Band of Brothers Blu-ray comes close to perfection with top scores all around making it one of the best Blu-ray's ever
Band of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, an elite rifle company parachuting into France early
on D-Day morning, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and capturing Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. Based on the book by Stephen E. Ambrose.
For more about Band of Brothers and the Band of Brothers Blu-ray release, see Band of Brothers Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on November 26, 2008 where this Blu-ray release scored 5.0 out of 5.
I did things, I didn't do them for medals, I didn't do them for accolades, I did them because
that's what had to be done.
"Band of Brothers," an ambitious, grandiose, and above all else moving World War II-based
miniseries that
debuted on HBO in 2001, remains the quintessential story of not only the Company portrayed
therein, but perhaps of the War on the whole. The series showcases effortless character
development, incredible action sequences in
both scope and detail, and many of the War's most significant developments through the eyes of
Easy Company, from their training regimen in the United States through the end of the conflict
in
the European theater, all over 10 episodes that together run more than 10 hours in length.
Saving Private
Ryan
colleagues Tom Hanks (Cast Away) and
Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters of the Third
Kind) produced the series based on the text of the same title by noted historian
Stephen Ambrose. "Band of Brothers" is a product
forged from hands both capable and loving. The material offers not only incredible value from an
entertainment and production perspective, but it makes a valuable contribution to the
understanding of World War II in Europe. It is a series that serves as a tribute to those men who
served the world in perhaps its greatest undertaking, and is a reminder to current and future
generations as to the sacrifices, courage, and love of freedom and country that shaped history,
and the world, forever.
Easy Company takes the fight to the Germans on D-Day.
The aptly-titled "Band of Brothers" follows the progression of the Second World War
through the experiences of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
101st Airborne Division. From their Beginning at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, two years prior to the
invasion of Normandy, to the capture of Hitler's "Eagle's Nest" compound at Berchtesgaden,
Germany, and experiencing much of the War in between, Easy Company
seemed the spearhead of the Allied War effort. Involved in several of the most memorable
engagements of the War, Easy dropped in and fought behind enemy lines during the Allied
invasion of France in June of 1944; the Company participated in the failed Allied attempt to win
the War by Christmas of 1944, known as Operation Market Garden; Easy participated in the long,
cold, hard battle of Bastogne in the winter of 1944-1945. Besides the fighting, Easy Company
also experienced some of the most heart-wrenching moments of the War first-hand, including
the
public humiliation of Hollander Nazi sympathizers and their discovery of a concentration camp
deep inside Germany. While each man's unique personality, outlook, and skill added to the
makeup and effectiveness of the unit, it was nevertheless their collective bravery, dedication, and
sense of purpose that made them a Band of Brothers.
"Band of Brothers" excels at many levels, both through its visual presentation
and
its stirring emotional overtones. As a War picture, or in this case series, the filmed action
sequences
offer viewers a spectacle like nothing before it, matching and arguably besting in scope, tension,
and gritty realism, outings like
Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down.
Most episodes showcase a major confrontation, each a unique entity with its own character,
hardships, and challenges. The action never feels repetitive nor clumsy. If anything, the series'
visual style places viewers in the middle of the action thanks to its complete sense of immersion
through both its visuals and world-class sound design, both of which are improved on by this
Blu-ray set. While the
chaos of the sequences sometimes leaves viewers in a state of confusion, unsure of what is
exactly happening to whom, that sense seems to capture the essence of combat perfectly. It is
anything but an exact science, a calm, easily understood organism that is structured and precise.
The fighting takes place at night, in daylight, in cities and towns, in fields and forests. "Band of
Brothers" does all filmmaking can to recreate the dread and disorder of combat with striking
realism.
"Band of Brothers" is perhaps the most emotionally charged and positive series ever made.
Even before the series begins to play, as images and the series' score loop over the main menu
of the first disc, it is difficult not to become overwhelmed by the emotion conveyed by the visuals
and the segments of the score that accompany them. Michael Kamen's score is an astounding
tribute to
the men, and a fitting theme for the series. It is both powerful and exiting, conveying the raw
emotions of each and every scene it accompanies with amazing grace. The knowledge of what
these men did for everyone then and now and tomorrow, the
sacrifices they made, the hardships they endured, and the friends they lost, all in the name of
freedom, often stirs the soul and brings a tear to the eye. Despite its power, it is not the
reenacted series that offers the most dramatic and touching elements to the "Band of
Brothers" experience. It is the interviews with the real-life veterans that precede each
episode that provide the foundation for the series and set the tone for the emotional
underpinnings of the episode to follow. The words, the eyes, and the souls of these veterans, as
they briefly recount their tales, provide the real significance of the series. No actor, no camera,
no set, no sound, no special effect can capture the essence of the experience better than these
heroes who serve not only as the inspiration for the series but provided to their country and their
world the freedom to tell their story through their actions as portrayed in the ten episodes of
"Band of Brothers."
