SPOILER WARNING!!! As with the Sopranos Season 3 review I wrote a while back, I plan to review Band of Brothers as a whole, and not but the sum of its 10 parts. I intend to talk briefly about each of the episodes, so If you don’t want to know what happens you might want to skip down to the technical details. However, what I say can hardly be considered spoilers as this mini-series is based on the true story of the United Stated Airborne Divisions – Easy Company , and is therefore factual in nature. It’s not so much a story, as it is history.

When I was a kid, war movies were nothing more than pure, unadulterated entertainment. While I was certainly aware that World War II did indeed take place, I wasn’t watching films based on that war, or any other war for that matter to get a history lesson. For me I was in it for the action. I was in it for the guns, bombs, explosions and everything else of mass destructions. I was in it to see who I believed to be the good guys lay the smack down on the enemy.

As time has a way of trudging on past, I grew older. With maturity, I’d like to say there came a little wisdom. It took a film like Saving Private Ryan, with it brutally realistic depiction of war to basically kick me in the ass and show me a side of the conflicts that I never really knew existed. I remember watching the film in the theatre – and while I was thoroughly impressed with the action, it’s stark realism coupled with the film’s ability to essentially put you on the battlefield had me seeing World War II from a different perspective. It’s the first film to really make me understand some of what these men had to go through. Sure, I knew that much of the film’s plot was fictional, but if the intent was to take a fictional tale and at the same time show you, and make you understand some of the horrors of war, then without a doubt that film succeeded.

I walked out of the movie theatre with my jaw hanging open. I simply couldn’t get the film’s imagery out of my mind. Sure the movie isn’t as shocking now that I‘ve seen it a dozen times, but that initial viewing was something I won’t soon forget - it actually made me…feel. If you know me personally, you know it takes a lot for me to show any real level of sensitivity or compassion. (Why do I suddenly feel like the Grinch with his heart 2 sizes too small?) Watching the old man in the cemetery at the end of the film, hunched over the grave of one of his fallen comrades, heck, the first time I saw that part I’ll admit I was damn near fighting back tears and trying desperately to swallow back the lump that had built up in my throat. Did this happen to other people in the theatre or just me? I don’t know, but if the purpose of Saving Private Ryan was to get one person, namely me, to have an epiphany in the darkened spaces of my isle seat, well then they succeeded. I get it now, I understand. Sure, I may never know what war is like first hand, but at least I’ll have a greater appreciation of what soldiers have to deal with.

Anyway, I’ll be quiet about that, since I’m not here to review Saving Private Ryan. Still, knowing that the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers had Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks involved as the executive producers, I was instantly curious about seeing it. Sure, I wanted to watch it for the action, but I also knew that I would probably learn something from it. Not only about the history of its many battles, but of the courageous men who fought these battles.

Band of Brothers focus is primarily on the men of the US army’s 506th regiment of the 101st airborne division. The men of Easy Company. The 10 part series follows them from boot camp, to their jump into Normandy on D-Day. It follows their exploits across war torn Europe right up until they capture Hitler’s famous mountain retreat – the Eagles Nest. It’s an amazing series, and even without having reviewed it yet, I’m already thankful to have it in my collection. If you enjoy war films, then this is a set you simply can’t be without.

DISC 1:

PART 1: Currahee
While awaiting the perfect weather conditions within which to jump in and do their part during the invasion of Normandy – 2 soldiers, Richard Winters (Damian Lewis) and Lewis Nixon (Ron Livingston) take time to sit back and reflect on the time they spent in basic training together at Camp Toccoa in Georgia. An especially unenjoyable time in their lives in which they were under the iron thumb of a seriously hard-nosed and overbearing commanding officer named Captain Herbert Sobel (David Schwimmer). Not only is Sobel a hard ass, but he also seems to have no aspirations to earn the respect of his men. In fact, many of his actions seem to lean more towards brown-nosing his superiors in order to further his career. Needless to say, much of this episode centres on the divisions growing hatred of Sobel and Winters desire to see him exposed for the weak-minded CO that he is.

Much of this first part deals with a hill on the training grounds named Currahee. A hill that proves an important location in this episode as Sobel takes great pleasure in making the soldiers under his command run up and down its steep slopes over and over again – and at all hours of the day. While having soldiers train hard in the military is nothing new, and is to be expected, Sobel seems to go a little too far sometimes.

