Band of Brothers is a 2001 ten-part, 11-hour television World War II miniseries based on the book of the same title written by historian and biographer Stephen E. Ambrose. The executive producers were Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who had collaborated on the World War II film Saving Private Ryan (1998).^[1] The episodes first aired in 2001 on HBO and are still run frequently on various TV networks around the world.^[2][3]

The narrative centers on the experiences of "Easy Company", 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment assigned to the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army. The series covers Easy's basic training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, the American airborne landings in Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Siege of Bastogne, and on to the end of the war, including the taking of the Eagle's Nest.^[1]

The events portrayed are based on Ambrose's research and recorded interviews with Easy Company veterans. A large amount of literary license was taken with the episodes, with several differences between recorded history and the film version.^[4][5][6] All of the characters portrayed are based on actual members of Easy Company; some of them can be seen in prerecorded interviews as a prelude to each episode (their identities, however, are not revealed until the close of the finale).

The title for the book and the series comes from a famous St. Crispin's Day Speech delivered by the character of Henry V of England before the Battle of Agincourt in William Shakespeare's Henry V; Act IV, Scene 3. A passage from the speech is quoted on the first page of the book, and is also quoted by Carwood Lipton in the final episode.

Development [link]

Band of Brothers was largely developed by Tom Hanks and Erik Jendresen, who spent months detailing the plot outline and individual episodes.^[7] The role of Steven Spielberg most prominently consisted of being "the final eye" on the series and using Saving Private Ryan, the film on which he and Hanks worked together earlier, as a template for the series.^[8] The accounts of Easy Company veterans, such as Donald Malarkey, were later used in production to add as much detail as possible.^[8]

Plot [link]

Over the course of ten episodes Band of Brothers details, although sometimes in an exaggerated or condensed format, Easy Company's real-life exploits during World War II. The series begins with the company's jump training at its Currahee site in Toccoa, Georgia, and ends with Japan's capitulation. Major Richard Winters's (1918–2011) experiences are a primary focus, as he attempts to keep his men together and safe. While the series features a large ensemble cast, episodes generally focus on one character, following his actions during certain events (for example, the Siege of Bastogne and Operation Market Garden).

As the series is based on real-life events, the characters' fate is the same as their real world counterparts. Numerous characters either die or sustain serious injuries, some of which lead to them being sent home or leaving the hospital to rejoin their comrades at the battlefront. Their experiences, and the moral, mental, and physical hurdles the soldiers must overcome, are central to the story.

Production [link]

Budget and promotion [link]

Band of Brothers was the most expensive television miniseries made by HBO or any other television network at the time it was created.^[9][10] This record would be superseded by Band of Brothers's sister show, The Pacific (2010).^[11][12][13]

The budget for Band of Brothers was approximately $125 million, which comes to an average of $12.5 million per episode.^[8] An additional $15 million were allocated towards the promotional campaign, which involved, among other things, hosting screenings for World War II veterans.^[9]

One of those screenings was at Utah Beach, Normandy. On June 7, 2001, 47 Easy Company veterans were flown to Paris and then by chartered train to the site, where the series premiered.^[14][15] Also sponsoring the miniseries was then German-American owned automobile manufacturer Chrysler, as its Jeeps were used to great extent in the series, with an estimate of 600 to 1000 vehicles.^[16] Chrysler spent $5 to $15 million on its advertising campaign, based on and using footage from Band of Brothers.^[16] Each of the spots was reviewed and approved by co-executive producers Hanks and Spielberg.^[16]

The BBC paid £7 million ($10.1 million) as co-production partner, the most it had ever paid for a bought-in program, and screened it on the BBC Two channel. It was originally to have aired on BBC One, but was moved to allow "an uninterrupted 10-week run" with a denial that this was not because it was not mainstream enough.^[17][18] Negotiations were monitored by then Prime Minister Tony Blair, who personally spoke to co-executive producer Spielberg.^[19] Producer of comedy film An Everlasting Piece Jerome O'Connor alleged in a 2001 lawsuit against DreamWorks, Spielberg's own film studio, that Blair also loaned military equipment and 2,000 troops, while Spielberg gave Blair's son Euan a job in the production.^[20] According to O'Connor, his movie was "sabotaged" because DreamWorks feared it would interfere with Spielberg receiving his British knighthood, which he did in 2001.^[20]

