HBO Miniseries: The Pacific

[theogt]

Now that everyone has watched the "meat" of the series what's everyone's impression?

The more I view the greater the appreciation I have for what those guys had to go through in the Pacific.

I'm really looking forward to see how they wrap the characters up in Sunday's finale.

Overall very good, but clearly not on the same level as BoB.

The same criticisms earlier in this thread still stick. The lack of a cohesive flow over the season just makes it inferior to Band of Brothers. They should have changed the stories so that Leckie, Sledge, and Basilone were together, or just dropped one or two of the characters. Sledge and Leckie together would have been pretty cool, in my opinion. I think it's the attachment between the characters that makes this type of show most enjoyable. They began to develop that with Leckie and his buddies but then it just ends abruptly and Sledge's story begins. Same for Sledge and the Cajun kid -- their relationship began to grow on you, but it was short-lived.

One thing is for sure, and I don't know if this just reflects reality or a filmmaking choice, the Pacific theater appeared much more "desperate." It was much more grim, much nastier.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Overall very good, but clearly not on the same level as BoB.

The same criticisms earlier in this thread still stick. The lack of a cohesive flow over the season just makes it inferior to Band of Brothers. They should have changed the stories so that Leckie, Sledge, and Basilone were together, or just dropped one or two of the characters. Sledge and Leckie together would have been pretty cool, in my opinion. I think it's the attachment between the characters that makes this type of show most enjoyable. They began to develop that with Leckie and his buddies but then it just ends abruptly and Sledge's story begins. Same for Sledge and the Cajun kid -- their relationship began to grow on you, but it was short-lived.

One thing is for sure, and I don't know if this just reflects reality or a filmmaking choice, the Pacific theater appeared much more "desperate." It was much more grim, much nastier.

It's reality. For some Japanese-held islands with something like 10,000 soldiers. The prisoner-capture rate was usually less than 10%. Basically whole garrisons were wiped out because that's just how grim the defenses were.

 

[Duane]

Overall very good, but clearly not on the same level as BoB.

The same criticisms earlier in this thread still stick. The lack of a cohesive flow over the season just makes it inferior to Band of Brothers. They should have changed the stories so that Leckie, Sledge, and Basilone were together, or just dropped one or two of the characters. Sledge and Leckie together would have been pretty cool, in my opinion. I think it's the attachment between the characters that makes this type of show most enjoyable. They began to develop that with Leckie and his buddies but then it just ends abruptly and Sledge's story begins. Same for Sledge and the Cajun kid -- their relationship began to grow on you, but it was short-lived.

One thing is for sure, and I don't know if this just reflects reality or a filmmaking choice, the Pacific theater appeared much more "desperate." It was much more grim, much nastier.

The cohesion is an issue but I think you have to step back and realize the stories were based upon real life people and events (to me it wasn't clear that was how the series was going to play out). So you have to view the miniseries more as a series of vignettes.

As far as fighting in the Pacific, from what I've read, it was much more dire than it was in the European theater. The exception being the fighting between the Russians and Germans.

 

[theogt]

The cohesion is an issue but I think you have to step back and realize the stories were based upon real life people and events (to me it wasn't clear that was how the series was going to play out). So you have to view the miniseries more as a series of vignettes.

I understand, but I think reality should never stand in the way of character development and story-telling. Honestly, I think Basilone's story was just boring from beginning to end and should have been cut entirely.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I understand, but I think reality should never stand in the way of character development and story-telling. Honestly, I think Basilone's story was just boring from beginning to end and should have been cut entirely.

Maybe in the course of a normal story. This is paying tribute.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

The Basilone sex scene in the hotel was fine, but not as good as Leckie's.

You couldn't have the characters together if they weren't together during the war.

It is certainly more gruesome than Band of Brothers but the war in the pacific was more gruesome. As said, it was more like the war in the east, a racial war.

The story is certainly more anti-war than Band of Brothers. Sledge's slide almost to inhumanity was powerful. His friend who had already gone there obviously wanted to keep Sledge from becoming inhumane and stopped him from taking the gold teeth. Then when they saw how a mortar had almost killed the entire Japanese family, his friend said well there were a lot of mortars sent, implying not necessarily their's.

As Sledge's dad said, it isn't the torn flesh of war that is the worst, it's the torn souls. How could you fight in that type of war and not lose a part of your soul.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

The Basilone sex scene in the hotel was fine, but not as good as Leckie's.

Voyeurific.

 

[theogt]

Maybe in the course of a normal story. This is paying tribute.

You can tell a story and pay tribute without sticking to every last detail of a single person's experience.

 

[Duane]

I understand, but I think reality should never stand in the way of character development and story-telling. Honestly, I think Basilone's story was just boring from beginning to end and should have been cut entirely.

As far as cutting Basilone's story, I agree 100%. They could have easily kept his part to the time he spent with Leckie without loosing much of anything.

