HBO's BAND OF BROTHERS

I enjoyed this but I found myself more moved and inspired by From the Earth to the Moon.

That episode about the medic is one of my favourite moments in television history.

As much as the kid in me enjoys "V: The Final Battle," "Band of Brothers" is an easy choice for me as best mini-series. It works on every level. Interesting characters, authentic battle sequences, and probably its most amazing asset of giving the viewer one hell of a lesson in how normal the men who fought WW2 were.

It's cool to see how the cast from this series is all over films and television these days. Though one guy I haven't seen much of is Matthew Settle who played Spears. I'm sure he works but whatever he's been doing hasn't shown up on my radar.

I know the creators have been developing a new mini-series titled "The Pacific War." But I haven't heard much in the way of a premiere date for that one.

That's exactly what I was thinking. After seing the mini-series I thought to myself that this guy will be a star in no time, but somehow it never happened.

"Best Miniseries"? Heck, this rates to me as BEST THING ON TELEVISION EVER.

Just absolutely brilliant - the interviews with the men of easy also provide a nice touchstone; it would be terrific fiction but it's all the better for being largely based in reality. I'd have to say my favorite episode is "Why We Fight" - it takes the moment when the men are beginning to lose heart and turns it into one of the most wrenching moments ever; the moment when Liebgott has to tell the prisoners to go back into the camp, and then simply sits down and cries gets me every time. It's getting me now, just thinking about it.
Settle had a big part in the Into the West miniseries on TNT.

Was that miniseries any good? It also has an impressive and huge cast but I think the TNT factor caused me to gloss over it as worth watching.

Ya know how good "Band of Brothers" is? It actually made both David Schwimmer and Colin Hanks seem like capable actors.

My wife liked it; I didn't get too into it - it just didn't seem to grab me. The acting and production values were terrific; I think its reach may have exceeded its grasp though, if you know what I mean.

I hear ya. Probably not enough Berenger for my taste.

It's hard to select a favorite episode from "Band" but "The Breaking Point" ranks pretty high. There was just something about being huddled in a hole with all that shelling going on that was disturbing.

I remember when I first saw the first episode. "Hey, that's Ross from Friends!"

Ten seconds later:

Man, that Sobel is an asshole.

Schwimmer was just amazing I think. A guy who you wouldn't think could pull of anything other than dopey idiot (since he essentially did the same in NYPD Blue before he was in Friends) pulling off this complete bastard of a man.

I agree on the medic episode. That is one episode I could watch over and over again. The atmosphere, the story. Just amazing.

I could rave on about the show all day. The only episode I'm not that keen on is episode 3, which focuses on Blythe, but that's mostly because I don't like the actor playing him. But on saying that, my last go through (at Christmas, and I'm seriously considering another go through any day now) I found I enjoyed the episode more. Not sure why. I think it's because of the sundry stuff going on.

Any show that can have a Jimmy Fallon cameo that seems totally believeable has to be gold! (I'm assuming everyone knows where he is, but just in case, he delivers ammo to Easy before they head into Bastogne and informs Winters that they're going to be surrounded. "We're paratroopers. We're supposed to be surrounded.")

And I can't heap enough praise on Ron Livingston as Nixon.

Best show in the history of TV? Twin Peaks was always my favourite TV show, but I've watched it once in the last 4 years. Band of Brothers? At least 4 times since I first saw it.

i loved everything about band of brothers. along with six feet under's first season they were probably the 2 best things on tv in 2001.

Whenever I think about this the one thing that always comes to mind was in the sixth episode when the medic picks up that piece of cloth from the dead nurse and holds it. The way that it plays out gets me every time.

I must have missed some of these episodes. What ever happened to that Spears dude? He was my favorite. Did he ever get busted for blowing away those Nazi prisoners? Was he nuts, or just born to kill?

I forget who addressed that with him in one of the later episodes - Malarkey, maybe - but he said that essentially that back in the day, there was probably a story about Alexander or Hannibal or Belisaurius doing something similar - and you never heard it from someone who was there, it was always somebody who knew a guy who knew a guy. And that it doesn't matter whether it happened or not, as long as his soldiers believed that their commanding officer was the most cold-blooded badass out there.

Actually, now that I think about it, it was Lipton.

Hmm, but we got to see him shooting the prisoners with his Thompson, full auto style, didn't we? Seems out of place for this series to have one isolated fantasy sequence. Or did they just show him cocking his gun? I can't remember now. Good excuse to watch it again.

My favorite sequence is when Spears goes running past all of the Nazis in the town of Foy. The way that all of the Germans (and Americans) can't believe what he's doing, and he does it without getting shot.

It's something that no one would probably believe unless they actually saw it, and watching the episode, you feel like you're witnessing it yourself.

I never saw this on HBO, actually caught it only a year ago, and after seeing the first two episodes, I went out and bought the set for $90. If Hanks and Spielberg produce another series detailing the Pacific, I'll definitely subscribe to HBO...

