Rating: 
Summary: Brothers Not By Birth, But From Experiences
Review: I viewed Band of Brothers over several nights and I found that it was a good series. The genre of film making is akin to "Saving Private Ryan" and has the same feel to the series. I think this series along with Saving Private Ryan and Schlindler's List should be viewed by all junior and senior high school students in their American History classes. It will give insight to younger people what their great grandfather (It use to be grandfather) endured in time of war. The film hits home with me because my father was an Allied paratrooper during that time and my grandfather participated in the Normandy Invasion. A good aspect of this film also includes mentions of the British and Canadians who also fought as part of the invasion. They're contributions and death toll of men is sometimes overlooked in films. As time goes by, large percentages of the American population may begin to believe that the invasion and defeat of Germany was only an American effort. The defeat of the Reich couldn't have been done without the Americans,but the British and Canadians were needed too.
The film Band of Brothers shows the dirty and fearsome aspects of battle. The depictions of the bombed out towns of Holland, France and Germany are very realistic. The scenes in Bavaria at Hitler's Eagle's Nest are spectacular. I found the interviews with the actual men from Easy Company to be very interesting and insightful. The only weak part of the film I found was the casting of David Schwimmer(I think that is how his name is spelled) from the TV series "Friends". Other than that, the effects are good, the story is good and the cast were excellent. I recommend this to anyone who wants to know about World War II and get a slice of what it was like for the average soldier along with their junior officers. Highly Recommended...5 Stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Epic
Review: Costs $100 million to make and you see every bit of it. I watched this 10 hours straight with a friend and one of his quotes summed it up best: "It feels like we've been through the war ourselves". Good or not, the movie is very long and will require some endurance to watch it. I do have a few complaints though: There isn't a D-day scene, which I was eagerly hoping when I got the movie.. Also, David Schwimmer is just too funny to be a mean drill instructor. He just seemed very out of place in the role.
Rating:
Summary: Required Viewing
Review: This is, without a doubt, the best war movie ever. It should be required viewing for anyone who lives in this country. It shows what sacrifice truly is. What the soldiers went through for our freedom is sobering. When my children are older and able to understand and stomach this content (unflinchingly graphic), they will learn how fortunate they are and to cherish where and how they live.
Rating:
Summary: an absolutly amazing series
Review: this is really a great miniseries. the gun fighting and action is great but there also is a great story to it too. you get to see what it was like for the men that fought in that war. you also learn a lot too. before i saw this series i thought war was just tons of men killing each other untill everyone on one side where dead. after i saw it i realized it was more than that. before i saw this i also thought "what war movie could possibly be interesting". this series is so great that i spent over $$$ to buy it and watched it over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful! Wonderful!
Review: Should be a must see for all of our youth (with a little editing).Technically very well done. Acting also superb. Great message of sacrifice for the common good. Can you tell I like it! Even better than GETTYSBURG. GODS and GENERALS doesn't even come close. My all time favorite.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely amazing
Review: Based on what friends had told me, I had high hopes for Band of Brothers. What I experienced when I watched it though was like nothing I would have imagined. You were with them, with EZ Company, every episode. The stories of the different men, and the different battles, got right into you. Most amazing was the fact that every account was true. Not based on a true story, but true. My Grandpa, although not Airborne, fought behind enemy lines in WWII. Unfortunately, he passed away when I was very young, but one story about him has always stuck with me. He was having a nightmare one night, and my aunt, who was a child at the time, woke him up. He jumped, and grabbed her, not knowing where he was. After a second, he realized where he was, and what was going on. He told my aunt, "Sweetie, never wake me up like that. I am fighting the war every time I close my eyes." Band of Brothers, and in particularly, the Battle of Bastogne, finally brought home the horrors he must have faced. That many young men, who are now our Grandfathers, and Great-Grandfathers, must have faced. I believe that Stephen E. Ambrose, may he rest in peace, did the world a true favor in writing the story of these brave, young heroes, and I believe that Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks should be praised for bringing that story to so many homes. I highly recommend this series to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Reveals the truth about men, war, and soldiers
Review: Will without a doubt go down as the quintessential cinematic depiction of human kind at its very best and worst. Band of Brothers leaves no stone of war unturned or explored no matter what ugly thing crawls out from underneath. Through it all the ultimate truth remains that soldiers do not fight for money, politics, God, or Mom and apple pie. They risk everything for the men to their left and right, because they know that man in the foxhole next to them will do the same. Don't wait, don't even stop to think, buy this collection now.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling, well made WWII epic that's also personal
Review: First and foremost is this: If you're a fan of World War II films, whether of the epic-in-scope variety or the up-close-and-personal type, purchase this DVD set right now. You'll not regret it, and without question you'll watch all ten hours multiple times. Band of Brothers is a well-crafted, well-produced ten-hour epic following the exploits of one World War II Company from their pre-combat training, through D-Day and on through the end of the war. While it focuses on this one company - Easy Company - the series is without question epic in scope, featuring hundreds of actors, a huge cast, fantastic sets that capture WWII Europe and magnificent combat scenes. On the personal side, Band of Brothers allows you to get to know a rotating cast of core characters very well, with most of camera time focusing on a solid six to eight soldiers in Easy Company. The performances throughout are excellent, giving you a good understanding of and sympathy for the men portrayed on screen. Lovers of war film camaraderie will love large portions of this series (which, to me, is almost more of a ten-hour film than a miniseries) thanks to some good chemistry. On the epic side, Band of Brothers shines, mixing equal parts Saving Private Ryan and A Bridge Too Far to give viewers a sense of the grand scale in which this small band is fighting. The vistas are stunning, the action powerful, and fighting brutal. From the huge drop the night before D-Day to sieges of French towns to the shelling at Bastogne and more, this series thrills with its exciting, often gruesome combat footage. No, the price tag on this hefty set isn't small, but it's undoubtedly worth it, as you'll want to watch your favorite installments over and over again. Even if this set featured only the very best episodes (2, 3, 5, 7, and the very moving 9) it would be worth every penny. But this now.
