Phim trình chiếu lần đầu vào năm 2001 và được phát lại nhiều lần từ đó đến nay. Mở đầu bộ phim thường là đoạn phỏng vấn những cựu chiến binh của đại đội Easy. Họ là những người còn sống và kể lại cho chúng ta nghe những gian nan mà chính họ phải nếm trải. Tuy nhiên, danh tính của những cựu chiến binh này được giữ kín cho đến gần hết phim, khi đoạn phỏng vấn cuối cùng có tên của những nhân vật đã xuất hiện tương ứng với những người lính thật. Phim do Tom Hanks và một số người khác làm đạo diễn.
On June 4, 1944--just two days before the Allied invasion of Normandy--Lts. Richard Winters and Lewis Nixon reflect back on the events and training that led them to D-Day with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment E (a.k.a. Easy Company).
D-Day. Due to German flak, the tense men of Easy Company are dropped indiscriminately throughout the Normandy countryside, forcing Lt. Winters (Damian Lewis) to team up with a private from another company until he can find his mates.
On D-Day plus two, the scattered men of Easy Company regroup with the help of Pvt. Albert Blithe (Marc Warren). Lt. Welsh (Rick Warden) then delivers their orders: they must take the town of Carentan.
Back in England, Easy Company's D-Day veterans heal their bodies and minds while getting acquainted with green replacement members. However, their respite ends quickly when they are sent into Holland as part of Operation Market-Garden.
In this episode directed by Tom Hanks, Lt. Winters (Damian Lewis) leads a contingent on a risky mission over a Dutch dike. Meanwhile, Easy is left in the hands of Lt. 'Moose' Heyliger, who undertakes a rescue mission in the besieged town of Arnhem.
In the dead of winter, the men of Easy Company fend off frostbite and hunger--in addition to the enemy--while holding the line in a forest outside of Bastogne. Meanwhile, exhausted medic Eugene Roe finds friendship with a Belgian nurse.
7 The Breaking Point
14/10/01
Chỉ theo mùa
After the draining winter at Bastogne, Easy Company faces an enormous challenge: they must take the town of Foy from the enemy despite the incompetence of their new commander, Lt. Dike.
Easy Company is ordered to send a patrol to take enemy prisoners in the Alsatian town of Haguenau. Lt. Hank Jones (Colin Hanks), fresh from West Point and eager for combat experience, volunteers to lead them.
Arriving in Germany to very little resistance, the men discover an abandoned Nazi concentration camp still filled with emaciated prisoners.
In the conclusion of this HBO miniseries, Major Winters leads Easy Company into the Bavarian town of Berchtesgaden--once the home of the Third Reich's officers--and receives orders to take the abandoned 'Eagle's Nest,' Hitler's mountaintop fortress.
Band of Brothers absolutely one of the best miniseries of all-time...period. Not only that but it's also among the very best war movies/tv shows ever created! It follows the story of a US Army airborne division called Easy Company and their missions in Europe during World War II. It follows the brave soldiers and their experiences and bravery during the war. It's based off interviews with survivors of Easy Company and the soldiers letters and journals they wrote. EVERY episode is so incredibly written and the cast is absolutely amazing! It is a pulse-pounding accurate depiction of war that will keep you glued to each and every episode. I have to warn you that it's a tough watch but absolutely worth it.
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10/10
Excellent
This week I saw three things based on WW-II novels. The first was 'The Pianist' about the Warsaw ghetto in the war and the survival of a Jewish pianist in that ghetto. The second was 'De Tweeling', a Dutch film about two twin-sisters, separated in 1926. One of them grows up in Nazi-Germany, the other in The Netherlands. That movie shows us more of the common persons during the war, Germans and not-Germans. The third was 'Band of Brothers', a true story about combat in the war. All three things are great, the films I mean, and you definitely should see all three of them.
