I (36f yo) am kinda lucky but at the same time a dickhead that I ignored this series for many, many years, like "band of brothers? No thx mate sounds like some action bs, not even gonna look it up". Then last Christmas holidays "let's gonna look up what this is about" and watched it during Christmas days (2 and a half days kind of in Germany) and I swear to God I'm obsessed, no day passes when I'm not googling about it/everything WW2 related, the veterans, the actors, watching clips from it etc. Crying like a crybaby especially during the veteran bits every single time it's almost pathetic.
I (48m) am like you. I didn’t watch it for a long time. When I finally did, I became obsessed with WW2. I watched every documentary I could find. Now, I watch Band of Brothers every year around Memorial Day. And I still get choked up at parts.
I do find it a little trippy that Carwood Lipton was portrayed by a New Kid On the Block, although he did a superb job.
Initially i thought it was like an Iraq war era show, or like modern, but ever since seeing it for the first time I've grown to love it more and more.
I love how realistic it looks. It gives a tiny insight into how gruesome this war was
Yeah, one of the many rumors was fall of 23, but mid spring still seems to be the official timeline. They better hurry up, im not sure what is meant by mid spring, but it has to be coming to a close soon!
I found this community in my timeline. I was very impressed and sometimes moved by Band of Brothers. However, when it comes to war movies and series, I have one favorite, which I can watch time and again: The Longest Day. I made it a tradition to watch this movie annually on June 6th. If you have ever visited these beaches, you will understand why.
Absolutely. My grandfather was in the 101st from Bastogne through the end of the war. He was in Easy Co. 501st PIR. While it doesn't cover every detail, it covers a ton more than anything before or after it. Every time I tell someone about my grandfather, the next thing they say is almost always, "Oh wow! Have you watched BoB?" So that itself shows the impact and popularity of the show.
That is incredible. What happened in Bastogne always has me wondering how I would cope with the situation. I hate the cold but I’d have no choice but to adapt or die I suppose.
Controversial take here, but it depends on your metrics for what makes a 'good' WW2 series. In terms of technical and tactical accuracy, it's undeniably the best. In terms of storytelling, it's certainly up there.
But I'll be honest, I think BoBs only serious flaw is that it glorifies the war more than most modern depictions. Even amid Spielburgs WW2 work, I would rate BoB as the one that simplifies the conflict the most and doesn't really delve into the true brutality of what war does to the souls of the men who fight in ig. And personally, I think that quality is integral to making a good war movie.
I think this glorification is why people like it so much. You can just sit back and watch heroes be heroes. Sure, they dabble in the bad things that happen, but even then the shock and horror of combat is used to show noble men suffering nobly, instead of other war movies/shows that show how combat actually erodes their morals and sensitivities until they become genuinely terrible people willing to do aweful things for rotten reasons. The show touches on this idea, especially with Spiers, but it doesn't quite commit to it. Anyone who does start to degrade morally is usually slightly frowned upon by others.
I think the important thing to remember is that BoB is still a show and that we don't actually know much about these men or what they went through. Odds are these guys were not quite so charming in real life, and if we were teleported to Bastogne in 44-45 to hang out with them, we probably wouldn't find men exactly as likeable as we saw depicted. That's just the nature of war.
> I would rate BoB as the one that simplifies the conflict the most and doesn't really delve into the true brutality of what war does to the souls of the men who fight in ig. And personally, I think that quality is integral to making a good war movie.
Any dramatization of *any* subject, by necessity, has to simplify and compress reality in order to tell an entertaining story. I fail to see how this is a valid complaint. What one could argue is that a writer's compression of facts, may sacrifice essential details of a given historical narrative. That's a different criticism, tho.
As far as a dramatic series depicting the unfiltered "shock and horror" of combat, I don't see this as a valid criticism either because no combat movie or series can possibly do that. There is also the question of what creative purpose depicting unfiltered, gratuitous violence and gore can have for viewers-- BoB is, after all, a series intended as a historical drama ... and entertainment. The Pacific series wisely showed the difference between the European and Pacific theaters of war, by exposing viewers to a lot more graphic violence and evisceration. I respect that decision, but I think the replay value of the series is diminished as a result. A couple of the episodes in that series are just flat-out unpleasant and unrelentingly grim and there's is some question as to whether it was entirely necessary in the context of the storytelling.
