10 Things You Didn't Know About Saving Private Ryan

Believe it or not, but it has been 22 years since Saving Private Ryan was released.

Perhaps the greatest war movie ever put to screen, and certainly one of the most popular and widely discussed, it was directed by filmmaking maestro Steven Spielberg and features an all-star cast rounded out by Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns and Vin Diesel.

Consisting of some of cinema's most provocative scenes and unforgettably emotional moments, Saving Private Ryan has cemented itself as an all time classic.

But how did it come to be? How were the sweeping battle scenes shot with such effect and realism? And how did the actors give such powerful, committed performances?

The following list will have a look at some amazing facts about the inner workings of the war-time drama, including its roots in the history it portrayed, the sheer scope of the production, and the preparation the cast and crew went through to see the film finished.

From the script to the cost, the editing to the authenticity, here are 10 things you probably didn't know about Saving Private Ryan.

These days, it's fairly safe to say that Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks make a pretty great team. Following the success of Saving Private Ryan, the two went on to work on a number of other, massively successful films, from Catch Me If You Can to The Terminal, Bridge of Spies and The Post. On top of that, their collaboration on the World War II drama opened the door to the pair working together to bring the masterful miniseries Band of Brothers and The Pacific to life.

Despite both being two of the biggest names in Hollywood at that point, it wasn't until Saving Private Ryan that the pair got a chance to work together.

As the story goes, the script for the film, as written by Roger Rodat, was sent to both men by their respective agents. They both knew they wanted to make it, and upon hearing that the other also had a script, they called each other up and decided to work together on the project, thus beginning one of the greatest actor/director collaborations of all time.

The partnership gets double the props in the long run, because the script was originally given to Michael Bay, who turned it down because he "didn't know where to start." Based on what he did with Pearl Harbour, that might have been the best call for everyone.