Band of Brothers
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Movie Reviews of Band of Brothers
Movie Review: Superb WWII Portrayal
Summary: 5 Stars
I read Stephen Ambrose's 1992 book Band of Brothers in 2009 while I was laid up in the hospital due to a motorcycle accident. As a 20 year Army Retiree and First Sergeant I have affection for reading the real stories of men in combat. This mini-series was first aired on September 9, 2001, two days prior to 9-11. I had not seen the mini-series until after reading the book. With many movies it is often said not to read the book first, or that reading the book will sometimes ruin the movie. This was not the case with the mini-series as I don't believe it made a difference one way or the other. So here are my thoughts on this powerful work of art focusing on the bravery of the men that made up "the greatest generation."
This is a great mini-series from many standpoints. First the storyline is taken from the book Band-of-brothers by Stephen Ambrose. Ambrose researched the material and conducted many interviews with the actual soldiers. The series is a chronicle of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The series revolves around the actual members of this unit and in particular around Dick Winters, the man who will eventually command "Easy Company" through the majority of combat they see in Europe. The series begins with the men at their airborne training in Taccoa, Georgia. Initially, the company is led by Lieutenant, later Captain, Herbert Sobel. Sobel is hated by the men for his tyrannical approach to leadership, a method despised by Winters who would never-the-less credit some of Sobel's methods with actually helping the men in combat. David Schwimmer, from Friends fame, does a very good job portraying the much hated Sobel. The men begin to migrate towards Winters (Damian Lewis) as he becomes their protector. Because of Winters and the time at Toccoa, the men of Easy Company build strong attachments that will see them through some horrific times in combat. One key friendship is that of Winters and Lewis Nixon, played by Ron Livingston. Nixon is a fellow second lieutenant and, even though leaving the Company prior to the Invasion of Normandy, is always close to Winters. There are many other friendships that emerge through the series and unlike fictional movies, these friendships are real and continue throughout their lives. These friendships are very important to the 10 episode series as is the bond formed by the entire company. This bond separates this mini-series from its follow on "The Pacific" an equally masterful piece about the Pacific Theater of Operation which is told through the eyes of a select few individuals and based upon their wartime memoirs.
The combat begins after a train up period in England. The second Episode "Day of days" revolves around the invasion of Normandy, D-Day. The company is now in the middle of real combat, combat they have trained for yet they lose many men during the invasion. A critical loss is that of their commander, who had replaced Sobel in England after the Easy Company NCOs threatened to resign if Sobel remained in command. With the new Easy Company Commander gone, Winters is now moved into that role which he will hold for much of the remainder of the war until he is promoted. The next seven episodes involve the combat operations that move Easy Company through France, Holland, and Belgium and then eventually into Germany. The most horrific of these battles are those of Bastogne and the follow on battle of Foy. Winters, now a Captain, has been moved up to Battalion as the executive officer. The company suffers with the loss of his leadership which is not corrected until the battle of Foy when Winters has the Easy Company commander relieved by Lieutenant Speirs (Matthew Settles) who will be the final Commander of Easy.
The series winds down with the final two episodes showing the reality of the slaughter Hitler has undertaken against the Jews and other "undesirables" and the dangers of a post war occupation as well. Through all of this you follow the men of Easy and cheer their triumphs as you weep for their losses. The cinematography is excellent as is the costuming and technical aspects of the period. As James Cameron did with Titanic, the directors and producers of Band of Brothers painstakingly researched the time period. They ensured they had the correct uniforms, rifles, pistols, battle sequences and other references to ensure the historical reality of the series. Again, this chronicles real men, so the Hollywood glitz and "bang" of fake combat is replaced by realistic portrayal.
This series is one of the truly accurate and remarkable portrayals of the life of soldiers in the World War II European Theater. Band of Brothers will keep you entertained while reminding you of the sacrifices made for our Nation by these brave, yet humble, heroes.
Movie Review: A miniseries to experience.
Summary: 5 Stars
Band of Brothers will probably play as a curiosity piece for those who've heard a lot about it, but know next to nothing of the miniseries' story or ambitions. Some might just dismiss it as another in a long line of war films, which would be too bad. Band of Brothers is among the best war films I've ever seen, and don't let the made-for-TV label dissuade you. This may be a miniseries, but few films have achieved the epic scale and attention to detail this work creates.The miniseries' focus is on Easy Company, elite paratroopers fresh out of training and ready to make their drop over Normandy pre-D-Day. They're led by Lt. Richard Winters, a young, but intelligent, clear-headed officer who proves effective in the heat of combat. The film concentrates on Easy Company's journeys and battles through war-torn Europe, as well as the men themselves, and the growing effect war inflicts upon each of them.
As Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' second collaboration, Band of Brothers is a monumental achievement that approaches Saving Private Ryan in its ability to place you in the heat of combat. This miniseries isn't quite as successful with character development, mainly because the huge cast makes it hard to tell some people apart, especially when their faces are covered with dirt and grime, a consistent sight you'll get used to here.
But the attention to so many details (including the characters) is what makes Band of Brothers a triumph. Most notable is a scene not long after the parachute drop, when one of the members of Easy Company encounters a German prisoner, who's actually from America, but fights on the opposite side because of his ethnic background. There's even a fairly in-depth description and meaning behind a flower that a dead German soldier has pinned to his buttonhole, a historical detail I was never familiar with (see, TV does teach you stuff).
Most of the series is concerned with the camraderie among the members of Easy Company. And despite a cast of relatively unknown actors, there's not a weak performance throughout. As Richard Winters, Damien Lewis excels, displaying the admirable qualities that made this man so respected and beloved among his men. It's a superb performance, and hopefully it's the beginning of a great career for Lewis. The other standouts in the cast include Neal Mcdonough as an initially gung-ho soldier who undergoes the greatest transformation after he's shot in battle, Donnie Wahlberg as a thoughtful private who's quickly promoted through the ranks, and Matthew Settle as an enigmatic soldier who's so calm in the heat of combat, he almost becomes a living legend.
Puncuating the moments of character interaction are the battle scenes, which are numerous, graphically violent, and often ferociously intense. Given the miniseries' 10 hour running time, you should prepare yourself for probably more battle action than any war film you've ever seen. The combat presented is harrowingly realistic, often resembling Spielberg's own work in Saving Private Ryan (methinks the fact he served as executive producer here is the main reason for all the similarities). The standout segment is the drop over D-day, sporting the most hair-raising aerial combat I've ever seen. The sight of paratroopers desperately trying to make their jump as flak threatens to down their plane is among the most terrifying sights I've ever seen.
The other battle sequences focus on infantry combat. The miniseries does an excellent job of conveying rigorous gun battles and ubiquitous artillery. These scenes display a fair amount of clever strategy, particularly when Easy Company tries to disarm several German artillery sites, and do an excellent job of showing the difficulty of fighting in a variety of different settings (small towns such as Carentan, as well as snow-covered forests and villages).
The production values are all first-rate. The special effects are mostly outstanding and the miniseries truly has the look and feel of the time period. Without a doubt, every penny of this 125 million dollar budget was well-spent. Less successful than the production is Michael Kamen's score, which is actually pretty good; there's at least one adrenaline-pumping, rousing theme, but the music threatens to turn into schmaltz during the quieter moments.
While dramatically powerful, Band of Brothers is never quite emotionally devastating (unlike Saving Private Ryan, which is what makes BOB slightly inferior to it), with perhaps the exception of Part 9, which focuses on the discovery of a concentration camp. It's eerily disturbing, horrific, and every bit as graphic as what was featured in Schindler's List. Band of Brothers is flawed, but its pros by far outweigh the cons. This is an experience not to be missed.
Movie Review: THE BAND OF BROTHERS SHOULD MAKE US ALL PROUD
Summary: 5 Stars
... ...Well, the men of Easy Company were regular Joes. Oh, there were a few that were more educated and a
few with military training but basically they were young Americans asked to perform duties that ultimately sacrificed the entire company, one way or the other. Easy Company suffered 150% casualties. Let me repeat that:150%! Can you imagine that?
Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have been forefront in the effort to keep our past alive through "Schlinder's List," and "Saving Private Ryan". They are the executive producers of HBO's production of Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers". I believe the cost of the production exceeded one hundred twenty million dollars but it was worth every dime... Folks, if you liked "Saving Private Ryan", you'll love this. I loved former movie but I believe this series is even better.
The first episode dealt with the intense training that Easy Company went through in Georgia. They were pioneers in Airborne (Parachutists) warfare. Hanks and Spielberg
deliberately did not go after the big name Hollywood stars. The best known actor appears in the first episode as the hated Captain Herbert Sobel as portrayed by David Schwimmer from the "Friends" cast. Sobel was so mean that many of his trainees talked about killing him when they arrived in Europe. The training was not only physically exhausting but Sobel was a master of mind games. However, many years later, one of the veterans of the company said
that it was his rigorous training that saved many lives in combat.
