Band of Brothers

This was my third time watching through Band of Brothers, and this viewing was just as compelling as the first.  In fact, each time I've watched it has arguably been more interesting than the time before.  The reason for that is that Band of Brothers is a show with tremendous depth.  There is simply a lot to take in here in terms of story, and I challenge anyone to catch at all the first time though.  In fact, repeated viewings are practically required in this case.  

There is an enormous cast of characters, and each one is very unique, with motivation and characterization all their own.  So enormous, in fact, that the first time through, I had difficulty even telling all of them apart.  The second time, I got a good grasp of the main players.  On this third viewing, I began to notice more of the background characters and what makes them tick.  And there are a lot of background characters, many of them played by actors who went on to be very famous.  If you want to watch a movie featuring stars as varied as Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, Simon Pegg, Jimmy Fallon, and James McAvoy, this might be your only chance. 

Another impressive thing about Band of Brothers is how smart it is. This series came out in 2001, which was a couple of years after The Sopranos, but well before shows like Breaking Bad and The Wire made cinematic television the norm.  Despite that, each episode is like a movie (not surprising, given the involvement of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks).  There isn't really a weak link in the cast performance-wise, and the cinematography is on par with anything in theaters today.  The battle scenes, while actually not as frequent as you might expect, are pitch perfect.  Of course, I have never been to war, but given the fact that real veterans give (often heartbreaking) insight before each episode, I trust that they endorse those scenes, which is good enough for me. And they certainly pass the eyeball test.

I also love how subtle Band of Brothers is.  Making a movie about war involves a delicate combination of fact and drama while never becoming too preachy or jingoistic.  I feel that this miniseries absolutely nails that combination.  The series isn't interested in making any grand statement about the nature of war or it's necessity (although those themes are, of course, touched upon).  Instead, it's a depiction of the men who fought World War II and the incredible situations they experienced, while developing lifelong bonds along the way.  There is no hand holding in regards to the plot, and there are no grand monologues attempting to explain it all.  It is, simply, a moving depiction of the events as they occurred.  

There aren't too many television shows out there that excel both as art and as an educational tool, but were a history teacher, I would feel as comfortable showing Band of Brothers to my classroom as I would sitting back and enjoying it at home on DVD with a spouse or a loved one.  It's that good.  "Why We Fight", the second to last episode, in particular is one of the finest hours of television ever.  Human beings could argue endlessly about the necessity of World War II or of any war, but there is no doubt that the stories of those men who fight in them deserves preservation.  For the soldiers who fought in World War II, and for the men of Easy Company in particular, I could think of no finer tribute than a near-perfect work of art such as Band of Brothers.