Winters turns out to be a man in a unique position. As platoon leader, he’s been given some command over the troops in his division, and unlike Sobel, has the respect of these men. In fact, you could almost say they look up to him. Sobel and Winters are constantly at odds, especially when it becomes evident that Sobel is an incompetent commanding officer – and his men are afraid to follow his lead into battle. In the end, many of the men put themselves in a bad situation when then decide to risk severe disciplinary action rather than serve under Sobel’s command.

Overall, this was a great starting point for the series. It was a way for us to get to know a few of the primary characters, and it also eases us into the next episode. Episode 2 is where the war really starts to pick up some steam and the battle for Europe, at least for these men, really begins. This part is the calm before the storm.

PART 2: Day of Days
For action buffs, who are trying to decide if they’re at all interested in watching a mini-series, especially one based on the exploits of some real men, this is the episode to watch. Once you see this one, you’ll be hooked. It manages to shatter all of your preconceived notions about the quality of a television production and makes you realize, this is no cheap, sissy war story. This series is gonna deliver the goods.

It’s June 6th, 1944 – and the men of Easy Company, who have been waiting for the perfect weather conditions to begin their operation, are finally given the green light. With weapons in hand and parachutes on their backs, dozens of planes lift the men into the air and take them towards their designated drop zone. Still, even in the black on night, reaching this location is not without its share of danger. The planes are fired upon from the ground in what can only be described as one of the most riveting war sequences I have ever seen on film – even if much of it is CG, the intensity and feeling of shear urgency is incredible – and even a little horrifying. The scene is pure mayhem as planes are torn apart in mid-air with their passengers still on board. Burning soldiers even jump from flaming airplanes in a vain effort to save themselves. It’s unbelievable to think that so many people died that night is so many horrible ways. The sight really hits home.

With planes being shot out of the air and diving into the ground on every side of them, the paratroopers jump from the planes from fear of being killed before they even reach the ground. From here, much of the episode follows Winters as he reaches the surface and tries to pick up the pieces of his separated platoon. Inevitably he manages to locate a few soldiers and reach base camp, not without a few enemy encounters along the way though.

Upon reaching camp, Winters and a few of his men are almost immediately sent out on a mission to destroy some German 88’s that are firing upon the landing at Utah Beach. With what can only be described as another awesome segment, ala Saving Private Ryan, Winters and his men head out to destroy the cannons. It’s here, while in command that Winters looses his first man and the brutality of war hits home. It’s also about this time that you realize you dare not miss another episode.

DISC 2:

PART 3: Carentan
On June 8th, 1944 – two days after D-Day and the invasion of Normandy, the men of Easy Company are assigned a mission to take control of the German occupied town of Carentan. It’s a particularly vicious and hard fought battle, but when it’s all over, the town is liberated and the Germans withdraw.

While this episode still deals a lot with Richard Winters and a few of the more prominent member of Easy Company, much of this episode centres around Private Albert Blithe (Marc Warren). In fact, as you watch the series you will come to realize that each episode tends to focus on a different soldier, allowing the viewer to witness the war from many different perspectives. Albert Blithe is soldier who has a difficult time adjusting to military life and especially to combat. When we first meet him he’s seen starring into the sky, like a young boy might stare in amazement at anything new to him. While I wouldn’t want to say he’s a coward - since I have doubt I would fair much better under those circumstances, he does have a tendency to stay hidden from danger rather than put himself in jeopardy.

In many ways I think this episode tries and make the audience understand what war must have been like for those of us who had no choice but to fight it. Lets face it, war is a horrible thing for anyone to have to experience, but some men deal with it better than others. While many can muster the courage to run into a battlefield, others can’t seem to make themselves take that first step. It’s a great episode that makes you thankful you weren’t there.

After the troops take back Carentan, they buckle down for a 2nd battle – fighting off a German counter attack involving an armoured division. It’s here that Blithe becomes a new man. Shooting his first enemy soldier he feels a new sense of empowerment – and from that day forth Blithe’s level of confidence within the war is boosted to a new level. Still, in the end we learn that even a confident soldier can be vulnerable.

After many victories, the men of Easy Company head back to England for some much needed rest. Its at the end of this episode that we learn they’re being sent back into the thick of things, and it’s here that we as the viewer see the toll the war is beginning to take on Easy Company’s numbers.

