Editorial Review:Description:Based on the bestseller by Stephen E. Ambrose, the epic 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers' journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear. They were an elete rifle company parachuting into France early on D-Day morning, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and capturing Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. They were also a unit that suffered 150 percent casualties, and whose lives became legend.
DVD Features:DVD ROM Features:Weblinks to the orignal Band of Brothers website and more!
Documentary:'We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company' - 80 minute documentary featuring interviews with the real men of Easy Company
Featurette:30-minute 'The Making of Band of Brothers' The Premiere On The Beaches of Normandy - includes interviews with Easy Company vetrans and heads of state for the United States, Great Britian, France and Canada.
Interviews:Ron Livingston's Video Diaries - The experience of making 'Band of Brothers' through the eyes of one actor.
Other:Interactive 'Field Guide': An extensive reference feature that details the people, places and events associated with Easy Company's campaigns through Europe, and World War II as a whole, including sections such as: soldiers, timelines, maps, chain-of-command and glossary of terms.
Scene Access
Amazon.com:An impressively rigorous, unsentimental, and harrowing look at combat during World War II,
Band of Brothers follows a company of airborne infantry--Easy Company--from boot camp through the end of the war. The brutality of training takes the audience by increments to the even greater brutality of the war; Easy Company took part in some of the most difficult battles, including the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the failed invasion of Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the liberation of a concentration camp and the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest. But what makes these episodes work is not their historical sweep but their emphasis on riveting details (such as the rattle of a plane as the paratroopers wait to leap, or a flower in the buttonhole of a German soldier) and procedures (from military tactics to the workings of bureaucratic hierarchies). The scope of this miniseries (10 episodes, plus an actual documentary filled with interviews with surviving veterans) allows not only a thoroughness impossible in a two-hour movie, but also captures the wide range of responses to the stress and trauma of war--fear, cynicism, cruelty, compassion, and all-encompassing confusion. The result is a realism that makes both simplistic judgments and jingoistic enthusiasm impossible; the things these soldiers had to do are both terrible and understandable, and the psychological price they paid is made clear. The writing, directing, and acting are superb throughout. The cast is largely unknown, emphasizing the team of actors as a whole unit, much like the regiment; Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston play the central roles of two officers with grit and intelligence.
Band of Brothers turns a vast historical event into a series of potent personal experiences; it's a deeply engrossing and affecting accomplishment.
--Bret Fetzer
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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By far the best war movie ever
I am going to start by saying that I am not a fan of war movies. This series is hands down the best war story I have ever seen. I think it is better than any other war movie or series that I have seen because it focuses on a variety of characters. It isn't just one or two main people. Everyone's flaws and fears and pain is so real. It's long, but you can't stop once you start. I have seen the series 3 times now, and I really want to get the Blu-Ray version and watch it again!
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BoB Should Get 10 Stars
* Band of Brothers is by far the best mini series television has ever offered. I love to watch all the mini series, but Band of Brothers is in a category all its own. I particularly like historical and WWII dramas and Band of Brothers is at the top of the list in both categories. I watch different episodes frequently and always find it dynamic, inspiring, revealing, and it draws me back again and again. ...
Rating: 
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I just didn't like it
I feel it is necessary for me to express a negative view on this TV mini-series that is somewhat legit and reasonable, unlike those found here.
Band of Brothers has wonderful cinematography and very impressive production values, but the stories just doesn't hold my interest through the whole thing, and yes I know they're real stories. I enjoy Enemy At The Gates, The Deer Hunter, and the first-half of Full Metal Jacket, so it's not like I wanted more action. It's just that both the action scenes and the drama scenes do not reach out to me. People say that BoB is so realistic you feel like you're there in the battlefield. Well to me, I wanted to go to sleep. I didn't feel like I was there in combat with these men, otherwise I would be wide awake and on the edge of my seat. I just felt bored out of mind.
I thought I would be in for a wonderful cinematic experience. After all, when people claim that "every episode is a masterpiece" and "BoB is the best damn television I have ever seen," how could you possibly go wrong? People love it so much, they recommend it to everybody, even those who hate war movies. It's also recommended to people who enjoy Saving Private Ryan. I mean, all the signs were there... they were all pointing to this as something that I should thoroughly enjoy. But after the first episode, I just lost interest.
Despite my lack of interest, I was looking forward to "Bastogne" and "Why We Fight" anyways because everyone was talking about it. When I watched "Bastogne" I felt disappointed. It just didn't live up to the hype that people were claiming it to be. I was anticipating "Why We Fight" because many viewers mentioned the "hair-raising experience" of the episode and how just this one episode warranted "an Academy Award" on its own. So of course I was excited, and like "Bastogne" the concentration camp episode didn't move me at all. I felt no emotions when the gates open, and I'm a sentimental person okay... I cried when Mufasa died in The Lion King.
The series jump from character to character but there are a handful of main characters that they focus on. The problem with me is that I just don't care about them. The only real life soldier who I enjoyed viewing is Capt. Speirs. He was just too cool to ignore. If there was more of him, I would give this mini a higher rating.
Now, when people herald Band of Brothers as the greatest television EVER, and that every episode is a MASTERPIECE... that means a lot to me. I don't know whether it was the hype that made me give this series a terrible rating, or if it was the realism. Maybe I have a problem with realistic movies, I don't know but certainly the realistic aspect of Band of Brothers didn't make me appreciate it that much more.
Since this is a subjective review, I give Band of Brothers one star because I watched the entire series so that it can lend credibility to my opinion. If I have to give an objective review, then I wouldn't bother rating this. Plus, I watched many of the episodes a couple of times (Currahee thrice, Bastogne twice, Why We Fight twice, Crossing Point twice, and Points twice) just to make sure that I didn't really like it and that it wasn't just because I had a bad day when I viewed it the first time. But in truth, I didn't like any of the episodes.
I would also like to say that when people claim Band of Brothers as the best television they have ever seen, I hope they're joking because I would rather watch Futurama, Animaniacs, The Wire, Oz, The Sopranos or even Seinfeld than Band of Brothers. I build myself up to disappointment I guess.
Overall, I did not enjoy my viewing experience with Band of Brothers. I would recommend this, however, to everyone else because everyone else seems to love it... but this just isn't for me.
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Band of Brothers
* I was very pleased with the timeframe in which it arrived. I am giving it for a Christmas gift, so I don't know about the quality. However, it appears to be in good shape. ...
Rating: -
band of Brothers
I wanted this movie set for a long time. This is such a great World War II movie that I finished whole night as I received it.
