Merged thread for "Band of Brothers" (1 Viewer)

[Paul McElligott]

Effin' awesome.

 

[Don_Houle]

You all are killing me, here! I'm dying to get this, but I made a promise to my wife that I wouldn't buy any DVD boxed sets for myself so that she has some nice gifts to give me for the holidays!
Actually, I rented Disc 1 from Netflix (don't tell my wife!).
I've got to agree with Paul here:
The DTS track is really impressive and the video quality is fantastic. I watched the whole series when it was on HBO, and loved it, so I can't wait to own the whole series.

 

[Mike__D]

I found it on my doorstep yesterday after work, courtesy of Amazon
AMAZING!!
I watched the Part One last night, and went through some of the extra's. Excellent! I'm not big on extra's, but these are worth it! A nice time-line with key points leading up to the war, and during the war. Other parts I didn't explore yet are the character bios, the rankings, & field terminology. The picture and sound are as good as it gets on my setup (32" WEGA, JBL N-Series). Others with higher quality equipment will have to comment on how well it is...
I already saw the series on HBO, but I'll be watching this set many times for sure!
Mike D.
P.S. The tin can packaging is really sweet, although I don't know if the folded sleeve is supposed to come out or not... makes it tough getting to the 1st DVD.

 

[Brian E]

Mine's on the way from Amazon.ca, can't wait to get it.

 

[Tom J. Davis]

Just received mine yesterday and I can't wait to watch it.

 

[Richard A]

I just picked it up. I had seen a few episodes on the TMN, however, I wanted to have the complete set to watch them at my leisure.

All I can say is WOW....it's even better than I remember. I just finished watching disk one and the sound and picture are excellent. Maybe HD would beat it, but I'm sure this is as close as it would get.

 

[Larry Gardner]

Received mine yesterday.

Audio and Video outstanding - A+.

Packaging: B+.

Need to allow digipack to be removed from tin. Don't know if disk organization was as intended - but digging down to bottom to get at first disk was a pain. I eventually removed each disc and reordered them.

DVD Authoring: D-.

Surprise this being a DreamWorks product. Back of box indicates Spanish subtitles. However French subtitles is also included but not advertised. NO F***ING English subtitles. I was going to get this for both of my grandfathers and my uncle - but can't. They are hearing impaired and don't have CC feature on their TVs. When are studios going to realize that CC is archaic and has been replaced with subtitling with the new technology. If they can afford the cost of Spanish and French subtitling - they should definitely provide English. There is no reason for this.

BTW: the subtitle option is totally screwed up. If you set the Spanish subtitle on during the film and then go to set it off, you can't. Same goes for French. You have to start the disc over if you want to get rid of the subtitles.

 

[Edwin-S]

I thought some of the interviews at the beginning of each segment were poorly done. The individuals being interviewed are never identified, and their ranks also remain a mystery. During an interview segment about leaders, the interviewees use the word "he", as in "I don't know how he survived", but "he" is never identified. Was the "he" a leader in general or some one specific. A person never finds out who they were talking about. The interviewer should have caught the problem and taken steps to clarify the situation. I was quite annoyed by that interview segment.

I know that the film was deliberately made to look grainy but at times the picture looked like it had a lot of noise. Overall, the video looked decent. I have never watched the series on TV because I was waiting for the release of the DVD set. I wanted to watch the series in its proper aspect ratio. The set was worth purchasing.

 

[Paul McElligott]

I thought some of the interviews at the beginning of each segment were poorly done. The individuals being interviewed are never identified, and their ranks also remain a mystery. During an interview segment about leaders, the interviewees use the word "he", as in "I don't know how he survived", but "he" is never identified. Was the "he" a leader in general or some one specific. A person never finds out who they were talking about. The interviewer should have caught the problem and taken steps to clarify the situation. I was quite annoyed by that interview segment.

That was deliberate. If you saw "Richard Winters" in front of the interviewee, you would know that Major Winters survived the war and remove all suspense regarding his fate. They were identified at the end of the series.

 

[RobertW]

i wanted to make mention of something i picked up on when seeing it re-run on hbo these last few weeks. the episodes are deliberately washed out, lending an air of authenticity to the pictures, like they were real war scenes filmed with the technology of the time. it also lent a dramatic effect to the horrors and despair of war.

but i the final episode, points, the colors of the austrian and german countryside are much more vibrant and alive. i feel this was a deliberate choice, emphasizing that the war was ending and the horrors put behind them, they woould soon be back home and their lives returned to normal. a feel of hope to this episode.

