**** HBO's BAND OF BROTHERS: The True Story Of Easy Company. (1 Viewer)

[todbnla]

Posted again...
Anyone want to sell me a VHS copy of the final episode since we moved and the HBO connection is not up yet?
I would be glad to pay for the tape and shipping, PLEASE LMK!
Thanks!
Now how long till the dvd comes out??
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Regards,
Todd
My HT

 

[MickeS]

I watched the final episode tonight. Great show, and a great ending.
However, I still believe that there was a lot of wasted potential here. It was a very fractured storytelling, and I for one, even in the last episode, never got a good grip on who the characters were, except for a few of the main ones (Winters, Nixon, Wahlberg's character and one or two more). Maybe I'm just too stupid, but there was very little continuity between episodes, IMO, and it disappoints me.
I know, reading the book probably helps, but I don't think that should be required.
Earlier in this thread I commented on the crimes the american soldiers were constantly committing, I didn't get much response on it. Were they ever convicted of any of them, such as the murder of the officer in the cabin, or any of the thefts? Since I haven't read the book, I was hoping someone who has could clarify this. Tino (I believe) mentioned that in the book it was stated that looting was a common procedure, but how about murder?
I also felt very uneasy watching Winters and the other soldier steal Nazi silver and other things. Good to see that the show didn't shy away from showing this though.
In all though, an excellent series, which I really enjoyed watching. I wouldn't have minded if it was twice as many episodes!
/Mike
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[Chad Beaudin]

What is so bad about stealing the Nazi stuff? I wouldn't even consider it stealing. I don't want to get off on a tangent so I will just say that the Allied soldiers were entitled to anything the Nazis had. The Nazis probably got half their stuff from the Jews anyway. What should have happend is liquidating all the Nazi stuff and give the proceeds to the displaced Jews.

 

[AjayM]

Earlier in this thread I commented on the crimes the american soldiers were constantly committing, I didn't get much response on it. Were they ever convicted of any of them, such as the murder of the officer in the cabin, or any of the thefts? Since I haven't read the book, I was hoping someone who has could clarify this. Tino (I believe) mentioned that in the book it was stated that looting was a common procedure, but how about murder?
I also felt very uneasy watching Winters and the other soldier steal Nazi silver and other things. Good to see that the show didn't shy away from showing this though.

Well the officer that the 3 men went after was believed to be the head of a concentration camp, so after as much of an investigation as they could do (I would assume fairly well), they sent the 3 guys to get him...and like in the show they shot him as he was running (and one of the soldiers refused to shoot the guy). The looting, I believe that is a fairly common wartime practice, besides the Nazi's didn't actually buy most of that stuff, they took it from the people of the countries they over-ran. I believe in the book that Winters originally had a quick bout of doubt about stealing everything that wasn't nailed down, so he was a little more cautious about it, until when they would move out and another division moved in they would steal everything, so it sort of turns into the "if everybody else is doing it, I may as well also" type deal. Besides, the American's didn't feel much love for the Germans at that point, the book goes shows some other things like walking into somebodies home and telling them to leave within 5 minutes (and they felt no guilt over doing this), etc. Definately an eye-opener.
Andrew
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[MickeS]

Well the officer that the 3 men went after was believed to be the head of a concentration camp, so after as much of an investigation as they could do (I would assume fairly well), they sent the 3 guys to get him...

Yeah, I understood that. Still, to kill someone without a trial or anything else, if it's not in self-defense or in combat, is murder, as far as I know.
/Mike

 

[RobertW]

just wanted to jump in here at the end with a few comments. i watched the final episode the other night, then stayed up all night watching the first seven again on tape. seeing it again, and in one sitting, i was able to get a better handle on the various characters. as others have pointed out, it was sometimes tough figuring out who was who in the overall scheme.
one thing that struck me was how the men seemed to age so much over roughly a years time. they began in england, very young, innocent and upbeat, and by the time of bastogne, they seemed much older and wiser, all optimism gone, replaced by a sense of gloom and cynicism. even their language seemed to grow rougher as the war carried on.
i too was amazed when we finally saw the real bill guanere, and just how convincingly the actor had nailed him. even more amazing in that frank john hughes, the actor, is a native of the bronx, and managed to suppress that accent and take on the philly accent instead. i was also amazed to find out early that damian lewis was british, as there's absolutely no trace of it in his voice. and i knew i'd seen the guy before, but never placed him as dexter fletcher until i slo-moed through the credits. again, not a hint of his real accent.
this series was truly incredible, far superior to saving private ryan. you didn't get to know all the men in each episode, but by the end, it seemed as if you knew them all intimately. you learned a bit more about them each week, a little more of their personality was discovered the longer you knew them, just as you would in life.
and i loved the emphasis on the smaller scale of the war. someone earlier had mentioned a bridge too far, and while i loved that book, and the movie was good, all you seemed to see were the moves by the big players, the generals, the leaders, and those at the top of the operation. you saw the big picture, but you never saw the effect of that on the men fighting. here you did.
and the cinematography throughout was just beautiful. i am working on expanding my home stereo into a home theater, and have yet still to own a dvd player. but player or no, this will be my first dvd purchase when it becomes available.
fianlly a question from a newbie here. any way to read a blacked out spoiler other than to "view source", and read it in wordpad. i still haven't figured that out.

