Band of Brothers (2001)
10-part miniseries for HBO cable.
Based on the bestseller by Stephen E. Ambrose.
Follows the accomplishments of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. On the DVD version, the film is supported with interviews with the real-life survivors of Easy Company, along with soldiers' journals and letters.
Their adventures begin with parachuting into France on D-Day morning. The unit also fought at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.
This is one of the best war movies ever. I loved every minute of it. And one gets a lot of insights into the nature of war and the experiences of the common soldiers. In addition, they have a lot of documentary information (as well as interviews) about the real people on which the film is based, which makes the film experience even better. I love the main character, the lieutenant, Dick Winter, who had a natural sense of leadership and of battle and who seemed to always make the right decision at the right time. And you come to love the other soldiers in the movie as well. David Schwimmer is great as the ridiculous head of the unit when it was still in training in England waiting for D-Day.
War is a double-edge sword. It is terrible and many men develop post-traumatic stress disorder, but it is an experience whose intensity is so strong that it can build incredibly strong bonds between men that no one except those who have been in battle (in life and death situations) can fully appreciate The movie catches both aspects of war. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.
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