tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post568364215397003256..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Band of Brothers rewind, episode 7: "The Breaking Point"Alan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-68449447430597878342010-07-13T18:12:13.288-04:002010-07-13T18:12:13.288-04:00Wow, I mean, Wow. This one is so great. Everything...Wow, I mean, Wow. This one is so great. Everything from the camera work to the acting and to the special effects. <br />Donnie, though not well known, is a great actor, especially in this one. He portraid Lipton's nonselfishness very well(Is it me, or when Donnie was yelling "Get down, Take cover!", he sounded like Brendan Fraser?)<br />My favorite scene in the WHOLE sieries is when the morter explodes infront of Spiers and he jumps through the smoke like a bad ass soldier.It was sweet.Also, when he ran into German enemy lines and ran back, that was so cool. <br />I think I know why the men never held the fact that Compton had to leave them because war was such a horrible thing and a man can only take so much. Buck saw his two friends, magled and brutally hurt. I cant imagine why he would want to continue to stay there. I know he had trench foot, but even if he didnt, he probably would have ended up leaving anyways. He was a strong man.<br />The end scene was very powerful and I maybe sheded a tear. Maybe.Elizabeth Carternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47275692640802977992009-07-01T13:11:32.722-04:002009-07-01T13:11:32.722-04:00I agree, Alan. The narration drove me nutty and at...I agree, Alan. The narration drove me nutty and at least 85% of the time seemed to be explaining something that was already perfectly obvious.<br /><br />Really loved the battle runs of Speirs though. I do still think "go rufus humphrey go" while I'm watching it but it's great to see him play someone strong and decisive. Such a change :)<br /><br /> But definitely not my fave episode.Carolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09412645118253860411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-42695478085919291322009-06-27T08:19:59.127-04:002009-06-27T08:19:59.127-04:00This is easily, easily my favorite episode of the ...This is easily, easily my favorite episode of the series, especially because of Speirs, who i had thought up to now had been kind of one-note. But you see that as much as he is not perfect like Winters, he is one HELL of a leader and if you follow him, you'll live. It doesn't hurt that he is also the easiest man in Easy to look at.<br /><br />I'm so glad you are doing the great rewatch--I just wish I knew about it earlier--my husband and I watched all of the episodes on Demand on June 6-8. Great work! And I also agree with you that Carentan is the worst ep.Mariehttp://marieshort.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-42851794800819730112009-06-26T11:40:27.280-04:002009-06-26T11:40:27.280-04:00By this point in the series, I was hooked, as was ...By this point in the series, I was hooked, as was my wife, who watched it with me every step of the way, even though at first a war show wasn't that appealing to her. But this was the episode that ripped me up, and yet still managed to provide a lighthearted moment between my wife and I. Some characters we liked had already been lost, either by death or injury, and at some point while watching this, we said to each other something like, "Well, as long as A and B don't get it, we'll be happy. A and B are our favorites. Hate to see anything happen to them." So, of course, BOOOM!!!, minutes later A and B both get wiped out, and we vowed to keep our mouths shut about who we wanted to live from then on.<br /><br />This whole miniseries was more affecting than maybe anything I've ever watched before, and this episode was the one that drove the knife in and twisted it home. I've now read the book three times, watched the mini three or four times (including a stretch where I watched it, read the book, then watched it again, then read the book again---back-to-back-to-back-to-back), and then recently read Dick Winters book, which was also great.