Band Of Brothers: Complete HBO Series

One of the best WWII movies out there - modern style of course. Old stuff like Tora!Tora!Tora!, Bridge Over River Kwai and more are not to be missed ever, but B.O.B. is right up there. Riveting, disturbing, thought provoking, and more. You learn to care about all the men of Easy Company by the time it's over. You start watching the first episode and you can't help but, return as soon as you can and watch the other 9 back to back to see what happens as the company moves from the US to England, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. So sad to know so many good men never made it home. They went through so much - starting it all as young men barely out of their teen years and end four plus years later completely different than they started. All fought for a cause greater than themselves - some did it with ferocious bravery, others with courage and dignity and some, sadly near cowards, but doing the best they could in the most difficult of circumstances. My husband and I have seen this series about three times so far and came back again. It never gets old. Nor does the story of evil that must be overcome by good and men called to arms and doing what they must to save themselves and those they care about back home. I especially enjoy the clips in each episode where they do small interviews with the "true Easy Company" men who did beyond the call of duty. The real men - Captain Winters, Nix, Bull and more. You then return back to the series to see the actors that played each of these men. Of particular enjoyment is Battle of The Bulge war scene, when they take Hitler's mountain retreat and the final scene where the men play baseball in Germany and as VE day is called, you get a snap shot of where each of the men who made it end up in life - jobs, marriage, location, age, etc. And some even went on to the Pacific theater to finish the Japanese. This series was done back in 2001 and is still fresh and new as if it was just done. The cast is huge in this motion picture - too many to name or count - you may recognize some of the actors either newer to acting or moving on to new projects like David Schwimmer (yes, Mr. Friends himself), Donnie Whalberg (New Kids on the Block & Donnie Loves Jenny realty show fame), Damian Lewis, Neal McDough (more recently in Justified series) Jimmy Fallon (yes, small part but now a talk show host!), Such a wonderfully done series - don't miss it. I/we can't say enough about how great this series is. 5 stars and then some!

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.