Location [link]

The series was shot over 8 to 10 months at the Hatfield Aerodrome in Hertfordshire, England, on which various sets, including replicas of European towns, were built.^[15] This location was also used to shoot the film Saving Private Ryan.^[8][10] Twelve different towns were constructed on the large open field, including the towns of Bastogne, Belgium; Eindhoven, Netherlands; and Carentan, France.^[21]

The village of Hambleden, in Buckinghamshire, England was used extensively in the early episodes to depict the site of the company's training in England and also for scenes later in the series.

The scenes set in Germany and Austria were shot in Switzerland, in and near the village of Brienz in the Bernese Oberland and the nearby Hotel Giessbach.

Historical accuracy [link]

To preserve historical accuracy, additional research was done by the various writers. One source was Easy Company soldier David Kenyon Webster's memoir, Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich, published by LSU Press in 1994 after his death in a boating accident. Stephen Ambrose's book quotes liberally from Webster's then-unpublished diary entries. Webster's trained eye, honesty, and writing skills helped give the book and miniseries a tone not available in other G.I.s' diaries because it captured in detail the daily life of the infantryman working his way with comrades across Europe.

Dale Dye, a retired Marine Corps captain and consultant on Saving Private Ryan, as well as most of the surviving Easy Company veterans, such as Richard Winters, Bill Guarnere, Frank Perconte, Ed Heffron, and Amos Taylor, were asked for input.^[8][22] Dye (who additionally plays the role of Robert Sink) had the actors undergo a 10-day boot camp.^[22] Similarly, great attention was paid to details of weapons and costumes. Simon Atherton, the weapons master, corresponded with veterans to match weapons to scenes, and assistant costume designer Joe Hobbs extensively used photos and veteran accounts.^[8]

Similarly, most actors had contact with the people they were meant to portray, often by telephone, and several of the veterans came to the production site.^[8] Nonetheless, co-executive producer Tom Hanks admitted that they could not provide complete accuracy: "We've made history fit onto our screens. We had to condense down a vast number of characters, fold other people's experiences into 10 or 15 people, have people saying and doing things others said or did. We had people take off their helmets to identify them, when they would never have done so in combat. But I still think it is three or four times more accurate than most films like this."^[15]

As a final accuracy check, the veterans saw previews of the series and approved the episodes before they were aired.^[23]

Nonetheless, some inaccuracies did manage to get into the series, such as the case of Albert Blithe, a focal point of the third episode, which incorrectly states that he died in 1948. In fact, Blithe lived on to 1967, dying while on active duty in the Army.^[24] Another inaccuracy is the portrayal of Joseph Liebgott as Jewish, when in actuality he was Roman Catholic.^[25]

Cast and characters [link]

Since Band of Brothers focuses entirely on the exploits of "E" (Easy) Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 101st Airborne Division during the Second World War, the series features a large ensemble cast, based on existing persons. The main character of the show is Major Richard Winters, played by Damian Lewis, who leads the cast for most of the episodes and is the main subject of the episodes "Day of Days", "Crossroads" and the final episode, "Points". Tom Hanks, co-executive producer of the miniseries, explained that they needed a central character to tie the story together, and felt that Damian Lewis was best for the role.^[26]

Ron Livingston portrays Captain Lewis Nixon, Major Winters' best friend and frequent confidant during the series. The episode "Why We Fight" largely centers on him, dealing with his problems with alcoholism in particular. Captain Ronald Speirs, played by Matthew Settle, leads the Company into the field in the latter half of the series and is subject of rumors between the soldiers starting in the third episode, "Carentan."

