While many Hollywood directors have a specific genre that defines their niche, Steven Spielberg has ensured that he can never be boxed into any one genre of filmmaking. From action thrillers to intense dramas to historical biopics, he has proved that nothing is beyond his reach through diverse films like Jaws, Schindler’s List, and his most recent work, The Fabelmans.
In 1998, Spielberg made one of his most intense films Saving Private Ryan starring Tom Hanks in the lead role. This World War 2 drama touched a chord with audiences across the world through its depiction of the uncomfortable truths and horrors of the war and the Hitler regime. One particular scene that was created on the spot by the filmmaker, sent chills up Hanks’ spine for its terrifying significance.
This Scene Orchestrated By Steven Spielberg Terrified Tom Hanks
When it comes to collaborations between a director and an actor, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have shared a memorable partnership that has seen the two celebrities work together in 5 films and 3 miniseries. Over the decades, the duo’s movies have left an indelible mark on audiences across the globe.
in 1998, Hanks and Spielberg joined forces for the gripping and intense World War 2 drama Saving Private Ryan. The narrative follows a group of soldiers led by Captain John Miller played by Hanks who are appointed to find Private James Francis Ryan and bring him home to safety after his three brothers have been killed in action.
The film went on to become a big blockbuster and made a deep impact on viewers especially with regard to the theme that highlighted the horrors of the war during the Holocaust. While the movie expectedly showcased a lot of disturbing scenes that included deaths and killings, one particular scene made even Tom Hanks’ skin crawl.
Speaking to The Guardian, Spielberg elaborated on this segment which featured a Jewish solider named Private Mellish being slowly killed with a knife by a German solider who sadistically talks him through the terrifying ordeal, like an adult speaking to a child. Interestingly, the Jaws director created this scene on the spot, which left his lead actor Hanks completely shocked and terrified.
The blood drained out of my body. I could not believe what he had done.
This scene was not only significant for its context in the 2nd World War, but also for the fact that Spielberg himself is of Jewish descent. While the filmmaker stated that making a Jewish soldier the victim of that scene was not intentional, Hanks believed differently and stated that this scene and character was the director’s way of paying tribute to his ancestry and acknowledging the bravery of the Jewish soldiers in the face of injustice.
I think who Steven fantasizes himself being is Mellish, who pulls out his Star of David, and says ‘Juden, Juden’, as the German POWs are going by. I think Steven, for his Jewishness, wants to be that guy who, when the time comes, can pop a guy in the mouth with the butt of his M1.
Needless to say, Saving Private Ryan became a blockbuster hit and the second most successful film of 1998 in terms of box office collection after Armageddon. Deservedly, for the above mentioned scene and many more, the film won Spielberg the Oscar for Best Director while also bagging golden statuettes for Film Editing and Cinematography.
Steven Spielberg Made This World War 2 Epic For His Father
Saving Private Ryan was one among the many impactful gems that Steven Spielberg directed. This emotional World War 2 saga starring Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, left audiences with lumps in their throats at the atrocities of the war. The Jurassic Park director in an interview with The Guardian, revealed that he was inspired to make this film for his father.
By the Oscar winner’s own admission at various times, his relationship with his father Arnold Spielberg, a computer engineer, was a complicated one. Having shared a close bond with his mother, his parents’ divorce when he was in his teens led the director to blame his father for the spilt.
But over the years, it was water under the bridge for the two Spielbergs as father and son let bygones be bygones in an effort to repair their relationship. The Schindler’s List filmmaker revealed the extent of influence that his father had in shaping his career, which included encouraging him to make films as a teenager.
Spielberg Senior’s connection to Saving Private Ryan is also significant as he was a radio operator on a B-25 during the Second World War. Being an intrinsic part of history, he was also responsible for his son’s deep obsession with war and war-related themes, which is reflected in many of his iconic films.
Saving Private Ryan is streaming on Apple TV.
