Inspired by the books of Stephen E. Ambrose and accounts of multiple soldiers in a single family, such as the Niland brothers , being killed in action, Rodat drafted the script, and Paramount Pictures hired him to finish writing it. The project came to the attention of Hanks and Spielberg, whose involvement, due to their previous successes, secured the project's development. Spielberg wanted to make Saving Private Ryan as authentic as possible and hired Frank Darabont and Scott Frank to do uncredited rewrites based on research and interviews with veterans.
The main cast went through a week-long boot camp to help them understand the soldier's experience. Saving Private Ryan became one of the year's most successful films, earning critical acclaim for its graphic portrayal of combat.
WWII veterans described the combat scenes as the most realistic portrayal of their own experiences they had seen; some said they had been unable to watch it due to their traumatic memories. Considered one of the greatest films ever made , Saving Private Ryan ' s battle-scene filming techniques impacted many subsequent war, action, and superhero films, and numerous directors have cited Saving Private Ryan as an influence on them.
The picture is credited with having helped to renew interest in WWII at the turn of the century, inspiring other films, television shows, and video games set during the war. In , the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
On June 6, , the U. Army lands at Omaha Beach as part of the Normandy invasion , incurring major losses against the artillery and machine gun fire of the heavily fortified German forces.
