Created by two of the industry’s most proficient goliaths Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, Band of Brothers is a haunting iteration of how one of the most courageous troupes of men survived the throes of the Second World War.
Based on Stephen E. Ambrose’s non-fiction book of the same name, the HBO miniseries documents the horrific tale of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, denominated the Easy Company. And the result was an Emmy-wining show that yielded war archives staggering enough to keep you up at night.
Tom Hanks Altered Band of Brothers to Do Justice to the Real-Life Soldiers
Considering how the WWII miniseries is based on Ambrose’s research findings along with interviews with the real-life veterans of Easy Company, authenticity and precision were of the utmost importance for co-creator Tom Hanks. After all, they were going to chronicle the war-stricken lives of actual soldiers who’d been through the most atrocious dregs of hell and back on the battlefield.
On one episode of the Band of Brothers podcast, Hanks, 67, recollected a conversation he had with the real Major Dick Winters – portrayed by Billions‘ Damian Lewis in the series – during post-production wherein the paratrooper disapproved of the filmmaker’s rendition of things (via Cinema Blend).
What irked Winters the most was how the Easy Company of the US Army Airbourne Paratrooper Division came off as inept and unprepared in the Days of Days episode whereas the reality narrated a different story. The Saving Private Ryan star recalled what the veteran told him –
‘Tom, we knew what we were doing. We knew where we were. We knew what needed to get done. You have it looking like we haven’t even read the map correctly!’
Hanks, for his part, heeded Winters’ advice with complete sincerity, refusing to slander the lived experiences of gallant soldiers who risked their lives during World War II. “There isn’t anything that we’ve shot that can’t be moved, changed, altered,” the 2-time Oscar winner reassured the esteemed Major.
Band of Brothers Producers Nailed the Historical Accuracy
The material Ambrose had dug in while penning the annals of the parachute infantry company in the 101st Airborne Division was already extensively researched. But the show’s creators – both of whom also served as executive producers – went beyond the 1992 book and both Hanks and Steven Spielberg made sure of that.
The Captain Phillips star and Spielberg along with the production crew, immersed themselves in the lives and experiences of the heroic men who shed blood, sweat, and tears during the war, ensuring that the on-screen adaptation of Band of Brothers is as historically accurate as possible (via Deadline).
“The anecdotal details of behavior and procedure are more important than sticking to story-story-story. The overview of the story becomes one with the moments of character,” Hanks said. And that’s how you both make and preserve history.
Band of Brothers can be streamed on Max.
