Customer Reviews

Band Of Brothers - HBO Complete Series [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(476)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

'Band of Brothers' is the finest TV series I have ever seen. A bold statement maybe, but one that stands up to scrutiny in my opinion. Yes, 'The Sopranos' is a brilliant drama and '24' is a top-class thriller, but 'B.O.B' just has that epic feel, that you are watching something that might never be repeated or certainly bettered. The story of the men of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne is one that deserves telling; these heavily-trained young soldiers suffered on the front line of the majority of the crucial battles during the American involvement in World War 2. They forged an unusually tight bond with each other and were led by some of the finest soldiers of the war. It could also be justifiably said that they, as a company, sacrificed more than the usual.
The ten-part series consists of hour-long forays in to the viewpoint of different soldier's experiences, from a major to a medic. The action is superbly visceral and realistic, using the same shaky, hand-held camera techniques seen in 'Saving Private Ryan,' to which B.O.B is a close relative, sharing the Spielberg/Hanks connection as well as the subject matter. Action aside however, it is the depth of characterisation that sets this series apart. Granted, the running time allows for this, but it is beautifully done nonetheless. We gain a real insight into many of the men's characters, from the joker George Luz to the bitter Sobel, the cynic Nixon to the dignified Winters. Indeed, these two characters are so finely crafted it is easy to forget that these actors are not in fact the real men. British star Damian Lewis is outstanding as Major Richard Winters, the glue that holds 'Easy' together. His portrayal of a man worshipped by his men due to his courage, discipline, loyalty and leadership skills is nothing short of perfection; real-life veterans suggest that Lewis was a close to capturing the spirit of Winters as is humanly possible. Ron Livingston, playing the smaller but crucial role of Winters' best friend Lewis Nixon, is also excellent, adding a touch of comedy through the hard-drinking, dry cynic Nixon. The acting is uniformly excellent, a mixture of British and American actors doing themselves proud.

For me, the series highlights include the Bastogne sequence, the capture of Foy, and the jubiliant scenes following the taking of Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest.' At no point is the momentum lost, with fierce battle scenes piercing the poignant character moments like loud machine-gun fire.
If you are like me, you will not want it to end. Watching it all in a short period of time on DVD is certainly the way to watch this, as the immediacy adds to the effect.

Overall, a scintillating piece of television, almost perfect. If you don't like war, its maybe not for you, but equally B.O.B should not be dismissed just as a 'war' series. There is far too much depth and character for that...

If the men of Easy Company were in a class of their own, then this series is fittingly superior in its own field and is a worthy testament to them.

Perfectly written, cast and filmed there really is no television series that can rival Band of Brothers. The Blu Ray release only adds to the experience, the 1080p picture is perfection but perhaps more importantly the DTS-HD sound is simply stunning if run through a home cinema surround sound system, the battle scenes are awesome and the explosions will have ornaments falling off your wall. The sound also brings to life the superb score by Michael Kamen, there is not a finer movie or TV soundtrack around, a true masterpiece. Full credit to Hanks, Spielberg, the BBC and HBO for giving us this classic and absolute respect to the real men of Easy Company, totally inspiring.

I was forced into watching this by a friend and only really agreed because i'm a Damian Lewis fan but i now have to admit that it was absolutely superb! I cannot criticise any aspect of this programme. I genuinely felt like I knew the characters and, as the end was approaching and casualties were amassing, I desperately wanted the 'brothers' to make it through. The scenery was so realistic that it could easily have been war-torn Europe in the 1940's.

As someone who doesn't generally like war films I can honestly say that this isn't typical of the genre as it is character based rather than just a stream of special effects laden scenes (although there are some amazing special effects). A particularly unique feature is that the surviving members of 'Easy Company' introduce each episode, as the entire story is based on real events. Spielburg even had the forethoughht to not inform the audience of the identity of the veterans until the end so that we wouldn't know who lived or died.

This programme reminds us of what normal men did for their countries and the world and I think 'B.o.B' shows us that we should never forget what those heroes endured for us all.

'Band of Brothers' is truly poignant and moving, a credit to the excellent cast and crew (and not forgetting the real men of 'Easy Company'), and I cannot recommend this highly enough.

I absolutely loved this drama when it was broadcast by the BBC, watching it again on DVD was fantastic. It took nothing away from the story I remembered from it's first telling. Each episode is visually stunning, emotionally and honestly acted and possibly the best American/ British collaboration of actors and performances I have ever seen. It brought WW2 to life for me, both historically and in the recounting of the personal tales of the members of Easy Company. The bonus disc is packed full of behind the scene's footage, interviews and Ron Livingston's video diary which are all highly engaging. Absolutely fantastic, I will keep this forever!

Audio:
- English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Spanish: Digital Stereo
- French: Digital Stereo

Subs:
- English
- French
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- English for the hearing impaired

I wish amazon would provide this information, but seeing as it's not even on the damn box...