Rating:
Summary: Band of Brothers - An Outstanding Film
Review: As an old World War II veteran who "was there and did that" in the European Theater of Operations, I'm compelled to mention that there are a few relatively minor technical flaws in the film. One rather obvious one is the way "Captain Sobel" wears his garrison cap in the first episode. This is particularly annoying, since the role is that of an officer obsessed with Army rules and regulations. In those days we were taught that the garrison cap was always to be worn "two fingers over the right ear and one finger over the right eyebrow." In the film "Sobel" wears his cap on the left side toward the back of his head. Captain Dale Dye, technical advisor for the film, dropped the ball on that one and some others...probably because he was Marine rather than Army.
Despite it and a few other small flaws of that nature, "Band of Brothers" is exceptionally accurate, authentic, powerful and moving. In particular, I was impressed with the honesty and realism of the emotions displayed in the film. All of the young actors in the ensemble cast are very credible. The performances of Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, and Donnie Wahlberg are especially effective.
The unexpected and very graphic sex scene set in Germany on one of the discs was totally gratuitous. The shortsighted writers and producers could have omitted it entirely without sacrificing the integrity of the film. The film can and should be used to enhance the teaching of World War II history. However, teachers may be inhibited from showing it to youth under 14, merely because of one questionable X-rated scene. Of course, one could argue that war itself is obscene.
Rating:
Summary: The platinum standard for a TV miniseries
Review: BAND OF BROTHERS is categorically the best TV miniseries ever created, surpassing my previous pick, LONESOME DOVE. This 10-hour/10-episode epic was a labor of love produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the latter the lead in perhaps the finest combat drama ever made for the Big Screen, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Based on the non-fiction book by Stephan Ambrose, BAND OF BROTHERS is a visual tribute to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Its timespan is a little more than 3 years, from the summer of 1942 to the late fall of 1945. It depicts the company's training in the United States and England, its combat roles in the D-Day invasion, the subsequent Operation Market Garden, and the defense of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and ends with the capture of Hitler's Alpine retreat, Berchtesgaden, and the occupation of a scenic Austrian lake valley. There aren't enough superlatives to describe the acting, period costuming and weaponry, cinematography, and sets. It's a masterpiece of cinema verite. The actors are virtual unknowns. Perhaps this is inescapable in a script calling for the rapid turnover of personalities. Company E's full complement was 140 men - 8 officers and 132 enlisted. But, as casualties mounted, original members were replaced with new, and the cast of characters is large. The viewer never really gets to "know" any one soldier, with the exception of perhaps Dick Winters (Damian Lewis), who provides a continuity of sorts. Winters began as a 2nd Lieutenant commanding a platoon, and ended the war as a Major commanding the 2nd Battalion. To the degree that the storyline allows, Winters is the foremost hero in a group of heroes, i.e. all of E Company. The viewer is thus forced to identify with the unit as a whole throughout its travails and final triumph. And Lewis, a Brit who manages to lose his accent for the role, is perfect. Ron Livingston as Lewis Nixon, Winter's good friend and alcoholic but competent battalion staff officer, provides an additional thread of continuity from beginning to end. Those who've both read the book and seen the miniseries will notice differences. Some events are shown in a different sequence, as when one of the Company E troopers is killed by a freak accident with a souvenir Luger pistol. More noticeably, an entire episode is more or less devoted to the heroics of a company medic during the defense of Bastogne, while another focuses on the unit's discovery of a Nazi enslavement camp. Both subjects are given but scant paragraphs in the original book. The DVD also includes a bonus track on the nuts and bolts of the production. I watched this feature after the miniseries, and was amazed to learn that the forest setting for the defense of Bastogne episode, one of the best, was an indoor creation, snow and all! I saw the ten episodes over a couple of weeks. Perhaps a better way to do it is have all your male pals over for a one-day viewing marathon to include pizza and beer (or C-rations and canteen water in an olfactory ambience of gun oil, blood, stale sweat, exploded earth, and open latrine trenches). Oh, did I mention that this is a Guy Flick? It's about young males bonding, jumping out of airplanes, fighting, killing, getting maimed and killed, and enjoying the fruits of victory (booze, women and looting). There's no female role of significance, and no love interest. It's Warrior Life at its best and worst.
|
