Summary
HBO’sBand of Brothersowes a clear debt to Stephen Spielberg’s celebrated war movie,Saving Private Ryan. However, beyond subtle allusions to the 1997 Oscar-winner, the show also repeats almost verbatim one of the film’s main mysteries. Such a narrative approach, irrespective of all the other similarities between the projects, creates a fascinating parallel that warrants further analysis.
Focusing on the exploits ofEasy Company during the Second World War,Band of Brothersis in many ways an expanded alternative to the story told inSaving Private Ryan. Starting with the Normandy invasion,the show follows Easy as they campaign through Europe, depicting the company’s hardships, triumphs, and experiences of warfare. As well as brutal battle scenes,Band of Brothersalso showcases intimate moments that reveal much about individual soldiers' characters. It’s in these scenes that the show is revealed to have copied a major idea fromSaving Private Ryan.
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Band Of Brothers Copies Saving Private Ryan’s Captain Mystery
Both Winters And Miller Are A Mystery To Their Men
InBand of Brothersepisode 2, “Day of Days”, Dick Winters is seen walking through a courtyard in the aftermath of a grueling battle to take the German guns at Brécourt Manor. From the back of a truck, he hears voices of fellow soldiers from Easy Company, with Guanere hypothesizing that the reason Winters doesn’t drink is that “he’s a Quaker”. Having previously remained distant from the men, he decides to join them, accepting their offer of a drink, before telling Guanere that he’s not a Quaker. It’s a powerful moment thatsignifies the growing bond between the men of Easy.
In their aloofness and gradual openness with their men, the fictional Miller and real Winters are revealed to be extremely similar characters…
Beyond this, however, the mystery around Winters' background, his religion, and possible reasons for not drinking are a direct reflection of a similar mystery inSaving Private Ryan. In the movie,there is a company bet on the background of Captain Miller(Tom Hanks), with various soldiers desperately trying to unearth the secret in order to win a company pool. In their aloofness and gradual openness with their men, the fictional Miller and real Winters are revealed to be extremely similar characters, with both stories using almost identical devices to reveal more about their characters.
What The Captain Mystery Means In Both Projects
It’s Subtly Different Between The Two Stories
It’s significant that bothBand of BrothersandSaving Private Ryanchoose to emphasize the Captains' remoteness from their men. Although bothWinters and Miller command huge respect for their skills on the battlefield, the fact that they choose to remain distant is a way for both stories to show that, in war, commanders should not be friends with their troops. Instead, they need to remain relatively detached, since becoming too emotionally involved might cloud their judgment on the battlefield.
InSaving Private Ryan, this reality is more subtly inferred, with the mystery around Miller more of a long-running joke than a tactical necessity. However,Band of Brothershighlights why such apparent coldness is absolutely essential. When Buck and Winters have some time away from their men, Winters reprimands Buck for gambling with the troops, asking him directly “what if you’d won” and telling him to “never be in a position where you may take from these men”. This apparent strictness highlights the responsibility that figures like Miller and Winters have in times of warfare.
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Band Of Brothers' Captain Mystery Is More Realistic
The Message Remains The Same
Although bothSaving Private RyanandBand of Brothersare trying to convey the same message about command by including a captain mystery,Band of Brothers' approach is both more realistic and effective. InSaving Private Ryan, Miller remains completely remote until a moment of crisis for his men when they’re on the verge of mutiny. It makes for a powerful dramatic moment, but feels somewhat confected in the broader context of war.
Band of Brothersis available to stream on Max and Netflix.
Band of Brothers, on the other hand, does a much more effective job of switching perspectives between ordinary soldiers and their commanders, highlighting the psychological toll placed on both. In some scenes, Winters seems an almost impossibly heroic figure, setting an example for his men by his ruthless stoicism. However, in scenes such as the one in episode 2, it’s clear that his distance is, as he sees it, a tragic necessity – preventing him from becoming too emotionally detached and allowing him to act rationally. It’s an understated but fascinating insight into what command is really like.