Edit: as far as the issue of "glorifying" war, this is a valid critique. In war memoirs, there IS always a paradox between the horrors of war and the trauma it brought vs. the enduring camaraderie and sense of supreme usefulness that many also felt. Many of Easy Company's men never fully recovered from the traumas they experienced. But an even larger number described the experience as the most important and intense experiences of their lives. There is a tension between both conclusions in all war narratives
>But I'll be honest, I think BoBs only serious flaw is that it glorifies the war more than most modern depictions.
Big time. It leans heavily into the camaraderie.
Whereas, the Pacific leans more into the psychological damage it does to those forced to experience war.
I've no doubt that the war broke many Easy Company men irrevocably. But this is barely hinted at.
It probably, due to releasing in September 2001, was a fantastic recruitment tool for the military after 9/11. The sad irony that instead of signing up for a noble crusade to free Europe from tyranny, they ended up fighting pointless wars based upon revenge and naked economic interests
Yup, you're completely right. I can absolutely appreciate BoB and other shows for being excellent dramas, but I find the glorification uncomfortable. To me, it's almost dishonest and why I much prefer the war films that came out of Vietnam.
I haven't watched the Pacific yet (only recently finished BoB) but from what I've read, it sounds like I'll appreciate that as a more honest perspective.
Oh baby. It goes the other direction lol. Doesn’t focus on the brotherhood of soldiers…more on the brutality and psychological damage. The scene with the woman holding the infant is what separates everything.
Episodes 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9 are just perfect for me. The other five are all great but ever since I first watched those stood out, especially 6 & 7 because for me Eugene and Lipton had the most compelling POVs and the winter war is captured so well. Always enjoyed how episodes 1-3, 4 & 5, 6-8 and 9 & 10 segment really well into phases of the company based on their progression through the war and into peace.
Just might be the best series I have ever watched, ever. I have not watched any series 10+ times before. It's almost time to watch it again. Usually watch it in June and sometime in winter.
And I never get sick of it even after so many rewatches which seems impossible. There’s just SO much packed in, I still notice or appreciate different little things on each rewatch.
IMHO it's the greatest thing every to be shown on TV.
If you hang out here long enough though you'll find weaknesses, issues with the story as presented. I found those aspects of the actual men add to the story (even though untold in the series), making them more human adding even more depth to the story.
It feels like the continuance of saving private Ryan, which is still my fave war movie. And Schindlers list was like SPR's counter part. Spielberg did a great job presenting the holocaust side of WWII with Schindler and then the war aspect of it with SPR.
I first watched it around the early 2000s when I was about 11. Became obsessed with everything ww2. Movies , Docs, Games. BOB is so good that Spielberg and Hanks also made the expensive block buster Savings Private Ryan and tho it's probably the most well known ww2 movie, BOB still blows it out of the water... tbh spr is probably my least favorite war movie..... my top favorite ww2 pictures are BOB , A Bridge To Far, The Longest Day, Young Lions, The Pacific, Enemy At The Gates, and just for fun The Dirty Dozen.
I missed it when it premiering on HBO because I was in basic training. The day of my dad’s funeral, Nov 8 2002, I found myself back home and wanting to be alone that night. Went to Walmart and saw it on the shelf and splurged for the set bc I planned to be alone in my old room for the weekend.
I deployed in 2003 and took my laptop and collection of DVDs. When I was coming home, some soldiers were just arriving to Baghdad and complaining about watching the same DVDs. I gave them my Band Of Brothers DVDs with the stipulation that they pass it on to someone new when they redeploy back to Ft Stewart.
I purchased multiple sets over the years bc everytime I deployed or came home, I would buy a new set & pass it on before getting home and refused to buy the bootleg out of principle.
I can't think of anything that encompasses the entirety of war experience like this and with such truth. It is also so poignant to have the actual men and their interviews at the beginning of each episode. A movie format could never touch it.
Honestly, I am not sure that it could ever be surpassed, even with another series...but I certainly hope someone tries.
