Although it took almost eight months and cost $120 million to film, William Guarnere can sum up HBO's 10-part miniseries, "Band of Brothers," in a few words.
"War is hell," the World War II veteran from South Philadelphia said. "I hope that people realize that when they see it."
Last Thursday night at Irvine Auditorium, Guarnere was among the six local soldiers from one unit in the army's 101st Airborne Division who came to see the Philadelphia debut of the series, directed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, that tells the veterans' stories.
As part of Easy Company, they fought in some of World War II's toughest battles, from the opening hours of the D-Day invasion in Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the capture of Adolf Hitler's Eagle's Nest hideaway in the German Alps.
But while Hollywood can make many things appear effortless, Governor Tom Ridge, a Vietnam War veteran, told the invitation-only crowd of 800 that undertaking such acts in real life is much more difficult.
"Don't let the name fool you -- none of this company's assignments were ever easy," the governor said.
Ridge also presented five of the members of Easy Company with the Medal of Jubilee of Liberty, which is awarded to veterans of the Normandy invasion. After walking down to the mens' seats to present the medals, Ridge saluted the recipients, many of whom had tears in their eyes.
He also praised the filmmakers' efforts to capture the unit's epic stories, which included marching 118 miles in 75 hours -- a new world record -- in full combat gear.
"The most powerful peacetime weapon in the world today is the movie camera," Ridge said. "And you've used it to ensure the name `Easy Company' will never be forgotten."
The series, based on Stephen Ambrose's best-selling nonfiction book by the same name, draws on hours of interviews with survivors, as well as soldiers' journals and letters. Beginning on September 9 at 9 p.m. and running until November 4, the series contrasts actors in graphic battlefield scenes with veterans somberly reflecting in their own words of what each situation meant to them.
The Penn screening included the series' first two parts, which takes the audience from the company's Georgia training ground in 1942 through the agonizing minutes prior to parachuting into the throes of the D-Day battle and their subsequent capture of a German fortified artillery gun.
Filmed outside of London, the miniseries' realism impressed even those who saw the action firsthand.
"It's probably as close as you can make it," Easy Company veteran Joseph Lesniewski of Erie said.
According to some of the actors, such praise makes it all worthwhile.
"Everyone on this whole production... wanted to get it right and just do [the veterans] justice because we all knew that we would have to answer to them one day," said actor Frank Hughes, who portrays Guarnere. "That makes any review elsewhere irrelevant."
Actor Richard Speight quoted Hanks prior to the start of filming as saying, "Gentlemen, keep this in your minds -- we're not making a war movie, we're filming a war."
To get into this mindset, the actors had to spend two weeks prior to the start of filming in boot camp. And during production, they had to work around potentially debilitating pyrotechnics and spent 18-hour days hefting 80-pound packs.
"It's grueling, but it's nothing compared to what [the veterans] did," Hughes said.
The Philadelphia premiere was one of several being held for the series, which was originally unveiled on Normandy's Utah Beach on June 6, the 57th anniversary of D-Day.
Even with 47 of the 51 remaining Easy Company veterans having attended the French ceremony, HBO is still rolling out the series in cities like Philadelphia, Denver and New Orleans, where many of the Easy Company veterans live.
All this attention may make the normally obscure heroes famous, but after conquering so many other challenges, these gutsy veterans can undoubtedly handle the spotlight.
"How would you feel if you could relive your life again? Wonderful," Guarnere said.
