bas-21 Reviews

The Great Escape (1963)

Great Escape,Great movie

[10/10 · 25 December 2005]

This must be my favorite movie of all times. Having seen it for the first time,in I guess 1987,a BBC Christmas broadcast,I was captivated by this brilliant piece of work. In the years after,I probably have seen it a "million" times,owning it on VHS and DVD,and still watching,whenever it is broadcast,in the original language. Why is it so great? This is a movie that keeps you locked to the screen,because it has everything a great movie should have. A great story,a good length,tension,it is a WW2 movie and the actors give top performances.Not just Steve McQueen,although his performance is brilliant,but also James Garner,James Coburn,Richard Attenborough,Charles Bronson and in this film,one of the greatest roles Donald Pleasance,playing the forger. It isn't historically accurate,please read the book by Paul Brickhill,but that doesn't matter a bit. This film gives you an image of POW camp,the prisoners and their guards,the Germans are also played brilliantly by German actors. I will not repeat the story here,but I can tell you,this film will capture you,all the characters are portrayed brilliantly by the actors. There is excitement,humor,tension,drama and emotion. See it,you will not regret it.

Band of Brothers (2001)

One of the best series ever shown on television.

[10/10 · 9 December 2001]

Having seen Band of Brothers on BBC television,I am convinced that is by far one of the best television series ever. I am very interested in World War 2 history and when you watch this,you feel that history is shown as accurate as possible.This series,based on the book by Stephen Ambrose,which should be read in addition to watching the series,is brilliant. When you watch Band of Brothers,you are watching a series,that gives you an impression of what it must have been like for the soldiers,fighting in World War 2.The actors are all giving an excellent performance,in all of the 10 episodes,you are impressed by them. Als very important is the fact that the whole period is portrayed,as far as I can judge,very accurate.The uniforms,the weapons,vehicles,tanks,it feels as if you are transported back in time. Being from the Netherlands,I was very interested in the episodes about Easy company's fight in operation Market-Garden.The two episodes,give a very good impression about the fighting in Holland. Well I advise everyone interested in World War 2,to watch this series,because it is one of the best series or films ever made about the war.Watch it after you watch "Saving Private Ryan",although "Ryan" is a brilliant film,Band of Brothers is far better,because of the history and the feeling you get for the men of Easy-company. I also recommend the book by Stephen Ambrose and the book David Webster wrote about his experiences as a paratrooper in Easy company.