'Band of Brothers' follows Easy-company from their training in England, through D-Day, the rest of France (including Bastogne), Holland (including operation Market Garden), Germany and Austria. This story is shown to us in ten different episodes. Every episode starts with the real men from Easy-company telling about their experiences and ends with a short written update of Easy-company. Between beginning and ending of episodes one of the best things I have seen on screen is presented to us.
The casting is amazing. Even David Schwimmer (from 'Friends') as the bitter Captain Sobel is great. Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston are superb as Major Winters and Captain Lewis Nixon. Every actor seems to be perfect for his character. The photography and direction is great also. I especially loved the direction of the episode done by executive producer Tom Hanks, possibly with some help from the other executive producer Steven Spielberg. 'Saving Private Ryan' was great for showing us the horror in combat, 'Band of Brothers' does the same thing but adds some other things. You really learn to know the characters (in 600 minutes you can do that), you sympathize with them.
If you have the chance to see this masterpiece, do so. It is long but you can spread the episodes over some days. But if you start watching it is very hard to stop. Definitely one of the best WW-II movies or series out there.
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10/10
This series is so unbelievably realistic, so authentic.
There aren't much TV-series which have left such an impression on me as Band of Brothers did. From the moment I saw the first episodes, I knew I had to buy this on DVD.
This series, telling you the story of Easy Company of the US Army Airbourne Paratrooper division is so unbelievably realistic, so authentic... There has been put so much effort in taking care of all the details that it makes you believe that you are right in the middle of all the action. This is an outstanding achievement. It's about ten hours long, but I wouldn't mind if it was a few hours longer.
Each episode opens with interviews with several of the actual men from Easy Company, talking about some of the experiences that that episode deals with. When you buy the special edition DVD box (a metal case with 6 instead of 5 DVD's), you will find the complete interviews with these men on the extra DVD. These interviews certainly aren't to be missed!
As you may have guessed, I'm one of the biggest fans of this series. I could go on for hours about it, but our time is limited and instead of reading this you better watch the series yourself. According to me, there is only one score appropriate for a masterpiece like this one and that is 10/10. Amazing!!!!
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10/10
One of the best mini-series ever created!
Band of Brothers absolutely one of the best miniseries of all-time...period. Not only that but it's also among the very best war movies/tv shows ever created! EVERY episode is so incredibly written and the cast is absolutely amazing! It is a pulse-pounding accurate depiction of war that will keep you glued to each and every episode.
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10/10
Realistic WWII Drama With Warts Included
"Band of Brothers" in a word is awesome. I couldn't wait to see each episode. Co-Executive Produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, it has the realism, look and feel of Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) but with more insight into the characters. Hanks even directed one episode himself.
Told over ten gut wrenching episodes, the story centers on a company of soldiers in the 101st American Airborne Division in WWII from their initial basic training to their landing in France on D-Day to their many battles and ordeals through to the liberation of a concentration camp and finally through to the end of the war.
The soldiers are ordinary people thrust into horrific situations and shows how each is able (or not able) to deal with the situations. The battle scenes are realistic and convincing and the special effects are breath taking. While the series depicts the trials and tribulations of the company, it isn't afraid to show how the war affects seemingly sane and rational men. For example there is a scene where the nominal hero of the story, Winters (Damien Lewis) shoots an unarmed German soldier out of frustration. There is also a scene where a group of German prisoners are cut down by an American officer after he had given them cigarettes. Even after the German surrender there are instances of out and out murder of Germans. This is very rare for an American war story.
The cast is of largely unknown actors, which makes for a more effective telling of the story. There is no John Wayne leading the troops to victory kind of thing. Damien Lewis is very good as Winters who rises through the ranks to lead the company. Ron Livingston plays his friend and second in command, Nixon. Others include David Schwimmer, excellent as the training officer, Scott Grimes as Malarkey the grizzled sergeant and ex New Boys on the Block member Donnie Wahlberg effective as Corporal Lipton.
"Band of Brothers" is a story that could only be told in a mini-series. It clearly shows that war really is hell.
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10/10
You can't beat this....
