Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Review from the HBO mini series Band of Brothers

By Rob Atherton


The HBO mini-series Band of Brothers is regarded as being undoubtedly one of the very best warfare films ever produced. Based on the book by Stephen Ambrose, the 10 parts detail the actual story from the men of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Regiment of the American 101st Airborne. The mini series gets going with Easy Companies basic training at Toccoa, Georgia just before being deployed to Great Britain while they make ready for a part with the D-Day Invasion in Northern France.

Every episode starts off by talking to veterans of Easy. They talk about their war time memories that this episode covers though at this point, the veterans aren't revealed. Even if the veterans aren't identified, the episodes introduce you to the figures early and the actors are superbly chosen meaning it is easy to relate to them from the very start.

While the action scenes are filmed superbly, the reason why Band of Brothers stand above numerous different war films is that often it brings forth the individual stories so clearly. For example, in episode 2 merely before Easy are due to leap into Normandy, amongst the soldiers, Bill Guarnere, discovers his brother has been killed at Montecassino.

The ten episodes show the stories of Easy Company beginning with their basic training prior to heading into action in Northern France and to the village of Carentan. Episode four sees the roll-out of replacement men into Easy Company and highlights the issues they have being accepted by the D-Day veterans as Easy are involved in Operation Market Garden.

The subsequent 2 episodes cover the run up and the action at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. By this stage many of soldiers are at breaking point and it is the topic of episode 7. While World War II nears the end, there's a final patrol for Easy Company. The horrors of war are underlined once the men come across a concentration camp. The final episode sees Easy Company head into Austria where they capture the Eagle's Nest high in the mountains at Berchtesgaden.

The series finishes with interviews with the men of Easy Company and finally identifies the men that audiences come to know throughout the 10 episodes of Band of Brothers.




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