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The German Sniper's (Leo Stransky) screen-matched, bloodied helmet from Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. Shortly after entering a French village, Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and his unit were ambushed, including by the deadly German Sniper who fatally wounded Private Adrian Caparzo (Vin Diesel) and was shot in return by Miller's devout unit sniper Private Daniel Jackson (Barry Pepper). Distinctive placement of the chicken wire and detailing in the paint of this helmet screen-match to the classic sequence.
Saving Private Ryan was widely heralded upon release for its period accuracy and unflinching depiction of wartime horrors, earning five Academy Awards® and six additional nominations. Regarded today amongst the greatest war pictures ever made, the film was selected by the Library of Congress in 2014 for permanent preservation in the National Film Registry for its historic significance to American culture.
This real-world, wartime-era German helmet originates from a crew member involved with returning production surplus from the European sets back to the US. Constructed from pressed steel blanks, it is stamped "SE64" on the interior for both the shell size and the factory that built it, as well as "7360," the lot number of the blanks themselves. The helmet features a leather chinstrap and a leather-wrapped plastic liner labeled "ERVINKA," stamped "US SPR," and blood-stained from Jackson's bullet on the interior, in addition to woven metal chicken wire secured to the exterior with nylon shoelaces.
Also included are:
A fabric "Globe Mills Flour" sack used to store and carry the helmet.
A two-page risk assessment document from the production regarding the effects, equipment, and production materials necessary for the German Sniper sequence.
A color-printed still of the German Sniper wearing his helmet.
The lot shows evidence of wear throughout consistent with on-set use, handling, and age, including wear to the liner and staining on the sack.
Estimate: $2,000 - 4,000
View all lots from SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
This item comes with a Propstore Certificate of Authenticity.