This was my dad's story. It means a lot to me. As the master sergeant and jump master on one of the planes loaded with equipment and 101st paratroopers that were to lay out communications in advance of the invasion on D-Day, he and two other units were dropped off course into an orchard of sorts and after some skirmishes with the enemy, ended up surrounded by Germans. He spent the rest of the war in a German camp, as a wounded POW. Others not so lucky, went on to fight the rest of the war, which Band of Brothers tells brilliantly. It's ironic that being interred in a camp kept him alive, isn't it?
I should also say Spielberg and Hanks were usually as close to the technical stuff as they could get. As an armor modeler and former history author on military technical subjects, I could easily spot the FV432-based StuG III G and T-55-based Jagdpanther in one episode, and the T-34-based Tiger I in another, but they tried and the effect was very realistic. In the Peleliu airfield scene in "The Pacific" they had two running perfect mockups of Japanese Type 95 light tanks and an M4A2 USMC Sherman. Today, 20+ years later, there are far more and better mockups being used in movies, but these guys led the way. I do not know what happened to "Masters of the Air", except to think that one, no one involved in the production of the series had any knowledge at all of aeronautics, aerodynamics, aircraft construction or combat damage. Didn't ANYONE watch at least some actual combat footage show how B-17s really behaved, or how they fell out of formation when hit, or what combat damage really looks like in a solidly-built bomber? What we got in most cases was damage that looked like crows had pecked at cake icing. And the blown-up planes gently drifting down, in an atmosphere churned to an invisible froth by hundreds of propellers - or wings separating from planes and flying alongside them in formation..... Or the ground shots where the flying control surfaces were not aligned correctly - it was all so sloppy, and a waste of excellent art set design and uniforms, vehicles and other paraphernalia that was done very well. Here's a YT video that show the better way to demonstrate this, an RC He 111: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjncVG2Ws5U See how even this small plane comes apart and how the pieces flip and tumble and the wing rotates around the heavy engine.....
Guys like us who know this stuff will always be disappointed to some degree. But think back to "Battle of the Bulge" where they used M-48 Pattons as German tanks!
The other thing that disappointed me was the miss on explaining, even in quick dialogue, some of the strategic and tactical things that affected the bomber war - nothing pretentious or didactic, just offhand comments by some officers who would have heard something - 30 seconds here and there setting a frame of reference. But I am a history nerd, so what the hell. I'm glad they made it, wish it had been better.....
I forgot to mention that the Wheatcroft Collection in England is currently restoring to running condition FOUR German Hetzers and several Panther tanks. Even stuff pulled out of rivers and bogs can be restored for display and this is being done more and more. Some of the European vehicle display meets have astounding numbers of well-restored vehicles of all types. Future movies may have the advantage of using the real McCoy.....
OMG, you are so right. We need as much bolstering as possible so we can survive this rollercoaster ride in T's " magic kingdom." Thomas Paine and Band of Brothers-- good starts-- keep the memory sources coming, TC!
I think the series was perfectly cast as well, especailly Winters. Have watched it in its entirety three times. It engages us in history in a way that's superior to most of Ken Burns' work. History teachers couldn't do better than to show and discuss.
Of all the actors on the project - several of whom went on to decent careers - Damien Lewis (in his first major role as Winters) has gone on to serious stardom in major projects. Most prominently Homeland and Billions. He also produced and starred in the series about Kim Philby.
It helped that the real Winters is considered one of the best officers in the Army in World War II.
Band of Brothers - one of the best series of all time. Will watch again.
My father was an Artillery captain in Patton's Third Army. He liked to tell me about the time he and his fellow officers were playing pinocle during the usual bombardment. Suddenly Patton entered the tent and let them have it! "Get your lazy asses out there and kill those German motherfuckers!" my father claimed he said. Anyway, my father taught me how precious it was to sing the National Anthem - singing loudly as he towered over me as we stood in 1960's Yankee stadium.
Now, when I referee college soccer games and they play the national Anthem, I bow my head and close my eyes in shame and sorrow for what has become of our nation. So very sad.
You're right Tom, I had the DVD collection and binge watched several times, It was on Netflix and I watched through episode 6. Netflix took it off before I got to ten. But you'/re right they were the best WW2 series ever made. I wish I hadn't given my box set away, But I am trying to cut down on my possessions.
I found Band of Brothers again on Netflix and just finished the series again with episode 10. Tom is still correct best war film ever made. No corners cut, telling it like it really was.
