Band Of Brothers Television Program

"I can honestly say I've been making World War II movies all my life," Steven Spielberg reflects with a rueful grin. "I've been stuck in the 1940s for most of my career." In four decades of making films, though, it's fair to say Spielberg has never before tackled World War II in quite such depth as now. Along with Tom Hanks, he is executive producer of "Band of Brothers," a 10-part miniseries that debuts on HBO this weekend.

With the benefit of hindsight, Sept. 9 appears an inopportune time to premiere a $120-million war epic. Small wonder that Home Box Office is still sorting through results for its 10-hour miniseries "Band of Brothers," which recently concluded its run on Sunday nights, while deciding precisely how "Band" will play on.

With the benefit of hindsight, Sept. 9 appears an inopportune time to premiere a $120-million war epic. Small wonder that Home Box Office is still sorting through results for its 10-hour miniseries "Band of Brothers," which recently concluded its run on Sunday nights, while deciding precisely how "Band" will play on.

"I can honestly say I've been making World War II movies all my life," Steven Spielberg reflects with a rueful grin. "I've been stuck in the 1940s for most of my career." In four decades of making films, though, it's fair to say Spielberg has never before tackled World War II in quite such depth as now. Along with Tom Hanks, he is executive producer of "Band of Brothers," a 10-part miniseries that debuts on HBO this weekend.

Forty-seven veterans of World War II's Easy Company returned to Normandy last week, all clad in yellow jackets labeled with the title of the upcoming HBO miniseries that retells their story. They came with their families to mark D-day, that famous 6th of June 57 years ago when, as young U.S Army paratroopers, they became the first Americans to jump through the clouds and behind enemy lines to fight the German invasion. Many are now in their 80s.

In the early days of pre-production on Episode 9 of HBO's "Band of Brothers" miniseries, David Frankel, the episode's director, debated with producers the wisdom of using digital effects to create disturbingly realistic images of concentration camp victims. "The point is to show Easy Company soldiers getting over their bitterness about all the terrible things they have been through by reminding them of why they made such sacrifices," says Frankel, who also directed Episode 2.

It's hard not to be struck by the silence when watching Tom Hanks' war, as played out in the 10-part HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," which begins Sept. 9. Although millions were spent in filming the series, which aims to capture the three-year odyssey of the U.S. paratroopers of Easy Company up to and through D-day and on to the ultimate defeat of the Germans in World War II, the result is a study in how powerful restraint can be.

In the early days of pre-production on Episode 9 of HBO's "Band of Brothers" miniseries, David Frankel, the episode's director, debated with producers the wisdom of using digital effects to create disturbingly realistic images of concentration camp victims. "The point is to show Easy Company soldiers getting over their bitterness about all the terrible things they have been through by reminding them of why they made such sacrifices," says Frankel, who also directed Episode 2.

It's hard not to be struck by the silence when watching Tom Hanks' war, as played out in the 10-part HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," which begins Sept. 9. Although millions were spent in filming the series, which aims to capture the three-year odyssey of the U.S. paratroopers of Easy Company up to and through D-day and on to the ultimate defeat of the Germans in World War II, the result is a study in how powerful restraint can be.

Forty-seven veterans of World War II's Easy Company returned to Normandy last week, all clad in yellow jackets labeled with the title of the upcoming HBO miniseries that retells their story. They came with their families to mark D-day, that famous 6th of June 57 years ago when, as young U.S Army paratroopers, they became the first Americans to jump through the clouds and behind enemy lines to fight the German invasion. Many are now in their 80s.