Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Intro to Saving Private Ryan

Band of Brothers is by far one of my favorite movies out there. It is not a documentary, rather a movie/mini series that was made for HBO. It is just like Saving Private Ryan, shot much the same way and in my opinion, is just a little better (story wise). I think that Tom Hanks and Speilberg produced the mini series. I also think that each episode is directed by a different person. Amazing story! Must buy if you like Ryan.

My father was with the combat engineers and a sniper with the 101st airborne throughout WWII. His platoon took out the guns on the top of the hill overlooking the beach in that first scene.

I watched the Private Ryan movie with him. It wasn’t a pretty sight seeing my father get as emotional as he did (he’s a tough old feller). I asked him if was really as bad as the movie showed, he gave a very quiet reply “worse, much worse”. “looking back down on the bay, bodies looked like cord wood in a log jam and the water was red”.

I haven't seen any of the modern WWII movies, but as a young person, it seems easy to forget about the horror of that war... everything's in black and white! This is not to trivialize by any means, but that's the mental image that I have.

If you haven't seen either they are both really great movies.I really enjoyed the The Band of Brothers.

Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers are both movies that I know if I turn them on, I will get sucked into watching the whole movie.....

I have to watch them all the way through. Not easy to do with Band of Brothers.

I'm with you, Curtis. I like watching things from start to finish. If I watch "Band of Brothers" it has to be from disc 1 through to the end. At least I can space them out over a week. For some obsessive compulsive reason, though, I have to watch it in order. Terrific mini-series! If you are interested in WWII, this set is a must-have.

The HBO series Band of Brothers is in my opinion the best War movie/ documentary there is. It does tremendous justice to those men who fought for our country. As graphic as it is. I believe they need to be shown in every high school classroom in the US. It is such a powerful message and gives a true understanding of war ( why it should always be a last resort)selflessness(what working in a team is all about and what can be achieved)/and other qualities truely needed to succeed. These are truely qualities lacking in our youth today. We need to return to these values.
SORRY for the soap box. Anyway. You will not be dissapointed with it. It is awesome.

You are totally correct. I watched the whole series on HBO .It was riveting. It follows the men from the landing in France on D-Day through the Battle of the Bulge where almost 185,000 people died, through Germany and the horrors of the Camps to capturing Hitler's mountain hideaway. At the beginning and end of each episode there are brief interviews with the actual men of the 101. Riveting viewing. link to the Bulge http://www.mm.com/user/jpk/battle.htm

I'll never be able to watch Office Space without thinking of Band of Brothers, either.

i totally agree. Band of Brothers without a doubt should be shown in every high school history class in the country. unfortunately i was on deployment when it came out on HBO, so i had to wait until the DVD came out to see it. and boy am i glad i did! it is without a single solitary doubt, the best war story ever put on film. my wife and i blew through the series in three nights; it's like crack, you can't put it down and when there's no more left you go through withdrawal. and yes to all of y'all who haven't seen it, it is totally acceptable to cry when watching it (same as We Were Soldiers and Old Yeller). i defy anyone to not cry in the episode that starts in the bombed out German city with the musicians playing the Beethoven string quartet. those who've seen know what i'm talking about.