American Cemetery, where the film's opening and closing scenes are set
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in France during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), on their mission to locate Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), who is to be brought home after his three brothers are killed in action. Inspired by the books of Stephen E. Ambrose and accounts of the deaths of members of a single family such as the Niland brothers, Rodat drafted the script and Paramount Pictures hired him to finish the writing. Spielberg wanted to make Saving Private Ryan as authentic as possible, and hired Frank Darabont and Scott Frank to perform uncredited rewrites based on research and interviews with veterans. The cast went through a week-long boot camp to understand the soldier experience. Filming took place from June to September 1997 in England and Ireland. Saving Private Ryan earned critical acclaim for its graphic portrayal of combat. (Full article...)
The martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a large eagle native to sub-Saharan Africa. A species of the booted eagle subfamily (Aquilinae), it has feathering over its tarsus. One of the largest and most powerful species of booted eagle, it is a fairly opportunistic predator that varies its prey selection between mammals, birds and reptiles. It is one of a few eagle species known to hunt primarily from a high soar, by stooping on its quarry. Currently, the species is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This martial eagle was photographed in the Matetsi safari area in Zimbabwe.
The head of the Bodleian Library, the main library at the University of Oxford in England, is known as Bodley's Librarian: both are named after the founder, Sir Thomas Bodley(pictured). Although Oxford had had a university library since about 1320, it had declined by the end of the 16th century, so Bodley offered in 1598 to restore it. The first Librarian, Thomas James, was selected in 1599, and the Bodleian opened in 1602. Bodley wanted the Librarian to be diligent, a linguist, unmarried and not a parish priest, although James persuaded him to dispense with the last two requirements. In all, 24 people have served as Bodley's Librarian, some less well than others, with John Price (who held the post from 1768 to 1813) accused of "a regular and constant neglect of his duty". The current Librarian, Sarah Thomas, was appointed in 2007; she is the first woman, and the first foreign librarian, to run the Bodleian. She said that when she saw the job description, "it was love at first sight". (more...)
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