Encapsulating the series, the War, and the men who fought in it is the series' third episode,
"Carentan." The episode centers around the experiences of a mostly anonymous Easy Company
rifleman named Albert Blithe. Blithe is certainly not a hero but is rather an everyman with real
emotions, real problems, and an honest outlook on both life and death. He is neither excited nor
depressed to be in the War. Lost in the shuffle, he simply is unsure of himself, of the world, and
of the War exploding around him. His story focuses on his experience in combat, the terrors of
War,
and his coping with the realities of his situation. His is a story of becoming a true soldier as,
through the episode, he runs the gamut of life as a combatant: contemplating the meaning of
the War, dealing with fear, trying to earn the respect of others, killing an enemy solider, and
himself receiving a wound. The themes of the episode are tied around the edelweiss flower
that adorns many a German soldier's lapels, described to Blithe as "the mark of a true soldier."
Indeed, Blithe, and his Company, see their emergence as "true soldiers" and "The Greatest
Generation" as a result of their experiences fighting in World War II.
"Band of Brothers" arrives on Blu-ray with what is nothing short of a spectacular 1080p,
1.78:1-framed image that offers a significant upgrade over the previous DVD release. Certainly,
viewers in search of nothing short of grain-free, brightly colored high definition eye candy will be
sorely disappointed with this release. "Band of Brothers" is nevertheless eye candy of its
own
variety, offering a natural, as-intended look that lends a harsh, gritty, desaturated look to set the
mood and period of the series from a visual perspective. Much of "Band of Brothers" is
devoid
of bright primary colors. Awash in greens, browns, tans, grays, and blacks, the color scheme
lends
to the film a throwback look that has seemingly become the de facto presentation for World War
II
movies; a practically identical look was chosen for Saving Private Ryan, and perhaps a
somewhat more extreme variation accompanies Clint Eastwood's Letters From Iwo
Jima.
What makes this look successful for these types of films and series is that it not only punctuates
the
horrors and gritty reality of war, but it seemingly brings viewers into the middle of the action.
The
rough, sometimes handheld, hyperactive appearance offers perhaps the closest visual
approximation of
the ugliness and chaos of war possible through the filmed medium.
While the look of the series may be gritty and devoid of an abundance of bright colors, "Band
of Brothers" on Blu-ray nevertheless offers viewers a remarkable level of clarity and definition
through virtually every inch of the series. Each episode features remarkable attention to
lifelike detail and historical accuracy, and the painstaking realism of the series is brought to life
like never before on this Blu-ray edition. The transfer reveals fine definition in the lines,
contours, and dirt on faces; it features high resolution and clarity through every patch, seam,
fray, and accessory that make up the uniforms; and the wear on the weapons seen throughout,
particularly the absence of bluing on the barrels and actions of weapons and the nicks and
scratches visible on the wooden furniture of the Garands, Thompson submachine guns, and other
armaments make
them look well-used and appropriately battle-worn. Even smaller nuances, like the various
scenes in the first episode that feature the men running up Currahee, reveals small details in the
dirt and gravel of the well-beaten path, not to mention the various greenery and weeds that
surround it. Black levels are also deep and accurate in virtually every
instance; several dark scenes feature the heaviest amounts of grain seen throughout, a fine
example being the nighttime drop into Normandy the night before the sea-based invasion on the
morning of June 6, 1944. While "Band of Brothers" features a rough look that, upon first
glance, might not seem to be the sort of programming that would benefit from the increased
resolution Blu-ray has to offer, quite the opposite is in fact true. This Blu-ray edition simply
demolishes the DVD edition in its presentation of the series' inherent grain, not to mention a
remarkable increase in visible fine detail, texture, and depth.
"Band of Brothers" explodes onto Blu-ray with a reference quality track that is so good, it's
more of an experience than a listen. Presented via a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless mix, there is rarely
a
dull moment throughout the series' 10+ hour runtime. Obviously, it is the series' intense
combat
sequences that make up the backbone of the track and offer the most activity throughout the
soundstage, but there is also a lighter side to the track, a more subtle, environmental, organic
portion that creates a perfectly seamless domain in between those scenes featuring exploding
shells and
incessant
machine gun and rifle fire. Ambient effects spread out nicely across all five channels, allowing
even the
calmest of scenes to bring a lifelike vitality to the experience. Dialogue reproduction is accurate
throughout the series. The track also offers a nice sense of
spacing and dimensionality amongst the various sound effects. Take the nighttime engagement
as seen through flashbacks in episode five; long distance gun shots feature a nice crack, and a
resulting echo works its way across the soundstage as the shot lingers and fades into the night.
One can almost feel the origins of each shot, the sense of being in the hectic firefight a very real
one.
