History Trivia / SavingPrivateRyan

* PlayingAgainstType: Robert Rodat is the credited screenwriter of the film. His previous credit was for co-writing the family film ''Film/FlyAwayHome''.

* SleeperHit: Steven Spielberg was prepared for the movie to be a flop or a modest gross, convinced there wouldn't be an audience for a World War II film (especially with such graphic violence). Evidently the $400+ million worldwide gross says otherwise.

* DisabledCharacterDisabledActor:
** In the opening scene, a soldier who had just had his legs blown off was played by an actor who had lost his legs years before. A number of the other soldiers on the beach are also played by amputees with prosthetic limbs to simulate having arms or legs eviscerated.
** Subverted with the one-armed colonel, played by Creator/BryanCranston, who is not an amputee.

** AFIS10Top10:
*** #8, Epic
* BannedInChina:
** Actually, Malaysia. Though it was released in DVD afterwards.
** Averted in India. The Indian Censor Board demanded Creator/StevenSpielberg to cut out some of the more violent scenes in the movie. Spielberg refused. When the Indian Home Minister saw the movie for himself, he ordered it to be released uncut.
* BigNameFan: This is UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush's favourite film.

-->I had gotten movie offers and turned them down. I took my time. They sent me ''Saving Private Ryan'', but I wouldn't have known what to do with it.

* FakeAmerican: Daniel Jackson (the sniper)'s actor Creator/BarryPepper is Canadian.

* ThrowItIn: Creator/MattDamon ad-libbed Ryan's entire monologue about spying on his brother in the farmhouse with the ugly girl. Although the improv was neither particularly funny nor interesting, filmmakers decided that was why it worked and chose to leave the whole thing in.

** Creator/MichaelMadsen was offered the role of Sgt. Horvath. He declined the role and recommended Tom Sizemore for the part. Creator/PetePostlethwaite was also offered the role.

* SeperatedAtBirthCasting: Harrison Young was cast as the elder Ryan due to his striking resemblance to Creator/MattDamon.

* DawsonCasting: Sort of. By the time of Normandy, most officers (in battle and combat) were in their late twenties to early thirties at most, with everyone under them being younger, even if only by a couple years. Tom Hanks was in his early 40s when this was filmed. All of the other actors were (for the most part) older than their characters, save Horvath (whose relative age is left untouched entirely). Furthermore, the stress of combat causes accelerated aging, which a lot of the soldiers on the battlefields of World War II would have faced.

* DrugsAreBad: Tom Sizemore (Sgt. Horvath) was battling drug addiction while filming the movie. Creator/StevenSpielberg knew about this and had Sizemore tested for drugs every day during filming, with the condition that Sizemore would be fired and his character recast should he tested positive for drugs just once.

** Creator/EdwardNorton was also tapped for the role of Private Ryan.

* CareerResurrection: Ted Danson. ''{{Series/Cheers}}'' had been off the air for nearly a decade and he's been a in a number of commercial and critical flops since then. His short appearance in this film proved he could do drama every bit as well as comedy and he's worked steadily ever since.

* CareerResurrection: Ted Danson. Cheers had been off the air for nearly a decade and he's been a in a number of commercial and critical flops since then. His short appearance in this film proved he could do drama every bit as well as comedy and he's worked steadily ever since.

* DuelingMovies: This film and ''Film/TheThinRedLine''; they were pitted against each other at the Oscars and amongst war movie buffs. This was more a function of marketing than anything else -- ''The Thin Red Line'' was significantly slower-paced and more philosophical as compared to ''Ryan's'' traditional war movie feel. (not to mention one is about the Pacific War, the other the European Theater).
* EnforcedMethodActing: The actors portraying the rest of the eponymous Ryan's platoon had to go through very realistic, difficult military training. The [[Creator/MattDamon eponymous Ryan]]...didn't. Which actually doubles this trope: Damon's exemption was planned to create resentment on the part of the rest of the cast, which mirrored their characters' feelings.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/BryanCranston is Colonel Bryce, a minor character from early in the film.
** Creator/NathanFillion is Private Ryan from Minnesota (the first, wrong one).