Appearing alongside Winters and Nixon in all ten episodes are Donnie Wahlberg as Second Lieutenant Carwood Lipton, Scott Grimes as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey, Peter Youngblood Hills as Staff Sergeant Darrell "Shifty" Powers and Shane Taylor as Technician Fifth Grade Eugene "Doc" Roe, although both were uncredited in the opening sequence. The episode "The Breaking Point" features Lipton prominently and the importance he carried in regards to Easy Company's morale, while "Bastogne" features Doc Roe's experience as a medic during the siege of Bastogne.

Appearing in nine episodes are Rick Gomez as Technician Fourth Grade George Luz, Michael Cudlitz as Staff Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman, Nicholas Aaron as Private First Class Robert "Popeye" Wynn, and James Madio as Technician Fourth Grade Frank Perconte. Denver "Bull" Randleman was the subject of his own episode, "Replacements". This featured Randleman's escape from a German-occupied village in the Netherlands. Philip Barrantini as Private Wayne A. "Skinny" Sisk is uncredited in the opening sequence but also appears in nine episodes.

Neal McDonough as First Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton, Dexter Fletcher as Staff Sergeant John "Pee Wee" Martin, Ross McCall as Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Liebgott appear in eight episodes. George Calil as Sergeant James "Moe" Alley Jr., Nolan Hemmings as Staff Sergeant Charles E. Grant and Rick Warden as First Lieutenant Harry Welsh and Robin Laing as Private First Class Edward "Babe" Heffron, although uncredited in the opening appear in eight episodes.

Credited in the opening in seven episodes or fewer are:

• Kirk Acevedo as Staff Sergeant Joseph Toye
• Eion Bailey as Private First Class David Kenyon Webster
• Dale Dye as Colonel (eventually Lieutenant General) Robert F. Sink
• Michael Fassbender as Sergeant Burton "Pat" Christenson
• Stephen Graham as Sgt. Myron "Mike" Ranney
• Colin Hanks as First Lieutenant Henry Jones
• Craig Heaney as Private Roy W. Cobb
• Frank John Hughes as Staff Sergeant William "Wild Bill" Guarnere
• Matthew Leitch as Staff Sergeant (served as First Sergeant for a time) Floyd Talbert
• James McAvoy as Private James W. Miller
• Alex Sabga as Cpl. Francis J. Mellet
• Tim Matthews as PFC Alex Penkala
• Rene L. Moreno as Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Ramirez
• Peter O'Meara as First Lieutenant Norman Dike
• Simon Pegg as First Sergeant William Evans
• David Schwimmer as Captain Herbert Sobel
• Douglas Spain as Technician Fifth Grade Antonio C. Garcia
• Richard Speight, Jr. as Sergeant Warren "Skip" Muck
• Rick Warden as First Lieutenant Harry Welsh

Reception [link]

Critical reception [link]

Band of Brothers was met with largely positive reviews. Caryn James of The New York Times called it "an extraordinary 10-part series that masters its greatest challenge: it balances the ideal of heroism with the violence and terror of battle, reflecting what is both civilized and savage about war." However, the article did criticize the generation gap between the viewer and characters, which the journalist felt was a significant hurdle. TV Guide ranked it #54 on their list of TV's top 100 shows.^[27]

Robert Bianco of USA Today said the series was "significantly flawed and yet absolutely extraordinary — just like the men it portrays", rating the series four out of four stars. He noted that it was hard to keep track of and sympathize with individual characters during battle scenes.^[28]

Tom Shales of The Washington Post was not as positive, stating that though the series is "at times visually astonishing", it suffers from "disorganization, muddled thinking and a sense of redundancy". Shales noted the lack of presence from the cast: "few of the characters stand out strikingly against the backdrop of the war. In fact, this show is all backdrop and no frontdrop. When you watch two hours and still aren't quite sure who the main characters are, something is wrong."^[29]

Ratings [link]

The premiere of Band of Brothers on September 9, 2001, drew 10 million viewers.^[30] However, two days later the September 11 attacks occurred and HBO immediately ceased its marketing campaign.^[30] The second episode nonetheless drew 7.2 million viewers.^[30]

Awards [link]

The series was nominated for nineteen Emmy Awards, and won six, including "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 miniseries, 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 2003 Writers Guild Award (Television, Adapted Long Form) for episode six ("Bastogne").

