Band of brothers Eastern front

really looking forward to The Pacific but I still think its criminal there hasnt been a mini series on this scale to celebrate the USSR's contribution to winning ww2.

anyone agree?

 

Yes, I agree with you. It's a shame that movie industry has forgotten eastern front totally. There were some epic and unhuman fights there that deserves to be told.

 

I wouldn't say criminal, but it would be a great thing to do. The unfortunate reality is that media companies design programs to attract their target market - care to guess how whatever war movies they make in Russia portray events? The only reason most things like The Pacific get made at all is that American studios make them.

Slightly off topic, but a good example is my favorite movie, Master and Commander. The book concerns a British frigate captain tracking an American raider in the War of 1812. In the Hollywood version it's a French privateer and the Napoleonic Wars; the story is set in 1805.

 

The main reason there isn't one is because your typical 'Band of Brothers' viewer isn't interested...they can relate to english-speaking americans...everyone has heard of 'D-Day'. The Pacific Band of Brothers fan-base is certainly made up of non-enthusiasts who enjoyed the first one. While it would certainly be interesting, trying to sell the public on a Russian or German Band of Brothers (which would, to an extent, glorify the Communists or Nazis) is just not going to happen.

 

I know it isn't in the same vein but I really liked Das Boot and having read several memoirs from U-Boat survivors it did ring true with what I read.

I wouldn't have a problem watching an Axis version of BoB or a Russian one even with subtitles, but like the previous poster I don't think it will happen.

 

It just couldnt survive the public. Band of Brothers worked fine because they spoke English and the Germans spoke German; so as far as your generic fool is concerned the Germans are simply useless faceless pawns, the way that the main characters all nonchalantly killed at least 30 Germans a piece is a testament to that.

But whenever those 10 guys your MG42 hosed down start crying out in English, well it is a whole different story. Thus no western front could be done.

The only possible way to do this would be on the Stalingrad-esque way of presentation. The directors did an amazing job of humanizing the Russians with plenty of facial close ups, as well as Helmets being seen moving across the streets at almost all times in the movie.

 

I agree with you, too.

 

Nothing is stopping movie companies in Germany, Russia, England or anywhere else for that matter from producing their own BoB versions. Maybe if the English movie makers would break down and do one it would give our brothers over on ww2t something else to squawk about (the Yanks are winning the war all by themselves again, blah, blah, blah). I would love to see some decent productions like BoB from the other viewpoint.

 

Interesting. I've been working on a few scripts on the Eastern front, namely Kursk, Battle for Moscow(told thru a Russian speaking Tlingit, who comes for Lend/Lease via Alaska and is arrested for "spying" , thrown into a punishment battalion)...the battles of the East have obsessed me since I was 12, the size unimaginable. 75% of all Nazi casualties happened in the East, most of those before DDAY. My wife is Russian and wonders the same: why? I think some of you have the answer: marketability. CCCP was also an evil empire, how to make them the heros?Well, to start off by showing that most of the Ivans were victims as well, doubly so, just as one cannot blame the avergae German for Hitler, the average Russian wasnt to blame for Stalin or the CP's crimes.There are many books and stories of individuals, simple men and women who fought, got captured and returned to be sent to gulag. Or death. Entire punishment battalions sent across minefields to clear the mines with their legs.Commisars standing with machineguns at the rear, waiting for deserters or cowards. German diaries are rife with awe at a supposed "inferior" enemy. God knows the French didnt fight the Germans .The prep for Moscow , the nerves of Russia, the hundreds of thousands of civilians digging, preparing to burn /blow up Moscow to the ground. Stopping the Wehrmacht. For the first time since Hitler invaded. Stopped at Moscow. Another great book "Russia at War", Alexander Werth.His story, too, would be great t make, an English journo covering Moscow and the East.

 

I think the Germans had a decent attempt at this with the low budget remake of "The Bridge" or " Die Brucke".
Die Brücke (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

We must face the harsh reality that war themed movies are a niche in the film market. Worse for us we expect a standard that is almost impossible to meet. We want our war films to be completely accurate, with no short cuts. Filmmakers are out to tell a story, and to put butts into theater seats.

