jeremy Davies as Timothy Upham, the French and German interpreter.

Also watch for the familiar faces of Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti, and Bryan Cranston. The music by John Williams is just perfect.

As one reviewer put it in 1998, “It gives us a million reasons why no one should go to war and one very powerful reason to go to war. It’s a soul-numbing, realistic depiction of what our grandfathers, fathers, uncles, brothers and sons have faced in humanity’s darkest moments. Not just in WWII, but in any war. No one can see this movie without being altered in some way.”

Tickets are available at coronadofilmfest.com. And – while you’re at it – now is the time to get your badges for CIFF 2024, Wed. Nov. 6 – Sun. Nov. 10.

On October 30, be sure to join us at our next classic film offering for another of Mel Brooks’ adventures into pure wackiness, “Bride of Frankenstein,” as we celebrate Halloween together.