My grandparents lived in Holland during the Second World War and my grandfather was sought after by the Germans throughout most of that time for helping Jews. I heard this story and others from them growing up, but naturally had no real sense of how horrendous a time it was. I have luckily grown up in a time when this was not a part of my reality.
In the past few years, I have read the odd historical review and finally delved into some great books about the period. I'm currently reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and last year read Hell's Cartel: IG Farben and the Making of Hitler's War Machine, both fantastic historical books.
But naturally, seeing as I'm a film nut, I sought out films that would show me this world I could not imagine ever existing in.
This was when I discovered the excellent HBO 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers and the unbelievable documentary six-part series Apocalypse: The Second World War.
Seeing as they are both now available on DVD (the English version of Apocalypse came out this week) I wanted to take the time to review two sets that I HIGHLY recommend you check out.
Band of Brothers
Starring: Scott Grimes, Damien Lewis, Ron Livingstone, Shane Taylor, Donnie Wahlberg, and many other amazing actors
Created and Produced by: Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg (among many others)
Spoilers in this review? Not much.
When I first stumbled upon Band of Brothers it was one of the episodes that happened to be playing on TV halfway through a marathon run of the miniseries on HBO Canada. I had no real idea who the characters were, but I was immediately enthralled by the acting and overall feeling I got from it.
I decided to seek out the first episode, and was glad it was the weekend, because by the end of that night I had watched the first six episodes (out of ten) straight through. I then went on a mad dash through Ottawa to try to find the series on DVD just so I could finish watching it as soon as possible.
But why would a ten-part miniseries about American soldiers during the Second World War be so intriguing to my generation? Apart from unbelievable storytelling and excellent directing and acting, I can't quite put my finger on it entirely. Ultimately I think you have to watch it for yourself to understand.
Based on the book of the same name by WWII Historian Stephen L. Ambrose, the scriptwriters for this series made a strong effort to tell the real stories of the soldiers in Easy Company throughout the war. This group, some of the first ever paratroopers, lived, sweat and died together for years.
Each episode begins with real interviews with these now old men talking about their war experiences. The story that follows each set of interviews, ends up being the fictional depiction of what they've just explained. It is not only effective stuff, it's absolutely enthralling.
I should say that I'm not big on war, in general. I'm not the type to read or watch war related material; and I'm not that fond of the constant glorious depictions of American soldiers, when the Canadian effort (which was astounding) is often left forgotten. But this series is an exception to all the rules.
It is a bit of a time commitment, but one that you will not regret. I think the stories speak for themselves, which is why I will refrain from going into further detail. Suffice it to say...Band of Brothers is not just one of the best miniseries' ever created, it does great justice to all who served the world during one of our darkest hours.
Best episodes of the ten-part series:
Part One "Currahee" Establishes the relationship these men have and where it will take them.
Part Six "Bastogne" Depicts the epic battle that took place in the depths of European winter.
Part Nine "Why We Fight" The soldiers stumble upon a concentration camp and are forced to deal with the consequences. They then take Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Bavaria.
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Apocalypse: The Second World War
Documentary series of "Declassified, colourised, and restored footage reveal World War II as it has never been seen before."
Created by: Daniel Costelle, Isabelle Clarke, Jean-Louis Guillaud, Henri de Turenne
Spoilers in this review? No.
This is yet another series I happened to stumble upon last year. Created in France by expert documentarians, this six-part documentary series is one of the starkest and most beautiful restorations of WWII footage and photos ever realized on film. It tells the story of the war in Europe from its beginnings, to its ultimate end in some of the most riveting scenes I have ever witnessed.
While Band of Brothers is ultimately a fictionalized take on real-person accounts of the war, this doc is made up of *entirely* recovered and restored footage taken during the war. It includes never before seen footage of Hitler taken by his personal videographers; it also includes the amazing work of filmmakers who risked their lives to document this period in time, and showed the world what was really happening in war ravaged Europe.
As a documentary filmmaker myself, I watched this footage and was so inspired by what it must have taken to gather it. The access and trust they were given was astounding. Added to it all that much of the black and white footage has been restored to colour, which makes it all the more haunting.
Documentaries (particularly historical docs) often get a bad rap for being "boring" or "slow" simply because they attempt to tell the story through the eyes of those who experienced it, rather than giving it the sensationalized "Hollywood" version of events. While this is obviously an unfair assumption, in the case of Apocalypse it would be a real shame if people did not see it based on these preconceived notions.
By watching this series, you will not only be learning about this world-changing series of events in history, but you will perhaps be able to imagine how horrible it was for those who lived through it.
I HIGHLY recommend checking out the Blu-ray version of this disc if you are able, as it most clearly and sharply renders these striking images, an amazing feat given that this footage is now almost 70 years old.
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