Although I’ve written a novel set on the home front during WWII (The Victory Club, June 2005), I’m not a huge war-movie buff. I suffer too much while watching them. So why on earth would I rent a 10 hour WWII mini-series? Blame it on my Netflix friend Angie.
Band of Brothers (HBO 2001) is raw, honest, well-acted, and painfully real. The story begins just before D-Day as Easy Company prepares to parachute behind enemy lines, and it ends on V-J Day with the men (still in Europe) knowing they’ll soon be headed home to the States.
During the ten hours of film, I came to care about these men. I hurt when one of them was injured or lost. I felt like I was freezing with them in those fox holes during the winter siege (sorry, don’t remember the name of the forest but it was horrific). I cried when the company found the death camp about a month before the war ended in Europe.
Worth watching but definitely not easy to view, I would give this movie a 9 out of 10.
-rlh-
My husband is a WWII buff, and this is his absolute favorite. I bought it for him for Christmas two years ago, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to top that for gift-giving. Have you seen “To End All Wars” yet? That one’s a definite must-see, too – it has so many redemptive themes.
Carrie, To End All Wars is next up in my Netflix queue. I’ve heard good things about it.
Robin
Wasn’t this an emotional experience? One of those films that you keep thinking about for days afterward. I especially appreciated seeing the REAL men in the short intros.
Angie