Band of Brothers - don't get it...
Discussion
Following on the the poster who didn't like the wire - I'm havin the same problem with Band of Brothers.
Many people recommended it here and soni got it on Blue Ray. I have watched the first 7 episodes and have to be honest am finding it boring.
People are saying the wire is slow but have personally never found that the case. With Band of Brothers I find the dialogue poor and slow- the story slow and just a lot of explosions happening.
I know it's based on real life stories and maybe because I'm of a younger generation I don't 'get' it. Somehow. I was expecting something a lot more griping. Is there something I'm missing or is it that I'm just not aprreciating the bigger picture.
Maybe my expectations were wrong
Many people recommended it here and soni got it on Blue Ray. I have watched the first 7 episodes and have to be honest am finding it boring.
People are saying the wire is slow but have personally never found that the case. With Band of Brothers I find the dialogue poor and slow- the story slow and just a lot of explosions happening.
I know it's based on real life stories and maybe because I'm of a younger generation I don't 'get' it. Somehow. I was expecting something a lot more griping. Is there something I'm missing or is it that I'm just not aprreciating the bigger picture.
Maybe my expectations were wrong
Absolutely. It was prior knowledge and awareness of the background to the action in which Band of Brothers takes place that enhanced its meaning and poignancy for me.
Added to the fact that it wasn't just another "war tale" but the experiences of real people and real events (however dramatised).
Finally, the fact that it was probably filmed at the last chance to interview the original protagonists.
All very moving, in my opinion.
Added to the fact that it wasn't just another "war tale" but the experiences of real people and real events (however dramatised).
Finally, the fact that it was probably filmed at the last chance to interview the original protagonists.
All very moving, in my opinion.
Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 27th September 13:58
Hmmm, I have the same feeling on this, as I did on the 'I don't get the Wire' thread.
Doesn't matter how good a show is, or how many people rave about it, it won't bowl over everyone.
I couldn't stand 'Lost' and lost interest in 24 after series 2. I find Shameless depressing and the might boosh crap.
I loved BoB and have watched the whole series 2-3 times, for me the little parts at the end, with the real-life people talking really made the whole thing seem real.
Another thing to consider is when most of us first saw BoB the brillaint Saving Private Ryan was still fresh in everyones memory, they have a very simular feel and the stories interlock somewhat.
The Pacific on the other hand, I never got on with that.
Doesn't matter how good a show is, or how many people rave about it, it won't bowl over everyone.
I couldn't stand 'Lost' and lost interest in 24 after series 2. I find Shameless depressing and the might boosh crap.
I loved BoB and have watched the whole series 2-3 times, for me the little parts at the end, with the real-life people talking really made the whole thing seem real.
Another thing to consider is when most of us first saw BoB the brillaint Saving Private Ryan was still fresh in everyones memory, they have a very simular feel and the stories interlock somewhat.
The Pacific on the other hand, I never got on with that.
Jw Vw said:
Band of Brothers has to be one of the greatest series ever made. Great acting and storylines. Give it another go after reading the novel.
Not just the acting, but the veterans at the end explaining how all the frankly insane violence and bloodshed you've just watched was true to life. davepoth said:
Jw Vw said:
Band of Brothers has to be one of the greatest series ever made. Great acting and storylines. Give it another go after reading the novel.
Not just the acting, but the veterans at the end explaining how all the frankly insane violence and bloodshed you've just watched was true to life. fizz47 said:
Following on the the poster who didn't like the wire - I'm havin the same problem with Band of Brothers.
Many people recommended it here and soni got it on Blue Ray. I have watched the first 7 episodes and have to be honest am finding it boring.
People are saying the wire is slow but have personally never found that the case. With Band of Brothers I find the dialogue poor and slow- the story slow and just a lot of explosions happening.
I know it's based on real life stories and maybe because I'm of a younger generation I don't 'get' it. Somehow. I was expecting something a lot more griping. Is there something I'm missing or is it that I'm just not aprreciating the bigger picture.
Maybe my expectations were wrong
It's great in my opinion because it doesn't just show action and have no substance, I could watch it again now despite having seen it all the way through a handful of times already. In the same way "The Pianist" is an awesome film some people just don't get it because they can't empathise with how hellish life must have been in WW2.Many people recommended it here and soni got it on Blue Ray. I have watched the first 7 episodes and have to be honest am finding it boring.
People are saying the wire is slow but have personally never found that the case. With Band of Brothers I find the dialogue poor and slow- the story slow and just a lot of explosions happening.
I know it's based on real life stories and maybe because I'm of a younger generation I don't 'get' it. Somehow. I was expecting something a lot more griping. Is there something I'm missing or is it that I'm just not aprreciating the bigger picture.
Maybe my expectations were wrong
Sometimes I do think that maybe peoples attention spans are getting shorter and anything longer than 20 minutes is too much, BoB needs to be watched as a piece of history made real as well as just a tv series.
OP - have you seen Saving Private Ryan and if you have what did you think of that?
fizz47 said:
Following on the the poster who didn't like the wire - I'm havin the same problem with Band of Brothers.
Many people recommended it here and soni got it on Blue Ray. I have watched the first 7 episodes and have to be honest am finding it boring.