"Band of Brothers" is a nearly 12 hour long show about the experiences of a group of soldiers during their tour of duty in Europe during WWII. Given that it is this long, it allows so much more in the way of character development and story telling than a typical war movie. The closest thing to this quality-wise is the original version of "Das Boot"--as it was a mini-series and was later spliced apart to make it a motion picture. But even then, the German submarine film was only about 40% as long and never got into the detail and had quite the emotional impact as "Band of Brothers". In every way, the show screams quality--with amazing sets, details and direction. In fact, while the budget for this was large ($125,000,000 according to IMDb), it was actually pretty small considering the number of actors, the amazing sets and the length of the series. This is a must-see for anyone and I would say more and heap more praise on the film except that there are already hundreds and hundreds of other reviews on IMDb that pretty much do that already.
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Definitely at the top of my list for one of the best shows produced for television.
Warning: Spoilers
I didn't really want to comment on the show like others did, until it was actually concluded. Now that the show finished last night all I can think to say is Wow! This has truly been one of the best things I have ever seen produced for any format of entertainment, except novel since historian Stephen Ambrose fills in a lot more information that the series just couldn't handle. Every actor from Damian Lewis to the man who played Private Hall in the first episode performed admirably. Of special interest is Lewis who's character really matures as the show progresses, Ron Livingston who in episode nine loses some of the cockiness that his character Nixon exhibits throughout the show, Matthew Settle who plays the intimidating Capt. Ronald Speirs just seems to ooze the violent edge the character needs, and Donnie Wahlberg who unlike his brother seems to play more interesting characters. Also of special interest is David Schwimmer as Capt. Herbert Sobel. Even though the character is pretty much a piss ant, there is that one moment after he loses command of the company that you sort of feel sorry for him. Another plus is the production crew who really turned England into four different countries. No one place from Carentan to Bastgone looks like the same country. Another plus is the special effects, which really shine in episode two and four. The night jump on Normandy with the flak exploding around planes and one plane bursting into flames looks as good as anything done for a major film. Also whoever thought of including snippets of interviews with real easy veterans definitely help set the tone for the episodes. A good choice in my opinion. If you haven't seen this show you owe it to yourself to watch any repeat. If you love informative movies about WWII by the DVD Set which will hopefully be released sometime soon. Another thing to note is the documentary which has interviews, film footage, and war time photos of the actuall easy company. I hope its as good as it looks.
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10/10
One of, if not the best, mini series' ever made
Band of Brothers finds us following the exploits of Easy Company throughout their campaign in Europe, from their inception all the way to the end of the war. The commentary from the actual soldiers that were in those situations is touching, to say the very least. These commentaries also help to move the character development along quite a bit, as it lets us into their own personal thoughts on the situations they faced. This project, to the best of my knowledge was undertaken at roughly the same time as Saving Private Ryan, using many of the same locations and also employing DreamWorks special effects, giving it a very familiar feel for anyone that has seen Private Ryan. As I've already touched on, the character development is greatly due to the fact that this story is not told in a two hour segment, but throughout several hour long intervals, giving us the chance to truly "get to know" the characters personalities as the story develops. In my humble opinion, the only other military type mini series' that even come close to the scope of this one are The Blue and The Grey, and North and South.
All of the actors in this series do and excellent job at playing the roles appropriately and making us believe the hell these men were put through. The thing I also appreciated about the cast is the lack of any "real" names, leading to us not knowing who may or may not be making it out the scenes alive and unscathed.
This mini series is everything Saving Private Ryan was, as well as everything it wasn't. If you're a fan of war time stories and "army" movies, this is hands down the best of the best I don't even think I could name ANY movies about WWII that could even compare to this one A bold statement, I know, but I'm making it any how.
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10/10
almost perfect television
This is the true story of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. It start 2 years before D-Day as they train in Camp Toccoa, Georgia. They battle from Normandy ending with the idleness of occupation in Germany.
