Composer:
Michael KamenCast:
Damian Lewis, Scott Grimes, Ron Livingston, Donnie Wahlberg, Shane Taylor, Rick Warden, Michael Cudlitz, Neal McDonough, Frank John Hughes (more)VOD (4)
Episodes(10)
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Currahee (E01)
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Day of Days (E02)
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Carentan (E03)
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Replacements (E04)
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Crossroads (E05)
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Bastogne (E06)
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The Breaking Point (E07)
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The Last Patrol (E08)
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Why We Fight (E09)
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Points (E10)
Plots(1)
This 10-part HBO television mini series focuses on Easy Company, a group of American soldiers in World War II, tracking their experiences from the beginning of boot camp to the end of the war. Anchored by actors Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston, the series gives detailed attention to their experiences as a group, as well as the way that each of them develops individually. Based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose's book of real-life accounts, Band of Brothers was executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who worked together on Saving Private Ryan. Hanks also directed one episode, featuring his son, Colin Hanks. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (11)
I'm probably damaging the series by giving only four stars because it features excellent craftsmanship and is one of the peaks of the genre. It is a realistically presented war drama, brilliantly cast with well-drawn characters, without cheap pathos, and at the same time with a sufficiently large budget to create a visually attractive series. I only mind the distorted American view of World War II, which only a good history expert fully realizes. Although Band of Brothers is essentially civil, it lacks the traditional infamous patriotism, and the viewer naturally does not find out while watching the series how low the combat morale of the American units was on the Western Front, and how low the support for the war was in Europe among the American public. The United States had long been drawn into isolationist policies, partly due to its bad experience in its involvement in World War I. The European war was not popular, and actually, only the drastic shots from concentration camps and the depiction of German atrocities at the end of the war subsequently justified entry into the war and wartime losses in the public eye. That's why the anti-Jewish pogroms also attracted such strong attention. The American command wanted to minimize losses and conducted the war campaign very cautiously with regard to public opinion at home. The usual tactic was to decimate the enemy through intensive bombing and artillery shelling to avoid any resistance if possible. Even in the last months of the war, when American units faced a demoralized enemy running out of fuel and supplies, they advanced only an average of 3-5 km per day, despite their overwhelming superiority. Viewers of the series simply won't learn about many of these things or at least won't learn about them to the full extent. Although there was dying and suffering on the Western Front too, it is incomparable to the dramas that took place on the Eastern Front or during partisan warfare. Overall impression: 90%.
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Some of the episodes are “only” brilliant and some are downright masterpieces, especially episodes six, seven and nine: Bastogne, The Breaking Point, and Why We Fight, the last one of which took my breath away. By the way, the fifth episode, Crossroads, was directed by Tom Hanks himself and with his use of interesting cuts between two time planes and unusual camera angles he proves that he is not only a great actor but also a great director. Overall, I bow in deep respect to the people behind this ten-part work of genius, for the impeccable filmmaking, for the absence of annoying jingoism, and for the deep humanity that permeates all the episodes. Ladies and gentlemen, 5 stars is not enough in this case!
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A masterpiece! Even twenty years later. When the series premiered, "Medal of Honor" and "Call of Duty" were being played daily by players. But two decades have passed, and over time you gain some experience, learn a few things, and thanks to media coverage, the war is actually online on our phones, and suddenly we perceive the ten-hour colossus is completely differently. That senseless massacre in the Ardennes is no longer as cool, and neither are the torn bodies. Suddenly, there are ten mini-stories about one huge bit of determination, about real "ordinary men" who did "extraordinary things," which stands precisely on the edge of a celebratory ode and simple military pathos, never sliding into kitsch or pleasing flattery. HBO spent an extravagant budget for its time, which the creators pumped into the magnificent set design and huge cast, where mud and snow get under their nails. These small outbursts of humanity (particularly the medic's ordeal) only confirm the power of the storytelling. A genre benchmark and a series standard that continues to dominate in many aspects and leaves most competitors far behind.
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Fantastic work! The creators took the best of Saving Private Ryan (a naturalistic and technically brilliant depiction of the war), got rid of the disgusting patriotic pathos, and focused their series on believable flesh-and-blood characters who make mistakes and behave like real people. The narrative concept, in which each episode focuses on a different point of view and pays attention to different characters, is initially confusing, but once you get used to a few key faces, Band of Brothers becomes a truly addictive affair. The image of war is appropriately harsh, immediate and indeed brilliantly transmitted through the eye of the camera to the viewer's brain. The perfectionism of the camera and the direction is astonishing, and even though we have already seen most of the tricks in Spielberg's war tale, it is only in Band of Brothers that it truly feels immediate. Michael Kamen's majestic music is also excellent, and of course the screenwriters deserve maximum recognition, who managed to mesh the seemingly disparate war images into a completely coherent whole and create the potential for film images as powerful as the miniature love story of the medic and the French nurse in Bastogne. Band of Brothers is not just a spectacular experience, it is also a supremely impressive portrait of war suffering and everyday heroism...
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Our heroes deserve the best possible tribute. And that’s just what HBO did. That’s right, it’s that easy... On the other hand, it’s true that not every episode is complete genius. Some of them are “only" highly above-average, but who cares when the rest of the series is jam packed full of unforgettable moments. And not just battle moments, but primarily the human moments. ♫ OST score: 4/5
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Visually impeccable, well handled by the actors, just a bit too tedious at times. Come to think of it, Band of Brothers is more a documentary rather than an ordinary series.
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A perfect portrayal of war and everything that goes with it. The story of soldiers who are only killing machines in war, but from their point of view it is something else.
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A Saving Private Ryan movie stretched over ten hours? Nope. Because Brotherhood is better than Ryan. It goes into more depth (which makes sense given that it has so much time and characters to do so), is more believable, and especially after I read the book, it became unbeatable for me. The Tom Hanks-directed episode is clearly the best.
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A true masterpiece that describes with great veracity and naturalism every aspect of the lives of "brothers in arms" in the face of their enemies. The battle scenes are without exception visually and aurally breathtaking, while all the scenes where the rifles remain lowered are absolutely stunning in their emotional authenticity and their naturalness, which is downright chilling. I have always shuddered at the thought of war, how I would die a painful death amidst the filth and blood; after watching this series, I fear I will survive it in physical, but not mental health. This is the true face of war. 100%
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Probably the best war series or film I've ever seen. Except for minor details, it has absolutely realistic combat scenes, weaponry and equipment, a well-written script, and well-cast characters. I would never have expected to see anything like this made by the Americans. They never seem to bother with historical accuracy of combat equipment. Those who've seen Battle of the Bulge know what I'm talking about. Their strategy is the following: a tank’s a tank, and as long as it has tracks, who can tell the difference? This series shows that with a little effort they can achieve greatness. Plus, the show doesn’t just focus on combat action, it also portrays the characters very well, which makes it even better and more interesting. The only disappointment came when the final episode was over.
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Amazingly shot series with the best take on the WWII that you can see. From the moment I met the cast of characters in Episode 1, I cared about all of them, and it stayed that way until the end. And on top of that a wonderful soundtrack, set design, effects, sound. This is how you properly use a generous budget.
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