Band Of Brothers on DVD (2001)

James Waddell from London, UK , 16/09/2004

This series makes for superb viewing. It comes up with the trumps in every area: acting, characterisation, direction, production, cinematography, music, make-up, storyline, sound, props, the whole thing. This is a class production from beginning to end and I thoroughly recommend it. It will be remembered for many years to come as the series that, like 24, changed televsion for ever.

  38 out of 42 people found this review helpful

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J J from DERBY, ENGLAND , 24/07/2004

THIS IS DEFINATELY THE GREATEST TELEVISION SERIES EVER.

TO ALL THOSE WHO SAY IT GLORIFIES WAR YOU EITHER DIDN'T WATCH IT OR MUST BE SOME STUPID WAR MONGERING AMERICAN FOOL!!

IF YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK AS I HAVE YOU WILL ALSO REALISE HOW VERY WELL IT WAS MADE.

FANTASTIC,AWESOME,BRILLIANT-EVER Y SUPERLATIVE YOU CAN THINK OF

  17 out of 24 people found this review helpful

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A customer from sussex , 22/01/2004

most probably the best war series i have ever seen

  13 out of 15 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Oxford , 20/07/2004

I only saw a couple of the episodes of this when they were first aired really late in the evening on BBC 2 on a Wednesday night. Weird considering its the most expensive TV series ever made! I could tell it was good though and I was bought the box set of DVDs for Christmas.

But now, after watching all of the episodes, I honestly cannot recommend this highly enough.

The performances from the cast are outstanding, with Damien Lewis deserving a special mention as Dick Winters. Also the number recognisable actors who crop up in the show (Burger from Sex in the City, Lee from The Office, Simon Pegg from Spaced, Ross from Friends etc...) is unbelievable.

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg were the executive producers (with Hanks also directing one of the episodes) and their influence shows. I have never seen a TV series with such a cinematic feel to it. The atmosphere throughout the whole series is awesome and really makes you feel a part of the action. The special effects are also brilliantly executed. They lend a real sense of what it must have been like. Some of the scenes in Austria are amazing and its impossible to tell if they were actually there or if was blue screened in afterwards.

Often after watching a film or TV series you realise how much more exciting they had to make it appear for the screen compared with the book. This just isn't the case with Band Of Brothers. Steven Ambrose's book is beautifully translated and the chosen actors fill their roles perfectly.

The way each show starts and finishes with short interviews with the surviving members is a really nice touch. You never find out who the interviewees are until the last episode, but you'll come away with nothing but respect and admiration for those men. Everyone one of them is a hero, but they all just say they were doing what they had to do.

The only negative thing I can find to say about Band Of Brothers is that if you rent it you'd better have a spare ?50 lying around. You'll buy the box set for yourself within days!

  12 out of 12 people found this review helpful

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* * * This review contains spoilers * * *

Robynr from London , 20/08/2008

am not a fan of war films in general; I happened to watch the first episode by chance and literally got caught up with the drama.

To say 'Band of Brothers' is exceptional underestimates how powerful and moving this piece of work is. From the part one to part ten you feel the emotions of each person and experience some of the horror which these young men encountered (I am well aware that the true realities of war cannot be accurately expressed on film).

What makes this series even more powerful is that you get to hear Easy veterans discuss their experiences to the camera at the beginning of each episode, linking the past events to the present and allowing the viewer to realise that the events (and people) portrayed actually existed.

Yes, there are some flaws: Blithe did not die of his wounds in 1947, Hitler did not die so early on in April. But, these are minor when contemplating the quality of the entire piece.

The performance of all the actors were fantastic too. Particular stand outs for me: Damien Lewis, the leader and heart of E company as Maj. Winters, Ron Livingston as the cocky but sensitive Lewis Nixon and Shane Taylor was incredibly moving in his portrayal of Doc Roe in the powerful episode 6 Bastonge.

I have seen the entire series twice now. The more you watch the more you get to know all the members of Easy Company; they are all there in the background and also come forward in the main action. In doing so, you see new things in each episode and the emotional impact of the casualties and the fact that some survived are even more powerful.

Go see, this series is an important part of history; we must never forget the silent thousands who never returned from war and the many veterans who survived and must had been affected by their experiences.

We stand alone together.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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pookieperkie from Watford , 20/08/2008

this series is an excellent insite into the diary events of what happened to the men that faught within the 501st airbourne (easy company).

Very entertaining and very factual to real events, a must see

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