This is almost perfect television. It takes compelling important history and makes it a thriller touching TV event. There are so many great characters. The greatness of this show is that these actors make these characters come alive. Obviously the audience isn't expected to keep track of every character. However every leading character has a compelling personality. It's also a new level of authenticity for TV production. The action is thrilling. The last episode is slower dealing with an usual aspect of the struggle. The episode is unexpected but compelling nevertheless. This is a great TV war miniseries from start to finish.
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10/10
A-1, TOPS, the BOMB what else can I say?
Judging by other comments, it seems that this miniseries struck a chord with many viewers. I almost hate to add yet another glowing endorsement since the other reviews are pretty much identical...but here goes. This one made me wonder WHERE DOES AMERICA GET SUCH MEN? The things that Easy Company (boy, there's irony for you!) went through. I've always been grateful to all those who fought for my freedom (I served my country but never had to fight) and have wondered how men could do the awful things that had to be done. I've admired those who actually faced combat. Anyway, Band of Brothers is superbly done historically correct documentary about E Co, 101st Airborne. It follows the lives (and sometimes deaths) of the men of Easy Co. The miniseries takes the men through most of their combat engagements. The cinematography is outstanding. Spielberg and Hanks really did a great job on this miniseries! There are some interviews with some of the survivors, who have remained close to this day. Disks 1-5 are the actual miniseries but WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T SKIP DISK 6! There is a lot of information about how the film was cast, the "boot camp" that the actors went through and how soft actors were turned into lean, hard fighting men. There are more interviews with surviving members of Easy Co. Folks, this is a don't-miss series!
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10/10
A series like this won't be made again (see below), so treasure it
After 20 years it remains rightfully one of the highest rated things on IMDB. This is because it taps into the darkest days of the 20th century from which the greatest sacrifices were made, and the greatest heroes were forged. They simply wouldn't make BoB this way anymore and it wouldn't be as significant. Because 20 years age, most of us still had parents and grandparents who were still alive who had fought in or experienced WW2. So it was very much still real and close to all of us. 20 years later it is now almost entirely part of history books as opposed to being something we can still feel. Band of Brothers immortalised a number of ordinary but inspirational men and their stories, which were a microcosm for the stories of the millions of people and families around the globe and their experiences in humanity's darkest days. It would also be too political and careful if it were made these days. Because enough distance has passed people now for people to feel comfortable enough to criticise what happened as seen from a modern perspective and may even try to denigrate or change the narrative to serve their delusions or agenda. Because they no longer have to look into the eyes of the ordinary men and women who had to do terrible things and make terrible sacrifices being thrust into scenarios they did not create. So a series like Band of Brothers will never and could never be made again, so treasure it.
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10/10
Magnificent, absolutely magnificent
BAND OF BROTHERS
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Sound format: Dolby Digital
(10 episodes)
The trials and tribulations of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, from the D-Day landings in Normandy to their capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Austria at the end of World War II.
Co-produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, HBO's epic 10-part miniseries (based on a terrific bestselling book by the late Stephen E. Ambrose) was the most expensive TV undertaking of its day, costing a massive $120 million to produce. And, as the old saying goes, every penny is up there on the screen. Borne from the success of Spielberg's SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998) - with which it shares a similar dramatic and visual style - BAND OF BROTHERS' recreation of a glorious (and hard-won) chapter in American history assumed an even greater patriotic significance during its initial US broadcast, when it coincided with the horrific events of September 2001. Written with economy and grace, and directed with emotional intensity by a series of directors (including Phil Alden Robinson, Richard Loncraine and Hanks himself) whose combined efforts achieve a genuine aesthetic uniformity, the movie is a masterpiece of storytelling and historical documentation. Punctuated by horrific battle sequences, in which the camera is placed within mere inches of the death and destruction, the film transcends its educational remit by focusing intently on the human cost of war. Almost every episode opens with testimony from surviving members of Easy Company (none of whom are identified until the end of the series), which further strengthens the emphasis which BAND OF BROTHERS - book and film - places on the bonds which drew them together in times of conflict. And, because it's a true story, there's no telling from one episode to the next which of the 'characters' will live or die, which makes it all the more potent and visceral.