 

I think that movies like 'Iron Cross', and 'Stalingrad', and also 'Enemy at the gates' which shows the story (or the History) from the German side or a pure Russian view, were very good and they were successfull in quality and commercially too. So i think that a Russian or a German or even a Waffen SS Band of Brothers will be a very good idea and enterprise.

 

It is not the job of Hollywood to present the Eastern front to the U.S. public but Russias. If Russia is/was interested she would at least make an attempt with subtitles... A shame really, there are so many good ones.

 

Honestly, no offense, but I think that even if Russia made a Red Army version of "Band of Brothers", it wouldn't be a major blockbuster here in the US. Don't get me wrong, they could release it straight to DVD with dubbing or subtitles, and you'd have a fairly good following, mostly WW2 history buffs, but the average moviegoer isn't going to want to see something that isn't loaded with special effects and scantily clad characters (male or female, according to your preference). Should movies like that be made? Absolutely! Will they sweep the Oscars and rake in billions? Probably not. But the stories still need to be told.

 

Im afraid its not always about "being loaded with special effects". The Pionist and Sheindlers List both did pretty well at the oscars if I remember correctly

 

Never seen "The Pianist", but with "Schindler's List", remember, the Germans/Nazi's were the enemy. And with the recent movies coming out, there need to be zombies or aliens or some sort of comic book characters, surrounded with special effects or vapid romance plots. That's what seems to be playing at the theaters recently.

Besides, the only people that I have talked to who have actually seen (much less own, and watch more than once) "Schindler's List" are those who are interested in history. Most folks have heard of the movie, but haven't seen it. Heh. Maybe I just need to get out more and meet more people.

 

Yes, you must get out a little more and expand your horizons a bit friend....

 

Military Channels TV Documentary Series Commanders at War is one to keep a sharp eye out for: for those of us lucky enough to get this channel!

Like many enthusiasts, I thought I had seen every documentary series known several times over, but for the past week or two,
the Military Channel has generated an enormous number of fresh documentaries in a number of series that were completely new to me.

Good thing the weather took a nose dive! I have been glued to the TV!

Todays Commanders at War documentary focused exclusively on Red Army Commander Georgi Zhukov's anti-tank defences at Kursk.

This included:
Recreating the exact shape and structure of their U-shaped anti-tank trenches and traps, laid out like a large checker board, 100 miles deep, that funneled the German tanks into killing zones.
- created in just three months using largely the local female civilian population - this after Shukov convinced Stalin to go with his plan;
How and where the anti-tank mines were laid out and used;
How Molotov cocktails (enhanced with Sulfuric acid) proved to be effective by throwing them into the engine air intakes;
How the Soviet counter intelligence fake tanks etc fooled the German air force, including recreating specific designs; (This was really interesting stuff.)
How the Shturmovik anti-tank aircraft had armour built into its frame to saved weight, allowing additional guns and ammo;
(The armour was re-assuriing: a significant Public relations coup with its pilots who were subject to incredible flak concentrations.)
How the Soviet tanks overcame their communications issues when the command tanks were targeted first;
How the Russian dogs were trained to run under tanks with bombs;
That the Soviet army resupplied it's exhausted army largely from citizens from recaptured territory.

And for me, hitherto unknown background about how the Prochorovka tank battle came about, and new (for me) Soviet success strategies used there, Russia's last ditch effort in this battle.

The only ommission I regretted was that they did not go into the design of Soviet anti-tank artillary shells or the exact caliber of weapons used by the aircraft.
- anyone here able to fill in this area of interest for me?

Etc etc. Excellent series.

Edited for clarification. I am going to have to watch the repeat of this later today. Too much to take in all at one go. I got lost in thought and missed at least one entire section.

I am telling you that if you / they took this series, especially this series focused on Kursk, using this sort of info, it would make one terrific movie.
- but I have to admit that breaking this battle down into hourly TV documentaries is about the limit of info my limited brain can intake at one go.

 

It is a good series Fred. Thanks for posting the information.