World War II realism reissued

Steven Spielberg's World War II masterwork, "Saving Private Ryan," is being released a second time on DVD in order to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. The film remains the same, but comes bundled with a second disc filled solely with supplemental material.\nSpielberg's work here, along with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski and editor Michael Kahn, almost singlehandedly revived the war film genre by invigorating it with a sense of gritty realism and an anti-war leaning; the antithesis of the flag-waving, bloodless, bang-bang-you're-dead war films of the past. The battle scenes are flawlessly brutal, and the plot and characters are as well done as in any fictional World War II tale ever told.\nThe nonexistent extras of the original "Ryan" DVD release have been beefed up considerably to commemorate D-Day's 60th. Highlights include documentaries on sound, special effects and Army tactics training, a boot camp diary from the cast, a fascinating look at the cinematic elements it took to create the first wave of the D-Day invasion and an introduction and parting words from Spielberg (who still stubbornly refuses to record director commentary for any of his films).\n"Saving Private Ryan" is a must-own film for war movie buffs and history lovers alike. Disgustingly robbed of the Best Picture Oscar by "Shakespeare in Love" in 1999, this new edition of the film deserves multiple screenings.