The entire production represents quality writ large: Beautifully filmed on various European locations (including the UK and Austria), the movie is noble without being the least bit pompous or austere, and it manages to humanize a large cast of essential characters with small touches of humanity and humor, all of which serves to heighten the sense of terror as they descend into the maelstrom of conflict. The first - and longest - episode is deceptively staid, featuring David Schwimmer (a long way from TV's "Friends") as a cowardly, bullying commanding officer whose tyrannical methods nevertheless shaped Easy Company into a fighting force which eventually cut a swathe through the heart of occupied Europe. Brit actor Damian Lewis takes the spotlight thereafter as Easy Company's most respected platoon leader, with Ron Livingston as his right hand man. Other standout performances in a flawless cast include Matthew Settle as battle-hardened platoon leader Ronald Speirs whose wartime career was distinguished by numerous acts of bravery (fuelled by a unique - if morbid - personal philosophy), Shane Taylor as company medic Eugene Roe, Neal McDonough as 2nd lieutenant 'Buck' Compton (laid low by his horrific combat experiences), and Donnie Wahlberg as 1st sergeant C. Carwood Lipton, who maintained the morale of his fellow soldiers, even when the odds seemed stacked against them. Every episode has its merits, but stand-outs include David Leland's 'Bastogne' (ep. 6), which recounts the horrendous circumstances surrounding Easy Company's involvement in the Battle of the Bulge, and David Frankel's 'Why We Fight' (ep. 9), in which the full horror of the Nazi regime is uncovered in a German forest. Additionally, the closing moments of chapter 10 ('Points', directed by Mikael Salomon) are truly heartbreaking.
It's doubtful that a more fitting tribute to the men of Easy Company could have been devised than BAND OF BROTHERS, a truly remarkable film in every conceivable way. By turns engrossing, provocative and *deeply* moving, it stands as a testament to those who fought and died for our freedoms, almost a lifetime ago.
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9/10
Best Mini series ever
Warning: Spoilers
Band of Brothers is a brilliant mini series about W.W. II.It tells the story of Easy company,a group of soldiers who fought in this terrible war.The first couple of episodes are about the drill of the men,the drill-sergeant is played by David"Ross from Friends"Schwimmer(not quite Full Metal Jacket).Then the company gets dropped on D-Day in Normandy where we follow their moves.The serie ends with an episode after the war when we see the company,or what is left of it,"relaxing" at a lake and thinking over this dreadful period. BoB is very realisticly filmed with great acting,although there are no big names in it.Maybe that is why it is so realistic. The series is produced by Tom Hanks(directed 1 episode) & Steven Spielberg,so it couldn't miss. And it doesn't,all 10 episodes are of very high quality,from the training in peaceful areas to a big shootout in the woods of Belgium and from fights in my own country Holland(with actual Dutch actors!) to a grueling episode about a concentration camp.
After Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan this is another realistic and good project from Spielberg and co. 10/10
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10/10
One of the best war movies/series ever
I have read virtually all of Ambrose's WWII books, and this mini-series faithfully follows one of his best. The experience of these men of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne, was mirrored throughout the many divisions of Army and Marine ground troops in WWII. I feel that this series represents that collective experience in the finest, most forthright manner possible and pays tribute to them all. The acting, mostly by previously unheralded actors, was superb--particularly that of Damien Lewis (Capt.Winters). Winters had to mature along with his increasing command responsibilites, had to learn to turn over his initial company-level responsibilities to others as he was promoted to battalion commander. It was clearly tough for him, particularly when he had to order attacks on heavily defended objectives, without being to lead his former command directly. All of the characters were developed enough that you cared about each of them as individuals, and felt the loss of each of them through the attrition during the brutal fighting in the Northern European Theater. They cared for each other as fighting men do (confirmed by my own experience in the infantry in Vietnam), but at the same time they had to carry on with the mission regardless of loss. Replacements are regarded warily at first, but then managed to blend in with the veterans if they showed they were worthy of joining this band of brothers. The plot is real, and as such is neither macho nor macabre--it just is presented as it really happened. The truths of combat are stranger than fiction. The interviews with the actual veterans, interspersed throughout the series, added authenticity, verified what the series was showing. These representatives of "The Greatest Generation" did themselves and this nation proud. Though I knew the story well, I eagerly looked for to each new episode to see how well it tracked with the book and how well the actors and director portrayed it. Up to this series, I had thought that "Once an Eagle" (starring Sam Elliot) was the best war series, but this one is now at the top of the class in my view.
