Band of Brothers DVD with Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Donnie Wahlberg (NR) +Movie Reviews +Used DVD available for Swap

Band of Brothers - The Ultimate WWII experience!

K. Wyatt | St. Louis, MO United States | 01/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Band of Brothers is an awe inspiring and visually stunning tribute, not only to Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, but to the "Greatest Generation." But for their sacrifices, would we share the freedoms we so cherish and covet to our vests today! Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg deserve all of the awards and accolades they received for bringing this epic to HBO and now this incredible DVD box set!Part 1 - Currahee - Currahee is a wonderful beginning to this unprecedented HBO miniseries. Outside of the movie "Saving Private Ryan" there has never before been such a realistic series such as this one. Currahee poignantly highlights the training that was necessary for the newly designed Airborne Infantry. While some may think that Captain Sobel was a complete idiot, in all truth, his combat skills were obviously lacking however, as a trainer, he put Easy Company in a very good position as a well trained unit.Part 2 - Day of Days - D-Day has arrived and Easy Company makes the jump that they've been preparing two years for. As history unfolds, the German flak has caused nearly every plane to miss their designated drop zone. 1LT Winters finds he's in Normandy, lost his weapon and his company. He finally arrives at the assembly area and is given the mission to take out a German artillery position. Day of Days is an excellent episode that doesn't miss out on 1LT Winters depth of emotions as he loses his first soldier in combat.Part 3 - Carentan - Easy Company is ordered in to take the French village of Carentan. While encountering only minor resistance, they take light casualties. After successfully taking the town, they're ordered to move on to the next objective. En route, they encounter the German force sent to retake Carentan. They stalemate for the evening, expecting to forge a full assault in the morning. The Germans have other plans though and counter attack in the morning with a combined force of mechanized infantry and armor. Fortunately for Easy Company, they are finally rescued by the 2nd Armored Division. Shortly after this action they are lucky enough to get some R&R back in England. The show ends with orders back to the front and a very poignant final scene to yet another wonderful episode.Part 4 - Replacements - Replacements jumps forward to September and Easy Company is on R&R in England. They're called into Operation Market Garden. Easy Company is given the mission to take Eindhoven, Holland. They were told they would be running into light resistance. Operation Market Garden turns into a huge failure and the Allied Forces are turned back with heavy casualties. Sgt "Bull" Randleman is quite unfortunate enough to get stuck behind enemy lines. "Replacements" is another excellent episode.Part 5 - Crossroads - Crossroads is one of the best shows of the whole miniseries. Captain Winters, due to the costs of war, garners advancement from Easy Company Commander to Battalion Executive Officer. The episode is shown, through the eyes of Captain Winters as he is preparing a report on the actions of October 5th when he led his company in the attack of a German SS position. The more telling part is later in the episode when he gets an R&R in Paris and the horrors of war catch up to him.Part 6 - Bastogne - To quote Captain Winters, "we're paratroopers; we're supposed to be surrounded." Bastogne tells the tale, from Easy Companies point of view, about the 101st Airborne Infantry being surrounded by German forces and holding the line during the Battle of the Bulge. This is also the combat action where the Commanding General of the 101st Airborne replied to the German Commanders request for their surrender, "nuts."Part 7 - The Breaking Point - January 1945 and Easy Company is on the verge of attacking the Germans in Foy, Belgium. Due to heavy resistance, Easy Company endures nearly a month of being barraged by German artillery on the front line. This episode is very telling as far as the how demoralizing the artillery can be.Part 8 - The Last Patrol - Easy Company is on the front line in the Alsacian town of Haguenau. They now have the sense that the war is coming to a close, as they are just across the river from Germany. The brigade commander orders a patrol across the border to secure German prisoners. This episode again brings to the forefront the emotions of the soldiers as they again are counted on to accomplish their mission!Part 9 - Why We Fight - This episode is clearly the most poignant of the series as Easy Company finds and liberates a concentration camp. Although there had been rumors of these concentration camps, no once could truly comprehend what they were about until they were faced with them! This episode alone should've garnered several awards.Part 10 - Points - Easy Company takes Eagles Nest, Hitler's mountaintop fortress. The company settles in as an occupation force, yet expecting to be redeployed to the Japanese warfront. A very emotional what happened to several of the units members after the war. Overall, this episode is a fantastic conclusion to the "Band of Brother."Disk SevenWe Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company - An outstanding documentary containing interviews with surviving members of Easy Company! Once you've seen all of the episodes, this documentary introduces you to the real members of Easy Company.Ron Livingston's Video Diaries - This is an exceptional set of clips filmed by Ron Livingston, who played Lieutenant Nixon, covering the "actor boot camp" run by Captain Dale Dye, USMC Retired.HBO's The Making of Band of Brothers' - This is another excellent "Making of" clip by HBO, covering the creation of this spectacular miniseries! {ssintrepid}"

Outstanding!