** Creator/MichaelMadsen was offered the role of Sgt. Horvath. He declined the role and recommended Tom Sizemore for the part.

** A draft of the screenplay had [[spoiler:Miller]] survive and [[spoiler: Upham]] die.

** Miller's speech about what he did before the war was much longer in the original script. Tom Hanks however felt that Miller would never say that much about himself. Creator/StevenSpielberg agreed and it was shortened.

* DuelingMovies: This film and ''Film/TheThinRedLine''; they were pitted against each other at the Oscars and amongst war movie buffs. This was more a function of marketing than anything else -- ''The Thin Red Line'' was significantly slower-paced and more philosophical as compared to ''Ryan's'' traditional war movie feel. (not to mention one is the Pacific War, the other the European Theater).

* ActorAllusion: Creator/TomHanks served in [[Film/ForrestGump Vietnam]]. At least he survived that conflict.

* DuelingMovies: This film and ''Film/TheThinRedLine''; they were pitted against each other at the Oscars and amongst war movie buffs. This was more a function of marketing than anything else -- ''The ThinRed Line'' was significantly slower-paced and more philosophical as compared to ''Ryan's'' traditional war movie feel. (not to mention one is the Pacific War, the other the European Theater).

* DuelingMovies: This film and ''Film/TheThinRedLine''; they were pitted against each other at the Oscars and amongst war movie buffs. This was more a function of marketing than anything else -- ''Film/TheThinRed Line'' was significantly slower-paced and more philosophical as compared to ''Ryan's'' traditional war movie feel. (not to mention one is the Pacific War, the other the European Theater).

* ActorAllusion: Tom Hanks served in [[Film/ForrestGump Vietnam]]. At least he survived that conflict.

** Averted in India. The Indian Censor Board demanded Spielberg to cut out some of the more violent scenes in the movie. Spielberg refused. When the Indian Home Minister saw the movie for himself, he ordered it to be released uncut.

* DrugsAreBad: Tom Sizemore (Sgt. Horvath) was battling drug addiction while filming the movie. Spielberg knew about this and had Sizemore tested for drugs every day during filming, with the condition that Sizemore would be fired and his character recast should he tested positive for drugs just once.
* DuelingMovies: This film and ''Film/TheThinRedLine''; they were pitted against each other at the Oscars and amongst war movie buffs. This was more a function of marketing than anything else -- ''The Thin Red Line'' was significantly slower-paced and more philosophical as compared to ''Ryan's'' traditional war movie feel. (not to mention one is the Pacific War, the other the European Theater).

* ThrowItIn: Matt Damon ad-libbed Ryan's entire monologue about spying on his brother in the farmhouse with the ugly girl. Although the improv was neither particularly funny nor interesting, filmmakers decided that was why it worked and chose to leave the whole thing in.

** Michael Madsen was offered the role of Sgt. Horvath. He declined the role and recommended Tom Sizemore for the part.
** Edward Norton was also tapped for the role of Private Ryan.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Miller's speech about what he did before the war was much longer in the original script. Tom Hanks however felt that Miller would never say that much about himself. Steven Spielberg agreed and it was shortened.

** AFIS100Years100Movies10ThAnniversaryEdition: #71

* HeyItsThatGuy: The squad includes VinDiesel, [[Series/{{Lost}} Daniel Faraday]], [[Series/{{Friends}} Phoebe's brother Frank, Chandler's crazy roommate Eddie]], and [[Film/TheGreenMile Guard Stanton]]\[[Film/BattlefieldEarth Johnny Goodboy Tyler]].
** Captain Miller is given the Ryan assignment by Ray "Bones" Barboni\Cousin Avi.
** The first city Miller squad's visits makes them meet Paul Giamatti, Ted Danson and Nathan Fillion.
** The soldier who piloted a crashed glider had been used by [[Film/{{Se7en}} John Doe in the Lust murder]], and later played Dr. Lucien Dubenko on ''Series/{{ER}}''.
** Bryan Cranston plays a Colonel at the War Department.

** Captain Miller is given the Ryan assignment by [[GetShorty Ray "Bones" Barboni]]\[[{{Snatch}} Cousin Avi]].