On July 24th, 1998, "Saving Private Ryan", was released to U.S. theaters. Widely considered the definitive World War II film, it was directed by Steven Spielberg, and was inspired by the real-life story of the Niland Brothers and the U.S. military's "Sole Survivor Policy", which was enacted to protect families from losing all their sons to war. The film is iconic for its 24-minute opening sequence depicting the Omaha Beach landings on D-Day, which was shot over four weeks in Ireland with a budget of $12 million. The film turned out to be a massive commercial and critical success, grossing over $480 million and winning five Academy Awards, including Best Director.
