HBO
Band Of Brothers

THE REVIEW

Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. This is the microcosm on which "Band Of Brothers," a television miniseries produced by HBO in 2001, focuses. 

Inspired by the book "Band of Brothers" by historian Stephen Ambrose, this mega production revolves around the two figures of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, producers jointly with HBO. Two who, from the European hell of the Great War, had already produced some years earlier the famous "Saving Private Ryan."

"Band Of Brothers" is a true jewel of cinematography of the last two decades, one of the most extraordinary works related to that historical period. The Easy Company is the center of this backward journey through some of the most important stages for the Allies' victory in the Second World War. D-Day, the famous landing in Normandy, Carentan, Operation Market Garden and the defeat at Neunen, the "Battle of the Bulge," the capture of Bastogne and other cities like Foy and Haguenau, the discovery of concentration camp horrors at Landsberg, and finally the arrival at the "Eagle's Nest," the last Nazi stronghold at Berchtesgaden.

Special effects worthy of a blockbuster and meticulous reconstructions of the scenarios and various phases of the war are overshadowed by that group of soldiers who found themselves fighting in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany. Each of the ten episodes that make up the series is introduced by the memories of the surviving soldiers, who reconstruct everything that happened during that period.

A comprehensive overview of the Allied offensive in the northern European zone that is impeccably emphasized by the war episodes: precise directing introduces the viewer into the battles and really seems to make you experience them firsthand: a frenetic, frantic editing contributes to this sensation. From the point of view of filmic representation of the war clashes, it is complicated to find another title on par with this.

"Band Of Brothers" is a product of excellent quality. Reconstructions attentive to the smallest detail, faithful reproduction of historical developments, veiled yet never overwhelming drama: everything contributes to making this miniseries a small masterpiece, capable of dragging you among the bullets and grenades, the blood, and tears of that "band of brothers."

"I will always remember a question my grandson asked me the other day, he asked: "Grandpa, is it true that in the war you were a hero?" Grandpa replied no. "But I fought with a company of heroes."