Re: Private Ryan, The Thin Line and back to Ignatius J. Reilly
AntiUtopia@aol.com
Thu, 16 Dec 1999 10:20:59 -0500 (EST)
In a message dated 12/15/1999 8:13:37 PM Eastern Standard Time,
seandr@Exchange.Microsoft.com writes:
<< In any case, I'd be very surprised to find any movie do what SPR did better
than SPR did. The movie scared the shit out of me in a way that movies like
Platoon did not. In Platoon, I could run away because I didn't believe in
the fight or the politics behind it. SPR offered me no such escape, leaving
me wondering whether I would have the constitution to do the right things in
spite of my terror.
I haven't seen the Thin Red Line either but I shall pick it up soon.
-Sean >>
That last line -- "leaving me wondering whether I would etc." -- that nails
it. The movie draws you into the battle so well you feel like you're being
shot at -- and what do you do? That's exactly what I felt.
I mean, compare this to the battle scenes in Braveheart. They were
wonderfully staged, very realistic, but the whole time I felt "outside" the
scene. Nothing like in SPR.
I thought the ending to Schindler's list was more effective than SPR (SPR
wasn't a Bad ending, just a bit sappy). The ritual depicted was "real," as
were the people leaving the stones. It brought the story into the present --
like SPR, we're left with a sense of gratitude in the present.
Jim