PART 4: Replacements
Having lost a great deal of men since arriving in Europe, Easy Company eventually receives some new replacements. Young, wet behind the ears soldiers that give a new meaning to the word ‘green’. While they’re eventually accepted into the fold, especially when the bullets start flying, they’re still treated like the newbies they are in the beginning. It’s during this episode that new soldiers, together with the veterans will have to work together during Operation: Market Garden. The plan is for Easy to jump into Holland and liberate the town of Eindhoven from German occupation. Once the town has been cleared out, they are to maintain control of the town and it’s surrounding areas so that a British Armoured divisions can move in. If successful the allies intend to bring about the end of the war by Christmas.

On September 17, 1944 - Easy Company jumps into Holland to carry out their mission. However, things don’t go quite as planned when they discover that the Germans are no longer in Eindhoven. While they’re greeted by the Dutch with open arms, the company sees no reason to hang around and eventually moves out. In the next town they finally run into some superior enemy resistance. It’s here the much of the episode swings about to focus on Bill ‘Bull’ Randleman (Michael Cudlitz).

Bull is somewhat of a veteran now, especially in the eyes of the newbies under his command. Still war is unpredictable and things can and will happen. When the German forces let the strength of their numbers be know, destroying several British tanks in the process, Easy decides their best course of action is to fallback in retreat. It’s during this retreat that Bull is separated from his men and forced to hide out in a barn within the German occupied town. Surrounded, and fully aware of his precarious situation, Bull is forced to do what he must to stay alive and get back to his men. On the home front, several of Bull’s friends, including a few of the replacements, decide to attempt a rescue. Since no-one saw him killed, they’re not convinced that he’s dead.

DISC 3:

PART 5: Crossroads
While Richard Winters (Damian Lewis) appeared in virtually every episode of Band of Brothers since the beginning, this episode follows some of his time in the Airborne even more so than previous shows did. Winters is a man that since the start of the series has demonstrated not only his natural leadership ability, but his undeniable ability to think strategically. This time around he leads his men against a group of German soldiers who have set up position near a dike that intersects a major roadway outside Arnhem, Holland.

As a man who needs little time to act upon his plans, Winters and his men launch an impressive attack that lasts throughout the night. In the morning the Germans have suffered incredibly high casualties, while Winters has only lost one man to the battle. The astonishing thing is that Easy Company had no idea about the true strength of the enemy force. It wasn’t until later that they discovered how severely outnumbered they really were – but thanks to Winters leadership and planning, they won the day. This resounding victory results in his promotion to Executive Officer of the 2nd Battalion. While I haven’t mentioned it up until this point, Winters is a man who also seems to rise through the ranks rather quickly. He truly is an incredible solder who not only has a brilliant military mind, but the trust and loyalty of the men under his command.

Later, news reaches the men of Easy Company that a strong enemy force in the Ardennes Forest threatens to break through the allied lines. Not only that, but the German forces are said to contain a Panzer Division. Easy is sent in to not only relieve that line to some degree, but to also help strengthen it. This issue is complicated by the fact that the men are dangerously low on ammunition and the appropriate equipment needed to sustain them during the particularly cold weather they are certain to face.

PART 6: Bastogne
Ill-equipped for the cold weather and short on rations and ammunition, the men of easy company are ordered to hold the line in a forest just outside Bastogne, Belgium. Snow is falling almost constantly now and the men are dug in for what will probably be an extensive stay. The German forces on the opposite side of the line keep the men of Easy Company on their toes with constant shellings. Injuries are commonplace in this foreboding environment and principle medic – Eugene Roe (Shane Taylor) is a major player during this episode – dealing as best he can with life on the front lines.

As one of only a couple medics in the area, Eugene is pushed to the limits. Overwhelmed by his responsibilities, exhausted mentally and physically, he’s constantly on the edge. He’s short on supplies, he hardly has any bandages to deal with wounds and has little or no morphine to relieve pain. On top of that he has many other things to deal with. From Bill Guarnere’s (Frank John Hughes) possible urinary infection to locating a pair of basic, size 9 army issue combat boots for Joe Toye (Kirk Acevedo).

