darlodge

Band of Brothers is totally great. I'll be buying the box set, if I don't get it for christmas. I've been dropping enough hints

Darren

[Edited by darlodge - 12/8/2002 11:06:15 PM]

steve G MAN

calm the **** down peeps we know it was based on real events but the lad dident mean no disrespect i admit myself it got a little boring towards the end

[Edited by steve G MAN - 12/11/2002 12:52:35 PM]

Popeye P1

Jon IT you are another muppet. LMAO.

So what if its based on true events? Was the Omaha Beach sequence in Private Ryan based on fiction?? Erh no. Yet I enjoyed that film more than the last few episodes of Band of Brothers. Thats my opinion! If you liked it fair enough but don't start going on about you're grandparents in the war etc and stop waving the stars and stripes ffs.

Too much political correctness on this forum. You muppet!

[Edited by Popeye P1 - 12/11/2002 1:10:15 PM]

SimonH

edited as I was descending to your level.



[Edited by SimonH - 12/11/2002 11:51:37 PM]

AndiThompson

Anyone who hasnt seen the last two episodes, they're on now on BBC4 or next sunday night on BBC2. These are well worth watching, superbly done and very moving.

wrxstiman

I enjoyed the first batch with steven spielsberg as the director but then i think it started to lose its way after that when tom hanks took over the reins.

The episode in the ardenne (battle of the bulge) was meant to be one of the greates tank battles of WW2 (apart from kursk) but i did not see 1 tank?

Excellent start but tailed off and became too deep with the storylines and not enough battle sequences like in the first 4 episodes.

For action, Saving private Ryan, full metal jacket and platoon put it to shame.

SimonH

They're not meant to be "action" films. They're true stories based the experiences of real people. Those old boys at the start of each episode are the poor sods that had to live through that hell.

If you can't see beyond the flashes and bangs and exciting bits then these excellent programmes are truly wasted on you

I personally think the whole series is superb. It's well filmed and very researched.

BTW The Ardennes offensive was not a "tank battle" by any stretch of the imagination. It was an offensive. The Germans didn't have enough armour to mount a classic "tank battle" a la Kursk (in fact a fair proportion of the armour they did deploy was captured American stuff.)and the hilly, wooded terrain of the Ardennes was totally unsuited to such an assault.
The US considered the forests of the Ardennes to be such an obstacle to a major assault that they used the area as an R & R site for their troops. Hence they were caught with their pants well and truly down.
I assume you're thinking of "The Battle of The Bulge" war film that was filmed on some North American Plain with loads of tanks charging about big open spaces. Not how it happened.

Sorry to go off on one.

steve G MAN

by the way fellas my wife got me the dvd box set and its fantastic there is loads of intervews with the real band of brothers well worth getin if you do get it let me know what ya think all the best
steve

NotoriousREV

@ wrxstiman

I suggest you read the book. The book was written with the help of the survivors of Easy Company's war, as was the series. The events are shown as happened (although much of the dialogue has been made up, but based on stories as told by the veterans).

If you had grandparents that fought in WW2 then it really makes you think what they went through.

Dave P

Also the most expensive television series of all time.

Absolutely brilliant, very moving. I read the book after and then watched it all again. Collecting HMV vouchers for Christmas.

Dave

wrxstiman

All i said was 'I enjoyed the first batch with steven spielsberg as the director but then i think it started to lose its way after that when tom hanks took over the reins.'

Classic scoobynet replies from 2 ppl so i will give you a classic one back.
Just stating my opinion and i get patronising responses.

SimonH: Im not saying they were meant to be action films and no **** that the ppl at the start were vets. No **** that this series was based on a true account of easy companies military exploits. Just thought they could have been made better towards the end.
History lesson for you - Battle of the bulge was the ardennes offensive with 2 panzer divisions (tanks!) spearheading an attack line of 135km (or miles?) through the forest.
'The Battle of the Bulge which lasted from December 16, 1944 to January 28, 1945 was the largest land battle of World War II in which the United States participated. More than a million men fought in this battle including some 600,000 Germans, 500,000 Americans, and 55,000 British. The German military force consisted of two Armies with ten corps(equal to 29 divisions). While the American military force consisted of a total of three armies with six corps(equal to 31 divisions)'

Notorious REV: Both my grandparents fought - my comments about the general film making dont mean that i dont appreciate their sacrifices ffs. Take my comments a little less seriously in future than jumping on the bandwagon or your high horse.

What is great about this country and scoobynet - free speech NOT.

Case dismissed.

