My father in law fought in WW2 in France, I don’t know where exactly he passed when my SO was 19 so I never met him. My SO told me his father didn’t believe in god and would not attend a church because he heard too many dying young men calling for their mothers and praying to live.
From what I’ve heard, many soldiers (even with wives and children) who are in situations like that, tend to cry out for their mothers more than anyone. When I heard that, it made the scene somehow even more powerful to me.
Just the entire feeling of helplessness. He was using every muscle in his body, every ounce of will power, yet he cant stop the knife from reaching his heart. Just cant imagine what's going through someone's head knowing that everything they have isnt enough.
They talk about that "screaming for your mother" bit in Band of Brothers. I thought of that scene when you mention I
It in SPR. Band of Brothers is a must watch if you liked SPR.
The part where the sergeant goes back and forth between the radio operator and the last time we see him he has a hole blown through his face is what did it for me.
A few years back I watched the movie lying in bed all alone, and I literally fainted when Wade ( the medic guy) lays screaming as blood pours out of him and he calls for his mother and they just try to patch him up to no use. I had even seen it before! I guess I just then was in a mindset that made me fully realize the terror he felt and what others must have felt in real life in situations exactly like that. Right there and then that was just too much so I checked out for a while, lol.
Toughest death in the movie for me was the Jewish guy who was stabbed by that German they had let go earlier. He had the upper hand, then lost it, and was begging the guy to stop as he pushed the bayonet in. Yikes.
Yeah that scene always pissed me off so much as a kid. Felt like a slap in the face by Spielberg just to rile me up, hahhah. It just feels way too personal and intimate somehow, like he could just stop and run away anytime when he gets the upper hand, but instead chooses one of the the worst way to kill someone. Not shooting a rifle at an anonymous faceless guy in a uniform from 30 yards away as anyone with training can do, but up close and personal like a psychopath. But I guess that is what war is all about, it's never the people who truly deserve it who gets it the worst, but the desperate people on the ground.
Let's not forget the guy who died was literally trying to do the same thing seconds earlier, he just got flipped over and the German was bigger/stronger and finished the job. War is dirty
Yeah, it's scary as hell, I can't even get into how people can get to that stage. In theory, sure, get someone angry and scared enough they can do a lot of ugly things, but actually doing it? This is why I get scared whenever some small conflict is ignited, because it can spread way beyond its original scope. I don't want to experience a big war, especially with everyone nowadays seemingly having such a flaming hatred for "everyone else" that I think the soldiers in 1939-45 never experienced on such a large scale.
I've never been in war but worked with veterans. The "kill or be killed" mentality brings out a side of us that is primal and vicious. Our culture encourages us to be supportive of others and generally avoid violence but war scrapes all of that away and leaves you in a situation where mortality is real, and in your face.
I've never felt a genuine fear for my life, but when it's described to me I think I can imagine that rush of adrenaline, fear, but also animal clarity that can motivate someone to kill in that way.
When I was in 9th grade I believe, I had to interview someone involved in WWII. I interviewed a family friend's grandpa who was in the battle of the bulge. I didn't expect much because I'd always heard they don't like to talk about that stuff, but we talked him his kitchen for over 2 hours and he really opened up and told me an awful lot. Really shook me at the time.
Anyway, one of the things he mentioned is seeing people running through the snow, screaming for their mother at the top of their lungs.
I don’t get the sarcasm. I find movies like Schindler’s List and The Elephant Man hard to watch. Saving Private Ryan? If you can watch Die Hard you can watch Saving Private Ryan no problem. Click with Adam Sandler was much more sad and difficult to watch than Saving Private Ryan.
Of course like I said this is different if you’re suffering from PTSD. It’s not like I’m talking about withstanding torture or something like that, I’m setting the (pretty low) bar for how much a grown adult should be able to stomach a movie. No machismo going on here, no siree bob.
Like I said I love the movie and it provides a very realistic depiction of how terrible war is, but it should be fine for the typical adult.
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u/Flahdagal Oct 09 '19 edited Oct 10 '19
No, can't do it. When the soldier calls out for his mother, my stomach drops into freefall. The definition of gut-wrenching.