Thanks for the heads up Tom, it is never a bad thing for me to get a heads up. I will set up my system to grab it. My memory of it was, that it was along with "Deadwood", some of the very best television ever offered, and I worked on" War and Remembrance".
I saw it in first-run and thought it was the best depiction on screen of World War II that I had ever seen. The casting and acting were absolute perfection.
I have the DVD set, but now no player - must fix that. The Bride's computer is set up to throw the picture up on our big screen TV, which is old enough to have HDMI but is still "dumb." Spielberg and Hanks learned from the mistakes made in "Saving Private Ryan" and worked hard to get "BoB" as right as they could. It shows, just as the technical failings in "Masters of the Air" show they were merely executive producers, or that Apple was really running the show.....
Let us not forget "The Pacific," in which the EXACT SAME PEOPLE who made BoB so great fucked up so royally - starting with trying to tell the stories of two different guys who never ever met each other, and thereby having to rush through both stories, rather than choose one or the other, and use the same structure from BoB).
I see your points, and as a screenwriter your comments are more authoritative than mine, but I liked "The Pacific" again for the technical stuff. I think they did the stories they did to get in as many campaigns as they could - they still missed Tarawa. Again, I can see your points, but I'm happy they did more campaigns, as they were different. Then again, I am not a screenwriter. I am rereading the books to get a better feel of what could have been done - thanks for that inspiration.
Yes, that would have been a hummer, as it showed American resolve in the face of severe problems that were not solved quickly or easily. The CGI bills would have been enormous of course - very few of the aircraft from that time are available for a TV movie, and virtually no ships outside of a couple of destroyers as museum ships and not operational. I wonder if the difficulty of getting the aircraft for close-ups was part of the decision not to do the Canal as the whole series. Possibly it could covered two campaigns - Guadalcanal (Alpha) and Okinawa (Omega).....but then those were both long slogs eventually. No doubt Band of Brothers was the best pick of the litter.....
This was my dad's story. It means a lot to me. As the master sergeant and jump master on one of the planes loaded with equipment and 101st paratroopers that were to lay out communications in advance of the invasion on D-Day, he and two other units were dropped off course into an orchard of sorts and after some skirmishes with the enemy, ended up surrounded by Germans. He spent the rest of the war in a German camp, as a wounded POW. Others not so lucky, went on to fight the rest of the war, which Band of Brothers tells brilliantly. It's ironic that being interred in a camp kept him alive, isn't it?
I should also say Spielberg and Hanks were usually as close to the technical stuff as they could get. As an armor modeler and former history author on military technical subjects, I could easily spot the FV432-based StuG III G and T-55-based Jagdpanther in one episode, and the T-34-based Tiger I in another, but they tried and the effect was very realistic. In the Peleliu airfield scene in "The Pacific" they had two running perfect mockups of Japanese Type 95 light tanks and an M4A2 USMC Sherman. Today, 20+ years later, there are far more and better mockups being used in movies, but these guys led the way. I do not know what happened to "Masters of the Air", except to think that one, no one involved in the production of the series had any knowledge at all of aeronautics, aerodynamics, aircraft construction or combat damage. Didn't ANYONE watch at least some actual combat footage show how B-17s really behaved, or how they fell out of formation when hit, or what combat damage really looks like in a solidly-built bomber? What we got in most cases was damage that looked like crows had pecked at cake icing. And the blown-up planes gently drifting down, in an atmosphere churned to an invisible froth by hundreds of propellers - or wings separating from planes and flying alongside them in formation..... Or the ground shots where the flying control surfaces were not aligned correctly - it was all so sloppy, and a waste of excellent art set design and uniforms, vehicles and other paraphernalia that was done very well. Here's a YT video that show the better way to demonstrate this, an RC He 111: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjncVG2Ws5U See how even this small plane comes apart and how the pieces flip and tumble and the wing rotates around the heavy engine.....
Guys like us who know this stuff will always be disappointed to some degree. But think back to "Battle of the Bulge" where they used M-48 Pattons as German tanks!
The other thing that disappointed me was the miss on explaining, even in quick dialogue, some of the strategic and tactical things that affected the bomber war - nothing pretentious or didactic, just offhand comments by some officers who would have heard something - 30 seconds here and there setting a frame of reference. But I am a history nerd, so what the hell. I'm glad they made it, wish it had been better.....
I forgot to mention that the Wheatcroft Collection in England is currently restoring to running condition FOUR German Hetzers and several Panther tanks. Even stuff pulled out of rivers and bogs can be restored for display and this is being done more and more. Some of the European vehicle display meets have astounding numbers of well-restored vehicles of all types. Future movies may have the advantage of using the real McCoy.....
