Band of Brothers

Growing up my dad got me into learning about the history of World War 2 and how the brave men fought for what they believed in. World War 2 has been so fascinating to me because many countries were involved to fight an evil power trying to take over. This TV series was amazing because it showed story lines from multiple different views of soldiers fighting in the war. It displayed their heroic effort and how they lived months over sees, not knowing if they would see their family again. I felt that all the characters were so real and I felt I had a connection with them. I suggest this to anyone who loves learning about history!

Band of Brothers a miniseries by HBO follows the 101st Airborne Division Paratroopers on WWII. It starts with their combat training, and then dives into well known missions such as Market Garden, Battle of the Bulge, Siege of Bastogne and even the concentration camps which is based on real life events and characters as well. The series covers the entire war that ends at the “Eagles Nest” where Hitler was hiding out. The series is very graphic trying to give the viewer the full experience of war and the education as well. The series is produced by Tom Hanks and is done in conjunction to the movie Saving Private Ryan that he stared in.

The outstanding HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," based on the Steven Ambrose book of the same name, should be required viewing for everyone, due to its unflinching depiction of the realities of war. But this series is as captivating as it is informative, and even entertaining despite the difficult subject matter. This is the true story of the Easy Company of the 105th Airborne Division paratroopers, following their combat training, their actual combat on D-Day, at Market-Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and their liberation of a concentration camp and control of Hitler's German mountain refuge. All of the characters are real, and are mostly played by lesser known actors. David Schwimmer of "Friends" does appear in a couple episodes as do "Saturday Night Live's" Jimmy Fallon (very briefly) and Tom Hanks' son Colin. Fans of NBC's "Boomtown" will also recognize four of the actors, especially Donnie Wahlberg and Neal McDonough, who have major roles. Each episode begins with pertinent moments from interviews with the actual surviving members of Easy Company, though they are not identified so as not to give away which characters survive the war. It takes a while, but becoming familiar with the many characters and their comaraderie for one another is what makes this series so compelling. Producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have delivered outstanding filmmaking which will definitely remind you of "Saving Private Ryan" but improves on that film because of the depth that a miniseries allows. You will want to watch the DVD extras, especially the 80 minute documentary with the surviving soldiers, so you can see these characters as they are now in real life. The thirty minute making-of documentary is decent but not extraordinary. Actor Ron Livingston's "video diaries" for HBO take you through the ten-day "boot camp" that the actors went through before shooting, and provides some amusement, but is mainly just HBO promotional material as are the rest of the DVD extras.

With this superb ten-hour film Hanks and Spielberg make amends for the sentimental absurdities of Saving Private Ryan. Band of Brothers, while no less masterfully produced, is both tough and tough-minded. Since it's based on the recorded experience of the men it depicts, that's no surprise.

Band of Brothers is the biography of Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, from the time of its creation at boot camp in Georgia in 1942 to the end of the war in Europe. Because it is the biography of an actual (and legendary) military unit, this long movie is not "another war story". It is the warts-and-all story of a company of citizen soldiers (less than 200 in number at any given time) who suffered 150% casualties in the course of less than a year's action from D-Day in 1944 to VE Day 1945. We get to know about fifteen of them very well, in training, combat and daily lives under the often boring and fractious circumstances of dogface troops the world over. It is an awe inspiring experience for us to live with them for so long a time, something that can be done reading a book, but not while viewing a theatrical-release film which can perforce last only a few hours at most. Band of Brothers is an audio-visual book of great force, its insights engendering compassion for the fallen and the wounded and the suffering of those that Easy Company encountered - soldiers of the Wehrmacht, civilians, survivors of a concentration camp for Jews they "accidentally" liberated.

This is one of the very few films about combat soldiers in WW II which can safely be viewed as "history," and which should be viewed by everyone and their children, let we forget.

One of the best mini-series I've seen. The characters draw you into their stories and the harsh realities of war.

This is one of the best mini-series I have ever seen. Everything about is is fantastic from the acting to the cinematography. You really get the sense of being in WWII with these soldiers. It is not a glorified pro-American war movie-even though the main characters are American. Instead it gives the viewer a window into what life was like in wartime Europe for the typical soldier. A must see.

If you like war movies, this mini series is worth watching again. For a made for TV series, it is very good.

I rented the first disk just because it was at a reduced price. From that small momment on I was hooked on the people and places in Band of Brother . It is argueably one of the best mini-series ever made. I rented the rest of the disc's and was compelled to buy my own copy. You will not regret the purchase. Costumes,casting,sound,effects. All are top notch. A must have.

i wasnt sure about this when i first heard about it because it was made for television. As soon as I saw the first episode though, I was forced to watch the rest within the next few days. I think everyone should watch this because it really does a great job of depicting what the soldiers really went through in WWII.

By the end of the first episode, you find yourself inevitably sucked in and providing you have the time, you will most likely watch all the other episodes one after the other. (That’s what I did). Chances are, when you are done, within 24hours, you will be ready to start all over again. Honest, it’s that good. A truly remarkable series with an outstanding attention to detail, down to murals in Normandy towns with commercials for now defunct companies, an old french farming “Percheron” tractor in the background in one of the scenes, obviously this involved serious research, the people who made this possible have done an incredible job. Just for the historical value, this is a must have, every family should own this set as it shows us a very important part of our history.

Seen Saving Private Ryan? If you liked that movie then this is definitely a series you will enjoy. This small screen production is an amazing, eye-opening historical perspective on the ravages of the European theatre of WWII seen through the American GI. As in Saving Private Ryan, combat equipment is authentically portrayed (I think they used the samer Tiger II and 88) and this production depicts the fear, violence, camaraderie, humanity and in-humanity, savage butchery, black dread, incredible good fortune and mis-fortune, abject stupidity, boredom, psychology, and documented actions experienced by a dynamic collection of combat heroes of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne E Company. Its a serious, intense and very edgy story. You will be profoundly moved anytime you watch any of the episodes, especially on Remembrance Day.