# TV Stations Cancel 'Saving Private Ryan' **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 11, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136 "2004-11-11T03:06:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/1 "2004-11-11T03:06:23Z")
[Link to story.](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041111/ap_en_mo/movie_canceled) > [@](#): > > Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning movie aired on ABC with relatively little controversy in 2001 and 2002, but station owners — including several in large markets — are unnerved that airing it Thursday could bring federal punishment. I don’t know whether to pit the stations themselves for cowering to the FCC and pulling the movie from their lineups, or the FCC for being so anal that a fantastic film depicting a monumental event in the history of the United States, as well as Europe, cannot be shown for fear of ponying up a steep and unjust fine. On June 6, 1944 millions of men began in earnest their quest to save the world and protect the rights we hold so dear, but this valuable history lesson can’t be shown on broadcast television on a day that both the United States and Canada honor the men who accomplished this feat and many others, because of a four letter word. Fuck you both, the oppressor and the capitulators. :mad: Fortunately 60 years ago, our guys had the sack to stand up and fight against this sort of bullshit. And while we’re at it, fuck you Janet. You bear some of the responsibility for this nonsense… ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/2 "2004-11-11T03:11:18Z")
Well, if there really is an “advance waiver” available, then fuck the FCC for not making a decision in advance one way or the other (the article states that the FCC only responds after the fact if someone files a complaint). In agreement with OP - it’s just a ridiculously puritanical society we live in. You don’t want to hear those words, don’t turn your TV to that bloody station, idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/3 "2004-11-11T03:16:30Z")
Dude, it’s a movie. It’s not even a particularly educational or inspiring film. It is, however, a very violent film, and I can’t blame the FCC for being consistent with its rules. If Saving Private Ryan can be shown, then so can Kill Bill. I don’t like FCC censorship either, but there’s no reason to break the clear rules for a film just because it wraps its gore in historical trappings. ---
**Author:** ![Nightime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Nightime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightime)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/4 "2004-11-11T03:16:49Z")
Horrible. But I’m all outraged out, and I feel like there is nothing I can do to stop this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/5 "2004-11-11T03:18:19Z")
There is, in my opinion, some irony in the replacement movie one of the stations is showing: Return to Mayberry. ---
**Author:** ![Orbifold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orbifold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orbifold)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/6 "2004-11-11T03:20:04Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > [Link to story.](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041111/ap_en_mo/movie_canceled) > I don’t know whether to pit the stations themselves for cowering to the FCC and pulling the movie from their lineups, or the FCC for being so anal that a fantastic film depicting a monumental event in the history of the United States, as well as Europe, cannot be shown for fear of ponying up a steep and unjust fine. Boy, I understand your confusion. This is fucked up on several levels. (Not the least of which is that all of the distress is about the language and not, say, the prolonged stabbing scene near the end or the graphic and shocking violence at the beginning.) But I’m leaning towards pitting the stations. If I owned a TV station, I’d air the movie, with the appropriate “foul language” warnings, and _dare_ the FCC to come out against “Saving Private Ryan”. Instead, we get this: > [@](#): > > Cole cited recent FCC actions and last week’s re-election of President Bush (news - web sites) as reasons for replacing “Saving Private Ryan” on Thursday with a music program and the TV movie “Return to Mayberry.” > > “We’re just coming off an election where moral issues were cited as a reason by people voting one way or another and, in my opinion, the commissioners are fearful of the new Congress,” Cole said. He’s scared that the commissioners will be scared into fining the stations? He’s either a wimp or else he’s trying to use this as a pulpit. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/7 "2004-11-11T03:23:52Z")
> [@Menocchio](#): > > Dude, it’s a movie. > > It’s not even a particularly educational or inspiring film. It is, however, a very violent film, and I can’t blame the FCC for being consistent with its rules. If Saving Private Ryan can be shown, then so can Kill Bill. I submit that _Kill Bill_ was a violent film for entertainment purposes, and that _Private Ryan_ was violent and profane for accuracy’s sake. The Normandy Invasion wasn’t exactly a Sunday stroll through the park. Comparing those two films is comparing apples and oranges. ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/8 "2004-11-11T03:24:29Z")
