Curahee (Band Of Brothers - The Complete Series (6 DVDs))

Member Name: count_zero

Product:	Band Of Brothers - The Complete Series (6 DVDs)
Date:	15/12/06 (330 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gripping retelling of front line combat in WWII

Disadvantages: Gory and distressing in places

Band of Brothers

Following the critical and commercial success of Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks believed that there were more stories from WWII that needed retelling. Inspired by the book by Stephen Ambrose of the same name they chose to tell the story of Easy Company; one of the US Army's first paratrooper regiments and one of the most decorated.
Utilising all the clout at their disposal they decided that rather than making a film they would spread the story over ten episodes on TV but use movie standard production values and an accompanying blockbuster-movie sized budget. The result is that they have the space to tell the story in great detail. Easy Company had a short life, but it was filled with action and drama and we have time to follow the key engagements and form a close affinity with the large cast.

War films have come a long way since the one-eyed releases of thirty plus years ago. The biggest shift came with the Vietnam War films of the late eighties that dared to look at the moral questions that combat asks of soldiers and the effect on the individual of those choices. Cinematically the recent jump forward has been largely technical with improved visual and audio effects and the use of handheld cameras. 'Saving Private Ryan' was the instigator of this new wave of war films and whatever criticism has been levelled at it in recent years I would invite you to remember when you saw it at the cinema. The opening scene on the beach was so brutal and visceral that most audiences would have been reeling for much of the rest of the film. This style of dramatising combat is now the norm and Band of Brothers is no different, where handheld cameras and fizzing sound effects bring you to the heart of the action.

While 'Saving Private Ryan' opened with this brutal scene, here the opening episode takes us to the Toccoa training camp, a far gentler introduction that allows us the time to get to know the men and witness the growing camaraderie between them as they get their paratrooper's wings and the date for entering combat approaches. Indeed, the opening episode is so gentle that it is rumoured that it was broadcast as a double episode with the D-Day jump into Normandy because the network thought that an hour of watching men running up and down a big hill might not grab the audience enough.

It is easy to see where the money has been spent in this series. What has been produced is effectively a ten hour blockbuster, which special effects to match. Being a war movie there are plenty of explosions and gun battles, but there are many examples where a more subtle touch proves effective in bringing the action to life. In one scene a soldier climbs a tree to gain access to a target, coming under fire from the ground we see the bullets ripping through the branches. The use of a washed out palette is effective in lending the series a period feel and enhances the soulless feel of war. There is no warmth to be found in any of the scenes. Another trend in recent cinema is to recreate familiar images using modern technology. Ron Howard did it in Apollo 13 with the launch sequence looking so familiar, in all except quality, that it was easy to think you were watching stock footage of the original Apollo launch. Likewise here, the image of hundreds of paratroopers falling to earth with their instantly recognisable round parachutes is one so familiar that it is easy to forget the amount of CGI involved.

They say that a soldier's life is made up of extended periods of boredom interspersed with bursts of frenzied, underpant threatening activity and the pace of the series allows this to be captured. As a frontline force Easy Company didn't have much downtime but the breaks between engagements are still used here to allow other stories to be developed, such as the impact of replacements on the platoon dynamic and the changing attitude to the individual German soldiers they encounter.
The contrast of calm and mayhem is best captured in episode 7 "The Breaking Point". Set in Bastogne as the battle of the bulge reaches its climax, it shows Easy Company surrounded by German artillery seeking refuge in a forest while they attempt to hold off the enemy advance. The gloomy, snow laden air and forest setting give it a claustrophobic feel and a misleading sense of calm for when the artillery barrage strikes it is brutal in the extreme. This is the grisliest of episodes and the carnage and loss of life is startling and immediate.

One of the key elements of this series is the prominent role taken by the original men of Easy Company. Each episode is preceded by the veterans relating memories appropriate to that episode, so in the early episodes they talk about the training and the effects of fear upon entering combat. These act to bridge the gap between dramatic re-creation and documentary and give each episode a gripping reality. It is always a strange experience watching veterans from the world wars as they are obviously now old men and it can be hard to see the young soldiers they once were. This isn't always the case, Carwood Lipton looks every inch the firm jawed senior NCO, Bill Gaurnere the abrasive street fighter from South Philly and Dick Winters still possesses the air of calm and authority that made him such a respected leader. Of the rest, many would look more comfortable handing out the Werthers Originals than charging a machine gun nest.
Despite being touted as the most expensive TV series ever made the producers made the conscious decision to field a cast of virtual unknowns. All the big hitters are behind the cameras (and with executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks they don't come much bigger) and these are the names that created the initial publicity. Filmed in the UK many of the cast are British, with the notable exception of David Schwimmer; the only actor likely to be familiar to American audiences. The choice of Schwimmer was a controversial one and arguably a weak link in an otherwise strong line up. After starring for so long in the series 'Friends' he brings an awful lot of baggage and doesn't have the range to make you think this is anything other than Ross conscripted into the army. The character itself is a strange one as well; the antithesis of the usual army movie drill sergeant, exemplified by R Lee Ermey's stunning turn in 'Full Metal Jacket', he rules through spite and mean-spiritedness rather than fear. Former New Kid on the Block Donnie Wahlberg is good value as Lipton and there are a host of British actors involved. Largely unknown to US audiences there are several familiar faces for us Brits. Leading the charge is Damian Lewis playing Winters and Dexter Fletcher, all displaying passable accents to my uncritical ear. There is even an unlikely role for Simon Pegg in the early episodes.

While it is hard to fault any of the casting one element is overlooked. The majority of the soldiers involved were very young men, most of them were barely twenty when they first joined the paratrooper regiment and even the college educated officers rarely reach 25, but with a cast looking decidedly thirty something this aspect is lost. One of the key messages from the series is the high cost in human life that war provokes and while the series shows this effectively the use of a more realistically young cast would have made the message more boldly.

Extras
The extras are short on quantity but long on impact. There is the standard, but well made, 'Making of …' piece looking at the technical aspects of the film as well as interviews with the main players, a notable absentee being Spielberg who doesn't seem to go much for DVD extras. There is also a video diary series by Ron Livingstone (Capt Nixon) following the cast as they go through a two week 'boot camp' to prepare for the film.
The value of the extras comes with the two pieces: 'We Stand Alone Together' and 'Who's Who: The Men of Easy Company'. It is here that we meet the veterans as they talk us through their memories of serving in Easy Company. What comes through is the raw emotion, barely concealed, that remains regardless of the passing years. You can clearly see that in their minds they are reliving the events they are describing as if they had happened yesterday.

Hollywood doesn't have a great reputation for historical accuracy in war films; 'U-571' being a particular stinker, but this series is an exception. With a wealth of first hand accounts to draw on the producers have taken every step to ensure that they stay true to the original events as far as possible. Another complaint is that they are very one-eyed in ignoring the efforts of the other allied forces but again this is unfair here as this is clearly the story of a single US regiment.
In collaboration Hanks and Spielberg slipped towards over-sentimentality in 'Saving Private Ryan' but this is not the case here. Although the message of camaraderie comes through it is not over-egged and the only grand-standing speech about the comradeship of brothers in arms is given to a German general addressing his surrendering troops. Delivered in German and translated by Liebgott, a Jewish soldier in Easy Company, this could grate but it doesn't. It is a moving speech and provides a satisfying coda to the story.
I have now watched this several times and remain very impressed. Each viewing reveals more detail and I look forward to watching it again. This won't be to everyone's taste and the bloodshed and gore may be off-putting but for an honest depiction of war there hasn't been much better.

Summary: High water mark for war drama