One more thing, Michael Kamen's theme music is absolutely fantastic. When they play that during the commercials for the box set during Christmastime, it makes me want to sit down and watch the series all over again.

In the actual episode, you see him handing out the cigarettes, then it cuts to Malarkey, and you hear the shots.

Did some research on BoB recently and learnt some interesting things. (For example, despite what it says at the end of episode 3, after the show aired, they discovered Blythe had NOT died from his injuries, and actually died some time in the 1960's.) Spiers told ONE person the truth about the event. I can't remember the persons name (it was NOT Stephen Ambrose), but not even Spiers family knows for sure. He told this one person though, and that person refuses to break his trust.

So many scenes in that show bring tears to my eyes. The planes taking off for D-Day. The scene with Roe and the nurses cloth. And most definitely Spiers running through the german forces to hook up with the other company. Especially because he then runs BACK.

Just a flat out amazing, emotional, brutal show. Does a better job of portraying WW2 than Private Ryan I think. You certainly feel more attached to the characters I think. In Ryan.. "Oh look, it's Tom Hanks!" By casting relative unknowns in BoB they did the show a HUGE favour.

And I got a real kick out of learning that the actor who plays Winters is actually a brit! (As are several of the other main actors, including the one playing Eugene the medic.) I saw the actor who plays the soldier saving his parachute silk for his wedding to Kitty in a comedy show from the early 90's playing someones gay boyfriend

Ah, I see, so there's confusion in real life whether he killed prisoners or not. That explains why it was left ambiguous in the show. Isn't Spiers (I've been spelling his name Britney style) said to have shot one of his own men as well? I'm wondering what the book says about these things, I've yet to read it, though I intend to. You're right, they had some great young actors in this series, I really wish we'd see more of them in other things. You mentioned how several of the actors are British, there were a couple Brits playing US soldiers in Blackhawk Down too, as I recall. I guess if you're British, and don't want to be cast in Hollywood as a villain, you're forced to put on an American accent. Funny how the Brits do us better than we do them.

I had heard many good things about this series during it's initial HBO run, but as a non-subscriber, I never caught any of it. Months later, I was over a friend's place and saw part of an episode, which really hooked me. I went looking for the set and managed to find it-- brand-new-- at a street festival for $40. Scooped it up and spent the next several days burning through it.

Yes, my sentiments echo many of yours here. I was utterly and completely moved by the experience. I'd find it hard to believe if anyone didn't have an emotional response to that series. If I had to pick a favorite episode, it was also be The Breaking Point. Phenomenal stuff throughout the entire series, though. I have watched it only twice all the way through, but it certainly seems as if it is something I will likely revisit.

I didn't know there was a Pacific theater mini-series being planned, but it seemed like a logical step. I'm sure there are many tales to be told. Here's hoping it's of the same caliber.

[Note to self: Must check out From The Earth to the Moon...]

Personally, while I fully enjoyed From Earth to the Moon - especially as somewhat of a companion piece to The Right Stuff, it just didn't hit me with the same impact.

Of course, "not as good" as BoB in my eyes still leaves room to declare it really fuckin' good, and well worth the time spent.

I own both series on DVD, and while I enjoy the triumphant feeling of doing to unbelievable that "From the Earth..." brings out, BoB is hands down my favorite DVD experience. Both my pops and myself served in the military and he refused to watch many a military movie, but he sat through all of BoB and loved it.

I have read Ambrose's book, and while a bit on the verbose side at some times, it is a throrougly enjoyable read. Winters was like a real-life Captain America. I would gladly serve under his command any day.

The moment that seriously shakes me to the core is when Buck Compton goes off the front lines and Malarkey goes to see him in the field hospital. He starts reading the letter from his students back at UCLA and all Compton does is crumple the letter and turn away. Neal McDonough forever has my respect for that scene...he could even do a rocky and bullwinkle sequel and I'd be okay with him.

I just finished reading the book myself, and really liked it. Although, a lot of stuff that is really detailed in the book isn't even mentioned in the series (going into further combat after Foy, going off the line before going into Germany), while something like the finding of the concentration camp is only written about for a whole 2 paragraphs, yet has about half of an episode dedicated to it in the series...

Doesn't diminish the series at all for me, but I was looking forward to reading about the soldier's thoughts when they discovered the camp as that was one of the episodes that affected me the most when watching the series.

If you have the chance, pick up the book. It's really good, despite being surprisingly short (300+ pages).

Strangely, I had no desire to watch this series but I was stuck 880kms away from my wife for six months and had already finished watching Deadwood on my fiorst weekend there. A co-worker guaranteed me that I would love BoB even if it was for the brilliant sound work. I figured at the ver least it would kill a weekend. He was right. Brilliant sound but the show was even better. Beautifully shot, great acting, stunning storyline. Hands down my favourite thing I have seen on TV.

I'm really looking forward to the Pacific Theatre mini series if it ever comes to fruition.

Hate to bump such an old thread, but apparently Richard Winters passed on January 2nd.

 

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