One thing I had to appreciate about SPR and BOB is the very human presentation of the characters there, as well as an accurate (albeit gory) depiction of war. In war movies from the previous decades we would see a grenade explode and bodies going down as though death came at a finger snap. These movies highlighted the long term suffering of the soldiers who were injured, along with the emotional and psychological dimension of those injuries, not to mention the hardships of travelling to far-off places to go to war.

And you gotta appreciate the sounds!

I watched the DVD of SPR in a neighbor's house with 5.1 surround sound at nearly full volume and I definitely loved the depth of the ambient noises and explosions. They do *sound* scary and disorienting. Reminds me somewhat of new year's days here in Manila... lol

I really like the series. I watched when it was on HBO. I just bought the DVD set this past weekend. I wish I would have bought it sooner.

I got my DVD set in Christmas my mother gave it to me.I watched on HBO and I was in AWE.I couldn't believe what I was seeing this is the best mini series ever made if you dont have get it.I never knew why my grandfather never wanted to talk about the war and if these movies made by Steven Spielberg and the books by Ambrose have any truth I now understand.My Grandfather was a Staff Seargent of the Army and fought in Germany.

Pak40:

Are you ever going to explain this post? I found it offensive, as did others.

While the D-Day landings are obviously based on fact, the central story of SPR, that is the saving of Private Ryan because his brothers had just perished, is fictional. That doesn't mean is not fine movie making, it simply makes it a fine novel on the screen. BOB is teh dramatizaton of a a historical account of Company E. The characters represent real people, some of whom are still alive, as you know. The squad in SPR is not based on factual people. At least this is my understanding of SPR. I could be wrong and will accept correction gracefully. :-)

I enjoyed BOB intensively!! A friend of mine lent me his DVD box. My son and I watched straight through... almost anyway. Saw all ten episodes in two sittings, that is when you get the best grip of all of the characters. I wish someone would do a similar type of thing for the Pacific Theater - that's where my dad fought!! I saw some of the episodes when it ran on TV here, but was greatly surprised to see that the station had cut some of the stuff out of the episodes to save time (my guess) that is why I want to buy it.

I loved the first part of the series, but was very disappointed by the inaccuracies and the way they changed the characters towards the end. The most glaring examples, are the portrayal of David Webster. Anyone who has read "parachute Infantry", Websters autobiography, or "BOB" which was lifted rather heavy-handedly from "Parachute Infantry" (though always cited at times by Ambrose, can attest, the characters themselves were very much changed as portrayed in the books. to me, this destroyed the credibility of the series as historical document, and cheapened the tribute to the soldiers it was supposed to honor.

For one thing the series was not meant to be a "document/documentary" it was filmed as a drama.

As for "cheapening the tribute" you should go to the surviving soldiers themselves and see what they thought of the series. I know there are a few web sites dedicated to them and didn't read any complaints there.

I enjoyed the series and got it for Christmas from my wife who also enjoyed it (high praise when she can sit through any war related drama). Because of the series she bought and read the book and though she mentioned some discrepencies, thought it a good adaptation.

Cheers, Michael

I think they went to great lengths to field such a vast array of weapons, vehicles & equipment, and to make the scenes look authentic,
To the makers of BoB, Well Done!!