????about Saving Private Ryan.......

[Stringer]

I was wondering even Spielberg ever came out and said anything on the total absence of black soldiers in the movie(they werent shown or even mentioned) and their role in the war. Not trying to incite arguments or anything like that I just find it interesting that they were totally left out of the movie.

 

[Matt]

Weren't black soldiers put in different units than white soldiers?

 

[Stringer]

I thought some were intergrated, but even if they werent, as large scale of a movie as it was, not even a word about african american soldiers?

 

[tzarinna]

Hmm,,You're right. I guess he figured that's a whole other movie. But he could've shown their presence in the war at some point. I really can't sit and watch this movie it tears me apart I'm such a softie

 

[Kroc1138]

I thought some were intergrated, but even if they werent, as large scale of a movie as it was, not even a word about african american soldiers?

Nope. None were integrated. IIRC Historically, The US Military wasn't de-segregated until 1948. So Historically, Saving Private Ryan was accurate. (unfortunatly it didn't address it either, but I can't blame the filmmakers)

Now to further discuss the matter. For the most Part Black Soldiers weren't really used in a combat capacity in WW2, they were thought of as incompetent, and possibly disloyal. However, some Black Regiments did see battle, but they were used as Cannon Fodder to test out Axis Defenses. Think back to South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut. They addressed that matter as a reference to the treatment of Black Soldiers in WW2.

There are numerous documents on the matter. History Channel recently played a documentary too.

 

[Stringer]

Nope. None were integrated. IIRC Historically, The US Military wasn't de-segregated until 1948. So Historically, Saving Private Ryan was accurate. (unfortunatly it didn't address it either, but I can't blame the filmmakers)

Now to further discuss the matter. For the most Part Black Soldiers weren't really used in a combat capacity in WW2, they were thought of as incompetent, and possibly disloyal. However, some Black Regiments did see battle, but they were used as Cannon Fodder to test out Axis Defenses. Think back to South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut. They addressed that matter as a reference to the treatment of Black Soldiers in WW2.

There are numerous documents on the matter. History Channel recently played a documentary too.

Alright thanks for that. Still I wouldve liked there to be some mention of them in the movie but oh well. And dont forget the Tuskegee Airmen did some things too.

 

[Mr. Walters]

Okay, this is a tricky subject. Yes, Black troops were in their own units and for the most part were not in the infantry. Most black units did not see combat until well after D-Day when Saving Private Ryan takes place.

It wasn't until the Battle of the Bulge that Black soldiers really got into combat. White units were so depleated that they eventually let Black troops into combat. But this would have been early 1945 or December 1944 at the earliest. There were Black troops in the military during the D-Day invasion but they were delegated to non comabt roles. Many were truck drivers. This is probaby why the absence of Black troops in the film. Personally, I think the plight of the African American World War II soldier has his own story to tell and should be made into a movie. Black troops in the background of Saving Private Ryan would have made no sense. If you want to see a decent film about Blacks in World War II, I recomend the Tuskeegee Airmen.

 

[Kroc1138]

Okay, this is a tricky subject. Yes, Black troops were in their own units and for the most part were not in the infantry. Most black units did not see combat until well after D-Day when Saving Private Ryan takes place.

It wasn't until the Battle of the Bulge that Black soldiers really got into combat. White units were so depleated that they eventually let Black troops into combat. But this would have been early 1945 or December 1944 at the earliest. There were Black troops in the military during the D-Day invasion but they were delegated to non comabt roles. Many were truck drivers. This is probaby why the absence of Black troops in the film. Personally, I think the plight of the African American World War II soldier has his own story to tell and should be made into a movie. Black troops in the background of Saving Private Ryan would have made no sense. If you want to see a decent film about Blacks in World War II, I recomend the Tuskeegee Airmen.

I'm not too sure about it being that Late in the War that Black regiments were used. IIRC, they started using them as early as the Italian campaign in the early '40s. Iknow that was when they were used as cannon fodder for the Nazis.

 

[U.S War Machine]

I thought they all usually came around in the Vietnam War cuz there mostly in Vietnam war movies.

 

[Darth Elektra]

I was wondering even Spielberg ever came out and said anything on the total absence of black soldiers in the movie(they werent shown or even mentioned) and their role in the war. Not trying to incite arguments or anything like that I just find it interesting that they were totally left out of the movie

Intresting, Ive never thought about it but you are right.

 

[Leto Atrides]

I'm glad they didn't, in a way. They probably would have had to go out of their way to do so. Many times when they do that, you have a scene that ends up coming off as a Black History Month PSA.
Story moves along, story moves along, THERE WERE BLACK SOLDIERS YOU KNOW, story continues.

Don't get me wrong, if they address it as a main point of the movie, like Tuskegee Airman, it's a different story. Or a story where they have a cross-section of different soldiers. But I wouldn't want them to address them simply for sake of bringing it up in a story driven film.

 

[tzarinna]

Yeah,I agree it just wasn't the place to address such a huge issue.

 

[Mr. Walters]

I'm not too sure about it being that Late in the War that Black regiments were used. IIRC, they started using them as early as the Italian campaign in the early '40s. Iknow that was when they were used as cannon fodder for the Nazis.

Yeah but they weren't used in the infantry until late in the war. They were in the millitary and overseas early on but most were drivers or working in kitchens...stuff like that.

 

[Goddessreicho]

Alot of black fighters went to Italy and Japan, but it was way after the allied forces went to France.

Someone should really tell a story about the integrated forces as they moved east. I think it would be kinda interesting.

 

[블라스]

I thought I saw a black soldier at the beginning, he's laughing it up with his white buddy after killing a Nazi that says something in German, and then the black guy said something about the Nazi wanting to wash his hands for supper?

 

[DACrowe]

They weren't intergrated. AS simple as that and they were not on the D-day beach. Besides being historically inaccurate Speilberg would have had to have gone out of his way to portray them at this time and it would most likely have felt forced, contrived and politically correct. Which it would have been. That is why they were not seen.

I mean don't you hate how they try to politicize period pieces and war movies (images of The patriot flash back when black workers at a SOUTH CAROLINIAN PLANTATION say, "We're not slaves sir, our master pay us." Shivers of mediocrity).

 

[Kroc1138]

Yeah but they weren't used in the infantry until late in the war. They were in the millitary and overseas early on but most were drivers or working in kitchens...stuff like that.

They were used in an infantry capacity as early as the Italian campaign. Look up some stories about how some of them were used as cannon fodder and were basically left to die against Big Nazi defensives an offensives.