His only comfort comes from a nurse in Bastogne named Renee (Lucie Jeanne). She’s works in a decrepit, makeshift hospital that serves to treat the injured men coming in from the line. Being two people who work in a similar fields during the war, they fast become friends. Problem is, war has a way of rearing its ugly head when people least expect it.

DISC 4:

PART 7: The Breaking Point
Like each previous episode, we once again focus on one particular solider. This time it’s Sergeant C. Carwood Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg). He’s a man who is extremely well respected by the men, and this part serves to demonstrate Lipton’s dedication to not only his rank, but to the well-being of the men he fights along side.

After fighting back the Germans in Bastogne, the men of Easy Company are given new orders and assigned to take control of the town of Foy. Before entering the town, the men must first clear the forest to the east and west of enemy forces. However, removing the enemy resistance is complicated by the merciless and seemingly endless shelling the men are forced to withstand. Trees are blown apart in every direction, and even the relative safety of a foxhole doesn’t necessarily keep the men free from harm. To make matters worse, their new commanding officer – Lt Norman Dike (Peter O’Meara) has started to prove himself a liability to the men of Easy. Not only is he nowhere to be found a majority of the time, but his ability to wisely lead the men is also questionable.

Eventually, after days of shelling, the men of Easy finally manage to clear the forest and are prepared to take control of the town. However, their efforts do not come without a cost, as they have sustained a considerable number of casualties while in the forests. Many of the men are lost in battle due shell shock, severe injuries and of course… death. Now, the only thing that stands in the way of Easy Companies success over Foy… is the incompetence of their own CO.

PART 8: The Last Patrol
Easy Company arrives in the town of Haguenau. At town separated by a river – and occupied on the opposite side by German forces.

Much of part 8 centres around 2 soldiers. Private David Webster (Eion Bailey) is man who was with Easy Company in the beginning on D-Day. However, he’s been out of contact with the other men for quit a while due to an injury he sustained 4 months earlier. Since then he's been under hospital care as well as in rehabilitation. His return is not met with kindness as many of the men think he should have tried harder to rejoin the men after recovering from his wounds. She’s a little shocked to learn that a lot has happened since the last time he saw them. After the serious pummelling they received in Bastogne, he learns that many of the men were either injured or killed. Bastogne was a brutal time for the men, and since he wasn’t there to fight along side them, he’s become somewhat of an outcast.

The episode also follows the arrival of Lt Henry Jones, (Colin Hanks) a recent graduate from WestPoint and a replacement, he’s also eager to get his feet wet and get some combat experience. His rank seems to be somewhat meaningless though, as soldiers beneath him are given more responsibility due to having fought in many battle already.

Overall this episode deals a lot with Jones and Webster’s desire to fit in with the rest of the men. They’re given their chance when they are sent along with 15 men assigned to cross the river during a daring night time raid to capture a few German hostages. Needless to say, the bonds of war are strong, and after the mission both men gain a little experience, and a little acceptance.

DISC 5:

PART 9: Why We Fight
Afters months of pain and suffering and many incredibly hard fought battles, the men of Easy Company finally enter Germany and face little enemy resistance in the process. The German forces are beginning to crumble – and for the first time the men of Easy are starting to get the feeling that the war may at last be coming to an end for them.

However, even with the last remnants of German resistance being swept away, it’s hard for the men to forget the horrors they’ve seen, especially when they make one last grisly discovery...

Just outside of town, in a nearby forest, Easy discovers an abandoned concentration camp. They’re obviously horrified by the sight of hundreds of starving and tortured men. They’re even more horrified by the countless number of bodies they find in virtually every corner of the camp. While questioning one of the prisoners, Winters and his men are surprised to learn they these people are not being kept there because they are war criminals, but because they are Jews. They also learn that there is a female prison camp nearby – and that this camp, is just one of many that the allied forced have discovered over the pat while.

It’s truly a saddening and tragic reminder of the horrors of war. It would surprise me if anyone could watch this episode and not get a lump in their throat. While I’m sure the sight of these camps would have been far worse in real life, the degree of pain and suffering these people had to endure is captured on film in a very powerful way.

On the positive note, the men of Easy Company get word that Hitler is dead, having committed suicide.

PART 10: Points
In July of 1945, the men of Easy Company enter the Bavarian Town of Berchtesgaden. A town that was once home to many of the top officers of the Third Reich. Soon afterwards they advance up the mountains and capture the Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s famous mountaintop fortress. It’s an amazing site, as it’s a testament to the man’s power.