 

[Lance Nichols]

Listening to the 16" shells hitting in DTS is just as good as SPR in my opinion

Yes, and about as close as I ever want to get to a VW Beetle being violently hurled thought the sky, only to explode at the end of it's arc.

Unless it is a VW bettle being thrown by War Wolf

 

[Brad W]

BOB was a blind purchase for me. I really enjoyed SPR and have read nothing but good things about BOB. I made the purchase and have really enjoyed it so far. I've watched the first three episodes and can't wait to watch another one. If you liked SPR, you'll definitely like this series as much if not more. In fact, I would say that anyone who owns SPR and is happy with that purchase would also be happy with the purchase of BOB.

Brad

 

[todbnla]

IMHO, BOB's Sound and Pic were awesome +
I too think, a SNAFU was done with disc 1 on the bottom and not the top of the package.
Perhaps FUBAR

 

[JohnTKline]

I watched Band of Brothers last year on hbo-hd. My wife knew from 9pm-10pm, to leave me be. No series had me waiting until Sundays like this one.
I bought the dvd set, but still need to watch it. This time in dts.
I'd like to mention another good wwII book anyone might like to read called, "Currahee". Not sure of the author offhand, but a very excellent book to read after you watch all of band of brothers episodes, this way you don't confuse the two. But you'll still have the wwII thoughts in your mind.

John

 

[Greg*go]

If you set the Spanish subtitle on during the film and then go to set it off, you can't. Same goes for French

Since I read this, I gave it a try on the
DVD I rented (my ordered ones haven't
come yet), and didn't have this problem.

English subtitles would have been nice
though. When I'm eating popcorn and
someone mumbles something, it's a luxury
I wish all movies had.

 

[Adrian_P]

Just finished reading this thread and you guys have caused me to rush on over to Amazon and pre-order it. To my surprise there was a 35% discount on offer, which makes purchasing this huge title all the more sweeter.

Also just adding that I enjoyed the show immensely, it just finished over here in Australia, probably the first ever mini-series I have watched in its entirety. It will be great to see it in WIDESCREEN and piss off the neighbours with the 5.1 tracks.

 

[DarrylWHarrisJr]

Ordered my from deepdiscount.dvd for $85 bones, shipped. Can't wait to get in the mail. (Wish I selected Priority shipping). Being that SPR is my #2 favorite movie of all time (Godfather 2 #1), this would give me oodles of "SPR like" drama. Salavating...

 

[Brian E]

I'd like to mention another good wwII book anyone might like to read called, "Currahee". Not sure of the author offhand

Well, there was one called just Curahee by Donald Burgett that came out in the 60's or 70's and has been out of print for along time afaik.

Then there's Currahee! We stand alone! A paratrooper's account of the Normandy invasion by Donald Robert Burgett which is also OOP I believe.

Finally there's Currahee!: a Screaming Eagle at Normandy by Donald R. Burgett & Stephen E. Ambrose. This one is still in print.

The second two are quite good as I recall. Can't comment on the first one as I've not read it yet. There have been tons of good WWII books, many written by the guys who were there. Unfortunately most have been oop since the 50s-70s and can get kind of expensive on the used market. Two favorites that come to mind are You're Stepping on my Cloak & Dagger by Roger Hall and Those Devils in Baggy Pants by Ross Carter. Baggy pants was reprinted a few times, but to the best of my knowledge Cloak & Dagger never was. I'd love to find a mint hardcover of it as my copy is pretty worn.

 

[Ted Lee]

i am a huge simpson and x-files fan. did i buy those box sets? nope.
this one i bought without hesitation. that's how much i've enjoyed this series.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

I, personally, thought the battle scenes in SPR/DTS were gripping to say the least. However the character development left a lot to be desired. I just didn't care much for anyone except Tom Hanks' character. Everyone else seemed somewhat one dimensional, like filler between the meat and bread of the fighting.

How would you characterize the acting and development of the soldiers in BoB? Were they fleshed out, or just stereotypical Hollywood "grunts?"

I hope if I buy this sight unseen I'm getting something more like "Patton" in between the action sequences, instead of a bunch of "empty" and "banal" dialog.

Dan