'Saving Private Ryan' suicides

[snopes]

Comment: I heard on a radio talk show that several WWII veterans who
fought at Normandy Beach on D-Day committed suicide after watching the
opening sequence of the movie "Saving Private Ryan". Is this true?

[geminilee]

I don't know about suicides, but I do know that the opening sequence had a realism that other war movies did not. My father, who took part in the fighting at Normandy and who loved to watch war movies, stood up a little way into the movie with a white face, muttered "That's a smell you never forget" and left the room never to watch the movie again. He was drawn and upset the next few days.

[Ramblin' Dave]

IIRC there was a warning message that came on the screen just before the movie started, explaining that it featured extremely graphic footage, due to concerns that some viewers might take it too hard. Maybe someone half-remembered that and it morphed into a "memory" of hearing about actual suicides.

[cehrriins]

My ex's step-dad had fought in Vietnam. They went to see Saving Private Ryan in the theater. Step-dad had to leave the theater during the opening scenes and he did not return. The ex told me it had just been too hard on him. Up until that point, I'd thought his step-dad was just an NFBSKhole. At least I ended up with a little more compassion for him.

[fitz1980]

I worked at a theater when it came out and we did see a few cases of older men (who had presumably fought in war) who broke down crying in the bathroom after (or during) a screening.

As for suicides; it's possible that some war veterans did commit suicide soon after watching the movie. It was one of the most popular films of 1998 and viewed by many millions of people. If you take any sample group that large at any given time you're going to get a few people who commit suicide soon after, that's just statistics.

[Syllavus]

I don't think I'll ever be able to watch Saving Private Ryan. War movies, even ones with unrealistic violence hit me very strongly. I've never been in a war, and I don't even have any family members who are or were soldiers that I know of, but for some reason I just cannot take war movies. I spent a great deal of All Quiet on the Western Front bawling my eyes out, I can't even imagine what a basket case I'd be if I saw Saving Private Ryan.

[mags]

It's a movie* I am satisfied I watched, feel it's something I needed to experience, and I never want to watch again. I have the same feeling for Schindler's List.

I imagine for the OP, that if someone got through the real thing and hasn't killed themselves over it, seeing a recreation is unlikely to put them over the edge. Someone having that much trouble dealing with their war experiences would, I think, be unlikely to go to the movie or stay long into it. I don't doubt it did stir up emotions in many of the veterans who did see it, though.

* actually, I only really feel that way about the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. I doubt even a play by play video game would make one feel they were right in the action as effectively as that sequence. The rest of the movie was just somewhat trite as I recall.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by mags

It's a movie I am satisfied I watched, feel it's something I needed to experience, and I never want to watch again. I have the same feeling for Schindler's List.

That's exactly how I feel about both of them.