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10/10
Even better than Private Ryan
Yes, I said it. Why? Because this is a true story. It doesn't (unlike the inferior Pacific) hold back. The audience goes along with these men, learns about them and watches them as the go from training to victory. Brilliantly written, acted & directed, everyone from today's soft generation should have to watch this, and maybe they'll appreciate their life.
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10/10
war, no frills
I absolutely love this miniseries.
As a keen amateur historian, I got sick and tired of books and documentaries about the great leaders, politics, geography and basically, the non-bloodshed parts of WW2.
Similarly virtually every time I saw a war movie, it was ruined by flashbacks( thin red line) ridiculous fiction (and yes, i do mean you, The Bunker) or completely unnecessary and out of place sex scenes (who can forget Enemy At The Gates, a powerful film, until that awful sex scene which ruined the whole thing?)
There are good war movies. But this stands out, because not only is there no fiction whatsoever, but because, as a miniseries, more time is available to get to know the characters, and follow their progress, to know them, to love them, to mourn them.
Time allows for detail, and the fact that the 'frills' that other films stick in to make them more viewer friendly and marketable have been left out....
When a character in BoB dies, you mourn not because a flashback tells you they have a young sweetheart or something...but because you know this is real, it happened. The acting is truly superb, and you realise, it isn't a character you are mourning at all, it's a real person. This is because the actors made very strong relationships with their real life surviving counterparts, they knew their roles inside out and it really does show. We feel so strongly for the characters because the actors have portrayed them so faithfully. There are no clichés, because the truth is so accurately reproduced.
After reading Ambrose's book, you realise how religiously each part of the series is portrayed.
The sets are perfect, the effects remarkable, and Michael Kamens score will go down as one of the finest ever written. Everything about the production of this series is phenomenal, the details are so minute yet so important.
This should be watched not just for entertainment value, but as a reminder of the sacrifices made for us.
Easily the best television series ever produced.
Watch it. Now.
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Realistic
I am an 80 year old combat veteran (88th Inf. Div. Italy).
I watched BOB on the History Channel. I was so overwhelmed, indeed a bit panicked by the authentic nature of 90+% of the uniforms, signs, noises (I take exception to the sound of incoming artillery).
I cried several times at the authentic staging - for them and me.
I cannot believe I'll watch it again. It's too much. Too real.
We never had so much water allowed in a shower.
Rate: 10/10
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10/10
Share With Your Children
This is an incredibly poignant and important show that everyone should watch once. It's so real in the portrails of these men and women who lived through this war. I've watched it a couple dozen times and I still get drawn into this story and am touched by the sacrifices so many people made. Please show this to everyone you know. It's important to tell these stories that are becoming lost to time and history.
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10/10
HBO will never make a show like this again.
