Rating: 
Summary: Salute the men of Easy Company!!!
Review: I purchased this box set only because I missed the HBO series, and boy was it worth it! Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg put together an excellent cast of actors to portray the hardships the men of EASY Company 506 PIR had to endure. Though brutal in their fight for our freedom, I'm sure glad these guys were on our side. A must see for any fan of "Saving Private Ryan". Remember the next time you're in the company of a veteran, take a moment to thank them for all they did for us, and to keep freedom and liberty a way of life for all americans!!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, simply amazing.
Review: I just finished watching the last part. This series is simply amazing. I couldn't stop watching it and now that I'm done I wish there was more. If you've ever read a great book and couldn't put it down 'till it was finished you know what I'm talking about. Get this DVD set - you will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and Appropriate Tribute
Review: The 10 part series is a testament to the men of Easy Company for their heroics as well as to all men and women who stood together during a dangerous period of world history.The interspersing of actual members of Easy Co. and the story line brought to life the joys, fears and lives of the men. The ensemble cast does a remarkable job of bringing to life events of the past and recreating the events. The only down side is the often cartoonish southern drawls of the British actors. All else is flawless!
Rating:
Summary: Almost Perfect
Review: The DVD release of "Band of Brothers" is an exceptionally high-quality home video product. For anyone interested in World War II or epic filmmaking, this is a must have. The set consists of six DVDs, five of which contain two episodes each. At first you may wonder where the audio and language options are when the main menu for each DVD appears. These menus appear once an episode title has been selected. The menu for each episode includes chapter selection, an episode summary, a variety of audio options, and in the package's only real failing, the option to have only Spanish subtitles or none at all. No English subtitles are available, so the hard-of-hearing or the script geeks (like me) who like to follow the text on the screen, will need to have TVs with built-in closed captioning. The sixth DVD includes the documentary that was aired on HBO about the real men of Easy company, as well as trailers for upcoming episodes. Additonal video features include the premiere of the series at Normandy, where the actual veterans of Easy Company were in attendance. It is great to see the actors together with men they portrayed. One feature found on every DVD, which I found incredibly useful, is the Field Guide. This has definitions of every military term used in the series. For those who have wondered about military ranks, this field guide has the complete listing of each rank, along with the appropriate isignia. Take a look at this before viewing, and the appearance of characters' uniforms will be much more meaningful. For those who saw HBO's Golden Globe/Emmy winning mini-series when it was telecast, this DVD will be a welcome way to revisit and savor this great depiction of a true story (or rather, multiple true stories). For those who have not seen it, this is the one HBO product to have. Forget "The Sopranos," forget "Sex and the City." These are quirky products which are vastly over-rated by the critics. "Band of Brothers," on the other hand, is a monumental achievement for television, rivaling the dramatic intensity of "Saving Private Ryan," and far surpassing every other war movie released since then except for "Blackhawk Down," another true story. If you think that, because it was made for television, it will pale in comparison to its megaplex brethren, think again. "Band of Brothers" stages some jaw-dropping battle sequences, and follows the lives of a cavalcade of characters with deft skill. Acting, direction, editing, special effects, music...all are top-notch. A few riveting moments:
Episode 2: Easy Company assaults and captures a German gun position that was firing on the landing parties at Normandy. The episode's epilog points out that this assault has become THE textbook example of how to attack a fixed position, and is still taught at military academies today. Episode 3: Easy Company holds the line against an armored assault by the Germans after the companies flanking them have fled the field. Episode 9: On patrol in the woods of Germany, Easy Company stumbles upon one of the great horrors of this or any war, a concentration camp.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Best
Review: There has never been a finer movie about WWII. It shows the special bonding that only takes place between men who have experienced combat together. From the haunting theme music to the excruciating combat scenes, this was a compelling presentation of the power and pain of war. No other television program has so well demonstrated the overwhelming confusion and chaos that takes place in war or how a group of men, under stresses that would make most of us crack, could overcome their own fears and the forces arrayed against them. The world owes its honor and respect to the men of Easy Company and the rest who gave their youth and their lives to overcome the Evil of their time. To those who find the stresses and struggles of life today unbearable, especially those born after WWII, I suggest you watch this series and discover the difference that courage, committment, and the dedication of a Band of Brothers can make in this world. May we never forget their sacrifices!
