Band of Brothers - the tale of citizen soldiers and heroes (Band Of Brothers - The Complete Series (6 DVDs))

Member Name: agewills

Product:	Band Of Brothers - The Complete Series (6 DVDs)
Date:	21/10/09 (8 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great acting, script, moving re-telling of true events, great special effects and sound

Disadvantages: none

I was a big fan of Saving Private Ryan. The intensity, immersiveness and the quality of the filming. Tom Hanks apparently makes a rather smashing director. So Band of Brothers instantly appealed when I heard he was going to be involved again. Produced by Steven Speilberg too. It had to be good. I admit, I first watched this series when it was on TV a good few years ago. I guess it was 2001/2. Since that time I bought the DVD box set and it is quite possibly the most watched of all my DVD's (of which there are a few). At that time I wasn't aware that the series was based on the Stephen.E.Ambrose books which were in turn based on the factual exploits of so called "Citizen Soldiers". I have since read all of his books and I would highly recommend them to anyone that has an interesting in WW2. The Band of Brothers book in particular is a smashing read, moving and involving from cover to cover and clearly more in depth than even a mini-series could be.

This small series follows the "Band of Brothers", that is E company, of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division all the way from their training, parachute jumps and mountain runs right through to the D-Day landings, battle of the bulge and their arrival at the Hitlers Berchesgaden at the end of the war. It is deeply involving and each episode focuses not on the company as a whole but on individual soldiers. Heroes who risked their lives for the freedom of generations to come. Each episode is neatly introduced by the reminicising of elderly men who remain unnamed but are clearly moved by the events they speak of. The featurette dvd will make it clear who each person is, but within the episodes it is made a mystery, to good effect. Because of this, it's clear from the off that this is not a work of fiction. These broken down old men were once America's elite paratroopers. Killing the enemy where-ever they might meet, fighting for their very lives and the man next to them in order to complete the mission, win the war and get back home to their sweet hearts, jobs or college. The series is well filmed and with each episode you learn more about each person, their traits and skills and a certain attachment and respect is formed. These men don't think of themselves as heroes, yet they would say that of those they left behind or the men who had stood side-by-side with them. In much the same way that Saving Private Ryan did, this series reminds you that these men are not professional soldiers, but average joes, thrust into a war they didn't want but one in which they volunteered to be the best and fight with the best.

The short series gives you only a glimpse of the action, but much more than any film could have done. Snippets from Normandy, Holland, Belgium and Germany. All woven together into a wonderful homage to great men. My favourite episode is probably one of the middle ones. "Cross roads", an episode of praise and respect for E company's comanding officer Richard Winters. Winters is shown as a fearless leader, always leading from the front as any good leader should. Never sending his men to do something he wouldn't be willing to do himself.

The special effects in the film are clearly not low budget and neither are the quality of the sets, the locations or the actors. You might recognise the actors from other films or tv outings. One of the chaps was even in "press gang" a few years ago (if you remember that) and more recently Lock stock and two smoking barrels. Sadly Tom Hanks has not stepped in to act this time, but perhaps that's for the best for us Saving Private Ryan fans. The sound and picture quality is first rate and the series still looks amazing on an upscaled DVD player onto an HDTV. They have recently released it on blu ray and it speaks volumes to say that I am seriously tempted.

Once you've finished watching the series, I can highly recommend the features disc, which is jam-packed with extras; behind the scenes, featurrettes, interviews with the cast and the real people. Its very intimate and moving and a very strong box set indeed. Once you've done that, go and pick up the book and read that too. Their sacrifice demands it. Its just a shame this was the only series. If Hanks or Speilberg ever felt like turning any other of Stephen.E.Ambroses books into films or mini-series, they would be onto a winner. I'd love to see the British soliders taking pegasus bridge filmed with modern HD cameras and special effects.

Summary: moving re-telling of true events