The second episode concerned the D-Day jump of Easy Company behind Germany lines. The heroes of this episode were many but Lt. Richard Winters (later Major) begins to assert
himself as an amazing leader. As you probably know, almost all of the paratroopers did not land where they were supposed to due to intense anti-aircraft fire. One of the missions of Easy Company was to wipe out some massive German cannons (88's) which were creating havoc for the landing parties on Utah and Omaha Beaches. After gathering his forces together gradually, Winters led an assault on the cannons which is now textbook military strategy on such battles. The episode is called "Day of Days" and Winters thanks God for getting him through that incredible day.
Easy Company was supposed to jump, accomplish their mission and go back to England. They did go back to England but not until they had fought its first big battle as an intact
company in the French town of Carentan which was a valuable crossroads for both Allies and Germans. The third episode highlights the initial battle and the subsequent defensive
position that the company went into after the battle to thwart massive German counterattacks. Each episode features different soldiers in their various roles. The individual acts of heroism are chronicled beautifully but nobody seems to thing much about it. They're doing their jobs and just trying to survive.
The fourth episode highlights the move of Easy Company into Holland where it liberates a very grateful Eindhoven. There is really no battle and the people of the town are delirious to see the Americans after years of harsh treatment from the Germans. Although there is some
fighting in this episode, it is probably the least violent episode to date. A false feeling that the war may be over by Christmas, 1944 starts to evolve. It wasn't to be, of course, but the lapse in fighting lulled the men into a false sense of security.
The fifth episode has Easy Company traveling to Bastogne where the Germans are mounting a massive attack in a last ditch effort to stop the allies. Easy Company does not have enough
ammunition, food nor the proper winter clothing but they do a miraculous job in holding off the Germans in attack after attack. This episode was directed by Hanks and reminded of the fierce battle scenes in "Ryan". Now Captain Winters is heavily featured in this episode in the battlefield as well as behind the lines where he has been promoted. He loves Easy Company and hates to sit behind a desk. There is a foreboding at the end of this episode that the near
future of the company is going to be trouble.
Sure enough, Episode 6 concerns the now totally surrounded Easy Company's attempt to hold off German panzer attacks as well as far superior numbers. It is by far the bloodiest
episode as Easy gets [beat]. The episode features a young medic who is kept frantically busy due to the injuries and his lack of supplies. At the end of the episode, the casualties have mounted to a staggering degree but Easy Company still has fight left in it and are ready to move on into Germany.
...
Movie Review: The best mini-series ever made
Summary: 5 Stars
Band Of Brothers follows the path of Easy Company (of the 101st Airborne Division) during WWII. When I had first heard of this mini-series being made, I was excited by the prospect of Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks teaming up. Obviously their other WWII collaberation (Saving Private Ryan) was a success. Right away I knew this was going to be good. I just didn't realize it was going to be THIS good. This is easily the best mini-series I have ever seen. The production qualities pass some major motion pictures being made these days. Each episode is around an hour long (some running a bit longer), even though they all could have been two hours and I wouldn't have complained.
Like I said, this is the true story of Easy Company. Easy Company fought in many of the major battles during WWII. Boot Camp, D-Day, Battle Of The Bulge, Holland, finding a concentration camp & even capturing Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest' is chronicled here. What I think I like best about this series, besides the production values & aboslute class everything in the series is done in, is that not every episode is just about some battle the company went through. The characters are well developed, so when they die you will actually care. And the little touches put into the series is amazing.
Even though the cast if filled with mostly (at the time) no-name actors, the acting is outstanding. I especially liked Damian Lewis in the role of Lt. Richard Winters. Ever since I saw this series back in 2001, I have wanted to see him in some movies. Ron Livingston plays Easy's intelligent officer, and one of the other 'central' characters here. Donnie Wahlberg, Matthew Settle, Neal McDonough, David Schwimmer, Scott Grimes, and even Tom Hank's son Colin play important roles in this tale. I can't remember the names of all of the other actors in the series, but they are great overall. Even Dale Dye is great here. Of course, what's a war movie without Dale Dye in in though?
On top of the great acting and story, this is one great looking series. Some of the shots just make your jaw drop. I also love how it is shot in a washed out look. Only toward the end of the series when Easy captures the Eagle's Nest, does the series have a colorful and bright look to it. I must also commend Michael Kaman for his beautiful opening score. The rest of the music during the series is also top notch.
It's hard to put into words how good everything is done in this series. By the time you are finished watching the opening credits of the first episode, you will know you are watching something special. I love how they put short comments from some of the original members of Easy Company at the beginning of some of the episodes. Some are very emotional and almost bring you to tears.
