band of brothers

Band of Brothers is a ten part BBC/HBO television miniseries, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, detailing the role of Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division, in World War II. It is based on a book of the same name by Stephen Ambrose.

Awards

The series was nominated for 19 Emmy Awards, and won six, including prizes for "Outstanding Miniseries", "Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special", and "Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special". It also won a Golden Globe for "Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television", an American Film Institute award, and was selected for a Peabody Award for "...relying on both history and memory to create a new tribute to those who fought to preserve liberty".

Synopsis

As an outline synopsis, the episodes in the series are as follows:

"Currahee" - Easy Company of the 101st Airborne undergoes training, and introduces the major characters, particularly Lt. Dick Winters and the martinet commanding officer, Capt. Herbert Sobel.
"Day of Days" - This episode depicts D-Day and Easy Company's participation in the Battle of Normandy.
"Carentan" - Shows Easy Company in street-to-street fighting with German troops in the French town of Carentan.
"Replacements" - Easy Company are air-dropped into Holland as a supporting part of Operation Market Garden.
"Crossroads" - Still in Holland, this episode portrays one of Easy Company's most distinguished battles as well as Lt. Winter's last days in command of Easy.
"Bastogne" - This episode depicts the fighting around Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.
"The Breaking Point" - Illustrates the stress felt by the men during the fighting in and around the town of Foy, Belgium.
"The Last Patrol" - Easy Company pushes on to the town of Haguenau.
"Why We Fight" - Easy Company crosses into Germany and encounters a concentration camp. This episode won an Emmy.
"Points" - Easy Company captures Hitler's Eagle's Nest and contemplates a possible redeployment in the Pacific Theater.

"We Stand Alone Together" is companion documentary to Band of Brothers, featuring interviews with the real members of Easy Company who describe their wartime experiences in detail.

The title

The title, Band of Brothers, comes from a speech delivered by Henry V of England before the Battle of Agincourt in William Shakespeare's Henry V; Act IV, Scene 3:

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,

From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be remember'd;

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

(King Henry, IV.iii)