<br /><br />Can't say enough about the men of Easy, nor the men and women who helped to make this show. Kudos to them all. Seems every generation has there great ones.Schmokerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13131480371555974013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-39944807392887070502009-06-25T07:32:40.797-04:002009-06-25T07:32:40.797-04:00I watched this episode last night and I paid close...I watched this episode last night and I paid close attention to the scene in the church with Spiers and Lipton. One thing that dawned on me this go around was that this was the first day that Spiers was in charge of Easy. All he knew of the company is what he heard from other soldiers. One fact was that Lipton held the company together and he was telling Lipton that. While I agree that Spiers speech is a little too "ra-ra" for me, it is much easier to swallow now that I realize this.tinmann0715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37103567130673979452009-06-24T17:36:20.485-04:002009-06-24T17:36:20.485-04:00Put me in the "pro-flat narration" camp ...Put me in the "pro-flat narration" camp for Wahlberg as Lipton. Basically, I never thought of it as being out of place in the past, because it seems appropriate that in the middle of the freezing cold and death in Bastogne, that the flatness of Wahlberg's delivery conveyed a sense of physical and emotional exhaustion entirely appropriate to the circumstances. Now, I know what you're saying here Alan, and I agree that the delivery is flat, but I think of it as a deliberate, appropriate choice...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-11363002275831742302009-06-24T05:09:02.386-04:002009-06-24T05:09:02.386-04:00I don't really know how I can explain why &quo...I don't really know how I can explain why "The Breaking Point" is my favorite episode of this miniseries. Okay . . . perhaps it seemed like the one episode that felt more like a movie . . . or an epic in itself.<br /><br />As for Walhberg's narration, it didn't bother me one bit. In fact, his style of narration seemed like a true reflection of the character he was portraying . . . namely Carwood Lipton. And Walhberg had the talent to pull it off - at least in my eyes - in compare to Eion Bailey, whose narration did annoy me somewhat in "The Last Patrol".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33599013162408601412009-06-24T05:08:04.187-04:002009-06-24T05:08:04.187-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-54761590066794549072009-06-23T19:24:30.274-04:002009-06-23T19:24:30.274-04:00You're welcome, Anna. I'm quite sure some...You're welcome, Anna. I'm quite sure some of those guys don't appear in the series, and I think some of them might not even be mentioned in the book.Toekneenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-82804558956347701152009-06-23T15:44:17.541-04:002009-06-23T15:44:17.541-04:00Thanks ToeKnee..
That is very helpful. There a c...Thanks ToeKnee..<br /><br />That is very helpful. There a couple of guys names I didn't recognize from the series. I'll have to watch it again and pay better attention.Annanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-71327250249911342232009-06-23T12:23:30.908-04:002009-06-23T12:23:30.908-04:00One realization that literally just came to me thi...One realization that literally just came to me this morning - Toye's ultimate fate is foreshadowed, in a way, by his conversation with Doc in Bastogne. As Doc is diagnosing him with trench foot, he's examining Toye's right foot, and warning him that if he gets gangrene, it's going to have to be amputated. The events of this episode, if I'm remembering the timeline correctly, happen less than two weeks later.Alysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16065643331158632047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33923190984365159852009-06-23T11:49:48.396-04:002009-06-23T11:49:48.396-04:00I find it quite interesting that the discussion on...I find it quite interesting that the discussion on this episode has boiled down to the conversation between Spiers and Lipton in the church. Indeed, this convo is crucial to the episode and the importance of Lipton to Easy, but this episode carries so much more.<br /> - Notice the machine gunner in the foreground at the very beginning of the assault on Foy. The way his cigarette hangs out of his mouth while firing his weapon is almost a caricature of WWII "guff".<br /> - Pay close attention to the panoramic shots of Foy. Do you recognize the buildings? They have appeared before, and they will again.<br /> - Who else thought that the "Bois Jacques" was a military term and not the name of the forest they were tasked to defend?<br /> - Notice the class ring on Dike's hand when grabbed by Spiers behind the haystack? It goes to show you how Dike approached his role as a combat officer.<br /> - The bureaucracy of the military allowed an inept officer to lead men to their death.tinmann0715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-87924228186293691042009-06-23T08:20:20.182-04:002009-06-23T08:20:20.182-04:00To Anna, re: veterans speaking in the opening of e...To Anna, re: veterans speaking in the opening of each episode.....