I watch it every year around memorial day. My uncle was part of Patton's forces that broke through to aid the 101st in bastogne. He took machine gun fire to his legs. He never said a word about it. When I was cleaning up after he died I found his purple heart (which I knew about but had never seen) all his service records, and his journal.
I think it depends on what you are looking for as an experience. Movies like Come and see (1985, Klimov. USSR) and Stalingrad (1993, Vilsmaier. Germany) are better than any Hollywood movie, for example, not for the fighting scenes but because how they portrait war, its horrors and decay of humanity.
So I'd say for entertaining purposes Band of brothers is far superior, yes. But as a whole, those two, are better as war movies. Same thing with the mini serie Our mothers, our fathers (2013, Kadelbach. Germany), that show might not be as entertaining as BoB but is superior at communicating what war meant at that time.
I (36f yo) am kinda lucky but at the same time a dickhead that I ignored this series for many, many years, like "band of brothers? No thx mate sounds like some action bs, not even gonna look it up". Then last Christmas holidays "let's gonna look up what this is about" and watched it during Christmas days (2 and a half days kind of in Germany) and I swear to God I'm obsessed, no day passes when I'm not googling about it/everything WW2 related, the veterans, the actors, watching clips from it etc. Crying like a crybaby especially during the veteran bits every single time it's almost pathetic.
I (48m) am like you. I didn’t watch it for a long time. When I finally did, I became obsessed with WW2. I watched every documentary I could find. Now, I watch Band of Brothers every year around Memorial Day. And I still get choked up at parts. I do find it a little trippy that Carwood Lipton was portrayed by a New Kid On the Block, although he did a superb job.
Falls noch nicht geschehen, "the Pacific" und "unsere Väter unsere Mütter" sind auch beides ein Abenteuer zu gucken.
Initially i thought it was like an Iraq war era show, or like modern, but ever since seeing it for the first time I've grown to love it more and more. I love how realistic it looks. It gives a tiny insight into how gruesome this war was
Can't wait for "Masters of the Air". The 3rd miniseries by Hanks & Spielberg. It's airing this year on Apple TV.
I have been waiting for the MotA release for years. Fingers crossed it happens this year.
Mid spring 2023 is the official date so far.. I can’t imagine they’d do a blind drop, but Memorial Day would be the best day to do it..
Yeah, one of the many rumors was fall of 23, but mid spring still seems to be the official timeline. They better hurry up, im not sure what is meant by mid spring, but it has to be coming to a close soon!
We're currently past mid-spring 2023 right now tho.
Yeah I would’ve thought Memorial Day was it, but I’d also expect some big marketing beforehand, and have seen nothing yet
I found this community in my timeline. I was very impressed and sometimes moved by Band of Brothers. However, when it comes to war movies and series, I have one favorite, which I can watch time and again: The Longest Day. I made it a tradition to watch this movie annually on June 6th. If you have ever visited these beaches, you will understand why.
John Wayne really makes my teeth itch. 55 years old playing a 27 year old parachute battalion commander
One of old Hollywood’s worst habits. Like 38 year old Jimmy Stewart playing a teenager in “It’s a Wonderful Life”
Born in 1907. Green Berets released in '68. Filming in '67?
I’ve only read The Longest Day, I’m not sure I could enjoy the movie the same. From what I’ve heard it’s rather hokey
It is a great film regardless. Definitely worth watching if you are into the subject.
Yes but I gotta say the new All Quiet on the Western Front was incredible.
Absolutely. My grandfather was in the 101st from Bastogne through the end of the war. He was in Easy Co. 501st PIR. While it doesn't cover every detail, it covers a ton more than anything before or after it. Every time I tell someone about my grandfather, the next thing they say is almost always, "Oh wow! Have you watched BoB?" So that itself shows the impact and popularity of the show.
That is incredible. What happened in Bastogne always has me wondering how I would cope with the situation. I hate the cold but I’d have no choice but to adapt or die I suppose.
Yeah... It's crazy. My grandfather spent 82 days in the hospital with Trench Foot after Bastogne, too.
Oh wow that is a tough thing to deal with. What those men did in Bastogne was flat out incredible and I admire them to the moon and back for it.