Home video releases [link]

All ten parts of the miniseries were released in a DVD boxset on November 5, 2002. The set includes five discs containing all the episodes, and a bonus disc with the behind-the-scenes documentary We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company and the video diary of actor Ron Livingston, who played Lewis Nixon. A collector's edition of the box set was also released, containing the same discs but held in a tin case. Band of Brothers is one of the best-selling TV DVD sets of all time,^[31] having sold about $250 million.^[32]

The series was released as an exclusive HD DVD TV series in Japan in 2007. With the demise of the format, they are currently out of production.

A Blu-ray Disc version of Band of Brothers was released on November 11, 2008 and has become a Blu-ray Disc top seller,^[33] though many video enthusiasts contend that the HD DVD version features superior visual quality due to the presence of digital noise reduction on the Blu-ray release.^[34][35]

See also [link]

Television portal

• List of Easy Company (506 PIR) veterans
• The Pacific – A companion miniseries from 2010 depicting the Pacific campaign against the Japanese.

Notes [link]

Further reading [link]

A variety of books have been published, either before or after the HBO miniseries, which give further insight into Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne, the company known as the original Band of Brothers.

Books include (listed alphabetically):

• A Company of Heroes: Personal Memories about the Real Band of Brothers and the Legacy They Left Us (2010), by journalist Marcus Brotherton. Penguin. Profiles about the deceased Easy Company men, as remembered by their family members.
• Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, by Stephen Ambrose. Originally released in 1992.
• Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters (2006), by Major Richard Winters and Colonel Cole Kingseed. The first of Dick Winters' memoirs.
• Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers (2005), by Larry Alexander. The second of Dick Winters' memoirs.
• Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends, by William Guarnere and Edward Heffron with Robyn Post. Book hit the New York Times Best Seller List.
• Call of Duty, by Lynn Compton with Marcus Brotherton. Recounts how Buck Compton went on to have a career as attorney and prosecuted Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy.
• Easy Company, by Genesis Publications. This is a limited edition, large-format, coffee-table styled book.
• Easy Company Soldier, by Donald Malarkey with Bob Welch.
• From Toccoa to the Eagle's Nest: Discoveries in the Bootsteps of the Band of Brothers. by Dalton Einhorn. Self-published travelogue released in 2009.
• In the Footsteps of the Band of Brothers: A Return to Easy Company's Battlefields with Sgt. Forrest Guth (2010), by Larry Alexander. Part travelogue, part historical perspective, from the author of Dick Winters' second memoir.
• Parachute Infantry, by David Kenyon Webster. Published posthumously in 1994. (Webster died in a shark fishing accident in 1961).
• Shifty's War: The Authorized Biography of Sergeant Darrell Powers, the Legendary Sharpshooter from the Band of Brothers, (2011) by Marcus Brotherton.
• The Way We Were, by Forrest Guth and Michael de Trez. This is a collection of Guth's war time pictures, published by a European company.
• We Who Are Alive and Remain, by Marcus Brotherton. Oral history book released in 2009 featuring 20 of the surviving members of E Co.

External links [link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Band of Brothers

• Official website
• Band of Brothers at AllRovi
• Band of Brothers at TV.com
• Band of Brothers at the Internet Movie Database
• Rotten Tomatoes.com Band of Brothers reviews
• Mark Bando's Band of Brothers pages (Bando is a prolific historian of the 101st Airborne)
• Original movie of the U.S. Army: liberation of the concentration camp Kaufering IV (by Landsberg Lech), in April 1945: This film and the photos, made by the U.S. Army, served as a template for Part 9 "Band of Brothers." These documents were given to the team of director and producer Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks by the European Holocaust Memorial (Landsberg).
• Kaufering Online memorial (Many pictures of Camp IV Hurlach)
• Event data as RDF

• Bill Guarnere and Babe Heffron discuss their experience as part of the Band of Brothers
• Band of Brothers film page
• Band of Brothers - an extra's life Documentary highlighting the experiences of the extras that worked on the HBO mini-series