Band of Brothers

About Band of Brothers

Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, "Band of Brothers" is a captivating ten-part TV series inspired by the book of the same name written by historian Stephen E. Ambrose, released in 2001. The series intimately portrays the experiences of soldiers in Easy Company, part of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. From basic training at Camp Toccoa in Georgia, the harrowing D-Day, the brutal winter in Bastogne, to the capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden, it depicts the extraordinary bravery and fears of the soldiers in World War II.

Making / Production

Produced by HBO and DreamWorks, the series involved immense pre-production work under directors such as David Frankel and Tom Hanks himself. The series was filmed in England. The crew erected a boot camp for the actors to undergo intensive training and bonded as a 'unit' to replicate the camaraderie of the real-life soldiers they were depicting. The budget for the series was around $125 million, making it one of the most expensive TV Series at that time.

Actors

• Damian Lewis: Played the role of Major Richard Winters, the company’s dedicated commander. Lewis imbued his character with steadfast dignity and courage.
• Ron Livingston: He portrayed Captain Lewis Nixon, Winters’ friend and the intelligence officer of the company, with great finesse.
• Donnie Wahlberg: As 1st Lieutenant Carwood Lipton, Wahlberg portrayed his character's fortitude and perseverance evocatively.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The series used over 10,000 extras.
• Most of the actors received a three-month military training.
• The original 'Band of Brothers' visited the sets during the production.

Awards

Band of Brothers is the recipient of several awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television and the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries. The series has also won awards for directing, casting, and special visual effects.

Quotes

• "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers."
• "And that's the thing about Easy Company. No man ever lets another man down."
• "From this day, until the ending of the world, we in it shall be remembered. We lucky few. We band of brothers."

Music, Soundtrack

• The poignant score of Band of Brothers was given by Michael Kamen.
• Main theme - 'Band Of Brothers (Suite One)'
• Ending theme - 'Band Of Brothers (Suite Two)'