23 Years Later, This Steven Spielberg Series Is the Most Accurate War Project Ever
And yes, it's even better than Saving Private Ryan.
HBO has produced everything you could possibly think of. We have seen the most epic historical series, the best TV Western of the last decade, and the phenomenally popular Game of Thrones. And how about the best war miniseries of all time? Yeah, that's HBO, too.
Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who did a great job on Saving Private Ryan, returned to the World War II topic just three years after the release of the famous war drama. In 2001, the HBO network launched the ten-part series Band of Brothers, which tells the story of a US airborne company's combat journey from training to the end of the war.
Band of Brothers is One of the Most Acknowledged and Accurate War Projects
The famous D-Day landings in Normandy, the deployment to the German rear during the attempt to take Holland, and the Siege of Bastogne all fell on the shoulders of these very young soldiers. Many of the actors who starred in Band of Brothers have gone on to become major movie stars, including Michael Fassbender, Simon Pegg, James McAvoy, Andrew Scott and Tom Hardy.
The creators invested a huge budget in the series to make the scope of the war as realistic and detailed as possible. As a result, the project received a Golden Globe for Best Miniseries, as well as seven Emmy Awards. And also admiration from historians who noted the plausibility and accuracy of all the events shown on the screen.
Band of Brothers Depicts War As It Is
The main difference of Band of Brothers from other war projects is related to the aspects of the war emphasized by its creators.
We do not see the top leadership, we do not learn about global military events, and we are absolutely unable to assess the significance of this or that line that the division crosses. We see ordinary soldiers fulfilling their duties; we see that fear and inexperience can kill no worse than the enemy; we see the fatigue of doctors who face death every day.
Band of Brothers is an incredibly talented and high quality project that shows the horrors of war without sugarcoating the heroism. Over the course of ten episodes, we see not only and not so much military operations, but people who live day in and day out at the center of military action – and that means being ready to meet their death at almost any minute.
Where to Stream Band of Brothers?
Band of Brothers is available to watch on Netflix, Max and Prime Video.