Next year this seminal 10-part series will be 20 years old. I watched the original run back in 2001 and decided to re-watch it recently. This only underlined how special it is.
Asides from telling one of recent histories great stories (the invasion of Normandy – told through the eyes of a US Airborne company), it is performed by what is surely one of the best casts ever assembled for a TV production. Amongst the numerous treats you get to see Michael Fassbender and Tom Hardy in before-they-were-famous roles (their 2nd and 3rd respectively).
For those who haven’t seen Band of Brothers each episode chronicles key stepping stones on the Western Front from D-day onwards. Perhaps the most spectacular phase of the invasion was the Battle of the Bulge, which covered 3 episodes. If “war is hell” then this appeared to be its 9th circle. The show had the courage to kill off some of its more likeable characters at this juncture. I am not sure whether this was historically accurate (probably) but it certainly encapsulates the gritty reality and human tragedy. Elsewhere this is somewhat lacking, with corny dialogue and occasional lapses into overly sanitised “team-America” romanticism.
Nevertheless its ambition, scale and recreation war-time Europe makes for a remarkable spectacle. It has barely aged in my view and benefits greatly from limited use CGI trickery. A recent comparator in terms of cinematography is Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” which was beautifully put together but didn’t include much by way of character development.
In summary a great show, and the newest inductee into the re-watch list.
Dr Martin James 