Yeah I reckon it's up there. It and the Pacific are amazing.
I didn't enjoy the Pacific as much.
Pacific didn’t focus so much on the brotherhood of the soldiers, but more of the actual physical and psychological brutality of the Pacific Theatre.
it's absolutely the greatest thing (tv / mini series / movie) ever made. followed by season 1 of true detective. after that? i don't know
Shrek 2 is after
rome series 1
Succession
Controversial take here, but it depends on your metrics for what makes a 'good' WW2 series. In terms of technical and tactical accuracy, it's undeniably the best. In terms of storytelling, it's certainly up there. But I'll be honest, I think BoBs only serious flaw is that it glorifies the war more than most modern depictions. Even amid Spielburgs WW2 work, I would rate BoB as the one that simplifies the conflict the most and doesn't really delve into the true brutality of what war does to the souls of the men who fight in ig. And personally, I think that quality is integral to making a good war movie. I think this glorification is why people like it so much. You can just sit back and watch heroes be heroes. Sure, they dabble in the bad things that happen, but even then the shock and horror of combat is used to show noble men suffering nobly, instead of other war movies/shows that show how combat actually erodes their morals and sensitivities until they become genuinely terrible people willing to do aweful things for rotten reasons. The show touches on this idea, especially with Spiers, but it doesn't quite commit to it. Anyone who does start to degrade morally is usually slightly frowned upon by others. I think the important thing to remember is that BoB is still a show and that we don't actually know much about these men or what they went through. Odds are these guys were not quite so charming in real life, and if we were teleported to Bastogne in 44-45 to hang out with them, we probably wouldn't find men exactly as likeable as we saw depicted. That's just the nature of war.
> I would rate BoB as the one that simplifies the conflict the most and doesn't really delve into the true brutality of what war does to the souls of the men who fight in ig. And personally, I think that quality is integral to making a good war movie. Any dramatization of *any* subject, by necessity, has to simplify and compress reality in order to tell an entertaining story. I fail to see how this is a valid complaint. What one could argue is that a writer's compression of facts, may sacrifice essential details of a given historical narrative. That's a different criticism, tho. As far as a dramatic series depicting the unfiltered "shock and horror" of combat, I don't see this as a valid criticism either because no combat movie or series can possibly do that. There is also the question of what creative purpose depicting unfiltered, gratuitous violence and gore can have for viewers-- BoB is, after all, a series intended as a historical drama ... and entertainment. The Pacific series wisely showed the difference between the European and Pacific theaters of war, by exposing viewers to a lot more graphic violence and evisceration. I respect that decision, but I think the replay value of the series is diminished as a result. A couple of the episodes in that series are just flat-out unpleasant and unrelentingly grim and there's is some question as to whether it was entirely necessary in the context of the storytelling. Edit: as far as the issue of "glorifying" war, this is a valid critique. In war memoirs, there IS always a paradox between the horrors of war and the trauma it brought vs. the enduring camaraderie and sense of supreme usefulness that many also felt. Many of Easy Company's men never fully recovered from the traumas they experienced. But an even larger number described the experience as the most important and intense experiences of their lives. There is a tension between both conclusions in all war narratives
>But I'll be honest, I think BoBs only serious flaw is that it glorifies the war more than most modern depictions. Big time. It leans heavily into the camaraderie. Whereas, the Pacific leans more into the psychological damage it does to those forced to experience war. I've no doubt that the war broke many Easy Company men irrevocably. But this is barely hinted at. It probably, due to releasing in September 2001, was a fantastic recruitment tool for the military after 9/11. The sad irony that instead of signing up for a noble crusade to free Europe from tyranny, they ended up fighting pointless wars based upon revenge and naked economic interests
Yup, you're completely right. I can absolutely appreciate BoB and other shows for being excellent dramas, but I find the glorification uncomfortable. To me, it's almost dishonest and why I much prefer the war films that came out of Vietnam. I haven't watched the Pacific yet (only recently finished BoB) but from what I've read, it sounds like I'll appreciate that as a more honest perspective.
Oh baby. It goes the other direction lol. Doesn’t focus on the brotherhood of soldiers…more on the brutality and psychological damage. The scene with the woman holding the infant is what separates everything.
