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Is Band of Brothers a masterpiece?

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PeskyToaster said:
I am interested in watching other perspectives, like German or Russian, from the war in the style of Band of Brothers. I heard of Generation War which is said to be like the German Band of Brothers but I don't know of any others.
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Letters from Iwo Jima was good, from the perspective of the Japanese.
 
strafer said:
Yes, but The Pacific is slightly better.
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GTFO!

But yes OP BoB is a god damn masterpiece and should be watched by every person. The reason The Pacific fails for me is due to the fact that the structure of the story is different. BoB is all about following this one unit throughout their short campaign (44-45') during WWII, thus you come to know all of the characters extremely well, even the obscure ones who appear only in the background. The Pacific on the other hand instead focuses on specific individuals at different times during the entire Pacific War, thus the scope is grander but a lot of focus is lost as you don't feel as attached to the characters.

Plus, BoB has Simon Pegg in it that automatically makes it better.
 
thequickandthedead said:
When talking about the greatest TV shows of all time you often hear about series such as Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, The Wire, etc. but you don't really hear Band of Brothers as often. The thing is, this series has one hell of a cult following. The hardcore fans are extremely vocal and often make seemingly hyperbolic claims saying that its easily one of the greatest TV shows ever made, a masterpiece, etc. So to Gaffers who have watched this series, why should I watch Band of Brothers above series like BrBa, Sopranos and the Wire?
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Probably because it's a miniseries.
 
Definitely the best thing I have ever seen on HBO.

Literally not a single complaint I can make about it. That's why it personally ranks higher than the latter 90% of Saving Private Ryan.
 
It is a masterpiece, yes. The Pacific is also really good, but a lot of people don't seem to like it because it's not BoB: Pacific Edition.
 
If anything I think it's overrated. I watched it for the first time a few months ago and it didn't blow me away. Kind of had to force myself to keep watching it, and the 2 main characters were both really boring.
 
I would say it is. Really excellent storytelling in the context of a defining moment in human history.

It's relevant and will continue to be relevant for a long, long time. The rest depends on your definition of "masterpiece".
 
strafer said:
Yes, but The Pacific is slightly better.
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jeremy-piven-gtfo.gif
 
worst first post ever.

but yeah OP Band of Brothers is great. Maybe it's not mendtioned as often because it's only a 10 episode show instead of having several seasons, but it is still one of the best.
 
For the most part, yeah, Band of Brothers is great. But the final two episodes aren't nearly as good as the others.
 
At worst it is a materpiece in casting.

Half of the "wow is that actor" thread was "I was watching Band of Brothers when suddenly <random awesome actor> appeared !"
 
Platy said:
At worst it is a materpiece in casting.

Half of the "wow is that actor" thread was "I was watching Band of Brothers when suddenly <random awesome actor> appeared !"
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So many. Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, and Simon Pegg are some I had no idea were in BoB before I watched.
 
RatskyWatsky said:
It is a masterpiece, yes. The Pacific is also really good, but a lot of people don't seem to like it because it's not BoB: Pacific Edition.
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The main reason I didn't like The Pacific was because it wasn't as focused as Band of Brothers and I didn't really feel much of a connection to any of the characters besides Sledge, Leckie, and Basilone. Band of Brothers is great because it's based on a single book, whereas The Pacific attempts to cram Leckie's book, Sledge's book and a few other books into it. I read the books before the show started airing and at no point did I ever figure out which of Leckie's buddies were which.

I feel like if it was just focused on Sledge's story it would have been fucking amazing. Leckie's story drags it down. Basilone's story was well done too though.

But to answer the question, Band of Brothers is probably the best thing i've ever seen. I watch it a few times every year and read the book every few years.

Megasoum said:
Band of Brothers > Generation Kills >>> The Pacific
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Also, this is accurate
 
Probably some of the best television i've seen, The Pacific was good but Band of Brothers has so many more memorable moments. I was also more interested in the war in Europe more than the Pacific anyway so maybe that makes me a little biased.

I got both tin steelbook blu rays for Christmas need to have a massive marathon of both sometime soon here.
 
Platy said:
At worst it is a materpiece in casting.

Half of the "wow is that actor" thread was "I was watching Band of Brothers when suddenly <random awesome actor> appeared !"
Click to expand...

So many. Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, and Simon Pegg are some I had no idea were in BoB before I watched.
 
Everything about Band of Brothers is great.

The story, the actors, the production values, the music...

Shows like it don't come along very often, but when they do they show you that a well made piece of television can take you on a more meaningful journey over 11 hours than a film can in 2. You really do get to know the characters which is something war films struggle with a lot in their allotted time.

This scene was the perfect ending for me, and it still gets me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnitUxblQ1o
 
PeskyToaster said:
I just finished it for the first time and it really blew me away. They really did a great job capturing the triumphs of warfare as well as the crushing pressure and insanity of it all. It definitely resonated with me and displayed the human element of war better than most media. It holds up extremely well today. Also the intro theme is great.

BoB definitely ranks as one of my favorite viewing experiences of all time and I say this after watching it right after finishing The Wire for the first time.

I am interested in watching other perspectives, like German or Russian, from the war in the style of Band of Brothers. I heard of Generation War which is said to be like the German Band of Brothers but I don't know of any others.
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Would be interested to see a BoB style show focused on battle for Stalingrad, told from perspective of the Russians and Germans. I had read Beevor's book about the battle and it's incredibly compelling in both the human aspect, the human cost, and the ideologies driving both sides. Both sides were ordered to hold their ground no matter the cost, down to the last man, and the Germans had secret police following the army to to kill any deserters. The way the battle devolved from tanks and troops warfare to house to house, room to room combat, staving off starvation and the cold....it's fascinating
 
For those interested in the German Perspective and Stalingrad, I highly recommend the 1993 film, Stalingrad

It's a German language film. You need to be in the right frame of mind though, it's incredibly sad.
 
It was just ...

download103sy0.jpg


Sorry, I couldn't get past it.

Once the show did it was very good. A masterpiece? I thought it was a little bit inconsistent especially with the last couple of episodes, but it is more than close enough.
 
Band of Brothers rates right up there for me with one of the greatest TV experiences I watched. It will stand the test of time; definitely a masterpiece.
 
One of the best shows ever. 'Bastogne' is an amazing episode, imagine how scary it must have been. 'Why We Fight' is a really sad episode, chokes me up when they realise how evil humans are… :(

Also, the battle scenes are some of the best I've seen on film. Just outstanding cinematography and sound design.
 
Yes. There is no other answer.

Amir0x said:
The episode "Why We Fight" makes me cry manly tears every single time. It's like an immense weight on my chest, and I immediately put myself in their shoes, what it would have been like to witness that with ones own eyes.
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One of the only times I can remember that my surround sound bothered me on an emotional level, as they
make it sound as if all the muttering, coughs, etc. from the prisoners are all coming around you, putting you in the center.
 
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