> [@Menocchio](#): > > Dude, it’s a movie. > > It’s not even a particularly educational or inspiring film. It is, however, a very violent film, and I can’t blame the FCC for being consistent with its rules. If Saving Private Ryan can be shown, then so can Kill Bill. > > I don’t like FCC censorship either, but there’s no reason to break the clear rules for a film just because it wraps its gore in historical trappings. I think the problem is the rules aren’t very clear - they’re determined by public/political outcry. If the rules were clear, then there wouldn’t be this indecision. Either you are or you are not allowed to broadcast, with appropriate warnings, films uncut. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/9 "2004-11-11T03:54:59Z")
And yet _The Bachelor_ is still on the air. This country is seriously fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/10 "2004-11-11T03:56:42Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > I submit that _Kill Bill_ was a violent film for entertainment purposes, and that _Private Ryan_ was violent and profane for accuracy’s sake. The Normandy Invasion wasn’t exactly a Sunday stroll through the park. Comparing those two films is comparing apples and oranges. Well sure. I mean, one’s a really, really good movie shot by one of the best filmmakers living today, and has something genuinely interesting to say. The other one stars Tom Hanks. No comparison. But if your trite propaganda film gets a free TV pass on blowing peoples limbs off in graphic sprays of blood and chunks, my post-modernist chop-socky tribute flick gets the same treatment. If showing blood and gore on TV is “bad,” the fact that it’s “accurate” don’t mean shit. Blood and gore is blood and gore, and if you accept the idea that it’s somehow “damaging” for people to see that, the fact that it’s based on _actual_ blood and gore doesn’t make the psychological trauma any less. If anything, it makes it worse. That said, the FCC are bunch of puritanical fuckwits who’ve got no business telling the American people what they are and are not allowed to watch. If this controversy gets them to back off on their censorial mania even just a tad, I’m all for it. Grill those motherfuckers. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/11 "2004-11-11T03:58:30Z")
Apparently it is still going to be shown by the D.C. affiliate: I saw about a dozen ads for it during _Lost_ tonight. Uncut, minimal commerical interruption (whatever that means), etc. Y’all can come over here and watch it while I’m in class tomorrow night. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/12 "2004-11-11T04:04:16Z")
I’ll save you thge trouble of watching it. We win. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/13 "2004-11-11T04:28:33Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > trite propaganda film I saw “my trite propaganda film” in the theaters when it came out. I went to the 5 PM showing. After the movie, I swung by my grandparents house on my way home to let him know I saw it. He landed D-Day +1, but he never really talked much about it. Like many of his generation, he was very proud but modest about what they did. He asked what I thought of it, and I said “How did you not lose your mind? You were what, 26 at the time?” I saw him in a whole new light, with a great deal more respect than ever before. He just smiled and went to another room, only to return with maps and pictures. My grandmother put on a pot of coffee, and what was intended to be a brief visit turned into a 4 hour history lesson like I’ve never had before or since. He shared stories, memories, and even a few closely held secrets about his march from Utah Beach through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. I’m sure my experience with my grandfather is not unique. Surely there are many others who really had no idea what went on that day and during that period until they saw the film. Text books can only teach you so much. What lesson am I learning about an entire generation of extraordinary men and women by watching _Kill Bill_? Seriously, I’ve got nothing against QT or his work, but think about it. You yourself said it: “No comparison”. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/14 "2004-11-11T04:31:46Z")
I don’t get it, there’s no nudity, just loads of graphic violence. We all know that a half second boob flash is far more damaging than any violent content. :rolleyes: A few years ago, one of the networks showed **Schindler’s List** uncut and there was quite a bit of objection. Not to the violence of course, but the nudity. If there’s a less sexual depiction of nudity than people lining up for the gas chamber, I don’t want to see it. What a ridiculous crock of shit. That’s the FCC for you though. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/15 "2004-11-11T05:00:18Z")
> [@jk1245](#): > > A few years ago, one of the networks showed **Schindler’s List** uncut and there was quite a bit of objection. Not to the violence of course, but the nudity. If there’s a less sexual depiction of nudity than people lining up for the gas chamber, I don’t want to see it. > > What a ridiculous crock of shit. That’s the FCC for you though. I don’t think the FCC fined anybody for Schindler’s List, though, and nobody is sure that airing Saving Private Ryan will lead to fines. In fact, as the article says, the FCC rejected complaints made about it in 2001 and 2002. So, in the event it does get aired, and somebody makes a complaint, that’s a pretty strong argument against Commission action. It just doesn’t seem to make sense to pit the FCC for a decision it hasn’t made yet. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/16 "2004-11-11T05:01:37Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > I saw “my trite propaganda film” in the theaters when it came out. I went to the 5 PM showing. After the movie, I swung by my grandparents house on my way home to let him know I saw it. He landed D-Day +1, but he never really talked much about it. Like many of his generation, he was very proud but modest about what they did. > > He asked what I thought of it, and I said “How did you not lose your mind? You were what, 26 at the time?” I saw him in a whole new light, with a great deal more respect than ever before. He just smiled and went to another room, only to return with maps and pictures. My grandmother put on a pot of coffee, and what was intended to be a brief visit turned into a 4 hour history lesson like I’ve never had before or since. He shared stories, memories, and even a few closely held secrets about his march from Utah Beach through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. That’s really cool. Your grandfather sounds like an amazing guy. The unbelievable courage and dedication shown by the men who fought that war leaves me dumbfounded. So, any particular reason you couldn’t have had that conversation without seeing a movie first? > [@](#): > > I’m sure my experience with my grandfather is not unique. Surely there are many others who really had no idea what went on that day and during that period until they saw the film. Text books can only teach you so much. What lesson am I learning about an entire generation of extraordinary men and women by watching _Kill Bill_? Seriously, I’ve got nothing against QT or his work, but think about it. You yourself said it: “No comparison”. I can’t speak for anyone’s experience but my own: I didn’t learn a damned thing about World War II from _Saving Private Ryan_. The first fifteen minutes are among the greatest ever captured on film. The climactic battle for the bridge is a fantastic piece of work. Everything in between was schmaltzy, ham-handed, and entirely uninvolving. And the very end counts among the worst cinematic blunders in history. I don’t know that _Kill Bill_ taught me anything, either, but I don’t view the primary purpose of art to be education. A poorly made film that is historically accurate is not as valuable, to me, as an expertly made one that is entirely fictional. To quote Roger Ebert, the quality of a film is not determined by what it is about, but how it is about it. _Kill Bill_ was almost flawless. _Saving Private Ryan_ was mediocre shaded with moments of genuine quality. If I had my choice of which to watch unedited on TV, I’d go with Quentin every time. But that’s all rather beside the point, which is not the merits of _Saving Private Ryan_, but the fact that the FCC suck the Big One. Sorry for hijacking the discussion away from that crucial topic. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/17 "2004-11-11T06:21:47Z")
I’m not sure I understand your complaint, Casey1505. You pit the station owners for not taking a stand against the FCC. For not taking a risk and expressing themselves as they wish. Yet, at the end of your rant, you bunch in Janet Jackson with the rest of the group for doing exactly what you pit the station owners of NOT doing! Your opinion seems a bit inconsistent. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/18 "2004-11-11T06:34:13Z")
What do you expect from a populace that’s too scared to see the bloody civilian corpses and flag-draped caskets and triple-amputee wounded from its current fiasco in Iraq? The right-wing nutjobs and the ultra-puritanical cowards at the FCC have half the nation convinced that war really _is_ just a dadgum video game, where things go **BOOM** in kewl shock-and-awe explosions, and any subsequent messes are conveniently kept out of sight. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/19 "2004-11-11T09:17:31Z")
Let’s see - FC=fucking clowns. What’s the other C for? ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136/20 "2004-11-11T09:51:48Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > I saw “my trite propaganda film” in the theaters when it came out. I went to the 5 PM showing. After the movie, I swung by my grandparents house on my way home to let him know I saw it. He landed D-Day +1, but he never really talked much about it. Like many of his generation, he was very proud but modest about what they did. > > He asked what I thought of it, and I said “How did you not lose your mind? You were what, 26 at the time?” I saw him in a whole new light, with a great deal more respect than ever before. He just smiled and went to another room, only to return with maps and pictures. My grandmother put on a pot of coffee, and what was intended to be a brief visit turned into a 4 hour history lesson like I’ve never had before or since. He shared stories, memories, and even a few closely held secrets about his march from Utah Beach through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. > > I’m sure my experience with my grandfather is not unique. Surely there are many others who really had no idea what went on that day and during that period until they saw the film. Text books can only teach you so much. What lesson am I learning about an entire generation of extraordinary men and women by watching _Kill Bill_? Seriously, I’ve got nothing against QT or his work, but think about it. You yourself said it: “No comparison”. Wow, **Casey** , that’s awesome. I’ve no doubt you’ll treasure the memory of that conversation for a long time to come. Both my grandmothers had some really fantastic stories but told them in such ho-hum fashion, I don’t think they never realized that what seemed so ordinary to them was actually quite a delight for me. My grandmother speeding up and down the hills of Long Beach with her beau? No way! My other grandmother getting her pilot’s license? Not a chance! Wish my grandparents were still around to tell me about how “back in the day…” Sorry for the hijack. Oh hell, since I’m here. Fuck the FCC! And fuck the prevailing puritanical attitude of American society. Yeah! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-stations-cancel-saving-private-ryan/274136.md?page=2)