One episode that stood out to me in particular that could have been a movie in it's own right was part seven. This is the best hour of television I have ever seen in my life. It's a visual sight to behold and will get you emotionally more than you would expect. The same could be said for part nine, which has Easy Company finding a concentration camp. I felt really disturbed after watching that one and it really shows how evil war can be.
If you are fan of war movies in any way, you owe it to yourself to go pick this up. If you are a fan of good cinema or TV, you owe it to yourself to go pick this up. This is not only the most amazing mini-series ever created, it's a true story of a group of men that were thrown together in a horrible war and ended up becoming heroes.
Special Features: There is an 80 min. documentary on Easy Company's path through the war as told by some of the living members. It's very interesting and pulls at your heart strings at times. Very well done. Then there is a 30 min. 'making of' documentary by HBO. This isn't near as good as the first documentary, but it's a decent watch. You also get Ron Livingston's video diaries, which show what it was like to go through Dale Dye's actor boot camp. This lightens up the mood quite a bit and is interesting, as well as humorous.
Before each episode you can access a 'Field Guide' to the series. This basically explains the ranks, who's each character, where the story is, etc. This would be helpful if you skipped episodes and wanted to pick the story back up quickly or are confused about which character is which. I didn't find much use for this, but it is great to have it nonetheless. Overall I liked the special features quite a bit and didn't feel shorted whatsoever. If I could give this DVD set ten stars, I would. Go get it already!!!
Movie Review: What an experience!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a miniseries of epic proportions, but even though it's 10 hours long, plus a bunch of bonus features, it's well worth every single second. To many people today who weren't there, WWII seems like ancient history, and the veterans are elderly. This miniseries goes a long way towards disspelling those preconceptions among those who might have them. The action and the times are immediate, and we get to see these soldiers as they were then, as young vibrant young men. The viewer goes through everything they do--basic training, preparations for D-Day, D-Day itself (the second episode really makes it vividly clear just why it was called "Day of Days"), battles in France, Operation Market-Garden in Holland, how the men felt towards the replacements who came in after D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium and the long hard ordeal in the forest of Bastogne, battles in Germany, the ending of the war in Germany, the liberation of the Landsberg camp, the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest in the beautiful Austrian mountains, and their very early return to civilian life during the immediate end of the war, while they were still stationed in Austria but not doing any more fighting. BoB makes it so clear why this generation has been dubbed "The Greatest Generation," why WWII was a morally justified war, and why we should all be very thankful that these men (and countless others like them) did this, sometimes even making the ultimate sacrifice, to free Europe and the world from tyranny. It portrays war as it really is, and makes this experience so real.
Each of the main discs has a field guide, which provides a glossary, an explanation of Army ranks, maps, a historical timeline, a summary of the episode, and profiles of the soldiers featured in each episode. I was very pleased that the sections on the soldiers contained no spoilers, so that the viewer can find out for oneself what happens to each particular soldier in each episode as opposed to knowing ahead of time, for example, that one of them might be killed or injured during that episode. The bonus material is also great. There's a featurette on the making of BoB, a special message from Jeep, previews of each episode, a very powerful, moving, and poignant documentary based around interviews with the surviving veterans of Easy Company and historical footage, short video clips to give a general idea of each of the main soldiers, a written who's-who section on the soldiers, and a 12-part video diary from actor Ron Livingston, showing the real boot camp he and his co-stars went through in preparation for this miniseries. You don't really find that kind of thing too much anymore, with actors literally throwing themselves into a role like that. They went through ten days of boot camp and the exact type of military training the real-life soldiers did, complete with equipment and clothing from the 1940s, and also had to endure such things as sleeping in bombed-out buildings and re-enacted battle scenes. This was a great strategy, and helped them immensely in being able to portray these soldiers so well, since they'd already been put in their mindset and gone through these experiences more or less for real.
Since this miniseries is 10 hours long and the viewer goes through so many emotional ups and downs with these men, with such realistic recreations of battles and everything else they went through, one can almost feel as though one knows these men and that it's more than just a very long movie. This is an incredibly epic and personal experience, and is so much more than just another WWII movie. (Although, for obvious reasons, I wouldn't recommend watching it with young children, due to the graphic violence, graphic injuries, a brief sex scene near the beginning of the ninth episode, and a lot of off-color language.) We see war through the eyes of those who lived it; it's not portrayed as some glorious adventure, nor is it potrayed as constant bombardment and suffering. We see the ups and the downs of war, and fully come to see in the ninth episode why this war had to be fought. I actually felt a bit sad after coming to the end of the bonus disc, after having invested so much time and emotion into the lives of these heroic men. This is one of the most emotional and powerful movie experiences anyone could ever hope for, and one that should be revisited many times.