Band of Brothers / The Pacific Blu-ray

Band of Brothers / The Pacific

 (TV) (2001-2010)

Band of Brothers / The Pacific Blu-ray comes close to perfection with top scores all around making it one of the best Blu-ray's ever
A special edition set that includes both of the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced HBO WWII miniseries, Band of Brothers and The Pacific, as well as an exclusive bonus disc featuring a new 53-minute high definition documentary, He Has Seen War.

For more about Band of Brothers / The Pacific and the Band of Brothers / The Pacific Blu-ray release, see the Band of Brothers / The Pacific Blu-ray Review

Starring: Scott Grimes, Bob Rumnock, Toby Leonard Moore, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Joshua Biton
Directors: David Nutter, Carl Franklin


This Blu-ray release includes the following titles, see individual titles for specs and details:

Band of Brothers Blu-ray    HBO | 2001 | 705 min | Rated TV-MA | Region A, B (locked) | Nov 11, 2008 Based on the bestseller by Stephen E. Ambrose, the epic 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Drawn from interviews with survivors of... Action / Adventure / Biography / Drama / Epic / History / Melodrama / War

The Pacific Blu-ray    HBO | 2010 | 537 min | Rated MA | Region free | Nov 02, 2010 The Pacific is an epic 10-part miniseries that delivers a realistic portrait of WWII's Pacific Theatre as seen through the intertwined odysseys of three U.S. Marines - Robert Leckie, John Basilone and Eugene Sledge. The... Action / Adventure / Biography / Drama / Epic / History / Melodrama / War

Band of Brothers / The Pacific Blu-ray Review

A must-own box set... if you don't already own both series on Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, October 17, 2011

Re-issues and repackagings continue to be sources of contention amongst home video collectors. For those who already own original editions, repackaged titles are often dismissed and criticized as cash grabs. (Never mind the fact that the holiday season is fast upon us; a time when people are desperate to find the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for family member.) For those who don't own the previous releases in question, repackaged titles are celebrated as a chance to pick up multiple movies or series, often with a few exclusives or new special features thrown in to sweeten the deal. There are exceptions, sure -- box sets that unite both camps beneath a single furrowed brow -- and a variety of factors to consider (price, value, design, practicality and content, just to name a few). Generally, though, those who own the old gripe about the new, while those eyeballing the new gripe about anyone actively raining on their parade. Unfortunately, HBO's uber-classy 13-disc Band of Brothers / The Pacific Special Edition Gift Set isn't going to unite anyone. It offers just one new extra (excellent as He Has Seen War may be) and its rectangular box and interior disc-book is more difficult to display than the oversized tins that housed the original box sets (at least for those with limited shelf space). But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The 13-disc set bundles (arguably) the best Blu-ray release of 2008, one of the best Blu-ray releases of 2010 and an exclusive hour-long high definition documentary that, frankly, would have received glowing praise from me even if it had been issued as a standalone release.



For the purposes of this review, I'll be focusing, first, on the box set's packaging and, second, on its special features, both new and old. For a more complete look at Band of Brothers, its 1080p/VC-1 encode and its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, see Martin Liebman's review of the 2008 6-disc release. For a more complete look at The Pacific, its 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode and its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, see my review of the 2010 6-disc release.

The Special Edition Gift Set storms the shelves in a handsome box (7 h x 11½ w x 1½ d) with a hidden magnetic clasp. Inside, a heavy, nine-page, matte black book (6½ h x 11 w x 1 d) is reminiscent of the Rome and Deadwood inner-book cases. Each page is nice and sturdy, decorated with high quality glossy photos from the two series, and 1-2 disc slots on each page. However, the disc slots have been significantly improved from their Rome and Deadwood counterparts. The discs lift upwards, only half of each disc is exposed (making them easier to grab and remove), and sliding space has been added to make the process less fraught with peril. The first page features a photo of the Band of Brothers cast, the next three pages house the series' six discs (two per page), the book's center page holds a single disc (that contains the set's exclusive documentary), the next page features a wide photo from The Pacific, and the last three pages house the second series' six discs (two per page).