[Edited by wrxstiman - 12/9/2002 2:26:19 PM]

[Edited by wrxstiman - 12/9/2002 2:36:17 PM]

SimonH

Thanks for the history lesson

The Battle of The Bulge was not a tank battle. Being in the military doesn't mean I know everything about every military engagement ever but it does mean we get taught some of this stuff.

To argue the issue for no reason other than I can, Kursk was a classic tank battle.
The German operation in the Ardennes was a blitzkrieg style assault on a weak section of American line. Granted the initial thrust was a tank assault up the main road structure (such as it was) but the resources of the Germans and the terrain dictated it be an infantry and panzer/volks grenadier operation in the main.

I haven't got the time or the inclination to cut and paste things out of google searches but if my memory serves me there weren't two panzer (tank) divisions, there were 2 Panzer Armees - Dietrich's 6th and Manteuffel's 5th. In that lot there were something like 4 SS Panzer divisions, 2 Heer Panzer Divs, a bunch of Volksgrenadier divisions and a load of Fallschirmjager (sp?).
Much of what the ordinary US soldier saw of the battle was confined to artillery assault and infantry combat. The armour was confined to what roads there were. It would be quite feasible that a US soldier would not have come across German armour during the Battle of the Bulge.
But thanks anyway

It's not a freedom of speech issue: I was merely commenting that it appeared that you had failed to grasp the concept of the Band of Brothers series. It wasn't produced so that people would be wowed by great special effects and lots of tanks charging about but so that so people could see what the conditions were like.

I'm not being patronising or even on a high horse I just think that perhaps you've missed the point.

Quite.

NotoriousREV

Hey, you were the one (unfavourably) comparing a mini-series based on factual events to fictional action movies. It's like saying that watching a Shuttle launch wasn't as good as Star Wars for special effects, FFS.

You complained about the lack of tanks during the episodes depicting Easy Company's stay in the Ardennes forest, well if there were tanks there, I'm sure one of the veterans may have mentioned it

My comment about having Grandparents who fought wasn't aimed at you, but was a general comment about why I liked the program, don't be so touchy (or egotistical).

steve G MAN

you cant be in the army with an anser that long lol

AllanB

My Grandad told me about some of the places he fought in years ago and to see them on telly made me grateful for what he did. Stirring stuff.

I thought the series was truly excellent as its rare to have a modern production that conveys the things people went through.


AllanB

dsmith

Hes not

SimonH

I most certainly am not indeed

ademid

My Girlfriend got me the DVD box set for free!!

No she's not a thieving scally she works for the distributors and got it as a gift.

I was well chuffed though!

Ade

Popeye P1

'If you had grandparents that fought in WW2 then it really makes you think what they went through'

Don't patronise us please! Stiman was just expressing his views and then gets slagged off by 'wannabe historians' of WW2.

I suggest you watch 'The World at War' which tells the story much better and with real footage. musics good too.

SimonH

I do enjoy the righteous indignation that this site often generates.

For wannabe historian please see the individual claiming that there weren't enough tanks in Band Of Brothers.... As for you saying he was just expressing an opinion, fine, so was I.
Just because I know a bit about WW2 does not make me a "Wannabe" historian it just means that some of my education actually stuck
If you have a problem with "wannabes" I suggest you post on every thread on this site to have a pop at the wannabe racing drivers, mechanics, Subaru experts, car dealers etc etc that populate this place.

Popeye P1

Simon H
'If you can't see beyond the flashes and bangs and exciting bits then these excellent programmes are truly wasted on you'

Thats not an expression, its a statement. I rest my case u muppet.
I did history too and don't patronise ppl with my knowledge. From what i've read Stiman is far more clued up than you on WW2. You should get out more. LMAO.

dsmith

ROFLMAO

Yep SimonH should get out more. possibly to actual "conflicts" to witness at first hand some "flashes and bangs and exciting bits" so he could compare them to the TV....oh hang on...he does.

Deano

Jon1T

'For action, Saving private Ryan, full metal jacket and platoon put it to shame.'

eh? Band of Brothers is based on real ppl and real events, whereas all the above are fictional. It really happened that way, and if there wasn't enough action then did you want them to make it up? Perhaps you didn't think they'd been through enough to satisfy your craving for blood and guts. I know that If I'd survived from D-Day to Bastogne I'd have had enough 'action' for life.

