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Band of Brothers (miniseries)

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File:Poster.jpeg
Poster for Band of Brothers. Alternative posters can be seen here and 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.
  3. Carentan – Easy Company takes the French town of Carentan and repels the ensuing counter-attack.
  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.
  6. Bastogne – Easy Company is holed up near the Belgian settlement of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.
  7. The Breaking Point – Illustrates the stress felt by the men during the fighting in and around the town of Foy, Belgium.
  8. The Last Patrol – Easy Company pushes on to the town of Haguenau, from the perspective of David Webster.
  9. Why We Fight – Easy Company crosses into Germany and encounters a concentration camp. This episode won an Emmy.
  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)

Main cast

Quotes

"Kids, I just had a conversation with General LeClerc. He told me he was first into Paris, and by God, he wanted to be first into Berchtesgaden. I told him I understood his point. Now you fire up Second Battalion and out-flank that French son of a bitch!" - Col. Robert Sink

"Jesus Christ, we gotta do all this with a C.O. who has his head so far up his fuckin' ass that lump in his throat is his goddamn nose." - SSgt. William 'Wild Bill' Guarnere

"Well, Don, I was at home in Tonnawanda, but then Hitler started this whole thing, so now I'm here." - Warren Muck

"I've seen the States, I grew up there. That's why I came to Europe. I just wish somebody had told me there was a war on." - Capt. Lewis Nixon

"We're paratroopers, Lieutenant, we're supposed to be surrounded." - Capt. Richard Winters.

“We're all scared. You hid in that ditch because you think there's still hope. But Blythe, the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function. Without mercy. Without compassion. Without remorse. All war depends on it."- Lt. Ronald Spiers

"Men, it's been a long war, it's been a tough war. You've fought bravely, proudly for your country. You're a special group. You've found in one another a bond, that exists only in combat, among brothers. You've shared foxholes, held each other in dire moments. You've seen death and suffered together. I'm proud to have served with each and every one of you. You all deserve long and happy lives in peace.”- The German General near the end of "Points"

"We're in a dell? Like where fairies and gnomes live?" - Captain Winters before an artillery strike in "Bastogne"

"They all speak English, they all love us - What a wonderful country!"

See also

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