The discs' strength lies in the chaos and commotion of the up-close-and-personal combat as
depicted throughout the series. The first gun shots of the series are heard in chapter five of the
first episode during training exercises, providing listeners with a preview of what is to come, each
shot cracking out with pitch-perfect precision. Audiences will feel the rumble of the aircraft
propellors as Allied planes fly towards the coast of France, signaling the beginning of the, in the
words of General Eisenhower, "Great Crusade." The track provides a sense of total immersion as
the scene places the listener in the belly of the craft. As the German flack explodes around the
formation of planes, audiences experience one of the most frightening attack sequences they
may ever hear. Soon thereafter, audiences are practically dropped out
of the plane and onto the ground below where artillery, machine gun fire, and explosions go off all
around the listening area. The beginning of a Naval bombardment off the coast of Normandy the
following morning sends shells screaming across the soundstage with an accompanying rumble
that must be both heard and felt to be believed. Later in the episode, Easy company's assault on
the German 88s firing on the Allies storming the beaches represents one of the sonic
high points of the series; the heavy guns pound away as the men approach the position, and the
firefight that follows is a true marvel of sound technology, seemingly replicating the combat
experience with precision. Leaves, terrain, and trees shatter all around; the thuds of the German
MG-42s reverberate throughout the soundstage; grenades and explosives demolish the German
guns
with excellent power; the sequence leaves audiences everything but deaf. Episode six,
"Bastogne," offers perhaps the most thunderous, Earth-shaking hour yet on Blu-ray. The sound
of exploding trees amidst the cold, lifeless forrest features deep and tight bass that literally shakes
the windows. Artillery shells and gunfire emanate from every corner. An air raid sequence on
the
town itself in chapter seven features explosions as buildings crumble all around and anti-aircraft
fire blasts from every corner, making for a terrifying, realistic experience if ever there was one.
Needless to say, "Band of Brothers" offers an exquisite, hard-hitting, yet graceful
soundtrack that places audiences in the middle of the action like never before.
This set offers viewers a selection of bonus materials that remains consistent across the first five
discs. In the Field With the Men of Easy Company offers viewers an
"Interactive Field Guide" that presents an on-screen timeline that tracks the progress of the
corresponding episodes. Viewers are able to select and view material across a broad range of
topics, including
character biographies, archival videos, interactive maps, definitions for military jargon heard
throughout the series, and factoids pertaining to the War. This is one of the finest, easiest to
navigate, informative, and fun special features ever to come to Blu-ray. This supplement is
available with all episodes. In the Words of Easy
Company is a picture-in-picture feature that offers video commentary
from the real men of Easy Company, describing their experiences as they pertain to certain
scenes as seen in the episode. This features is also included for all episodes.
Finally, each disc concludes with the same series of previews (720p, 10:20) for each
of the ten episodes.
Disc six of this set contains several extras, highlighted by a
documentary
entitled We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company (1080p, 1:17:33). This is
an
extraordinary documentary that goes beyond the incredible dramatization of the War from the
perspective of Easy Company as depicted in "Band of Brothers." Featuring in-depth,
personal,
and poignant interviews with the surviving members of the Company, intertwined with archival
photographs and film footage, the documentary proves even more powerful than the series itself.
Next is Behind the Scenes: The Making of 'Band of Brothers' (480p, 29:32). This feature
provides viewers with a
fascinating
look at the creation of this series, briefly examining the sets, costumes, the actor's boot camp,
the
camaraderie between the actors, the look and feel of the series, a look at the weapons used in
the series, and much more. Ron Livingston's Video Diaries (480p, 56:05) is a
twelve-part
feature
that captures life on the set and the experiences of the cast and crew over the 18-month process
of
shooting "Band of Brothers." Concluding the supplemental features is Premiere in
Normandy (480p, 3:01), a brief look at the series' premier at Utah Beach.
"Band of Brothers" is a masterpiece of filmmaking, condensing years worth of material into
ten manageable segments, each with a story, a meaning, and a history all their own, the series
telling the story of arguably the most important events the world has ever seen. Easy
Company, though many faces changed over the years, was at the forefront of it all; their actions
and their courage forever altered the world, spearheading the fight for freedom from
Fascism in Europe. "Band of Brothers" combines intense action with harrowing and often
heartbreaking drama, the series a highly emotional experience viewed as a tribute to those men
depicted therein. This spectacular and significant series arrives on Blu-ray in a first-class package.
Featuring a video quality that is true to the source, an incredibly detailed and lifelike soundtrack,
and some impressive supplements, "Band of Brothers" on Blu-ray is a set that is a must-own,
and it receives my highest recommendation.
Band of Brothers: Other Seasons
Blu-ray
Season 1 6-disc set $29.99
Blu-ray Bundles/Box Sets with Band of Brothers (2 bundles)
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Black Friday Blu-ray deals keep coming in (so keep an eye on the newest deals page for updates). Now is the time to get your movies and/or Holiday gifts at the best prices.
Amazon's Blu-ray Deals of the Week affect HBO's Band of Brothers / The Pacific set and MGM's nine-disc Academy Award-winners collection. Through March 1st, Amazon is offering these packages for 59% and 66% discounts from their respective MSRPs.
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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