Band of Brothers (HBO Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: A- Extras: B Episodes: B+
HBO over
the past decade or so has made some of the most memorable series and miniseries
to ever hit the airwaves. From The Sopranos too From the Earth to the Moon, HBO has been a forerunner in well
produced, creative television through and through. One of the most important and memorable
editions to the HBO creative catalog is the epic WWII series Band of Brothers. Having been released on DVD years and years
ago, Band of Brothers is no stranger
to people’s home theater collections, but now that it is on an all new High
Definition format with explosive extras, fans have reason to relive the passion
and comradery all over again.
As a
brief synopsis, Band of Brothers is
a 10 part miniseries that follows the story of the 506th Regiment of
the 101st Airborne Division, US Army known as Easy Company. The series is based on the best selling book
of the same name by Stephen E. Ambrose. Band of Brothers was constructed using
the actual words, stories, letters, and journals of the men of Easy Company who
lived through the trying events of WWII.
Their bravery and hardships are chronicled throughout the 10 part HBO
masterpiece that is not only griping and emotional, but presents the historical
events with such reverence and fluid accuracy that it is hard to look
away. We get to learn who the men are
and what made them tick. They were an
elite group of riffle men who were trained to be the best, but never could have
dreamt of what awaited them on the shores of France on D-Day. The men of Band of Brothers are what legends are made of; being modern day
Ulysses’ of their own right. We follow
the troop of varied personalities from boot camp in 1942 right to the end of
the war at Hitler’s mountain hideaway known as The Eagle’s Nest in
Berchtesgaden.
Each disc
in the set includes 2 episodes and are as follows:
Disc 1: Currahee/ Day of Days
Disc 2: Carentan/ Replacements
Disc 3: Crossroads/ Bastogne
Disc 4: The Breaking Point/ The Last
Patrol
Disc 5: Why We Fight/ Points
Every
episode of Band of Brothers is
amazing, flat out. The series is full of
an innumerable amount of layers, ranging from the deeply emotional too the
shockingly violent. From the mouths of
the men who lived it we get to experience WWII as it has never been seen or
heard before (besides perhaps Saving
Private Ryan). We generally think of
the heroes of WWII with great respect and awe, but many don’t take the time of
how they got to become heroes. Band of Brothers spells it out
perfectly and that is not an easy task.
The series is overwhelming well done and the Blu-ray experience only
kicks it to the next level.
The
brigade of technical features on this HBO Blu-ray set are fantastically well
done. The picture is presented in a
1080p/VC-1 encoded 1.78 X 1 Anamorphic Widescreen that maintains the washed,
gritty nature of the series; while taking the HD image to the next level. Far superior to the DVD release that came before
it, this Blu-ray features an image with upgraded colors, enhanced details, deep
inky blacks, and excellent skin tones throughout. The image moves smoothly across the screen,
highlighting even the smallest detail.
The series was intended to have a degree of grit and grime, with washed
backdrops to heighten the wartime atmosphere, but always seemed a tad
overwhelming on the previous DVD release.
The Blu-ray finds a nice balance between intended digital noise and
crisp detail to make the series a great edition to anyone’s Blu-ray collection.
The sound is projected in a DTS HD
Master Audio 5.1 Surround track that is even better than the picture. Throughout every scene the sound fluidly
moves across the soundscape with precise directionality that prioritizes each
bullet and battle cry with the utmost care.
The sound is practically flawless as it maintains wonderfully crisp
dialogues, distinct ambient noises, and ‘booming’ action sequences in each
episode without exception. Save a few
minor issues with the image being subjected to an overuse of Digital Noise
Reduction (DNR); from beginning too end the technical features are among the
best.
Many of
he special features on the Band of
Brothers Blu-ray are the same as those found on the previously released DVD
edition, but with the plethora of extras offered no one will be
complaining. On top of the extras that
already appeared on DVD there are a number of Picture-In-Picture interactive
features only present on each heroic Blu-ray episode. We
Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company is an extra feature that is
presented in High Definition and is by far the best special feature on the
set. The documentary features the
survivors of Easy Company recounting the true events that inspired the mini
series in their own words. There is no
over the top sentimental dribble or sappy violin music, the documentary is
presented truthfully from the mouths who lived it; with a number of other
historical experts reconstructing the events of all those years ago. There are three other special features
presented in standard definition entitled The
Making of Band of Brothers, Ron
Livingston’s Video Diaries, and Premiere
in Normandy. The special features
deliver just what their titles states as they follow the making of the series,
display how the epic scenes were recreated with cast and crew, and finally
looks at the premiere event in Normandy.
The
Picture-In-Picture HD special features go on to include an interactive timeline
that takes the miniseries to the next level as each episode (everyone) includes
new featurettes, interviews, and more.
The first new High Definition special feature is entitled In the Words of Easy Company:
Picture-In-Picture Commentaries that gives the viewer a deeper look at the
men of Easy Company as they describe the accuracies and inaccuracies of the
series with their real life stories of both heroics and horrors. The second new HD feature is entitled In the Field With The Men of Easy Company:
Interactive Guides; a feature that includes a huge amount of actual WWII
footage, Military abbreviations/slang, interactive maps/field guides, and
more. Though it may seem tedious to sift
through the additional 20 hours of extra features that were added this new
Blu-ray set, they are well worth it. Not
only was the series amazing to begin with, but these features give the men and
events of Easy Company a whole new dimension.
This is a
must series for everyone and anyone.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
