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Band of Brothers (miniseries)

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File:Poster.jpeg
Poster for Band of Brothers. An alternative poster can be seen here.

Band of Brothers is a ten-part television miniseries, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, detailing the role of Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division, in World War II. It is based on a book of the same name by Stephen Ambrose and was first broadcast in 2001.

Awards

The series was nominated for 19 Emmy Awards, and won six, including prizes for "Outstanding Miniseries", "Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special", and "Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special". It also won a Golden Globe for "Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television", an American Film Institute award, and was selected for a Peabody Award for "...relying on both history and memory to create a new tribute to those who fought to preserve liberty." It also won a Writers Guild Award for Episode Six and a Christopher Award.

Synopsis

Template:Spoiler

As an outline synopsis, the episodes in the series are as follows:

  1. Currahee – Easy Company undergoes training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, and introduces the major characters, particularly Lt. Dick Winters and Lewis Nixon.
  2. Day of Days – This episode depicts D-Day and Easy Company's participation in the Battle of Normandy, including the Brécourt Manor Assault. Shown mainly from the perspective of Lt. Dick Winters.
  3. Carentan – Easy Company takes the French town of Carentan and repels the ensuing counter-attack. Shown from the perspective of Private Blithe.
  4. Replacements – Easy Company is air-dropped into the Netherlands in support of Operation Market Garden.
  5. Crossroads – Still in the Netherlands, this episode portrays one of Easy Company's most distinguished battles as well as Lt. Winter's last days in command of Easy. Episode is directed by Tom Hanks.
  6. Bastogne – Easy Company is holed up near the Belgian settlement of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Shown from the perspective of a medic.
  7. The Breaking Point – Illustrates the stress felt by the men during the fighting in and around the town of Foy, Belgium. Shown from the perspective of First Sergeant Carwood Lipton.
  8. The Last Patrol – Easy Company pushes on to the town of Haguenau, from the perspective of David Webster and a replacement lieutenant played by Colin Hanks, son of the executive producer, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks.
  9. Why We Fight – Easy Company crosses into Germany and encounters an abandoned concentration camp at Landsberg.
  10. Points – Easy Company captures Hitler's Eagle's Nest and contemplates a possible redeployment in the Pacific Theater.

We Stand Alone Together is the companion documentary to Band of Brothers, featuring detailed interviews with the real members of Easy Company.

Comments

This series can be considered as a by-product of the Steven Spielberg film Saving Private Ryan. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks agreed to produce the series, with HBO as a partner. The film crew started immediately after finishing Saving Private Ryan, already on location. The BBC, while officially credited as a co-producer, essentially only pre-purchased the series, albeit for a considerable price.

The title

The title for the series and the book it's based on comes from a speech delivered by Henry V of England before the Battle of Agincourt in William Shakespeare's Henry V; Act IV, Scene 3:

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

(King Henry, IV.iii)

  • The expression was also used by the British admiral Horatio Nelson to refer to his council of captains (aboard his flag ship), whom he encouraged beyond common practice in his day to be assertive and take initiative, and successfully so.

Main cast

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to Band of Brothers (miniseries).
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