 

[MickeS]

Robert, I felt pretty much what you felt about this show (even though my previous comments might have come off a bit negative). It was nice to see the smaller scale of the war.
I don't really agree that a little bit of personaliy for each character was revealed every week though, to me it felt like they did one or two characters in every episode, then pretty much dropped them. This is my main complaint.
As for viewing spoilers, just highlight the text with the mouse, and you'll see it.
/Mike

 

[Al Rebchook]

Ambrose dealt with the looting question quite a bit. He claimed it was pretty universal, and was done by soldiers who had never stolen a thing in their lives. Right or wrong, it seemed to be a fact of war.
Ambrose also touched on the question of rape. Remember that scene where the soldier's advances were rebuffed by the girl in the barn? That was pretty universal. The GI's seemed to think they could get a lot of action with a few Hershey bars and some stockings, but found the girls rather virtuous.
As Ambrose points out, with a lot of other armies the consent of the conquered women would not have been an issue.

 

[Stacy Huff]

Who is Dexter Fletcher, what movie (or show) is he from, and which actor from Band of Brothers played him?
Thanks.

 

[RobertW]

dexter fletcher is the actor's name, he played sgt. john martin in band of brothers. he was the one who got the note from home in the first episode that said guanere's brother was killed.
i can't remember what movie i first saw him in, it may have been The Rachel Papers, with ione skye, back about 15 years ago. there was another about the same time, but i can't recall it. he was in Lionheart with eric stoltz, he was a thief, or sleight of hand artist, i can't remember, although i do remember his catchphrase was "well then, there you have it"
he also played al pacino's grown-up son in Revolution, and as someone else said, he was more recently in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. not sure of the character's name,but he was the goody goody one who didn't really want to join in, but did anyway.
i hadn't seen him in movies for a long time before that one, and i was kinda surprised at his appearance, you know, he's all grown up, playing adult roles. i never knew it was him in band of brothers at first, cause the accent just totally threw me. someone else must know more about his recent work.

 

[Preston Durrer]

As a longtime admirer of Stephen Ambrose, I've thoroughly enjoyed this series. My father was in the 87th Infantry Division (one of the outfits Gen. Patton sent to "not rescue" the 101st in Bastogne ) Some personal observations based on Stacy's message:

One thing that I wonder is how much these men kept in touch over the years.

Over the past several years, I've become fairly involved in the 87th's Association. I've been to some reunions, and am now their webmaster. What has struck me during my involvement is the level of caring these fellows have for one another, despite their varied social backgrounds. They have a closeness that I don't think I'll ever experience. Of course, I'm not sure I'd want to experience what they did to achieve it either.

 

[Marty M]

I, too, was sad to see this series end. I felt like I had really gotten to know many of these men. The update of the men after the war gave a nice closure to their stories. I can't wait for the DVD so I can watch this series anytime I want.

 

[Stacy Huff]

Preston,
You are absolutely right. And our opportunities to do so will be gone before we know it.
I'll have to go back and check on Sgt. Martin/Dexter Fletcher. So is he British too?

 

[todbnla]

In regards to some of the posts above, I suggest you guys check out the National D-Day Museum here in New Orleans. They have regular special events, one of which will be held on Dec 7. Ambrose (sp?) will be on hand as well as many others, perhaps some of the people mentioned above?

Link Removed
FYI

PS-At the opening this year, Tom Hanks was also on hand...
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Regards,
Todd
My HT
[Edited last by Todd Barattini on November 07, 2001 at 10:16 PM]
[Edited last by Todd Barattini on November 07, 2001 at 10:17 PM]

 

[Preston Durrer]

Todd -
Ambrose's book on the D-Day invasion is what kindled my interest in WWII. It really opened my eyes when I read it in 1994, and I've had a deep respect for our vets ever since. I like Ambrose's style of writing ... wish I'd had this kind of stuff in high school ... I might have paid more attention! You can bet your bandoleers if I ever make it down to New Orleans, the D-Day Museum will be at the top of my list. Sounds like you've visited .... what did you think?

 

[Shawn C]

Any predictions on Emmy Nominations and wins for next year? I'm pretty sure it'll win plenty of awards. Do you think the guy who played Lieutenant-Captain-Major Winters will get an Emmy nod? It would be a crying shame if he didn't.

 

[todbnla]

Preston,
NO, sorry to say I have not visited the museum YET.

In fact, Since 9/11, We currently have a local TV ad running in town stating; "Locals should be tourists in their own home town" to spur the economy.
I plan on doing just that. but I have been putting it off, trying to make a special occasion, such as Dec 7. It gets really great reviews too! Come on down...

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Regards,
Todd
My HT

 

[Tino]

The History Channel is re-broadcasting this epic mini-series starting this Sunday so I thought I would resurrect this thread for those that are interested.
Sadly, the show started on September 9, 2001. Just a few short days before that
unimaginable infamous day. Many people missed the show for obvious reasons.
Here we are almost three years later and we are still at war with our brave soldiers again fighting overseas for freedom.
Band Of Brothers is as topical and powerful today as it was then.

 

[ScottH]

As someone who thinks 'Band Of Brothers' is BY FAR the best war piece ever done (whether it be film, documentary, series, mini-series, etc), I would have to seriously question recommending someone watch it on The History Channel. Won't they edit it? If not, then forget what I just said.

 

[Tino]

This Thursday is the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Band Of Brothers. So close to the 20th anniversary of course of 9/11. Seems like yesterday to me. Hope this gets released on 4K soon. For now I’m going to rewatch it. Amazing series.