News culture “One of the greatest scenes in television history” This historian praises this series created by Steven Spielberg, everyone finds it exceptional
Published on 07/01/2024 at 4:40 p.m.
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World War II has been used and reused in film, television and video games. The intensity of the conflict, its complexity, its many twists and turns, its drama and its joys make it a fertile ground for historical fiction. Among the most successful is a mini-series created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
World War II: a conflict widely used in audiovisual media
We recently celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landingsthe most massive of all. But World War II has been approached from many angles over the decades, shedding light more or less faithfully on events which occurred between 1939 and 1945 in Europe and related theaters. Among the best-known productions, we can obviously cite Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Longest Day, Downfall, Inglorious Bastards, The Pianist, The Roundup or, on a lighter tone, The big mop et Max and Leon.
Television has been blessed with numerous series and TV movies, while video games have countless titles, such as Brother in Arms, Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, Company of Heroes or Battlefield. Each production took advantage of this period to bring out something that spoke to the public. In some cases, The productions have secured the services of experts and historians, in order to have a realistic rendering. And on this point, it is a mini-series that stands out very widely.
It is Band of Brothersoriginally broadcast in 10 episodes on HBO from September to November 2001. Inspired by the work of historian Stephen E. Ambrose, this series traces the history of the soldiers of Easy Company, from the 506th parachute infantry regiment and the 101st US Airborne Division, from their beginnings until the end of the war in 1945. Produced by Spielberg and Hanksthe series was designed to transcribe as faithfully as possible the major moments of the conflict and the reality of the life of the different sections.
Band of Brothers: One of the Best WWII Series
Dan Snow, Anglo-Canadian historian and broadcaster, recently highlighted the quality of the series, he who is the great-great-grandson of Prime Minister David Lloyd George (1916-1922). He notably describes the scene of the Landing as Band of Brothers as being “one of the great scenes in the history of television“. He also welcomes the efforts of the producers to guarantee a faithful historical reconstruction:
They went all out to make it accurate. The actors went through the same tactical training as real soldiers, the sound design and weapons are accurate. They even fired World War II weapons to create an authentic soundscape. The series shows the importance of small units of well-trained and well-led men. Each one of them played a crucial role during D-Day. It was the sum of all these small actions that made the day a success and allowed the Allies to suffer fewer casualties than they had feared.
In total, and according to the most recent estimates, The landing caused the death of 140,000 people, a number which includes losses on the Allied and German sides, but also civilians. If you want to see the series, know that it is available in full on Max, accessible by subscription from 5.99 euros per month. For the curious, know that it is also on this platform that we find The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, Les Sopranos or Game of Thrones et The Wire.