Rating:
Summary: A truly monumental achievement in film.
Review: Saving Private Ryan started a genre of WWII films whereby achieving total accuracy in both the human and military aspects of warfare was the underlying goal of the whole production. The acting is superb; character development is very well done. Many have already raved about this series, and I could rave on about it too, it is just great, but the one area I want to expound on is the historical accuracy of this film series. The accuracy of the battle scenes is truly fantastic, whereby the German tanks, light field howitzers and self-propelled guns are either real in some scenes but in most cases, replicated with exacting detail that would fool only the most observant WWII armor expert. Let's face it, there are not many Tiger Is or JagdPanthers (tank destroyer) left in running condition if any at all, so it is left up to the creativity of those tasked with the production of these films to product a convincing facsimile. In the case of the Tiger I heavy tanks, the same ones used in Private Ryan were used which were mock-ups on-top of a Russian T-34 chassis. Again, they really pulled it off, so much better than the desert-sand painted American Patton tanks serving under Field Marshall Erwin Rommel in the movie Patton (1970). The uniforms, equipment, small arms, and sets are very accurate, and really do an effective job of transporting the viewer back to the 1944-1945 ETO. This is a great series, and a very nicely done DVD collection, too bad you can't give it 10 stars because I would...
Rating:
Summary: the best on war
Review: Never liked war movies. This one changed my view.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Achievement
Review: Band of Brothers is by far the best film I've seen in years. This film should be the example to which all future historical dramas should look for inspiration. The acting, sets, script, direction, music, special effects and cinematography all shine. Well worth the money and time.
Rating:
Summary: A Production With a Sense of Mission
Review: A bonus feature included with the DVD set provides a hint at what makes this production a one-of-a-kind classic. An actor, Ron Livingston, kept a video diary of the beginning stages of his involvement in the production. We see him beginning to research his role of Lewis Nixon, Battalion and Regimental intelligence officer by reading Stephen Ambrose histories and 1940's field manuals. He meets Lewis Nixon's widow and pores over photos of the man he's playing. We see him awed by a telephone call with the REAL commander of Easy Company, Dick Winters,in which he promises to do his best in acting the part of Winters' lifelong friend. THAT's part of what makes this production special. The writers did additional research for each episode, in many cases interviewing the surviving members or family of Easy Company. The actors did the same, in many cases calling from the set to run a line reading by the vet they were playing. The Easy family members speak fondly of "our actor," the one who played their vet. All of that bonding and commitment to getting it right comes through on the screen. This is an off-the-charts production that repays repeated viewings. I cannot speak of it too highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Five Star Film - Three Star DVD
Review: I can't say enough good things about Band of Brothers. It was such a tremendous undertaking and so well executed. The idea of "trailing" one or two characters through each episode in order to better see events from different perspectives - "Bastogne" from the eyes of the medic. "Breaking Point" from Lipton's perspective - was well conceived and, better still, well done. Unfortunately, for all the wonders of the script, the acting, the directing and cinematography, the DVD just doesn't manage to carry the same level of quality. First, rather than the letteboxed format used in the original bradcast, the DVDs are formatted for 16:9 Widescreen - effectively dropping some film elements from the sides of the screen. Second, while the bonus features promise great potential, much of it is little more than window dressing - the maps have little in the way of detail and could have been expanded with little effort, the ranks are incomplete, the list of Easy Company soldiers, while nice, would have been nicer had it included some additional photos and possible filmographies for the actors. All in all, while I'm glad to include the film on my shelf, I'm sorely dissapointed with the effort put into converting such a grand undertaking to DVD.
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