A strip of black fabric makes removing the inner book effortless, the book sits snuggly in the box, and the entire package is a culmination of everything HBO has been working toward with its box sets. Other than the size of both the box and the book, which makes displaying the Special Edition Gift Set a challenge, I don't have any complaints. Well, save one. The interior of the book's front cover bubbles at the soldiers' waists; I'm guessing because of a security tag of some sort. There's no way to remove it and it represents a slight flaw in an otherwise exceptionally packaged box set.

Band of Brothers / The Pacific Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

HBO's Band of Brothers / The Pacific Special Edition Gift Set includes just one exclusive extra -- He Has Seen War, a 53-minute high definition documentary complete with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track -- but it's a tempting one. Had HBO also released it separately (for, say, $15), everyone could be privy to its examination of the challenges, changes and attitudes World War II veterans faced when they returned home. For now, though, the new gift set is the only place you'll find He Has Seen War. The following is a breakdown of the 13-disc set's generous supplemental package:

Bonus Disc

• He Has Seen War (Disc 7, HD, 53 minutes): "Over ten million men are in the armed forces. Bringing them back into civilian life would present a difficult problem, even if they had only been away overnight. It would be an even greater problem if all those more-than-ten-million had been away for three years on a holiday. What, then, are the dimensions of the problem when over ten million have been in war? This is real. And after months and years of war, battle or drudgery, no matter where, there is always that bewildering let-down: the big thing has been done, whether squeezing a trigger or guarding an island or carrying a stretcher. And suddenly, there is no more war. Here is your man. Remember, he isn't naive anymore. He's been places, he's seen things. He has seen and experienced things which should not happen under God, which should not happen under the sun, which should not happen again. Not to his children, not to his friends, not to anyone. He has been toughened to withstand these things. He is no longer illusioned. He is no longer a boy. He has seen war."
  
  Thus begins one of the finest World War II documentaries I've had the privilege to review. Rather than focus on the horrors or atrocities of war, or the strategies or techniques that brought an end to the rule of the Nazi regime, He Has Seen War follows the soldiers home as they deal with something more difficult than firing a gun or storming a beach: reintegrating into society. Through heartfelt interviews with surviving veterans, family members and other notable witnesses (not to mention archive footage), HBO examines the lasting effects of war, the tough road many soldiers faced upon returning to the States, the government's response, the public's concerns, and the various lingering traumas the men had to endure. Nightmares, uncertainty, fear, judgment, employment issues, financial difficulties, distant wives (after the War, marriages doubled but the divorce rate tripled), confused children, and the memories of things that would break the strongest man. As a companion piece, it borders on essential. As a bonus documentary, it rivals any other re-issue exclusive I've seen. As a piece of documentary filmmaking, its firsthand accounts and raw nerves are enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes. Again, the only downside is that it isn't available outside of this set. It should be. With a striking AVC-encoded presentation and a subdued but gripping DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, I hesitate to even classify it as an extra or a special feature. It's that well done.

Band of Brothers

• In the Words of Easy Company (Discs 1-5, HD): Each Band of Brothers episode rolls into battle with a haunting, moving and ultimately fascinating Picture-in-Picture experience featuring the real men of Easy Company. Their stories reflect the courage of their service, the terrifying nature of what they encountered, the manner in which those things changed them, and the various things they had to contend with, overseas and, to an extent, upon returning home. It would be easy to spend an entire week just digging through the series and watching every PiP track on hand. I've done it and, honestly, I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime.
• In the Field With the Men of Easy Company (Discs 1-5, HD): Also available with each episode is an "Interactive Field Guide" that allows viewers to track key events from episode to episode using an on-screen timeline, as well as access archive footage, trivia, bios, interactive maps, glossaries and more, expounding upon anything and everything that graces the screen. It requires a bit more patience and investment than the Picture-in-Picture experience, but it's as extensive as such guides come and should keep history buffs busy for weeks on end.
• We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company (Disc 6, HD, 78 minutes): An in-depth, at-times emotional documentary teeming with harrowing firsthand interviews, rich archive videos and photos, and an emerging narrative that conveys the bonds of brotherhood formed by fighting men; those brave souls willing to descend into the maw of Hell itself in service of a nation, a principle and, most importantly, a fellow soldier. We Stand Alone Together is magnificent and quite simply should not be missed.
• The Making of Band of Brothers (Disc 6, SD, 30 minutes): Go behind the scenes of the production and witness the blood, sweat and tears shed to bring the dramatization of Easy Company's experiences to the screen. It doesn't compare to the blood, sweat and tears shed on the battlefield, mind you, but the passion and almost solemn devotion of the cast and crew is apparent and surprisingly affecting.
• Ron Livingston's Video Diaries (Disc 6, SD, 56 minutes): Join Ron Livingston and his castmates on a brutal 18-month shoot in the actor's twelve video diary featurettes.
• Premiere in Normandy (Disc 6, SD, 3 minutes): The series premieres at Utah Beach.

