Band of Brothers

Based on the best-selling account by the late Stephen E. Ambrose, this Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning 10-hour HBO miniseries from executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks recounts the amazing story of one of the most decorated military units of WWII: Easy Company, an elite rifle company in the 506th Regiment of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, which parachuted into France for D-Day, fought at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge, helped liberate Holland, and took Hitler's Eagle Nest retreat at Berchtesgaden. Filmed by eight different directors, including Phil Alden Robinson and Hanks himself (helming the fifth episode, one of the best in the series), Band of Brothers maintains a remarkable consistency in both its narrative approach (which is more or less linear in a chronological sense, but shifts viewpoints among the characters, who are portrayed by a standout ensemble cast that includes Damian Lewis, Donnie Wahlberg, Ron Livingston, and David Schwimmer) and in its look (the same cinematographers and editors were used throughout). Refreshingly unconventional in its eschewal of standard war movie melodrama (the deaths occur as they do in real life; somewhat randomly, not because someone says he's going home in another week), Band of Brothers is nevertheless a powerfully dramatic viewing experience that also sets a new benchmark for realistic battle scenes, particularly in the haunting sixth episode, "Bastogne," which finds the men of Easy Company trying to take cover from heavy shelling just inside the tree line of a forest that resembles nothing so much as a wintry version of Hell (especially on DVD in a home theater setup, where the outstanding, room-encompassing Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS sound literally places the viewer smack dab in the middle of the chaos). DVD extras include the moving 77-minute documentary, "We Stand Alone Together," featuring interview clips with surviving members of Easy Company; a 30-minute "making of"; nearly an hour's worth of actor Ron Livingston's video diaries; and an interactive "Field Guide," with timelines, maps, and profiles. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Nov. 25, 2008—HBO, 6 discs, 705 min., TV-MA, $99.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2001's Band of Brothers sports an excellent transfer and 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio Lossless sound. Blu-ray extras ported over from the original DVD release include the moving 77-minute documentary “We Stand Alone Together” featuring interview clips with surviving members of Easy Company, a half-hour “making-of” featurette, nearly an hour's worth of costar Ron Livingston's video diaries, and a three-minute segment from the film's premiere in Normandy. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the picture-in-picture commentary “In the Words of East Company” featuring the titular veterans, and an enhanced interactive “Field Guide” with timelines, maps, and profiles. Bottom line: an excellent Blu-ray release of a landmark TV miniseries.]