Band of Brothers
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Movie Reviews of Band of Brothers
Movie Review: SIMPLY THE BEST WW-2 SERIES EVER MADE;CANNOT BE EXCEEDED
Summary: 5 Stars
I doubt that this World War II series will ever be equalled. Many factors had to be brought together to make an epic such as this. Words fail me in an attempt to praise this series sufficiently. After seeing several episodes on HBO I knew I had to have my own copy of the series in its entirety so I could dissect and review it slowly, part by part, at my leisure.I bought the DVD package, then bought a DVD player so I could watch it. It has been worth every dollar invested.
The story line and dramatization depicts E company of the 101st "Screaming Eagle" Airborne Division from the time it was formed and trained in Virginia, and all the way through the battles it fought, from D-Day to the end of the European war and the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchesgarten.
The episodes are pure reality and the events really happened. Most of the dialog consists of the same words as they was actully spoken by the real troopers who somehow lived through it. This series tends to leave the vewer stunned and pensive for a few minutes after the screen goes blank at the end of each episode. This is largely because the surviving troopers, who are now very old men, supplied first hand accounts of the events depicted, the descriptions of what it was actually like. and much of the dialog, word for word still engraved in their memories after so many years. Each of them was given a copy of the script to review, comment on, and correct. The actors were selected, in part, by their resemblence to the young paratroopers, as they were over fifty years ago.
This series should be required viewing in every American high school curriculum. Aside from breathtaking entertainment, it allows the younger generations to see how horrible war can get, and the debt all Americans owe to the young men who fought and died to preserve our freedoms. The only film that even remotely came close was the much shorter WW-1 true story, "Lost Battallion."
The viewer gets to know the men's names, their personality characteristics, their strengths, and their weaknesses. The characters eventually become almost like family to the viewer. When a leg is blown off or a seemingly fatal shot is taken to the head, the viewer is genuinely upset, and later relieved when word comes that the trooper somehow survived in the hospital. This is war reality at its best, without actually being in it.
The cinematography and musical score are sensitive and virtually perfect. The series was filmed in muted color, neither black and white, nor full color, but a perfect blend of both, setting a perfect mood for the time and events. Hanks and Spielberg really outdid themselves on this series. It sets a high water mark for the cinematographer's art in skill, sensitivity, and accuracy.
I would add more praise but must stay within the 1,000 word review limit. Nothing I can say can do it adequate justice, anyway.
Get this series; you won't be sorry. But be prepared for a dose of war reality.
Movie Review: Band Of Brothers an Experienc
Summary: 5 Stars
Hanks and Spielberg embraced Stephen Ambrose's book,Band of Brothers and is faithful in it's depiction in this epic mini-series. The series is detailed and accurate with more enhancements in direction, sounds, and a haunting musical score.
A first time viewer is shown vets commenting on the occurences in each episode and the identity of these vets are not revealed until the last episode. What amazes viewers will be that the characters in the story are real, which draws them back to view the series again, more drawn to the numerous characters in it.
The story of Easy Company from it's days at Toccoa through Normandy, Holland, Bastone, and in Germany is one of the most complete in scope of the European Theater in World War II.
What makes this series powerful is not just the realism and attention to details but identification with the many characters in the story. Each episode takes the view of one of the characters.
Perhaps the best episode in the set would have to be Bastone which follows medic, Eugene Roe admist the chaos and terror of Easy Company's holding the line at Bastone, earning the 101st's title of the battered bastards of Bastone.
Each disc has information of the actors in each episode as well as information on the characters they portray. Also there are maps, chain of command,and a glossary.
Separate from the main story that makes this set worth having is the interviews with the actual participants of Easy Company. The connection of these men to each other can clearly be seen in their emotion and sharing of their experiences. The viewer gains an appreciation of what these men went through and strengthens the bond for the characters depicted.
Other features of the set includes a making of and a video diary, shamelessly promoting the series. Interesting, but somewhat self serving.
Saving Private Ryan helped to bring the reality of war to movie goers. Fans will know that this is but one episode in the war in Europe. (The story is actually based on events within the 506 PIR).
The fact that the History Channel will be airing these episodes shows the impact of the dipiction of World War II in Europe by the series.
The series is gritty and it will bring forth a diverse variety of emotions for the viewer.
Look for great perfomances of the actors, and an interesting flow of events seen from the view of the characters (different in each episode). The haunting score is non-traditional in the War Movie genre - it blends with the chaos and pathos.
All of the elements of this series make it unique and time well spent as the viewer soon identifies themselves with Easy Company.
What makes this a fantastic story is not only that identification with the varied characters in it, but the story draws them into the action, and the viewer will care about them. It is difficult to imagine another series or movie that will approach the quality and sweeping epic of The Band of Brothers.Movie Review: The Best Miniseries/War Film Ever Made
Summary: 5 Stars
This Spielberg/Hanks produced HBO miniseries is undoubtedly the best TV miniseries ever produced and, if compared to films, would be one of the 5 best war films of all time.
In this mini-series, the audience is immersed into the best cinematic representation of what WWII was like for those brave soldiers who fought the last stretch of WWII in Europe from Normandy to Berlin 6/44-5/45. Germany was on the wane but still had plenty of fighting left in it especially in Belgium during the Winter of 1944 in the Ardennes. The story follows the lives of soldiers/friends assigned to EZ Company of the 101st Airborne who were dropped off behind enemy lines in Normandy as avant-garde contingents; they continued to serve in France, Belgium, Holland, Austria, and Germany until the end of the war in Europe. Each DVD also contains an interview with the actual veterans whose lives are represented in the series where they recall and describe (sometimes with great emotion and difficulty) the experiences they felt and the bonds of friendship they formed in those harrowing years.