Todd Henderson | New Jersey | 02/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The series is based on the book "Band of Brothers" written by the late Stephen Ambrose. When I read the book a few years ago I just couldn't put it down. It is without question the best book on WW II I have ever read; and this made for TV series, "Band of Brothers", does not disappoint. Each segment is simply outstanding. From basic training, to the drop into Normandy, to Holland, to the Battle of the Bulge, and finally to Hitler's Eagles Nest. Just for the record, despite what the below reviewer states (1 star); the book and this series are right on the money historically. I'm not sure what historical facts the fellow below is referring to because the Book "is based on the first hand account interviews" with the very solders that did the fighting. Interesting how some guy who wasn't there seems to feel he has a more historically accurate understanding of the events then the men who where actually there.This series does not glorify war nor does it offer and arrogant boastful image of the American solder. What it does offer is an inside view of the tremendous sacrifice these men made for all of us. Most of these men were citizen soldiers. Some where from poor backgrounds, some from more affluent backgrounds. Some with high school educations, some with Ivy League educations. In fact one member of the 101st was an all-American catcher and football player for UCLA, who played in the 1943 Rose Bowl. Nothing is sugar coated. The series depicts both great victories and missteps encountered by the 101st in their fight. I found the depiction of the training prior to the Normandy drop to be particularly interesting. It leaves the viewer asking themselves if they themselves could have endured the training and physical demands imposed by the CO's. The acting is superb, the story line is excellent, and each series creates a very accurate portrayal of the book. I strongly recommend this series, however I would recommend reading the book first. Simply an excellent book and series. There is also an added bonus; "We Stand Alone Together, The Men of Easy Company". This is a 120 minute Documentary with the men of Easy. It offers interesting interviews, insight and vintage footage of the men."

The real heroes are still over there......

Archmaker | California | 02/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That modesty and that sentiment seems to be shared by all the survivors of Easy Company, 506th PRI, and many of them can't hold back the tears as they mumble it. One of the great benefits of this marvelous series was the closeup interviews of the real men portrayed, those wonderful old seamed faces, breaking at last with emotion as they recall their experiences and the love of their comrades and the pain of loss of other friends. It moves me greatly, and I'm glad the Extras in this set has an extended documentary re-tracing the time-frame of the film with these real veterans recalling the action we've seen re-created.Brought with loving care and fanatic attention to detail by producers Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks and their carefully chosen band of producers, directors and actors, this is an unsentimental, near-documentary telling of the story of Easy Co. from training to D-Day, Hedge Row fighting, Operation Market Garden, Bastogne, into Germany, liberation of Death Camps, and the capture of Berchesgarden & Hitler's Eagle's Nest.Throughout it all, the aim has been to tell it straight and get it right. They have done so in remarkable style. The truth HAS enough drama, and the various episodes reveal it. We get to know these men and care about them. We marvel at their endurance and the way they go about getting the job done, professionally, and with matter-of-fact, everyday courage. It is a true tribute to the Citizen Soldiers who won the war.With 10 episodes and lots of extra goodies, presented within an exceptional package, there is just too much to review here. Some memorable moments: the harrowing jump into the explosive, tracer-lit night skies of Normandy; the assault on the 88's; Winter's killing the young German; the episode dedictated to the Medic; the monstrous artillery barrage on the men in the snowy forest of Bastogne; the shock of the farmer's wife on seeing the closeup hand-to-hand killing of the German by "Bull"; and finally, the incredibly moving scenes of the liberation of the Concentration Camp, and the final days of Easy at the War's end. These last episodes are all the more powerful because we have followed Easy Co. and these men and have seen the death so random and arbitrary around and among them that a slow emotional tension has been built that we now realize with the intensity of anger/pity/horror at the Camps and the bittersweet joy and subsequent farewell of VE day.I could cite great moments by each individual actor, and nicely played and effectively understated but powerfully emotional scenes but suffice it to say this is an ensemble piece with superb performances throughout. The quiet power of the different episodes underscores how wonderfully written the entire piece is, and with corresponding excellent direction and production values.A one-of-a-kind production, having the time to tell the tale with detail and care, and with all involved doing honor to the men who lived it. And finally, there are those men, bringing it all back to the reality of real lives lived. Exceptional stuff."

