Day of Days

This episode was really a bomb !! It was really exciting. A pure thrill. And I really enjoyed it.

The episode begins with interviews with American veterans of World War II, which lets the viewer know that the following program is as close to the true story as a reenactment can be. Like Saving Private Ryan, it opens with a graphic, disturbing scene as the US paratroopers prepare to jump into Normandy. Planes burst into flames, men are shot. The cinematography is beautiful, which helps immerse the viewer, who feels the same fear as the soldiers themselves. The cast is mostly character actors, with few familiar names, even to a film buff like me. This is good, as it prevents the viewer from having any preconceptions about the characters. The set pieces are masterfully designed, noting the cows chewing cud in the background while soldiers are talking. It doesn't look like a Hollywood film set; it looks like a once-inhabited village. This is the first episode of Band of Brothers I have seen. I will most definitely watch all the other episodes.

The scene when Winters and his small force of men take out the German artillery emplacements was so intense you can practically feel the bullets whizzing by your head. The use of a non-stationary camera makes it even more real for the viewer, like a first-person experience with more realism and tension than the stationary cameras typically used in past war movies and TV shows. I think the opening combat scene of the Normandy Beach action of "Saving Private Ryan" equals (or maybe surpasses) the battle scene in "Day of Days".

Easy Company jumps in to Normandy.

This is an exceptional episode of television that is highly compelling, well acted and (by Hollywood standards) contains a decent level of historical accuracy.

Opening interviews are very impactful before the episode starts. When you see a soldier become emotional when briefly referencing the loss of life it is more powerful than anything movie artistry can create.

The plot is impressively told from the perspective of Lieutenant Winters and although condensed for pacing, it mostly reflects historical records and claims.

Having not served in the military I am not qualified to comment how realistic the battle scenes are, but as a viewer they do put an audience in what feels like a brutal and chaotic situation. The jump scenes are terrifying to watch and the Brécourt Manor Assault is a great piece of technical filmmaking.

The cinematography, sound effects, editing, colour grading, costumes, props, music and special effects all come together to attack your senses.

Damian Lewis leads it wonderfully and is supported well by other cast members.

Band of Brothers tells an important story that hopefully prompts those who are unfamiliar with the events to find out more.

On the D-Day, the allied paratroopers jump behind the German lines and the Easy Company is scattered in Normandy and many of the survivors have lost their weapons. Sgt. Richard D. Winters gathers a couple of soldiers and they head to the Battalion. The squad is assigned to destroy three German cannons in their first war experience. Will they succeed?

"Band of Brothers" wannabe "Combat!" but there is a great difference between the shows. "Combat!" was created by Robert Altman and released seventeen years after the end of World War II, in a time that there was no CGI. Therefore the fight scenes are extremely realistic and believable. Further, the characters are well developed and with human attitudes. "Band of Brothers" has the usual exaggeration of recent films, with excessive use of CGIs, and so far a poor character development.

"Day of Days" has a storyline in general good, but the scene where the American soldier executes the German POWs is a stupid and not necessary war crime. If the viewer consider that the crime was nearby the Battalion, the soldier should at least go to Martial Court, which was usual in those years. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Day of Days"