MovieChat Forums > Saving Private Ryan (1998) Discussion > Your brothers were killed in battle. All...

Your brothers were killed in battle. All of them.

posted 3 years ago by Rolltide (964)
24 replies | jump to latest

Not sure how a person would typically act hearing the news your 3 brothers are all dead and gone forever. I would think it would be more emotional than hearing your fav baseball team lost yesterday.

I just think the scene is lame. The first private Ryan from Minnesota was a a little more realistic when he thought his brother died.

If that is not enough they segway into telling him 2 of their band died while finding him and he actually asks the names.

He finds out that all 3 of his brothers 3 of the most important people in his life are dead and he is casual about it!

This scene is particularly galling when you consider the 70s something Ryan falls to his knees in grief at the sight of one of his brothers graves in Normandy.

[–] degray9 (1126) 3 years ago

I think at that point they’d all seen so much death and destruction that Ryan had to remain stoic to survive the coming onslaught. The other paratroopers were brothers to him too.

[–] NitroHangover (1115) 3 years ago

Elderly Mr. Ryan did NOT fall to his knees at the grave of one of his brothers. He fell to his knees at the grave of Captain Miller (Tom Hanks), who sacrificed his own life, and the lives of most of his men, in order to find and rescue Ryan.

Miller's dying words to Ryan were "Earn this." That's why old man Ryan, with tears in his eyes, says to his wife something like "Tell me I've led a good life. Tell me I'm a good man."

He has survivors guilt, and he's hoping that he's 'earned' all those young men's sacrifices, fifty years earlier, by at least being a good husband, father, grandfather, and man.

[–] NitroHangover (1115) 3 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 2 years ago

Yeah I never really cared for the "earn this" line, I kind of felt like he was really saying "fuck you".

[–] NitroHangover (1115) 2 years ago

On some level, I suppose it was partially a "fuck you" to Ryan. I LOVE the line, though. I think it was completely appropriate in that moment.

[–] BronsonStorm (23) 2 years ago

He was saying he didn't care about Ryan the whole film and he did care for the lives of his men who he was having to spend to save Ryan.

He wanted Ryan to realise the sacrifice.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 2 years ago

Yeah I felt that was a pretty fucked up thing to say. I mean Ryan never even asked anyone to come get him nor did he even want to leave.

[–] GoMangoMan (40) 2 years ago

it's symbolic. "earn this" falls on us the viewer, who have had countless people die for our freedom.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 2 years ago

Except he directly said it to Ryan. Ryan served his country honorably he didn’t deserve to be talked down to.

[–] GoMangoMan (40) 2 years ago

it's symbolically directed at me and you (fairly obviously, it's not that subtle). we who benefitted from countless who died like that for us, who would probably not trade their lives for ours if given the choice plainly.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 2 years ago

I think you’re just making stuff up but if that’s what you choose to believe then you do you

[–] GoMangoMan (40) 2 years ago

do you mean when you hear "earn this" you don't think for a second how that can be applied to any civilian? what did we do to deserve them dying for us? nothing. we should bear the burden of owing that unpayable debt every day. that's like the whole message of the movie.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 2 years ago

First explain to me why you think it’s applied to every citizen. You’re trying to shift your burden of proof onto me which is a logical fallacy. It's not my burden of proof to prove that the message didn't apply to every citizen, it is your burden of proof to prove it was because that is what you asserted. Basic logic 101, kid.

[–] GoMangoMan (40) 2 years ago

I didn't ask you to prove anything, I asked you a rhetorical question. if you don't get it, you don't get it, but it's not exactly hard to get.

[–] MovieChatUser497 (18943) 2 years ago

And it’s idiotic to do so because it’s your burden of proof to prove the film is saying what you say it’s saying. This is simple logic 101, kid.

[–] NitroHangover (1115) 3 years ago

And by the way, the first Private Ryan from Minnesota broke down crying because he thought his baby brother, who was like ten years old or something, had died back at home.

That reaction is obviously going to be much more emotional than a war-hardened soldier finding out that his similarly-aged war-hardened brothers had died in battle in a war they were all fighting, and that he had to continue to fight.

[–] PaladinNJ (20459) 3 years ago

Are you aware that in real life it didn't happen this way. They went in. Picked him up and brought him out. Lot less drama. Ironically, in real life, one of the brothers had actually been taken prisoner and was accidentally listed as KIA. And I believe the captain actually survived the war as well.

[–] Rolltide (964) 3 years ago

Who cares? The guy was told his brother was killed. When he asked which one he was told all of them. He acted no different than of somebody told him his dog was dead.

These are young men with their whole lives ahead of them.

A few hours later he is telling funny stories about his brothers something you might do 10 years later.

[–] Andomando (29) 2 years ago

Wow, you seem to know so little about grief and how people act in those circumstances. It's not all bawling and tears. People react to devastating news in different ways. Especially taking into account the situation they're in.

Ryan would likely have wondered if he'd ever see his brothers again before the news Miller delivered. Although devastating, it might not have been wholly unexpected. I thought Damon acted brilliantly when his character was told.

[–] Boricanator (1385) 2 years ago

I agree.

Ryan even got teary eyed. After telling the Captain he is staying, he had to sit down and the other soldiers comforted him.

People do react like that sometimes. A lot of it is shock.

[–] BOandBarbecue (2264) 2 years ago

This would've been great film with a different scripts and director. That scene doesn't feel right because whole film is written ham fisted and manipulative.

Decent film but would've be great without cheese and forced schmaltz.

[–] Rolltide (964) 2 years ago

Well said...

[–] liscarkat (16958) a year ago

When I was told my brother had been killed in a traffic accident I reacted calmly on the outside, in spite of the fact that we were very close and he was only twenty-two years old. Not everyone puts on a performance of histrionics when confronted by devastating news. Emotions are kept private, not for public display.

[–] Rolltide (964) a year ago

Nonsense.