OMG, you are so right. We need as much bolstering as possible so we can survive this rollercoaster ride in T's " magic kingdom." Thomas Paine and Band of Brothers-- good starts-- keep the memory sources coming, TC!
I think the series was perfectly cast as well, especailly Winters. Have watched it in its entirety three times. It engages us in history in a way that's superior to most of Ken Burns' work. History teachers couldn't do better than to show and discuss.
Of all the actors on the project - several of whom went on to decent careers - Damien Lewis (in his first major role as Winters) has gone on to serious stardom in major projects. Most prominently Homeland and Billions. He also produced and starred in the series about Kim Philby.
It helped that the real Winters is considered one of the best officers in the Army in World War II.
Band of Brothers - one of the best series of all time. Will watch again.
My father was an Artillery captain in Patton's Third Army. He liked to tell me about the time he and his fellow officers were playing pinocle during the usual bombardment. Suddenly Patton entered the tent and let them have it! "Get your lazy asses out there and kill those German motherfuckers!" my father claimed he said. Anyway, my father taught me how precious it was to sing the National Anthem - singing loudly as he towered over me as we stood in 1960's Yankee stadium.
Now, when I referee college soccer games and they play the national Anthem, I bow my head and close my eyes in shame and sorrow for what has become of our nation. So very sad.
I rewatched ’Crossroads’ this week - a reminder why, when things go awry, it’s time to step up fast and do what needs to be done.
I watched it earlier this year on your recommendation, Tom. Balls were in my stomach most of the time.
You're right Tom, I had the DVD collection and binge watched several times, It was on Netflix and I watched through episode 6. Netflix took it off before I got to ten. But you'/re right they were the best WW2 series ever made. I wish I hadn't given my box set away, But I am trying to cut down on my possessions.
I found Band of Brothers again on Netflix and just finished the series again with episode 10. Tom is still correct best war film ever made. No corners cut, telling it like it really was.
Good to know. I've got Netflix but not HBO.
Thanks Tom, I watched and loved it when it came out. Looking forward to watching it again.
I watched it when it came out. Recently put it back on my list when I saw it reappeared. I thought it was excellent.
Note that Band of Brothers, and the equally good series about the Marines, The Pacific, are also on Netflix.
Thanks for the heads up Tom, it is never a bad thing for me to get a heads up. I will set up my system to grab it. My memory of it was, that it was along with "Deadwood", some of the very best television ever offered, and I worked on" War and Remembrance".
I saw it in first-run and thought it was the best depiction on screen of World War II that I had ever seen. The casting and acting were absolute perfection.
TC, what did you think of Ambrose's book?
Hanks, as a producer, is fantastic. Still think "From The Earth To The Moon" is better, but "Band" is great.
I have the DVD set, but now no player - must fix that. The Bride's computer is set up to throw the picture up on our big screen TV, which is old enough to have HDMI but is still "dumb." Spielberg and Hanks learned from the mistakes made in "Saving Private Ryan" and worked hard to get "BoB" as right as they could. It shows, just as the technical failings in "Masters of the Air" show they were merely executive producers, or that Apple was really running the show.....
Let us not forget "The Pacific," in which the EXACT SAME PEOPLE who made BoB so great fucked up so royally - starting with trying to tell the stories of two different guys who never ever met each other, and thereby having to rush through both stories, rather than choose one or the other, and use the same structure from BoB).
I see your points, and as a screenwriter your comments are more authoritative than mine, but I liked "The Pacific" again for the technical stuff. I think they did the stories they did to get in as many campaigns as they could - they still missed Tarawa. Again, I can see your points, but I'm happy they did more campaigns, as they were different. Then again, I am not a screenwriter. I am rereading the books to get a better feel of what could have been done - thanks for that inspiration.
Guadalcanal, the "American Stalingrad", was the one to do.
Yes, that would have been a hummer, as it showed American resolve in the face of severe problems that were not solved quickly or easily. The CGI bills would have been enormous of course - very few of the aircraft from that time are available for a TV movie, and virtually no ships outside of a couple of destroyers as museum ships and not operational. I wonder if the difficulty of getting the aircraft for close-ups was part of the decision not to do the Canal as the whole series. Possibly it could covered two campaigns - Guadalcanal (Alpha) and Okinawa (Omega).....but then those were both long slogs eventually. No doubt Band of Brothers was the best pick of the litter.....