This episode also marks the unconditional surrender of the German army, and with that many of the men are happy to learn that they may finally be going home. That is, if they have earned enough points. Those who don’t have enough points will be deployed out to the Pacific to help fight the Japanese. Fortunately, by the end of the episode the Japanese also surrender and the war to end all wars comes to an end.

The remainder of the episode nicely wraps up the series. Narrated by Damian Lewis as Major Richard Winters we learn what became of many of the men after the war. A number of them are still around today, living happy and peaceful lives.

In the end we get to hear a few words from the actual survivors of the war. While each episode within the series began with brief comments from the true men of Easy Company, this final episode put finally puts names to these faces. It’s nice to see that many of the men portrayed in the series, in particular Richards Winters is still alive and well today.

The addition of comments by the real life men of Easy Company added an extraordinary amount of strength and credibility to this series. To hear what they had to say about the war and some of the events they witnessed simply blew me away. Then to sit back and watch an episode from their lives play out on the screen made you truly understand what these men went through for their country. While I don’t pretend to ever now what it must have been like to watch your friends die in battle, I think this series nicely achieves what it sets out to do. That is, make us as the audience understand the sacrifices people made during the war. The thing is, what this series did for me can’t even be put into words. I guess you could say, it opened my eyes. It’s more of a feeling than something that can be verbalized – and it’s very powerful indeed.

DISC 6:

Special Features: Explained below in the technical section.

It’s saddening for me when I think about the war to think about my own family. Both of my Grandfathers fought in the war, as I’m sure many of yours did. One was a Canadian Engineer, the other, oddly enough fought for Germany. It’s strange to think I have relatives who battled on both sides of the fence. It’s odd to think about how horrible war is, when in the end, both of their children came together to become my parents. Even more startling to me was when I first learn that as soldiers, both of my Grandfathers had been shot, they both survived, but one thing always stuck in my brain. If they were shot at, surely they fired back. Had they killed other people during the war?

Unfortunately they have both long since passed away and watching Band of Brothers has left me thinking one thing. How regrettable it is that I didn’t have the opportunity, now that I’m an adult to talk to them and learn something about the war from them. I feel that a realized very late in life how significant World War II was. With maturity and adulthood my appreciation and understanding of one of the biggest events in world history has forever changed.

Band of Brothers features a widescreen anamorphic transfer and is presented in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1.

While I would love to say this incredible mini-series features an absolutely perfect picture, I’d be lying if I did so. Truthfully, the look of the show could be somewhat of a mixed bag – as picture quality seemed to fluctuate wildly from one episode to the next. While many have argued that the occasional grain I witnessed is nothing more than the production teams desire to give the show a gritty and edgy look, I don’t think this is the case. While there are visual things that are done during filming of the show that I have no doubt are intended to add an aesthetic look, I don’t thing the grain was meant to make the series look cool. If it were intentional grain, it wouldn’t be there one second, then gone the next – all dependant on the camera angle. Overall I didn’t find the occasional grain to be a huge distraction, but to say that it’s not there would be a falsehood.

When all is said and done, the show looked fantastic a majority of the time. Clarity was never and issue and colour and contrast were right on the money. Blacks were also nice and solid, but as mentioned above, darker scenes could be grainy on occasion.

Admittedly, the colour palette selected for the show is rather bland and washed out, but it works well to give the series an aged, almost documentary-like feel. It’s also rather obvious that it was intended to look this way. In the end I was very pleased with the quality of the picture. While it’s not quite perfect, the occasional grainy scene during the shows 10+ hours of length is a small issue and of little consequence.

To the ‘thanks’ of many hardcore fans – Band of Brothers comes complete with a large variety of audio selections. You can take your pick from Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround or Spanish Dolby Surround. For the purposed of this review I chose to watch the series in its default setting of DD 5.1.

From past experience, I’ve come to realize that war films can really put a person’s surround sound system to the test. War films are also an exceptional way to show off its benefits to your friends. Like most of the war film’s I presently own on DVD, Band of Brothers also features incredible sound and can truly showcase the advantages in owning such a set-up.

