Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Mass (2021)

Film Stories with Simon Brew

Two risky films take centre stage in this episode of Film Stories, starting with Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. A 170-minute film released in the midst of a summer jammed with over 100 films to choose from in cinema. Who would have thought it'd prevail at the box office?

Spielberg for one wasn't too worried: but also, he came to it directly after making The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Amistad. No wonder he had to rely heavily on his instincts.

Fran Kranz meanwhile, better known for his acting, got nowhere with a script he'd written for a $100m alien invasion movie. He turned his attention to something a lot smaller, that he could raise the funding for. He came up with Mass, on a shoestring budget. Completing the film was just part of the challenge...

Stories of both are told in this episode

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