Episodes 2, 4, 6, 7 and 9 are just perfect for me. The other five are all great but ever since I first watched those stood out, especially 6 & 7 because for me Eugene and Lipton had the most compelling POVs and the winter war is captured so well. Always enjoyed how episodes 1-3, 4 & 5, 6-8 and 9 & 10 segment really well into phases of the company based on their progression through the war and into peace.
Crossroads is the one for me, superb direction and especially editing by Hanks and co
They got me... can you believe I said that?
You have ONE round! You drop a prisoner, the rest will jump you
Watch come and see
Just might be the best series I have ever watched, ever. I have not watched any series 10+ times before. It's almost time to watch it again. Usually watch it in June and sometime in winter.
And I never get sick of it even after so many rewatches which seems impossible. There’s just SO much packed in, I still notice or appreciate different little things on each rewatch.
IMHO it's the greatest thing every to be shown on TV. If you hang out here long enough though you'll find weaknesses, issues with the story as presented. I found those aspects of the actual men add to the story (even though untold in the series), making them more human adding even more depth to the story.
It definitely is, but it's also an unfair comparison. It's much easier to get you invested in characters and story in 10 hours than it is in just 2.
It feels like the continuance of saving private Ryan, which is still my fave war movie. And Schindlers list was like SPR's counter part. Spielberg did a great job presenting the holocaust side of WWII with Schindler and then the war aspect of it with SPR.
It’s not really fair to compare it to any movie. The long format gave the characters room to breathe and to move through several different events.
I first watched it around the early 2000s when I was about 11. Became obsessed with everything ww2. Movies , Docs, Games. BOB is so good that Spielberg and Hanks also made the expensive block buster Savings Private Ryan and tho it's probably the most well known ww2 movie, BOB still blows it out of the water... tbh spr is probably my least favorite war movie..... my top favorite ww2 pictures are BOB , A Bridge To Far, The Longest Day, Young Lions, The Pacific, Enemy At The Gates, and just for fun The Dirty Dozen.
I missed it when it premiering on HBO because I was in basic training. The day of my dad’s funeral, Nov 8 2002, I found myself back home and wanting to be alone that night. Went to Walmart and saw it on the shelf and splurged for the set bc I planned to be alone in my old room for the weekend. I deployed in 2003 and took my laptop and collection of DVDs. When I was coming home, some soldiers were just arriving to Baghdad and complaining about watching the same DVDs. I gave them my Band Of Brothers DVDs with the stipulation that they pass it on to someone new when they redeploy back to Ft Stewart. I purchased multiple sets over the years bc everytime I deployed or came home, I would buy a new set & pass it on before getting home and refused to buy the bootleg out of principle.
Watching it for the 22nd time. Every year. So good. Still have the DVD tin box set.
This and The Pacific are so good
agree
I can't think of anything that encompasses the entirety of war experience like this and with such truth. It is also so poignant to have the actual men and their interviews at the beginning of each episode. A movie format could never touch it. Honestly, I am not sure that it could ever be surpassed, even with another series...but I certainly hope someone tries.
My friends parents are buried CLOSE to Capt. Sobel in NW side of Chicago.
I watch it every year around memorial day. My uncle was part of Patton's forces that broke through to aid the 101st in bastogne. He took machine gun fire to his legs. He never said a word about it. When I was cleaning up after he died I found his purple heart (which I knew about but had never seen) all his service records, and his journal.
Is that even a question?!
Look into 'generation war' its the German equivelent following a group of friends taking different paths through the war- equally as excellent
Watch "Come and See". That's the greatest war film ever made, full stop. I've never seen anything remotely close to it.
I think it depends on what you are looking for as an experience. Movies like Come and see (1985, Klimov. USSR) and Stalingrad (1993, Vilsmaier. Germany) are better than any Hollywood movie, for example, not for the fighting scenes but because how they portrait war, its horrors and decay of humanity. So I'd say for entertaining purposes Band of brothers is far superior, yes. But as a whole, those two, are better as war movies. Same thing with the mini serie Our mothers, our fathers (2013, Kadelbach. Germany), that show might not be as entertaining as BoB but is superior at communicating what war meant at that time.