While much of the series can be low key, offering a lot of story development and interaction between the soldiers, there’s also a lot of awesome battle segments. Still, even during the lightest of scenes, the sound always remains very effective. Voices are clean and crisp from the centre channel and light sounds can be heard almost constantly from the remaining speakers. Trucks quietly driving by, explosions going off far in the distance, planes flying overhead, troops stepping through the mud. The shear number of subtle sound effects is amazing and adds greatly to the show’s WWII ambience and authenticity.

During the heat of battle, the sound really comes to life. Bullets whistle by your head. Explosions go off in every corner of the room, raining down rocks and muck that pitter-patter as they land. Vehicles of every kind drive by, making their presence know. Shells screech through air, guns fire in every direction, injured soldiers cry out for medics. Simply put, Band of Brothers offer fantastic sound. The rear surrounds are almost constantly at work. Truth be told, I only have one minor gripe with the sound – and this is that the consistency from one episode to the next wasn’t very constant. While every episode sounded great, some battles seemed to be far more dynamic than others. During some battles, I just felt more involved. Granted it’s a small complaint for an otherwise exceptional offering, but it was something I noticed. Still, this baby is top shelf.

While disc 6 contains a majority of the special features that are going to be of interest to fans, disc 1 through 5 each contain something called the Field Guide. The field guide is designed to accompany the series as somewhat of a reference tool. The guide is separated into 6 different sections, each intended to help you get the most out of the Band of Brothers experience. Below I’ll give you a quick rundown on how the field guide works.

Introduction to Field Guide: Essentially this is nothing more than a brief summary that runs over the purpose of the field guide. Much like the description I offered above.

Soldiers: When you choose this option you get a listing and a brief biography of the soldiers who appeared in each of the episodes, including the name and a photo of the actor who portrayed them. The nice thing about this section is that if you’re watching episode 3 and you select this option, it will show you the soldiers from episode 3. You can move back and forth through all 10 episodes if you wish, or you can bring up an alphabetical listing of every single soldier from the entire mini-series.

Historical Timeline: This section covers November 11, 1918 - when World War 1 came to an end, until August 14, 1945 - when World War II came to and end. Between these two dates you can read about a number of other historical events from many other dates. Events involving important political figures, to famous days, like the day the A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. It’s best described as a simplistic, point form history lesson.

Map: Much like the ‘Soldiers’ section, this one allows you to view a map and see where the events of each episode took place. The journey begins at boot camp in Toccoa, Georgia and ends at the Eagle’s Nest in the Bavarian Mountains.

Chain of Command: This segments allows you to see the many different ranks within the military. Since many of the soldiers of Easy Company get promoted as the series move along, it’s nice to be able to see where they sit in the big military picture. It shows you every single rank, from ‘Private’ all the way up to the infamous 5 star ‘General of the Army’.

Glossary: Since military life involves a great deal of equipment most of us will never touch, as well as a lot of abbreviations and slang; this glossary serves to enlighten us in the meaning of some commonly used terms. Like some of the other sections, you can view specific words from an episode, or bring up an alphabetical list that encompasses the entire series. If you even wanted to know more about ‘trench foot’ – this is the place to go.

While the field guide doesn’t go above and beyond the call of duty with pictures or extensive descriptions, it’s still a handy little addition for people, unlike myself, who didn’t grow up on an army base. If you know nothing or world history, military ranks or terminology, then the field guide is indispensable. It’s also a fantastic addition to the mini-series and only strengthens the value of this DVD set.

First up on disc 6 we get – We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company (77:26). This is easily the best special feature in the set. It also serves as a fantastic was to end your viewing of the series. Essentially it’s a lengthy interview with many of the men of Easy Company who are still with us today. It’s a very interesting feature to watch, especially since so many of these men are highlighted during the series. The interviews take place in chronological order, with the men talking about everything they experienced during the war; from basic training until they took the Eagle’s Nest. They also talk about everything in between. From what it was like to jump from those C-47’s on D-Day to how they coped with brutal combat situations.

It a very moving and powerful addition to the series, as the men obviously have fond memories of being in the Airborne, but are obviously still in pain over some of the Horrors they’ve witnessed. Many of the men, while telling their stories are noticeably fighting back tears, it’s very intense and emotional even for the viewer. Its hard not to feel proud of what these men accomplished and what they had to endure. World War II was without a doubt the most poignant moment in their lives.

