 While
critical reaction to Steven Spielberg’s World War II
epic Saving Private Ryan was mixed
(the opening assault at Omaha Beach was a tour de force of
technical prowess, but the rest of the film lacked life) the
movie was a box-office success. Embraced by the public as
one of the most harrowing glimpses into World War II ever
brought to the big screen, Spielberg and lead actor Tom Hanks
decided they had more WWII stories to tell.
Enter Band of Brothers.
Based on Stephen Ambrose’s book of the same name, Band
of Brothers was a 10-part miniseries produced
for HBO utilizing all of the special effects, camera tricks
and epic scope of Saving Private Ryan.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty, let’s cut to
the chase: If you're a fan of World War II films, whether
of the epic variety or the up-close-and-personal, you will
want to add this miniseries to your wish list. Offering a
little of everything – interesting characters, personal
relationships, and climactic battles – fans of almost
any style of war film should enjoy this and watch it multiple
times.
Bringing The War To Life
Spanning
10 hours of exquisite production, Band of Brothers follows
the exploits of the 101st Airborne’s Easy Company from
their pre-combat training, through D-Day and the Battle of
the Bulge, into the concentration camps and through the end
of the war. The series features hundreds of actors, a huge
cast, sprawling sets that truly capture WWII Europe and magnificent
combat scenes. And yet despite the sheer size of the production,
the characters that make such a lengthy story so vital are
not forgotten. The viewer learns to care about these individuals
– or loathe some of them – as the series moves
on.
Most of the camera time is spent on a small handful of soldiers
in Easy Company, though over the course of the five discs
the series spans a number of  background characters who are
given an opportunity to step forward and shine: A young soldier
shell-shocked by the jump over Normandy; A medic struggling
against the carnage of the Battle of the Bulge; A beloved
Sergeant cut off from his men.
The performances throughout are excellent. You'll get a good
understanding of, and sympathy for, the men portrayed on screen.
Lovers of war film camaraderie will love large portions of
this series thanks to that chemistry.
But it’s when the action begins that Band
of Brothers really shines. Mixing equal parts Saving Private Ryan and A
Bridge Too Far, we are constantly given a sense
of both the hectic and frightening nature of small-scale combat,
as well as the grand scale within which this small band is
fighting. From the endless explosions of anti-aircraft over
Normandy (a truly stunning sight) to the rain of shells outside
Bastogne, the action is powerful and the fighting brutal.
Effects, techniques and styles are often lifted right from Saving Private Ryan - and that's
not a bad thing.
 While
some have levied criticism against Band of Brothers for being “gung ho Americans won it all” in attitude,
the fact is, such criticism is unfounded. The soldiers here
are routinely portrayed in both a positive and negative light;
their actions good and bad, with plenty of gray in between.
Looting, drunkenness, xenophobia, and unnecessary brutality
are all on display. So, too, is the portrayal of the Germans
balanced. They are portrayed as fierce fighters and as men
simply fighting for their country… like people.
The events shown in the series (with the exception of a few
screen inventions) are drawn from historian Stephen Ambrose's
book of the same name, a book compiled from the firsthand
accounts of the men portrayed on screen. It's rather difficult
to take "rewriting history to make America look good"
critics seriously when the ‘characters’ in this
series are real soldiers who are still among us, men who have
said, "This is my story. Here is what happened."
High
Production Values
This DVD release offers superb picture
quality, with rich greens, muted browns and deep blacks. The
images range from grainy and jumpy, full of contrast –
a purposeful effect not unlike in Saving Private
Ryan – to sharp and clear, with every
bead of sweat visible. The sound is not as dynamic as Ryan’s,
but surround is generally put to good use, dialogue is always
crisp and clear, and many of the same gimmicks from Spielberg’s
big war film show up here, too. All in all, a very good technical
production that should flex your home theater nicely.
Like most HBO series, the price tag on this
hefty set is not small, yet repeat viewings (and the gorgeous,
if not very user-friendly, tin can-and-accordion packaging)
are almost a sure thing. Band of Brothers is a worthy addition to the collection of anyone who enjoys
war movies.
Oh, Those Extras
Each of the five discs of the series
features the sort of text-and-image extras most people skip.
Maps of Easy Company’s travels, personnel profiles and
other military data are about the extent of things here. Some
commentaries by the varied directors would have been welcome.
 Band
of Brothers comes with a sixth disc dedicated
solely to extras, the highlight being a full length documentary,
We Stand Alone Together, featuring the living members of Easy
Company. Seeing the actual men who went through what is shown
in this series and hearing them tell their stories is a truly
moving and powerful experience. The Making of Band Of Brothers
is a pretty standard 30-minute documentary, while the 55 minutes
of Ron Livingston’s Video Diaries, presented in scattered
five-minute shorts, would have been far more enjoyable if
collected in a single documentary.
The Sum Total
All in all, it’s hard to find
a better example of how great a DVD set can be… from
the stellar packaging to the solid extras to the high production
values of the series. As a product, Band of Brothers shines as bright as anything else on the shelf. As a pure
viewing experience, it shines all the brighter, offering a
compelling and involving look at World War II most viewers
are likely to revisit time and again. That makes this a value
most war film fans will not want to miss.
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