Whatever you do dont watch The Pacific then!Many people recommended it here and soni got it on Blue Ray. I have watched the first 7 episodes and have to be honest am finding it boring.
BoB was ace!
I also think BoB is stunning, not because of the cinematography or the acting or anything else mentioned above..
Its because it tells a story of people thrown together by circumstances, not one of them could possibly imagine what they'd see or experience, but with the support and respect they got from each other they got through it. Although by the time they got home they were practically strangers to their families each and every one of them knew what they'd gone through and they understood - better than anyone else.
Imagine growing up in the depression of 30s America - leaving school and about 12 or 14 to get a job to help feed brothers & sisters. You probably haven't even seen an aircraft, let alone been in one. There is that rich guy up the street who drives a late 20s Ford around, man he's doin' well for himself.
Then Pearl Harbor happens, FDR is on the radio, its war. There is money to be had so you go and sign up, you get trained and fed, you learn respect and admiration, sending money home to help the family.
Before you know it you're swept to a foreign land to fight an enemy you hadn't really heard of before. In a strange place, fighting a strange enemy for reasons that aren't completely clear. All you have is the people around you. They are the most important thing in the world. You don't forget a bond like that.
Years later those guys were still looking out for each other - Don Malarkey went through some tough times but others made sure they kept in contact with him and at times fed and clothed him, often reducing him to tears.
Ed Heffron was one of the first replacements, he struck up a friendship with Bill Guarnere when they found out they'd grown up a block away from each other in Philadelphia. After the war they worked together and even now a day doesn't pass when they don't see or talk to each other. Thats a friendship longer than most marriages.. and they're still taking the mickey out of each other!
I think its pretty difficult for us to relate to their situation - we're used to foreign travel, displaced people, modern warfare (hell, I watched some of the Iraq war pretty much live on TV). Society today is very different.
Not saying this is true for every member of the 506th or those who served in the US forces but it will certainly be a familiar story to that generation.
I think its a very American thing to of served and be proud of it. I know that vets over there may wear a cap or a pin badge signifying their service and receive a knowing nod from another vet, they don't need to say anything because they both know. This covers anything from WWII, through Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and so on.
Its because it tells a story of people thrown together by circumstances, not one of them could possibly imagine what they'd see or experience, but with the support and respect they got from each other they got through it. Although by the time they got home they were practically strangers to their families each and every one of them knew what they'd gone through and they understood - better than anyone else.
Imagine growing up in the depression of 30s America - leaving school and about 12 or 14 to get a job to help feed brothers & sisters. You probably haven't even seen an aircraft, let alone been in one. There is that rich guy up the street who drives a late 20s Ford around, man he's doin' well for himself.
Then Pearl Harbor happens, FDR is on the radio, its war. There is money to be had so you go and sign up, you get trained and fed, you learn respect and admiration, sending money home to help the family.
Before you know it you're swept to a foreign land to fight an enemy you hadn't really heard of before. In a strange place, fighting a strange enemy for reasons that aren't completely clear. All you have is the people around you. They are the most important thing in the world. You don't forget a bond like that.
Years later those guys were still looking out for each other - Don Malarkey went through some tough times but others made sure they kept in contact with him and at times fed and clothed him, often reducing him to tears.
Ed Heffron was one of the first replacements, he struck up a friendship with Bill Guarnere when they found out they'd grown up a block away from each other in Philadelphia. After the war they worked together and even now a day doesn't pass when they don't see or talk to each other. Thats a friendship longer than most marriages.. and they're still taking the mickey out of each other!
I think its pretty difficult for us to relate to their situation - we're used to foreign travel, displaced people, modern warfare (hell, I watched some of the Iraq war pretty much live on TV). Society today is very different.
Not saying this is true for every member of the 506th or those who served in the US forces but it will certainly be a familiar story to that generation.
I think its a very American thing to of served and be proud of it. I know that vets over there may wear a cap or a pin badge signifying their service and receive a knowing nod from another vet, they don't need to say anything because they both know. This covers anything from WWII, through Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and so on.
I agreeTop of the list for my favourite series - even beating The Wire.
The action set pieces are brilliant; really conveying the sense that a step to the left or right could mean a bullet with your name on it, but for me it is the superb character development that makes BOB stand out. You care for the various members of Easy Company, this being even more poignant because they were real chaps who fought and died with great courage and bravery.
The Bastogne episodes are chilling (no pun intended) I wonder how many of us today could endure what the allied forces had to deal with in those forests?
The Pacific was a huge let down - the key to this being the complete lack of character development. I could name most of Easy Company, but I'd struggle to give you the names of more than 1/2 characters from The Pacific. There was simply no empathy with the latter.
The action set pieces are brilliant; really conveying the sense that a step to the left or right could mean a bullet with your name on it, but for me it is the superb character development that makes BOB stand out. You care for the various members of Easy Company, this being even more poignant because they were real chaps who fought and died with great courage and bravery.
The Bastogne episodes are chilling (no pun intended) I wonder how many of us today could endure what the allied forces had to deal with in those forests?
The Pacific was a huge let down - the key to this being the complete lack of character development. I could name most of Easy Company, but I'd struggle to give you the names of more than 1/2 characters from The Pacific. There was simply no empathy with the latter.
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