Knife scene in Saving Private Ryan

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Re: Knife scene in Saving Private Ryan

Postby Darth Rock&Roll on Fri Aug 07, 2009 4:52 am

Oh Graham, I had forgotten you were a toff pom.

nevermind. lol
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Re: Knife scene in Saving Private Ryan

Postby Steve James on Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:07 am

apart from having no British or Commonwealth troops


Well, it was about E company of the 101st Airborne, iinm. But, fwiw, I don't recall seeing any Black troops either, and they were all over the place. Btw, that's why Spike Lee criticized both "SPR" and other recent WW2 movies. It didn't bother me (in BoB) because it was about a specific company, not about the "war." There were no French troops or even many Germans working for the Allies.
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Re: Knife scene in Saving Private Ryan

Postby Darth Rock&Roll on Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:33 am

Steve James wrote:
apart from having no British or Commonwealth troops


Well, it was about E company of the 101st Airborne, iinm. But, fwiw, I don't recall seeing any Black troops either, and they were all over the place. Btw, that's why Spike Lee criticized both "SPR" and other recent WW2 movies. It didn't bother me (in BoB) because it was about a specific company, not about the "war." There were no French troops or even many Germans working for the Allies.



Wasn't it because Blacks still faced segregation in ww2 and fought in their own companies?

I don't think integration occurred in the US armed forces until after ww2 and that's why you won't see a mix in war films.

you will see all white guys in a platoon and you will see all black guys in a platoon because in ww2, that's how it was.
I don't know why spike lee would criticize that. It would be an erroneous redaction to portray an integrated US army prior to the Korean conflict.
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Re: Knife scene in Saving Private Ryan

Postby Steve James on Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:01 am

Wasn't it because Blacks still faced segregation in ww2 and fought in their own companies?


Yes, there were segregated companies/units until 1948. However, google "Red Ball Express" {to save time}
The Red Ball Express was an enormous convoy system created by Allied forces to supply their forward-area combat units moving through Europe following the breakout from the D-Day beaches in Normandy. The term "Red Ball" was a railroad phrase referring to express shipping. The system lasted only three months, from August 25 to November 16, 1944, when the port facilities at Antwerp, Belgium were opened. The term Red Ball is often used incorrectly to refer to all WWII European supply convoys by historians and the veterans themselves.


So, they (AAs) were literally everywhere (in spite of the movies). They transported men and necessary materials. There were also AA combat troops, notably a tank battalion (that was part of Patton's army sent to rescue the 101st at Bastogne, specifically). Btw, their existence (similar to the Navajo Code Talkers) was actually kept "secret." If you're interested, there was also an AA paratroop regiment (the 555 or "triple nickels") who were never committed to battle --but became some of the first "fire jumpers."

Spike Lee criticized the fact that, on the D-Day films, no AAs were shown --when they ferried ammunition from the ships to the men on the beach for the duration. But, you don't see "1" ever. The same is true for Iwo Jima, etc. (Btw, I know this for a fact because my father was there, fwiw). Lee was criticizing their complete absence, not the lack of integration. Ironically, German films about the end of the war and aftermath were the first to show AA soldiers. Though this changed with the Korean conflict.

But, I'm not criticizing "Ryan" or BoB. I liked them both. I was just commenting that the absence of British troops wasn't unusual. We could start another thread about this. There aren't m/any British films I've seen with Black troops during WW2. But, there were plenty of West Indians, even in the RAF. Ever seen one?
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Re: Knife scene in Saving Private Ryan

Postby Darth Rock&Roll on Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:15 am

That is interesting.
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Re: Knife scene in Saving Private Ryan

Postby RobP2 on Fri Aug 07, 2009 8:42 am

Steve James wrote:
But, I'm not criticizing "Ryan" or BoB. I liked them both. I was just commenting that the absence of British troops wasn't unusual. We could start another thread about this. There aren't m/any British films I've seen with Black troops during WW2. But, there were plenty of West Indians, even in the RAF. Ever seen one?


Very true. For example, the Battle of Britain RAF combatans included Americans Czechoslovakians Poles Australians Free French Newfoundlanders
Belgians Irish New Zealanders British Jamaicans South Africans Canadians Palestinian Southern Rhodesians

There's a memorial page listing all thsoe who fell in the BoB herehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_RAF_aircrew_in_the_Battle_of_Britain

There was a Maori unit who did outstanding work at El Alamein, who received little recogniton for it, and of course many other examples.

Fair enough Band is about a specific unit but even so it - and SPR - made little or nothing of anything other than the US contribution (apart from a comment in SPR "that Monty is so over-rated"!). I think it's more a fact of what helps a film sell in the US than anything - after all we had Steve McQueen in the Great Escape, U571 capturing Enigma, next thing you know Winston will be American! (yes I know he was half American) ;D

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Re: Knife scene in Saving Private Ryan

Postby Darth Rock&Roll on Fri Aug 07, 2009 8:54 am

The enigma capture project and destruction of the heavy water projects in germany during ww2 was orchestrated and carried out by a Canadian and his crew. A man called INtrepid. Sir William Stephenson. I went to a high school built in his honour. :)
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Re: Knife scene in Saving Private Ryan

Postby neijia_boxer on Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:37 pm

did anyone happen to see the "knife scene" - "Saving ryan's privates" it was a XXX dvd?
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