The Single Best TV Production Of All Time!!

K. Wyatt | 11/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think this mini-series even eclipses "I, Claudius" to take 'top TV honors'. I'll also say it's the best WWII story and production (cinema, documentary or whatever) I've ever seen and I've seen a lot!"Band Of Brothers" tells the true and incredible odyssey of Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st "Screaming Eagles" Airborne Division, U.S. Army - from their formation in Georgia (1942), to Berlin and the end of the war in Europe (1945). The demand for, and on, elite paratroopers was unending and they were deployed as "the tip of the spear" of every major allied offensive (and many minor ones too) on the Western Front. Jumping behind enemy lines, often without critical equipment and supplies or lacking enough rest and under terrible conditions, they saw more than their share of hard combat and E Company itself took nearly 150% casualties. (Statistically at least, that's 100% of the company - 140 men and 7 officers - and half again of their replacements, lost).The scope of the war is limited to E Company - the German POV is vanishingly small, life stateside, after their training and deployment in Normandy, is only referred to, usually in connection with mail call (or the wounded), and, apart from the brief and infrequent visit and/or pep talk from their company commander, the top brass is never seen. But the impact of the war on E Company, the civilians and other outfits they meet along the way (and on us) is anything but limited! The effects are as awesome as they are devastating.There are so many reasons why it's effective. For one, as I've said, the story is true. If you've read the book you're in for a treat. The series follows the book to an unprecedented degree for movies. Not everything that's in the book is in the series, but everything that's in the series is in the book - finally, directors that understand the drama in real-life events! Even if you haven't read it, you're still in for a treat. Thanks to meticulous directing, you're rarely allowed to feel comfortable about the ultimate fates of the individual characters. Even when you are allowed, the directing is a very sure-handed affair. But most of the time you find yourself in the kind of war in which you never quite know what will happen next - who's going to be wounded and sent back into combat, promoted, demoted or transferred, wounded seriously enough to be sent home, captured, separated from their unit, killed, either in combat or by accident, or even murdered (though not in E Company itself). After all, this is not fiction-based material where the author is 'choosing' who survives. Here, when one character can no longer tell the tale, another member of the company will tell the story through his own eyes and few if any POV are left out. The subtext is on the war within one's self and the loss and value of meaningful humanity. The wonderful cinematography replaces slow-motion effects with high shutter speeds in adrenaline-charged sequences - without bothering to stress formal compositions within the frame. It conveys a vivid "you are there" sense of immediacy. And yet at the same time, the overall vision is SO superbly and fully realized from start to finnish. The non-combat scenes will easily hold your attention and the battle sequences themselves are not only utterly convincing, but truly harrowing. And the whole thing is filled with potent, poetic imagery - the simple act of enclosing a violin within its coffin-like case - a metaphor for the humanity claimed by a world war, or the closing of a blood-smeared ambulance door during the high-water mark of E Company's casualties, or, the drawn-from-life moment of fatal hesitation - and doe-eyed look of disbelief - in the face of a clearly under-aged Nazi boy/soldier - the first victim in a bloody surprise attack - vibrantly resonate, like so many sounds and images in this work, with profound, often devastating meaning, and haunt the soul long afterward. Trust me, it's an absolute knockout.Additionally, Spielberg and company engage in a judicious amount of cliche busting. I won't give things away here, but if you've seen your share of war movies, you won't be disappointed.Since the head-honcho behind this 10 hour event is none other than Spielberg, comparisons with his "Saving Private Ryan" are bound to come up, especially since the directing and production values are of similarly high standards, and at first glance maybe, seemingly familiar. But at least one reviewer at Amazon criticizes "Ryan" for being fundamentally a war film made by, and for, pacifists (citing its first half hour as an example), and that since the war is basically evil and all the men are inherently good, it's difficult to believe their comments on the war. I think there may be something to that. But, in "Brothers", the war seems a little more necessary than evil, even if it is not always so clearly understood nor as well rationalized by its participants, as in "Ryan". Here, the weight of combat is far more personally affecting through its undeniable impact on the men of Easy Company. There is much cause for empathy here. Although I've never seen combat, this series makes me want to send a BIG thank you to ALL our servicemen and women. And again, though I wasn't there, I sometimes talk to and read from and about those who were, and to me at least, "Brothers" edges out "Ryan" and leaves all the rest behind as the best depiction of WWII on film to date.My brother and I were raised on my dad's war stories (he was with the 11th Armored Division during the Battle of the Bulge) and they stuck in our heads. As a result we grew up with a shared interest in all things WWII. As a WWII buff I was hard pressed to find much of anything amiss in the series from artillery, aircraft and armored vehicles to small arms and field equipment - right down to the uniforms - U.S., British, French or German. There are big and small suprises everywhere you look - even an operational Jagdpanther, no less(!).I hope the interviews I saw on HBO will be included on the DVD - it would be a crime if they weren't. If they are, you'll not only come to know, respect and appreciate the characters in the series (by the way, the acting is superb all around and David Schwimmer is great as Capt. Sobel!), but, appreciate the men of E Company even more through the eyes of the survivors, themselves. In fact, I'm astonished at how little difference there seems to be between the actors in the series and their real-life counterparts. As a footnote, I recall reading somewhere that Stephen Ambrose (who wrote "Brothers"), while interviewing a subject, was hoping to get permission to use some of the man's war stories in a book (non-fiction of course). When Ambrose, whose eye for courage is arguably unmatched, prompted him, the veteran said "Well, ok, but don't make me out to be some kind of hero or something" - to which Ambrose replied "I don't make heroes, I just write about 'em".Like some others here, I subscribed to HBO just to see this show. Having read the excellent book, which, by the way, I also strongly recommend since it illuminates a bit more that the series can easily focus on, my expectations of the series were either matched or simply blown away! All in all it is a stunning and masterful tribute to E company, paratroopers and to all those involved with that war. I'm tempted to say it will not be equalled for a long time to come. Whether you are familiar with this story or not I can't recommend this mini-series highly enough! If I could, I'd give it fifty stars!!"