<br /><br />The DVDs don't identify each veteran as they speak. However, and this may be a bit spoilerish, but you can read a listing of the veterans speaking in each episode at this website: http://www.tircuit.com/bandofbrothers/messages/714/1388.html?1020189171Toekneenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-70994369914849161252009-06-23T05:10:27.495-04:002009-06-23T05:10:27.495-04:00I'm reading along rather than watching. But I...I'm reading along rather than watching. But I was wondering when my memory would get jogged as to which episode had that terrible voice over and the little Lifetime lesson bit at the end. I thought it must be around here somewhere.<br />It's a series ruining thing for me; I can't think back on BoB and not think "great show, but what was with <i>that</i> episode?".<br />As is often the case with fave moments, I had forgotten that a lot of the most memorable scenes are also in this episode, darn it all.Muznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37492370656771426252009-06-23T02:03:43.310-04:002009-06-23T02:03:43.310-04:00The scene at the end of "The Breaking Point&q...<i>The scene at the end of "The Breaking Point" reminds me of the end of "A Few Good Men". After Tom Cruise gets Nicholson to admit he ordered the code red, the soldier who had been on trial gives Cruise a crisp salute as he leaves the courtroom. This salute says it all, but Sorkin (or someone) felt the need to have the soldier say (something like) "There's an officer on deck!" </i><br /><br />I couldn't agree more about A Few Good Men. I find myself turning it off before I have to see that part.<br /><br />To me, the scene in "The Breaking Point" wasn't as distracting, because while we all could (and did) figure out that Lipton was the leader, it was nice to see that Spears recognized it and that he complemented Lipton. I just think it was overkill. Just simply saying "They have had a good leader. Since Winters was promoted, you've been the leader of Easy, and a very fine one." would have been enough. <br /><br />I agree with BF that to me the narration just came across as a man with completely flat affect.. a man completely drained unable to exhibit emotion.Annanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-80131066298866867852009-06-22T21:16:10.181-04:002009-06-22T21:16:10.181-04:00"Tomorrow, that will be the real deal."
..."Tomorrow, that will be the real deal."<br /><br />I love this line that Lipton says to Winters when he goes to report that Dike is going to get a lot of Easy killed. It says so much--about the men who knew the real thing when they saw it, and were the real thing themselves.Mapeelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12149683683413237283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-19762791599458597272009-06-22T17:51:34.526-04:002009-06-22T17:51:34.526-04:00The scene at the end of "The Breaking Point&q...The scene at the end of "The Breaking Point" reminds me of the end of "A Few Good Men". After Tom Cruise gets Nicholson to admit he ordered the code red, the soldier who had been on trial gives Cruise a crisp salute as he leaves the courtroom. This salute says it all, but Sorkin (or someone) felt the need to have the soldier say (something like) "There's an officer on deck!" <br /><br />This tiny bit of dialogue has always bothered me in what is otherwise one of my favorite movies. The look on the soldier's face and the crispness of his salute says everything, I wish Reiner/Sorkin had trusted the audience to understand this without adding that dialogue.<br /><br />In The Breaking Point, the narration always felt appropriate to me, but that Spiers/Lipton dialogue at the end is just a little too on the nose in what is otherwise the finest hour of BoB in my opinion.bgthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00870750548446711130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-77602240774749986982009-06-22T17:34:40.405-04:002009-06-22T17:34:40.405-04:00While I agree for the most part with Hyde and othe...While I agree for the most part with Hyde and others above, what the scene in the church does show us is that Lipton himself hadn't realized how important he was. Until Speirs told him, that is.TChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06542160924795802592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-68880174965594666562009-06-22T16:45:51.970-04:002009-06-22T16:45:51.970-04:00I wasn't bothered so much by Wahlberg's na...I wasn't bothered so much by Wahlberg's narration, but I agree that the late Spiers/Lipton scene was unnecessary, both because it seemed out of character for Spiers, and because the fact that Lipton was the glue of the company was impressed upon us not only throughout the whole of the episode, but by the news that he had been promoted. It didn't need to be reiterated.<br /><br />For illustrating the sheer terror of war, there's not much I can think of that beats this episode.Hydehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03984348525069741897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-69613971885789360622009-06-22T16:13:45.120-04:002009-06-22T16:13:45.120-04:00Alan,