The Pacific

• Enhanced Viewing Experience (Discs 8-12, HD): All ten episodes of The Pacific come armed with thorough, well-conceived Picture-in-Picture tracks comprised of interviews with surviving veterans (as well as family members of several deceased soldiers), analysis from a variety of historians, first-hand accounts of the conditions and wartime oddities the Marines endured, engaging pop-up factoids, brief bios and photographs. As an added benefit, users can tap forward or backward to skip during each track to skip between segments, meaning the gaps that do find their way into the experience can be traversed with a flick of the remote. The only downside? Production details are nowhere to be found, leaving the thirteen disc's 23-minute "Making Of" documentary as the sole source of behind-the-scenes information for The Pacific.
• Field Guide (Discs 8-12, HD): Each episode also offers an extensive "Field Guide," an interactive collection of animated maps, in-depth historical information, interviews with veterans and noted WWII historians, archive footage, photographs, biographies and much, much more. If you're expecting a typical pop-up trivia track, prepare to have your expectations shattered. Every bit as essential to each episode as the Enhanced Viewing Experience, HBO's Field Guides are a remarkable supplement to a remarkable miniseries.
• Profiles of The Pacific (Disc 13, HD, 49 minutes): "A little boy asked me, he said, Mr. Tatum, are you a hero of Iwo Jima? I said, no son, I'm only a survivor. We buried all the heroes." Acquaint yourself with six of the real Marines -- John Basilone, Eugene Sledge, Robert Leckie, Sidney Phillips, R.V. Burgin and Chuck Tatum -- whose lives are depicted in The Pacific, hear intimate accounts of their personalities and experiences, meet their surviving families and, in some cases, hear from the soldiers themselves.
• Making The Pacific (Disc 13, HD, 23 minutes): A solemn look behind the scenes in which key members of the cast and crew (among them Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg) discuss the history of the war in the Pacific, the soldiers involved, the battles that were recreated, the miniseries' production, its storylines and characters, the differences between The Pacific and Band of Brothers, the performances and the challenges faced along the way by everyone involved.
• Anatomy of the Pacific War (Disc 13, HD, 10 minutes): Dig into the history behind the series with this exceptional, albeit far too short dissection of the conflicts and cultures that led to the war in the Pacific.

Band of Brothers / The Pacific Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

HBO's Special Edition Gift Set is a must-have box set... if you don't already own Band of Brothers and The Pacific on Blu-ray. Even then, the Special Edition Gift Set is (at the moment) more expensive than both individual releases combined, meaning you'll have to determine if the set's exclusive 53-minute documentary and book-style packaging is worth the additional cost. If so, it will make for a terrific gift this holiday season, even if that gift is for yourself.

Amazon's Deal of the Day has the Steven Spielberg produced WWII miniseries The Pacific discounted to $38.99. The 10-part HBO epic centers on the experiences of two Marines fighting historical battles in the Pacific against Japanese forces. The deal, which amounts ...

HBO has announced a new Blu-ray release combining the popular WWII miniseries Band of Brothers and The Pacific into a Special Edition Gift Set. The repackaged edition will include an all new documentary titled He Has Seen War featuring interviews from Easy Company ...

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