Probably one of the best war films ever made. Stunning on Bl

D. Stone | Sacramento, CA | 11/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say that this series blew me away. I was so impressed with the effort put into Saving Private Ryan to give it a documentary look and feel. Band Of Brothers falls from the same tree. Once again, Hanks and Spielberg reunite to produce this epic cable series of WW2 as told by the men themselves. Every episode has interviews from the soldiers who were there. Very realistic and emotional stuff.

First off, the set comes in a metal box with fold out style disk holders. Exactly like the standard dvd edtion a few years ago.

The Blu-Ray edition has 6 disks total. 2 episodes per disk on the first 5 with many, many extras on number 6.

The quality of the picture is perfect. These films were shot with tons of natural grain for that documentary style look. The lenses also give the look of a 40's camera used in the field. Although the film itself is washed out and very rough, it has awesome detail. You will notice so many things going on in the background. The size of the shots sometimes leave you in awe. The blacks are sometimes unstable, but that is the intent. The daytime scenes are beautiful in their full scope. The greatest thing about this series is the uncompromising attention to detail. From the uniforms to the weapons. The skintones are spot on and very nice looking with great detail. The majority of these episodes were shot outdoors. So, the landscapes look fantastic! From the coast of France, to the mountains of Austria, this has some amazing and beautiful scenery. While the picture may be " washed out ", it looks and feels just as you would expect from the point of view from a combat photographer. The battle scenes are simply unbelievable. It takes you to a new level realism.

The sound is second to none. You will easily be blown away with the audio track quality. You have to turn down the volume at many points during battle scenes. The voices are crisp and clean, but the battle scenes really rock your sound system. All of your speakers get a good workout. The subwoofer really hammers out the explosions. The rear speakers have tons of gunfire from all directions, as do the side speakers. You will have a true surround sound experience. Many movies do not make full use of the full audio possibilities. This one does!

There are great extras here as well. Great in depth interviews from the soldiers themselves. A really cool making of documentary called " We stand together: The men of easy company " And many other things for the history buff. Cant say enough about this product. If you are a war genre lover, this is one of the best. If you love history, and dont want a watered down, made for Hollywood war film. This is how it happened as told by the men of the 506th E Co. You will have a new respect for these guys who gave so much. It is hard to believe that some people could give so much for so little. Thank god they did."

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