D-Day Becomes Popular Subject on TV

Hitching their small-screen wagons to a big-screen star, a number of cable networks are launching companion programs to “Saving Private Ryan,” the much-talked about World War II film that opens in theaters today.

The gory realism of the war sequences in the latest offering by acclaimed director Steven Spielberg has already created a stir among critics and media watchers and several TV networks are hoping to lure viewers drawn by the movie buzz.

Original programs related to “Saving Private Ryan” range from shows looking at the film’s historical accuracy to behind-the-scenes peeks at the movie and its stars.

Among the offerings is the History Channel’s “Movies in Time: Saving Private Ryan.” Similar in theme to previous “Movies in Time” dissections of films including “Nixon,” “The Ghosts of Mississippi” and “Titanic,” this hourlong special hosted by veteran journalist Sander Vanocur sifts through the Hollywood fiction to get to the historical facts about D-day.

“Many people get the bulk of their history from TV and film, so we feel a responsibility at the History Channel to make sure that what they have is accurate information,” says Abbe Raven, senior vice president of programming for the History Channel. “This is not film criticism or a critique of the film’s style, but rather a program looking at its historical accuracy.”

Steven Jack, producer of “Movies in Time,” says he consulted both academics and D-day survivors. Jack says he was “taken aback” when the experts agreed “Saving Private Ryan” is the most realistic war film ever produced, adding it was the first time such unanimity has occurred among panelists in the show’s three-year history.

“They said the film comes very close to witnessing history and that’s not an experience you usually hear,” Jack said. “During the viewing of the movie, a couple of the veterans had to take a break, had to walk out and gather themselves.”

The “Movies in Time” special is part of a four-hour “D-Day Marathon” airing on the History Channel tonight beginning at 9.

HBO’s “First Look: Saving Private Ryan,” which airs today at 2 p.m., also features veterans who fought at Omaha Beach, mixed with impressions of the film’s actors and director, according to HBO executive producer Michael Middeleer.

“It’s a nontraditional approach,” Middeleer says. “It’s not only about the making of the movie, but rather features conversations with real D-day veterans and the principal actors talking about the authenticity that Spielberg creates.”

He says the program also includes a conversation between Spielberg and his father, a World War II veteran who was stationed in Burma, about the director’s obsession with World War II. There are also scenes from “Escape to Nowhere” and “Fighter Pilot,” two war movies the director made in his teens.

Other related specials include an A&E; two-hour special, “Biography: Steven Spielberg,” highlighting the filmmaker’s life and career. The segment, which includes film clips and interviews with family, friends and colleagues, premieres Aug. 2.

“E! News Weekend” will include special “Saving Private Ryan” coverage as part of its regular news broadcast tonight at 7. It will feature interviews with veterans, an overview of war films and rarely seen footage of Spielberg’s home movies.

Many of the cable shows will be repeated during the next few weeks so consult listings for times.