This is peak television. It's authentic and characters feel very real. It feels like you're there, you feel the tension, not made by bad cliches of modern tv shows, but because you're so immersed and on edge all the time. There is no sense of hero vs bad guy, it just feels like everyone is a loser in this. They don't just try to make the other side all look like evil people just to get audience on their side, they just show how it is and what needs to be done. The characters are not perfect, that's what makes this show good. In modern tv shows, they need all the main characters to be perfect and all their actions need to be justified and they need to be likeable, and this and that to a point where they don't feel like real people. Here they do indeed feel like real people so when they die, you really do feel bad and this sense of loss resonates whether it's one of the main character that dies or a German who's also just following orders on the other side and is just as scared. If this show was made today, the show would be more concerned with trying to emotionally attach you to a bunch of main characters who get saved in a cliche way every time and of course they have to be diverse even if it didn't make sense, and add some women as well, story comes second, actually just change the story massively just to fit your own narrative because it's fiction anyway and they treat audience nowadays like braindead zombies who can't think properly so they'll have 1 dimensional characters and a 1 dimensional plot and like they have the attention span to sit through downtime so they got to throw in drama everywhere. I'm glad this came out when it did, HBO would never make something this good nowadays.
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Often brutal but always engaging
It has been some time since I watched this show on first broadcast – long before streaming and on demand, I remember it was appointment television for me to be sure to be back in time to watch it (I also did not own a VCR back then I think). Coming from the pedigree of HBO, BBC, and Spielberg, the series was a really banner affair, and it did not disappoint. Watching it again 15 years later, this is still the case. The production values are incredibly high, and the recreation of the conditions, spirit, and specific actions of Easy Company is compelling television. It is not constant action, and it is not always violent, however it keeps the war constantly in the air, and it is quite oppressive viewing at times in the way it does this while throwing in moments of sudden pointless violence.
At times it does get a bit too sentimental, but the sense of realism balances this out I thought, and the scale of loss and death makes it easy to justify why the series did this. The main characters are well portrayed, and the supporting characters had sufficient material to make us buy into the squad – not just a few main characters. Ironically this is something that has altered with time. Watching it now I was surprised by just how many famous faces there were in the show. Of course the main cast has turns from Lewis, Livingston, McDonough, Fletcher, Wahlberg, and many others you will know – as well as one or two big names in small roles (most notably Schwimmer). However in roles so small they barely have a line, you also have people like Simon Pegg, Jimmy Fallon, Andrew Scott, James McAvoy, Fassbender, Colin Hanks, and many others. Perhaps I did not know them at the time and they were already famous, but it does feel now that they had a real bed of talent just starting to emerge. Of course the downside of this is that it is a bit distracting now, and many episodes has several moments where you spot people like this in smaller roles.
The series is strong though, with great drama and production values throughout. The deep cast help, but it is the writing and intense battle sequences that really draw you in. The focus on an American squad does feel a little like it plays into the usual 'the Americans won the war" thing, but I didn't mind this – aside from the few British characters who do appear, who unfortunately are played a little as stereotype and not so heroic in their efforts. Despite this though, a great series that has stood up really well over time.
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10/10
There was a price paid. And we must honor their sacrifice.
How do we perpetuate the honor, the memory, and the lesson of the nameless and faceless thousands that fought and died for their country during World War II? To document WWII as mere history is to marginalize it as merely another fact on an eventual high school exam. To merely acknowledge that it was war merely because war is a terrible thing is to ignore its consequence, and its undeniable relevance to the lives of everyone that followed them.
To confer the proper deference to the death and honor of those uncounted soldiers, we must integrate into our souls the reality of living as their beneficiaries at the expense of their lives. While there is no absolute way to understand the cost of World War II, we can experience the barest shadow of its reality by seeing it through the eyes of those who fought it, who lived through it, who saw death on an unimaginable scale during it, and preserved a free world as a result. That shadow is a magnificent humility captured in a simply brilliant HBO miniseries, "Band of Brothers." "Brothers" sheds the narcissism of the television camera to bring you face-to-face with the dramatized-yet-real faces of the men of Easy Company, one of hundreds of American and allied forces to invade Europe in an effort to stem Nazi Germany's military machine. "Brothers" compels the viewer to see World War II on a personal level unmatched by virtually any other war production. You see not glorified geniuses of war, but hardened, otherwise average men, fearless and fearful, heroic and imperfect, lucky and unlucky, thrown into an incomprehensible maelstrom of war and savagery. They emerge not merely as a force that won a war, but one that established the foundation on which a generation's freedom was built, and through which the unspeakable savagery exacted on a race was exposed.