Quick question. I have watched the series ...Alan,<br /><br />Quick question. I have watched the series a couple of times now but only on HBO and The History Channel.<br /><br />I know in the last episode they idenfity the men in the present day (meaning 2001) segments for that episode. But I think there are more "present day" veterans speaking throughout the series that are not in the last episode. On the DVD, do they idenfity all of the veterans who speak?Annanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-92018384727872256612009-06-22T15:26:37.953-04:002009-06-22T15:26:37.953-04:00The scene were Buck drops his helmet is by far the...The scene were Buck drops his helmet is by far the most tear jerking of the series for me. I think the first time I watched it my wife ran into the room and said, what happened?Eugene Freedmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-21026240501026103982009-06-22T14:38:53.382-04:002009-06-22T14:38:53.382-04:00Lane, I recall the BoB trailer being full of simil...Lane, I recall the BoB trailer being full of similar lines that, out of context, could have made it seem fairly cliche (in particular, the "You tell them their sons died as heroes" exchange from "Why We Fight"), but that in context were anything but.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-86763655028209344582009-06-22T14:05:38.778-04:002009-06-22T14:05:38.778-04:00I saw that a trailer for "The Pacific" w...I saw that a trailer for "The Pacific" was posted on youtube. Is it me, or does it (the trailer) make the series seem corny & cliche, which is the opposite of BoB?? I hope the series is better than the trailer seems..<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLTdkCB14iY&feature=player_embeddedLanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15954609919482616108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-61618589527593914042009-06-22T13:30:23.417-04:002009-06-22T13:30:23.417-04:00Malcolm, thanks for the link. Re-watching this se...Malcolm, thanks for the link. Re-watching this series has got me geared up for The Pacific and I've been reading the biographies "Helmet for a Pillow" and "With the Old Breed" in preparation. Last week, I read a passage that reminded me of this episode:<br /><br />"During prolonged shelling, I often had to restrain myself and fight back a wild, inexorable urge to scream, to sob, and to cry. As Peleliu dragged on, I feard that if I ever lost control of myself under shell fire my mind would be shattered. I hated shells as much for their damage to the mind as to the body. To be under heavy shell fire was to me by far the most terrifying of combat experiences. Each time it left me feeling more forlorn and helpless, more fatalistic, and with less confidence that I could escape the dreadful law of averages that inexorably reduced our numbers. Fear is many-faceted and has many subtle nuances, but the terror and desperation endured under heavy shelling are by far the most unbearable." <br /><br />---E.B. Sledge, "With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa" at pg 74.<br /><br />It is striking that the terror and mental anguish from shelling was no different, whether being shelled on a hot piece of coral rock or in a cold snowy forest.Sister Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05951804464704449331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34450735518535833872009-06-22T13:01:20.246-04:002009-06-22T13:01:20.246-04:00Sister T said...
what I took away from Compton'...<i>Sister T said...<br />what I took away from Compton's portrayal, was that when he was in a combat situation he was his old self, but in any downtime or in-between time he suffered.</i>.<br /><br />I liked the way Compton's deterioration was portrayed over several episodes. We see him in full control of himself. Later we see him at the movies, haunted, with vacant eyes, and slow to respond when the unit is ordered back to battle. Then back in battle, we see him function okay, but he's over concerned with everyone's safety. He obsessively tells each soldier <i>not</i> to do anything risky or stupid. He's functioning, but his confidence is undercut. Then his friends are blown up and he's pushed over the edge.Eldritchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02247921343535184791noreply@blogger.com