And why's SimonH getting stick when he obviously knows a lot about the battle, rather than posting banal comments like the above?

skipjack

simon h is right, not least about the realities of the battle of the bulge. the series is simply a biographical, fact-based account of one company's experiences in one battalion, one regiment, one division and one army. i've found it far more humane, thoughtful, down-to-earth and sensitive that any war drama i've ever seen and i'm a serious consumer of anything to do with WWII - coupled with extraordinary set piece scenes that match and exceed those of SPR.

anyone see it first time round? interesting to note that it was originally intended for prime time viewing on BBC1 - but they bottled it and moved it BBC2 because, as they said at the time, it's "specialist appeal" wasn't mainstream enough(??) then it became the "surprise" hit of the year. clearly yet another formulaic "hard-bitten, maverick cop drama" was deemed more in tune with BBC1's mission to inform.

anyway, get the box DVD set. something all kids should see when they are old enought to apreciate it and place it in context.

P1Fanatic

Popeye P1 are u the same as the old PopeyeP1? If so good to see you back. You and blutes posts have me in stitches!

Simon.

wrxstiman

too right SteveGMan - a few wannabe little Hitlers on here. WW3 has started over my film making comments. all the cockroaches come out of the woodwork!
Taking incoming so will start my blitzkrieg scoobynet offensive.

SimonH 'I haven't got the time or the inclination to cut and paste things out of google searches but if my memory serves me there weren't two panzer (tank) divisions, there were 2 Panzer Armees - Dietrich's 6th and Manteuffel's 5th. In that lot there were something like 4 SS Panzer divisions, 2 Heer Panzer Divs, a bunch of Volksgrenadier divisions and a load of Fallschirmjager (sp?).'
You have a good memory to remember all that. I suggest you have been at the google searches too but too proud to admit it lol!

'Being in the military doesn't mean I know everything about every military engagement ever but it does mean we get taught some of this stuff.'

Try not to sound too big-headed about your remarks or your head wont fit into your tank next time lol!

Nortorious REV
'I suggest you read the book. The book was written with the help of the survivors of Easy Company's war, as was the series. The events are shown as happened (although much of the dialogue has been made up, but based on stories as told by the veterans).'

Talk about me being egotistical. You are on one helluva ego trip with this condescending nonsense. Your head wont fit into your car if your not careful lol!

Anyway if you lot talk about the futility and senseless nature of warfare as BOB showed, then look how senseless and futile this argument is over my comments!
Your grandchildren wont learn anything!

SimonH

wrxstiman, I apologise for knowing some stuff and for not having to look it up on the internet and I apologise for being able to remember such trivia. I'm also sorry if you think my job makes me big-headed: it doesn't, I was just stating fact. As part of my job training I was taught some of this stuff. If you can't your head round that then isn't a great deal I can do about it. Which is handy because I don't really care.
And no, I don't drive a tank

PopeyeP1 - if you are going to be a pedant then "If you can't see beyond the flashes and bangs and exciting bits then these excellent programmes are truly wasted on you" is not a statement it's a conditional statement, that's why there's an "If" at the beginning.
Meaning if he couldn't see past all the blah blah blah then the series was wasted on him. He has subsequently stated that he does know what went on so maybe it wasn't
Thanks for the "muppet" epithet though, coming from you that means a great deal.

PS. Get out more? Not sure that I physically can get out more than I already do........

NotoriousREV

Clearly condecension is in the eye of the beholder.

If you don't like my suggestion to read the book, don't read it, I thought you may have been interested, that's all, clearly you're not. Do you take all suggestions people give to you as condecending?

Popeye P1, did you even read my comments properly? I stated that I liked the program becaue it made me think what my grandparents went through, it's a personal opinion, if you have a problem with it, tough.

Jon1T

Popeye - did I mention anything about my grandparents being in the war and waving the stars and stripes?

Do you read posts before replying?

Stiwrx - you have a point, it was your opinion and that's fair enough. But I think you were out of order having a pop at Simon just cos he had the temerity to know a bit about the battle.

I thank you!

steve G MAN

At the end of the day all these films that our out at the moe are based on true storys and that means based i dont know if any of you lads have seen WE WERE SOLDIERS wich i thought was a good film so i went and bought the book and its a lot diferent there is so much more to the story but i wont go into my point is the films are just based on the truth. as for BAND OF BROTHERS i do have the dvd set and i thought the post that set all this of had nothing out of order in it at all i too thought towards the end it got a little boring but ive sat and wached the extras in the set with all the old vets talkin about it and i was upset seeing them come to tears im a soldier but those men were what i call real soldiers so can i ask that we all chill out and take a min out to remember the brave lads that gave there all so we can have our todays and tomorows all the best guys
steve
ps lets not argue anymore go out and get the box set its fantastic