As for the production values of the film, they are simply outstanding and equal, if not superior, to Spielberg's own 'Saving Private Ryan.' This 10-hour miniseries is much deeper in character study and plot than any film could be and is therefore a superior production in that respect. Although the series has one central character it tends to focus on, each episode in the film represents the perspective/narrative of one particular character in the platoon/company/batallion and their perspective on the events. The acting is simply outstanding on the part of every actor in the series. The special effects are as good if not better than 'Saving Private Ryan.' In addition, the production is as faithful as possible to every detail of that period from speech/mannerisms, dress, uniforms, armaments, etc.
This is without a doubt the best miniseries ever made and one of the top 5 war films to be produced. Steven Spielberg has outdone himself in terms of producing this simply outstanding work of art. This is a great film not only in terms of entertainment but also in terms of educating our youth as to the great courage and sacrifice demonstrated by these valliant soldiers and what their lives and times were like. The most moving for me was to watch and hear the interviews of those men depicted in the series; when I see them cry and contemplate in silence as they remember those fateful years, I can only feel humble and respect the fact that they have experienced horrors and/or such selfless acts of heroism that are simply too painful for them to recite even today. This miniseries is truly nothing less than a great mark in the achievement of film and historical reenactment/preservation: I most strongly recommend its purchase.
Movie Review: The Band of Brothers is the Best Mini-Series ever.
Summary: 5 Stars
Executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks for HBO, Band of Brothers is a ten-part miniseries based on the book Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne From Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose. The series dramatically re-creates the path of Easy Company, an elite paratrooper unit, from their basic training at Camp Toccoa in Georgia in 1942, to D-Day, to their critical involvement in the Battle of the Bulge, through their triumph at the close of the war. The unit was one of the best trained and most productive in American military history, but it also suffered immense casualties. The series is an ensemble piece, involving dozens of characters, and cast with relative unknowns. To the extent that there is a central character, it is Dick Winters (Damian Lewis), who went to Toccoa as a lieutenant and was promoted, over the course of the war, to battalion commander. Each episode includes brief excerpts from present-day interviews with some of the surviving members of the company. While the series is not a hagiography, Winters is depicted as a brave, resourceful, and humane leader. It's clear that the men revered him, and that he genuinely respected and cared about them. There are a few other members of the unit that make a strong impression. Sobel (David Schwimmer of Friends), their C.O. at Toccoa, is depicted as a petty tyrant whose men bond together in their hatred of him. Nixon (Ron Livingston of Office Space) is Winters' fellow officer and best friend, and an alcoholic. Carwood Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg) is a decent, hard-working man, and a tremendous soldier who earns a battlefield commission for his exemplary leadership. Bill Guarnere (Frank John Hughes) fears nothing, and is known for his wise-guy attitude and hot temper. The series dramatizes the courage and fortitude of many others, but it's clear that Winters sets the tone for his men, and plays a pivotal role in the unit's success. The project involved several screenwriters, including Graham Yost (Speed) and E. Max Frye (Something Wild). Eight different directors were called upon for the ten installments, including Hanks, David Frankel (Miami Rhapsody), Mikael Salomon (Hard Rain), and Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams). Still, the tone and style of the series remains fairly consistent. While the story of Easy Company has been condensed and altered in some minor ways for dramatic purposes, and much of the dialogue was, by necessity, invented, the producers placed a strong emphasis on accurately depicting the conditions under which these men lived, fought, and died. Several survivors from the company consulted on the project, and an enormous amount of money was spent on sets, costumes, and special effects in order to re-create their experience.Movie Review: Great DVD to reflect on WWII
Summary: 5 Stars
First, comments on "Ian of Wakefield" and his detractors: I think the mostly vitriolic replies he's received show that he has a point. What kind of person would want "5 minutes alone with [Ian} so [he] could give [Ian] a savage beating"? Imagine, as another reviewer has, of defending the necessity of war by bringing up the concept of "Holy War." Yup, the Crusades and religion-driven terrorism are the models we want.Yet given this defense of Ian's point of view, I have to say Band of Brothers is an *excellent* series to view as a commemoration of what soldiers in WWII had to go through, and it also can help one to *reflect* on war and its consequences, whether you're a hawk or dove.
As other reviewers have noted, BoB is amazingly well made and quite faithful to Ambrose's book. It takes a lot of the film techniques employed in "Saving Private Ryan" (hand held cameras, desaturating the color in some of the shots to make the scene feel more grim) to bring the shocking reality of war closer to the screen, and yet, the miniseries format allows the series to focus better on the soldiers of Easy company. The characters come to the forefront and the special effects become a supporting player as they should be. The series brings excellent filmmaking to the service of witnessing to these men's memories.
From time to time (such as in the "Why We Fight" episode) there is an editorial slant towards putting the action in the context justifications for the war. However, the main strength of this series over nearly all other war movies (over Saving Private Ryan especially) is its "you are there" perspective with comparatively little editorializing. Here it is: a chronicle of a group of soldiers' experiences. You'll get a glimpse into the bonds between them that helped them survive, the heroics that events seemed to summon up from so many of the soldiers, and also their suffering.
Where to go from there is up to you. Are there better "investments" to make with such suffering and gallantry than war? Does sympathy with such soldiers mean that anti-war activists must be pummelled for their supposed dishonor? Yes, war will always be with us. But so too will heroism and self-sacrifice. I can think of no better way of honoring the sacrifices Capt. Richard Winters and Easy Company made than to watch the series and make a commitment to thinking about our ideas and images of war and sacrifice--specifically whether we're fighting the right wars and making the correct sacrifices. Just because our servicemen are willing to risk their lives to defend our nation doesn't mean that all wars justify their sacrifices.