Another nice thing about this feature is that instead of showing clips from the series, we’re shown actual archival footage from the war. It really adds a nice touch. Overall it a fantastic feature and a great way to wrap up the mini-series. I’ve seen it about 3-4 times now and enjoy it very much each time I view it.

Next we get Behind the Scenes: The Making of Band of Brothers (29:29). What I like the most about this segment is the huge amount of behind the scenes footage and information they manage to squeeze into a half hour. During the segment we get to hear from Tom Hanks and many of the cast members. We also get to hear a little from Captain Dale Dye, (Senior Military Advisor) a man who ran the actors through a gruelling 10 day, 18 hour a day boot camp to give them a feel for what the real soldiers had to go through.

In addition we also get to see how many of the effects were done, from the CG to the pyrotechnic and make-up effects. We also get to see the huge amount of equipment and props that were made for the series. I could go on and on - as this short feature is just loaded to the gills with information. It’s an enjoyable addition and a definite plus.

Another great addition to this set is Ron Livingston’s Video Diaries. This segment features 12 parts that run anywhere from (4:01) to (5:30). The entire segment has a total time of (55:50).

Essentially Ron Livingston goes on to explain how HBO wanted him to take a camera around with him and document some of the making of this series. While I expected to see a lot of great, behind the scenes footage, the entire segment covers the 10 days that the actors spent in Captain Dale Dye’s boot camp. During the 12 parts we get to see the actors learn everything they can from reading maps to jumping out of planes. Essentially we get to watch as the actors suffer their way through makeshift basic training. Overall the segment was rather enjoyable as we get up close and personal with some of the actors. It’s very candid and features a couple pretty good laughs. While it nothing mind blowing, fans of the series are sure to enjoy it.

Next we get the Premiere at Normandy (3:00). This brief additions shows many of the surviving members of WWII’s Easy Company flying out to France to take part in a memorial for the 57th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. They’re also there along with many of the actors to view the premiere of the series.

Who’s Who: The Men of Easy Company organizes a number of clips featuring specific characters in neat little packages. You can choose to watch the clips for any one of 13 different characters. These segments run from about 33 seconds on up to about a minute. All together this segment lasts (11:23).

Next we get the Photo Gallery. This segment features pictures from each of the 10 parts in the series. All told, there are 196 pictures for you to check out.

A Message from Jeep is pretty much what you expect it to be… a commercial. It’s filmed in the Band of Brothers style and is basically designed to honour the soldiers who fought in the war. It’s also a plug for their product.

Unfortunately I still haven’t the ability to review any DVD-Rom additions. Maybe some day…

Last up on our list if extras in the Series Index. Under this category you can choose to watch the preview for each part in the series.

After watching all of this incredible series for the first time since it saw it on cable, I’m left thinking that this has to be one of the greatest prizes within my DVD collection. War, especially World War II has always captivated me, and Band of Brothers captures moments and emotions within a war that I hardly knew existed. It’s simply masterful.

Watch John Wayne stomp through the muck in a war movie and it can be difficult to get a sense of what it was like to be in combat, especially when viewed through all of Hollywood’s glitz and glamour. Somehow I doubt real soldiers had many opportunities to take a shower and powder their nose. My point is, Band of Brothers shows us war in a realistic fashion. It’s not sugar coated so the kiddies can enjoy it too. This is as close to the real thing as one can get without having been there.

As I mentioned above, Saving Private Ryan is for me, one of the greatest was movies ever made – and within it’s limited run time of about 3 hours, succeeds nicely at capturing the essence of combat. A mini-series like Band of Brothers expands on that idea, allowing us to journey with these men though all kinds of situations. Fear, joy, anger, remorse, just some of the emotions touched upon. We see acts of incredible courage and bravery, and of course, acts of cowardice. Moments of honour, and moments that make you wonder how humans can be so hurtful to one another. It’s powerful stuff with a powerful message. It shows us war through the eyes of many different men. Band of Brothers is simply one of the greatest programs I have ever seen.

Fully deserving of the recognition it has received over the past year. Band of Brothers is epic in its intensity and certainly a DVD set which will be cherished by many. The picture quality of very good and the sound quality is outstanding. Add into the mix some great supplemental material and you have one of the best DVD’s releases in recent memory. It’s simply something no war aficionado should be without.