Further to this, producers Spielberg and Hanks concentrated on maintaining a high level of historical accuracy from the actions of the soldiers to the costumes, vehicles and props. Winters jumps from the plane, is actioned nearly verbatim. There is a paragraph in the Ambrose’s description of Easy Company’s first jump into France on D-Day that is so well written that the actual on screen adaptation, when Lt. Ambrose’s writing, in particular, is exciting to the point of nail biting, and both accurately and immediately recreates iconic historical moments. The book, along with the memoirs of Easy Company paratrooper David Webster, gave wonderful insight into the inner workings of a close group of soldiers as they fought across Europe and formed the basis for much of the emotional context which permeates every episode throughout the series. It should be noted that Band of Brothers also featured a number of Hollywood’s current A-list actors including Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Tom Hardy and Simon Pegg, along with the likes of Colin Hanks, Stephen Graham and Dominic Cooper.Īdvertisement The Source Material Soldiers of Easy Company via īased on the brilliant book Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest by non-fiction author, biographer and World War II historian Stephen Ambrose, the TV series had an undeniably detailed and well researched source from which to draw its tapestry. The unity and camaraderie of the men of Easy Company is one thing that the producers desperately wanted to translate onto the screen and the large cast and shifting points of view give a universal sense of what these men went through on the battlefields of Europe. Each episode somewhat concentrated on a different character which meant that all men were regarded as equals, fighting the same battles albeit with varying levels of responsibility. The main cast of about 10-15 actors was perfectly cast across the board with Damien Lewis (Dick Winters), Ron Livingston (Lewis Nixon), Neal McDonagh (Buck Compton) and Donnie Wahlberg (Carl Lipton) in particular putting in great and thoroughly honest performances. Herbert Sobel was short lived, and it was quickly evident that he certainly wasn’t the best actor on set. It is funny to think that David Schwimmer, who played schlub Ross Gellar in the sitcom Friends, was the most famous name of the cast of the most expensive TV show ever made. The Cast The Cast of Band of Brothers via Defining each individual episode was a key reason why the series is so memorable, and something Band of Brothers follow-up The Pacific was sorely missing. Each episode has a unique feel generated by these differing locations, all of which reflect on and empathise with the trials of war that the men are undergoing. What follows over the next nine episodes is a huge variation in these backdrops – the warmth of France and Carentan, the sepia tones of Autumn in Holland, the bleak frozen forests of Bastogne and the Ardennes, the renewed growth of Spring in Germany and the victorious Summer in Austria. The story starts with the recruits of Easy company as they go through training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia before being shipped off to Britain to prepare for the “day of days” – D-Day and their introduction to war. One of the greatest achievements of Band of Brothers is the realisation of the European theatre in which the battles of World War II were fought. The Variety of Locations The Battle of Carentan via Television history was made as the most expensive television show ever produced hit screens on both sides of the Atlantic and would go on to be regarded as one of the greatest television series ever created, noted for its powerful recreation of some of the most iconic battlefields of World War II.īut why is Band of Brothers so good? The reasons are 5-fold. On Sunday the 9th of September 2001, two days before 9/11, HBO aired the first two episodes of Band of Brothers, the Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg produced 10 part World War II miniseries following the soldiers of Easy Company of the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division. – Henry V, William Shakespeareġ4 years ago this month one of the most important events in television history occurred. For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
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