Favorite? Try best.
Jun. 16th, 2010 02:47 pmDay 8: Favorite miniseries
Well, this the easiest one of all: Band of Brothers. There is absolutely no question. Everything HBO did with this series was first-rate, and it's probably the best presentation of combat and of the effects of war that I've ever seen -- and many critics felt that way too. There are people who won't watch this because they're afraid of violence, or they have face blindness, or whatever, and all I have to say to that is shut up and watch it! Because it's a story that I think everyone would be rewarded by watching, since it's about the people who took the responsibility of a very, very difficult job (the first paratroopers in existence) in a horrific situation, and changed the world.
What a lot of people don't really find out if they stay away from it for various reasons is how human the story is, especially the two primary characters the miniseries is built around, Dick Winters and Lewis Nixon. You can see their relationship any way you want to (slash or not), but at its core, it is one of the most loving friendships ever put on film, and the rewards of watching it unfold, even against the combat background if that's your sticking point, is the miniseries' greatest pleasure.
The writing is absolutely top-notch, the cinematography is exquisite and varies by the style of the episode director, so in a way you get a crash-course in styles by watching, the music is divine, and the acting is stellar. And I'm going to jump ahead in the meme and include the opening credits here (I have a different sequence I might use for my favorite tomorrow) because they are among the most beautiful ever created for a series -- and I think they give a good idea of the beauty, respect for the characters, and awe of their accomplishments this series holds.
Another thing that I loved about BoB was the interviews included at the beginning of each episode with the real men of Easy Company. They aren't identified by name throughout the series, which makes it fun to try to put names to each one, until the special episode after the end, We Stand Alone Together. I would defy anyone to watch that part of the series and not cry. The generation these men were part of is dying off, and these memories are crucial, I think, to keep for the future so that we never do forget just what it was they fought for.
There is some really good fanfiction out there, among all the usual bad stuff (seriously people, some of the most talented fans in the world are BoB fans; why don't you join us?), but the good vids are much sparer on the ground: there's a lot of dreck out there, particularly among people who have no sense of matching song tone to subject. But I'd highly recommend![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lithium_doll's No One Would Riot for Less as a great vid about all the boys (teary eyes warning). There still isn't a web copy of one of the first vids ever made in the fandom, Ebben? Ne andro lontana, but if you nag Jo, maybe she will someday remaster it for us.
And this is a Winters/Nixon-focused vid I made a few years ago. (As Laura Shapiro said to me afterward, "I had no idea there was slash!") Their friendship, which in real life lasted the rest of their lives, affected me so strongly, I had to vid it. It hasn't been streaming since Imeem went tits-up, so this gave me a good excuse to put it up (it's still available for DL at my vids page. (You can see my homage to the credits, can't you?)
Well, this the easiest one of all: Band of Brothers. There is absolutely no question. Everything HBO did with this series was first-rate, and it's probably the best presentation of combat and of the effects of war that I've ever seen -- and many critics felt that way too. There are people who won't watch this because they're afraid of violence, or they have face blindness, or whatever, and all I have to say to that is shut up and watch it! Because it's a story that I think everyone would be rewarded by watching, since it's about the people who took the responsibility of a very, very difficult job (the first paratroopers in existence) in a horrific situation, and changed the world.
What a lot of people don't really find out if they stay away from it for various reasons is how human the story is, especially the two primary characters the miniseries is built around, Dick Winters and Lewis Nixon. You can see their relationship any way you want to (slash or not), but at its core, it is one of the most loving friendships ever put on film, and the rewards of watching it unfold, even against the combat background if that's your sticking point, is the miniseries' greatest pleasure.
The writing is absolutely top-notch, the cinematography is exquisite and varies by the style of the episode director, so in a way you get a crash-course in styles by watching, the music is divine, and the acting is stellar. And I'm going to jump ahead in the meme and include the opening credits here (I have a different sequence I might use for my favorite tomorrow) because they are among the most beautiful ever created for a series -- and I think they give a good idea of the beauty, respect for the characters, and awe of their accomplishments this series holds.
Another thing that I loved about BoB was the interviews included at the beginning of each episode with the real men of Easy Company. They aren't identified by name throughout the series, which makes it fun to try to put names to each one, until the special episode after the end, We Stand Alone Together. I would defy anyone to watch that part of the series and not cry. The generation these men were part of is dying off, and these memories are crucial, I think, to keep for the future so that we never do forget just what it was they fought for.
There is some really good fanfiction out there, among all the usual bad stuff (seriously people, some of the most talented fans in the world are BoB fans; why don't you join us?), but the good vids are much sparer on the ground: there's a lot of dreck out there, particularly among people who have no sense of matching song tone to subject. But I'd highly recommend
lithium_doll's No One Would Riot for Less as a great vid about all the boys (teary eyes warning). There still isn't a web copy of one of the first vids ever made in the fandom, Ebben? Ne andro lontana, but if you nag Jo, maybe she will someday remaster it for us.And this is a Winters/Nixon-focused vid I made a few years ago. (As Laura Shapiro said to me afterward, "I had no idea there was slash!") Their friendship, which in real life lasted the rest of their lives, affected me so strongly, I had to vid it. It hasn't been streaming since Imeem went tits-up, so this gave me a good excuse to put it up (it's still available for DL at my vids page. (You can see my homage to the credits, can't you?)