As a Brit, I watched the first episode of Band of Brothers just expecting another pro-American, Hollywood-made war series, but got something very different. An un-biased series following a troop of American para-troopers, this is quite a moving, yet eye-opening insight into what these normal men achieved in breaking down Nazi Germany. After buying the DVD (which I had wanted ever since seeing the series) and watching it over and over again, it becomes even clearer, the detail and effort put into the series by the superb Steven Spielberg, and Tom Hanks, who I am starting to admire as a director . You really start to feel for the men of Easy Company, and by the end of the series, Band of Brothers will mean much more than just a title...

I got this on a whim, doubtful I'd actually like it; I was sure it'd be another typical Hollywood hatchet job.
I was very wrong; turns out it's the best investment I've made in a very long time. In fact, I got so hooked that I watched the entire 10 episodes (nearly 10 hours) in under 2 days.
This is a unique and unparalleled work in every respect; even Saving Private Ryan fails to stand up to Hanks and Spielberg's efforts here. Every aspect from casting to the camera-work and special effects is simply stunning.
You truly are missing something very special if you don't watch BOB, and this particular DVD version is wonderfully compiled. All 10 episodes plus special extras give you in excess of 13 hours viewing material. The discs come in a folding pack sealed inside a sterdy metal container and the layout is extremely well done.
I'm so glad I acquired this work - even after 10 hours in 2 days, I am ready to get disc 1 back in to start all over again.
The most powerful aspect of this work, is that it is a faithful portrayl of reality - real people, real events (some of the surviving men are involved in the work). What BOB gives you in terms of an understanding of war and those caught up in it, is priceless and I am moved beyond words at what these men, and all who fought for good, sacrificed and suffered to help bring the rest of us peace and hope.
Truly amazing - don't miss it.

This is a welcome Blu-ray release but beware. To simulate the look of historical footage, the filmmakers added grain and colour bleach to the picture in post-production. Because of this, the improvement upon the DVD version is occasionally impressive but usually marginal. Nevertheless, the fact that it is better (along with a DTS-HD soundtrack) makes this the best possible way to experience this excellent series.

There are a couple of new features for Blu-ray: picture-in-picture commentaries by Easy Company veterans and a handy timeline viewing mode, which tracks the narrative chronologically and allows you to access more information on characters and events at relevant moments.

We missed some of the episodes when this series was first shown on TV and although I purchased the soundtrack on CD (very evocative main theme and incidental music by Michael Kamen) I didn't actually buy the boxed set of DVD's until last Christmas (2005). We watched them over the holiday with our neighbour (who hadn't seen any of the original TV series), two episodes at a time.

There is absolutely no doubt that the story of the 101st Airborne had to be told; and what makes the telling paticularly poignant are the interviews with some of the survivors at the beginning and end of each episode and on the bonus documentary. As has been said in other reviews, the action sequences and sound effects are so realistic you actually begin to get some idea what it must have been like to be under fire. One of the best action sequences has to be the capture of the gun emplacements that are shelling the Normandy beaches, which is still cited today as a "text book" acion. The two episodes in the Ardennes(The Battle of the Bulge)are particularly harrowing.

It is impossible to watch this and not feel enormous admiration and a deep sense of gratitude for these ordinary young guys doing extraordinary things in the face of unimaginable horror. It's not difficult to see why the title for this epic series is so appropriate. I defy anyone to watch this and not be moved.

Band of Brothers is the epic mini-series (although mini is the oppisite of its scale) produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. By this info, we can already tell its going to be great. Each of the 10 episodes is directed by a different person, giving each episode a different flavour.

It tells the story of Easy company 506/Parachute infantary Regiment of the 101st Airbourne, an elite group of around 100 parachutists. The series show all of their expieriences from the rigorous training they go thorough, capturing a gun battery and a town in Normandy (D-Day), parachuting into Holland and showing the companies leader, Major Richard Winters, single handedly take on 100 crack SS troop (with a little help from his platoons after about a minute of him fighting them), holding the line at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge, facing massive artillery and mortar attacks every day in arctic conditions and, taking the famous 'Eagle Nest' at Bertchesgarten, Hitlers personal holiday home in the German Alps. And the more amazing thing is, everything in this series really happened in WW2, and all the characters are based on real people!

Seriously, I cannot tell you how good this series is, just get it. After watching it, you can't help being inspired by the men of E company, who also are interviewed at the start of some of the programmes.

The acting is superb, the special and visual effects are breath taking, the camera work is amazing and the bonus features (An hour and 20 minute ,long programme dedicated to archive footage and interviews with the real E company men, a 'making of' featurette, Ron LIvingston's (the actor who plays Captain Lewis Nixon) video diary of the actors bootcamp, a 'whos who' in Easy Company and ,a slighty random, spot of advertising from jeep)
just puts the icing on the cake