"Band of Brothers" isn't for the fainthearted. It offers an unapologetically graphic and frank depiction of war and the men who fight it, bringing home in a vivid and undeniable way. From the simplicity of the training centers to the brutality of near-abandonment in the forests of Bastogne under German siege, "Brothers" offers a lesson that should be mandatory for the eyes, hearts, and minds of those too young to know of World War II as anything other than an historical event, such that some measure of the price of freedom and the cost of tyranny can be interwoven into the souls of those who watch it.
To say "Band of Brothers" is merely extraordinary is to diminish its sheer greatness not merely as a work of television, but as a demonstration of freedom's 20th-century turning point.
To appreciate your freedom, and understand in an inherently deficient way its benefactors, "Band of Brothers" is simply not to be missed.
-David
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10/10
Without Doubt, the Best Mini-Series Ever Recorded
As near to perfection as a TV Series can be, I cannot put into words the gravity & importance of this series.
A true, accurate, beautiful, and brutal portrayal of war. Nothing compares in the modern age, if ever.
Episode 9 is so emotionally draining it is very hard to watch at times, but watch it you must.
Never Again must we let this happen. Never, ever, ever again.
From a UK viewer, my heart, soul and tears are with every allied veteran, and every jewish person (and others) tortured and murdered by the Nazi regime.
This is the best, Chernobyl second best.
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10/10
Probably the best ever
In some ways reviewing Band of Brothers ten years on is superfluous. Its already received every accolade possible and deservingly so. You would've needed to be living on Mars to not know that it is seriously good television.
Strangely for me, I have never watched the full series till recently. I can't fathom for the life of me why since my father was a WW2 veteran and I have an interest in the events.
I recently watched The Pacific series and unlike many I thought it was excellent. However, having now watched Band of Brothers in entirety I can see why some fans felt short changed by Pacific. The character development in Band of Brothers is first rate. Having watched Pacific three months back I have trouble recalling more than 4 or 5 characters. With BofB its full of interesting characters and leaves you wanting more information on all of them. Anyway, enough of the comparisons. The Pacific was an excellent production in its own right.
Band of Brothers succeeds on all levels. Whether capturing the realism of the battlefield action, the strength of the human spirit or the futility of war, BofB is a masterpiece on all levels.
Sure you could nitpick if you really wanted to. A piece of dialogue here or a small scene there but really why would you bother ?
Just embrace the series for what it is. A timeless memorial to thousands of gallant men and women and to a tragic time in human history.
And probably the greatest television series ever made. 10/10
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10/10
Simply put; spectacular...
"Band of Brothers" is one of my all time favorite series to have been on TV, and of course standing on my DVD collection shelves, along with "The Walking Dead".
So what is it that makes "Band of Brothers" so special? Well, for starters it is the array of impressive and well-played characters that are portrayed throughout the series. These are characters that you really form a bond with despite sitting in front of a screen. They are vibrant, realistic, and all together just amazingly portrayed, unlike the "The Pacific" series, also from HBO, where the characters were more distanced and less open to let you into their personalities.
But more than the characters, it is also the way that the entire series is shot. The cinematography and camera-work in the series is nothing short of spectacular. It is intense and action-packed, almost like you are right there with the soldiers in the midst of the chaotic combat of World War II.
If you enjoy World War II action, then you definitely have to get acquainted with "Band of Brothers". If you aren't already familiar with this series, you have truly been missing out on a great experience. And if you enjoyed "Saving Private Ryan", you just simply have got to sit down and watch this entire series.
Despite it being from 2001, "Band of Brothers" is timeless and it is one of those series that you can watch repeatedly, as the entertainment value of the series, the characters, the action, etc. is just top notch. I have sat through the entire series four times already, and I will most likely be playing it more times in the future.