Band of Brothers, the Emmy-winning miniseries created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, turns 22 this yr. For the primary time ever, the historic drama — which stars Damian Lewis (Homeland), Ron Livingston (Workplace Area), and a litany of different recognizable faces on the point of stardom, from Tom Hardy to James McAvoy — can be accessible on a subscription streaming service aside from HBO’s Max. It arrives on Netflix beginning Sept. 15, and should you’ve by no means seen the seminal program, there’s no higher time than now.
Longtime followers even have cause to be excited, because the 10-episode collection rewards repeated viewing, particularly within the fancy 4K format it’s anticipated to be proven in. However your expertise can be significantly improved with a deeper dive into the historical past that surrounds this system itself. Listed here are a number of objects to think about alongside the extremely anticipated re-release, together with suggestions for what to observe proper after.
Learn the books
Picture: Simon & Schuster
Band of Brothers is a dramatization primarily based on the true story of the boys of Straightforward Firm, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Regiment, a part of the US’ famed one hundred and first Airborne Division. The script is impressed by the unimaginable firsthand accounts gathered by historian Stephen E. Ambrose, collected in his bestselling guide, Band of Brothers: From Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. Nevertheless, in contrast to many historic texts primarily based on WWII, Ambrose’s work is eminently readable and contains the entire background info wanted to contextualize Straightforward Firm’s mission for a contemporary viewers — plus anecdotes and vignettes that simply didn’t make the minimize within the ultimate edit.
Inside its pages, Ambrose ably communicates not solely what was at stake on each the home and the worldwide phases because the U.S. entered WWII, but additionally the very particular battlefield situations that led to the creation of this premiere airborne assault power within the first place. It doesn’t learn like doctrine. As a substitute, it’s a lovingly crafted story with technical readability, a way of dramatic stress, and fulfilling character arcs. Most significantly, its opening chapters drive house the purpose that these males have been all volunteers — a few of which accurately had no thought what they have been entering into.
In the event you end it, be happy to comply with up with Ambrose’s D-Day June 6, 1944 : The Climactic Battle of World Battle II, which makes use of related narrative hooks to inform the story of the broader invasion of Normandy. Then, cap it off with The Wild Blue: The Males and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany. That can assist set the stage for Hanks and Spielberg’s upcoming Masters of the Air, which can inform the story of the B-17 bomber crews who have been additionally preventing over Europe on the identical time. That collection relies on a special guide solely, this one written by Donald L. Miller.
Hearken to the podcast
In 2021, on the top of the COVID-19 pandemic, HBO commissioned a 10-part podcast retrospective to rejoice Band of Brothers’ twentieth anniversary, titled Band of Brothers Podcast. Whereas it’s hosted by Roger Bennett, whose overly energetic model of supply won’t be to everybody’s style, the visitor checklist is totally stacked. The collection contains hourlong interviews with Hanks, Livingston, and Lewis in addition to with Donnie Wahlberg and Frank John Hughes — the pair who performed fan favorites Carwood Lipton and Invoice Guarnere, respectively.
Don’t miss episode 3, nonetheless, which features a lengthy chat with Band of Brothers’ legendary army advisor, Capt. Dale Dye, in addition to Matthew Settle, who performed the enigmatic and controversial Capt. Ronald Speirs.
Extra nice WWII reveals and flicks streaming now
Band of Brothers is such a exceptional collection partly due to its specificity. It focuses on a singular unit, with only a handful of troopers. However that laser-like focus blocks out different points of the second World Battle. Try these different streaming movies and collection for insights into its different fronts.
The Dawns Right here Are Quiet (2015)
Set within the spring of 1942, this four-episode miniseries tells the unlikely story of an all-female Soviet anti-aircraft unit stationed close to the Baltic Sea. Primarily based on the eponymous novella and presently streaming on Prime Video, it’s a well-executed if pulpy drama about an ignored cohort — the greater than 800,000 Russian girls preventing on the entrance strains of WWII. An earlier adaptation, from 1972, can also be accessible. Directed by Stanislav Rostotskiy, it was nominated for an Academy Award and can also be streaming on Prime.
Warsaw 44 (2014)
This drama chronicles the 1944 Warsaw Rebellion, a valiant try to carry the Polish capital within the face of ardent German resistance, Western oversight, and Soviet treachery. Its consideration to historic element is usually outdone by its stylistic aptitude — particularly its climactic raid that looks like one thing out of a Baz Luhrmann movie. However, it’s a traditionally correct and unflinching portrayal of a key turning level within the struggle.
The Wind Rises (2013)
Following on the heels of Band of Brothers, Hanks and Spielberg’s The Pacific fell a bit flat. Many cited its meandering focus, which wavered from the US, around the globe to Australia, after which again to the leapfrog marketing campaign by the Pacific islands. And whereas Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima and 2016’s Hacksaw Ridge take the prize for action-packed drama, Studio Ghibli’s The Wind Rises comes on the battle from a totally totally different perspective. The animated function focuses on the civilian expertise in Japan throughout the Nice Despair to inform the story of Jiro Horikoshi, inventor of the scary Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the agile carrier-based fighter airplane that carried the desire of Imperial Japan to mainland China, Pearl Harbor, and past. It’s streaming on Max.
Era Battle (2013)
Lastly, there may be the grim and highly effective Era Battle, broadly considered Germany’s personal tackle Band of Brothers. At present accessible to stream solely within the unique German with English subtitles, it options unimaginable writing and a few stellar motion sequences. It’s no much less fascinating than HBO’s status miniseries, whereas on the identical time showing much more unsettling only a decade after it was made — particularly when seen from the angle of our modern-day political discourse.
