Saving Private Ryanis full of powerful, emotionally complex moments, and one of the most multifaceted comes when Private “Fish” Mellish bursts into tears after being handed a Hitler Youth knife. Coming just after the harrowingassault on Omaha Beach, the scene is arguably the first time the audience can draw breath after a relentless opening. However, with its portrayal of raw emotion, the scene also proves thatSaving Private Ryanis pretty uncompromising from start to finish.
WhileSaving Private Ryanis remembered for its brutal and intense battle sequences – especially itsdepiction of the D-Day landings– the movie also includes many more subtly impactful moments. Miller’s speech to his mutinous soldiers after Wade’s death and Ryan’s story about his brothers in the barn are examples of howthe movie juxtaposes small moments of humanity alongside the horrific violence. Perhaps no character epitomizes this balancing act better than Mellish. Throughout the movie, his heightened emotion brings the reality of the horror home to the audience – and the knife scene is a perfect example.
Mellish May Be Crying Over The Knife Is Because Of What It Symbolizes
It’s A Representation Of Nazi Ideology
In the scene, Private Caparzo (played by Vin Diesel) jumps into a trench after killing a group of Nazi soldiers, retrieves the knife and hands it to Mellish. Mellish then makes an off-hand remark about the weapon transforming from a Hitler Youth trinket to a “Shabbat challah cutter” – a joke that roughly translates as “bread knife”, with “challah” referring to the bread used in many Jewish rituals.Mellish then breaks down in fits of gasping sobswhile the camera cuts to other characters digesting the trauma of what they’ve just been through.
For a Jewish soldier like Mellish, coming face-to-face with a symbol of this poisonous ideology is understandably affecting.
There is an obvious surface symbolism to this scene. On one level,it speaks to Mellish’s Jewishnessand his personal investment in the fight against the Nazis. Although the full extent of the Holocaust was not apparent in 1944, the Nazis' rampant antisemitism, their demonization of the Jewish people, and crimes like Kristallnacht were widely known about. For a Jewish soldier like Mellish, coming face-to-face with a symbol of this poisonous ideology is understandably affecting.
Where Was Saving Private Ryan Filmed?
Saving Private Ryan depicts a group of World War II soldiers trying to track down Matt Damon’s character – read on for all the filming locations.
This is not the only example of Mellish’s Jewishness affecting his behavior. In another memorable scene,he defiantly displays his Star of David necklace to a group of captured German soldiers, identifying himself as “Juden” as they pass. This moment demonstrates that Mellish’s cultural identity is inherently bound up in his experience of the war and strengthens the theory that his tears over the Hitler Youth knife are a consequence of his background. However, beyond this, there are several other explanations behind the deliberately enigmatic scene.
Other Possibilities For Fish Crying Over The Knife In Saving Private Ryan
There Are Several Potential Explanations
While Mellish’s Jewishness is certainly a factor in his response to seeing the Nazi knife, there are other issues at play. A key detail to consider is when the incident takes place in the story.Mellish’s breakdown happens just after he’s been through one of the most traumatic experiences of the war– the ferocious assault on Omaha Beach. AsSaving Private Ryan’s openingproves, this battle was beyond brutal and would rank as a terrifying ordeal for anyone. The sheer relief of having survived would be enough to make anyone react, and Mellish’s tears may just be his way of processing what just happened.
Again, this interpretation is supported by circumstantial evidence. It’s telling that his crying is part of a series of shots that focus on some of the film’s main characters. Mellish makes a joke and then reacts tearfully, indicating his emotional personality. Horvath focuses on gathering sand from the beach – a ritual he has conducted in every country he’s visited. Miller seems steady but for the telling tremor in his hand, and Caparzo pretends like there is no danger by jumping into the trench – a trait that will later get him killed.Everyone is trying to comprehend the horror, and Mellish is just part of the picture.
…the various competing explanations just go to show how complexSaving Private Ryanis – as well as being a gripping war story.
There are other mitigating factors that add to the emotional maelstrom. The recovery of a personal effect – even one as morally despicable as a Hitler Youth knife – is a reminder thatthe opposing soldiers are all human beings with their own individual qualities. While combat can dehumanize, the sight of the knife may have brought the true human cost of the war home for Mellish in a surprising way. In any case, the various competing explanations just go to show how complexSaving Private Ryanis – as well as being a gripping war story.
Fish Crying Shows Why He Was One Of Saving Private Ryan’s Best Characters
He Is One Of The Most Multidimensional Figures In The Film
WhileSaving Private Ryanis full of iconic characters, Mellish is easily among the most memorable. Played by Adam Goldberg,he has a skittish, slightly unhinged qualitythat proves how affected he has been by the horrors of conflict. It is because of this vulnerability that he is one of the most relatable characters in the film, with his intense emotionality a suitable surrogate for how many audience members would respond in a similar situation.
He is also one of the few members of Miller’s team that displays multiple sides to his personality. His constant wise-cracking is a poignant defense mechanism, while his heartache over the early loss of his close friend Caparzo instantly makes him one of the story’s most empathetic figures. Coupled with the personal stake that his Jewishness gives him in the fight, he ranks as perhaps the most well-realized cast member – appearing more relatable than the likes of Upham, Reiben, and Jackson. If nothing else, his crying scene is the perfect demonstration of a humanity that someSaving Private Ryancharacters seem to have lost.
Mellish Has Another Knife Scene In Saving Private Ryan - And It’s Extremely Harrowing
The Hitler Youth Knife Acts As Potent Foreshadowing
After watchingSaving Private Ryan, Mellish’s receipt of the Hitler Youth knife takes on an even darker meaning –foreshadowing his death in one of the movie’s most difficult-to-watch scenes. In the final battle at Ramelle, Mellish is defending a building with a machine gun when he engages in a brutal hand-to-hand fight with a German soldier. Desperate, Mellish produces a knife from his belt and tries to stab the other soldier, only to lose control of the weapon and be slowly stabbed to death. This all plays out while Upham crouches on the stairs outside, paralyzed by fear.
WhileSaving Private Ryan’s opening is unremitting in its intensity, Mellish’s death is perhaps the single most upsetting moment in the film. The intimacy of the knife kill and the preceding fight demonstrates the dehumanizing effect of war – reducing both characters to a primal state as they scrap to survive. The fact that Mellish’s death is much more drawn out than other characters' makes it even harder to watch, providing a stark contrast with others who perish in an instant. The fact that it’s caused by the same kind of weapon that caused such upset in the opening creates a disturbing poetry inSaving Private Ryan’s ending.
