10 Things You Didn't Know About Saving Private Ryan

Speaking of the sheer scope and fantastic visuals of the Landings scene, it should be noted that the sequence itself didn't take place in Normandy, but in Ireland. Due to the strict filming rules of the real-life location, Spielberg had to move production elsewhere, eventually settling on Ballinesker Beach, in the east of Ireland.

For the sequence, over 2500 extras were used, many of whom were members of the Irish Reserve Defense Forces, and many more of whom were part of a re-enactment trope known as the Second Battle Group, who were used to portray the German soldiers.

Even more impressive is the fact that around 30 of these extras were real-life amputees, given prosthetic limbs to realistically act out soldiers losing limbs in the gunfire.

Again, although this a lot of detail and an awful lot of planning and co-ordination, it paid off brilliantly and birthed one of cinema's most evocative scenes.

The beach wasn't the only place which had to be changed because of filming restrictions, though, as the bombed French village wherein the group find Ryan was actually a set built just outside of London in a former factory.