 

[Duane]

More than anything the series helps you appreciate the psychological impact the war had on those young men - both during and after the battles.

I really loved the piece at the end of the last episode that showed the pictures of the men in real life both past and present. It's amazing that several of those guys, like Sid, are so spry and mentally together after all these years.

 

[Phrozen Phil]

After watching both Series ( Band of Brothers and the Pacific), I think it's a mistake to compare the two series. BoB focused on Easy Company, but the Pacific focused on individuals who had (in some cases) less of a connection with each other. It does appear that the experience in Europe was dramatically different. The stories in the Pacific were meant to reflect a truly awful experience on those islands. The indictment of the intelligence regarding Peilelu, the hostile weather and the fragile morale of the Marines on that island gave insight into the tragedy and suffering of that war.

The purpose of including Basilone was to put a human face on a larger-than-life character. Basilone's home community in New Jersey still honors him in a parade every year for over sixty years. The series was trying to stike a balnce between the horror of the inhumanity that Sledge was struggling to deal with versus the heroism of John Basilone and Captain "Ack-Ack", who made the ultimate sacrifice. Production values for both series were excellent (imho) and the battle scene crossing the airstrip on Peilelu was incredible. It was apparent that the veterans wanted the story of Port Gloucester and the battle for Peilelu told as accurately as possible, even if it was ugly. I got the sense that these guys want the story to be told before they are all gone. They also wanted to show the truly enormous human cost after the war ended. Eugene Sledge entered the war as a young man eager to do his part, and came home a changed and somewhat damaged man.

All in all, the series was quite watchable and really required the viewer to think about the impact of that war on those men, and how it shaped their futures.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

I just Band of Brothers, and I think I will start watching it in the middle of this week.

I hope it lives up to the hype.

 

[theogt]

I just Band of Brothers, and I think I will start watching it in the middle of this week.

I hope it lives up to the hype.

Band of Brothers is probably underhyped, if that's possible.

 

[burmafrd]

BoB is absolutely the best story told from WW2. It was a great story told great. Outside of Patton, and the first part of Saving Private Ryan, nothing else done by Hollywood even comes close.

 

[Phrozen Phil]

Band of Brothers is probably underhyped, if that's possible.

I would agree. My kids gave it to me a as Father's Day present a couple of years ago, and I've re-watched a few times. Much of the cast was unknown at the time, and you'll see some faces that are now familiar in other movies and television. Jimmy Fallon has a small role in the episode "Crossroads" and James MacAvoy has a role in the episode "Replacements". Speilberg and Hanks took what they learned from Saving Private Ryan and created a real gem with that series. The key to the series was the bond between the soldiers of Easy Company through some tough moments. The integrity of Winters and his friendship with Nixon are really displayed to good effect without being corny or over the top. Can't recommend it enough.

 

[peplaw06]

After watching both Series ( Band of Brothers and the Pacific), I think it's a mistake to compare the two series. BoB focused on Easy Company, but the Pacific focused on individuals who had (in some cases) less of a connection with each other. It does appear that the experience in Europe was dramatically different. The stories in the Pacific were meant to reflect a truly awful experience on those islands. The indictment of the intelligence regarding Peilelu, the hostile weather and the fragile morale of the Marines on that island gave insight into the tragedy and suffering of that war.

The purpose of including Basilone was to put a human face on a larger-than-life character. Basilone's home community in New Jersey still honors him in a parade every year for over sixty years. The series was trying to stike a balnce between the horror of the inhumanity that Sledge was struggling to deal with versus the heroism of John Basilone and Captain "Ack-Ack", who made the ultimate sacrifice. Production values for both series were excellent (imho) and the battle scene crossing the airstrip on Peilelu was incredible. It was apparent that the veterans wanted the story of Port Gloucester and the battle for Peilelu told as accurately as possible, even if it was ugly. I got the sense that these guys want the story to be told before they are all gone. They also wanted to show the truly enormous human cost after the war ended. Eugene Sledge entered the war as a young man eager to do his part, and came home a changed and somewhat damaged man.

All in all, the series was quite watchable and really required the viewer to think about the impact of that war on those men, and how it shaped their futures.

That's a great synopsis.

Anyone who has seen BoB knew going into this that it would not live up to that ridiculously high standard. But the Pacific held up in its own right IMO.

I thought the last 4-5 episodes were particularly great. The series made you feel like the marines were isolated, and I'm sure that was done on purpose. They were island hoppers, and there was no escape from the carnage.

In BoB you rarely saw conflict between the men. In the Pacific, every time a new group of guys came in, there was instant conflict. Shelton and Sledge HATED each other at the beginning. Shelton was just one of those guys, they said he didn't talk to any of the other marines for 35 years or so after the war ended. That whole train ride, I was preparing for an emotional good-bye. Should have known better. That's not what this series was about. It was about the solitude, and everything being more uncomfortable than you can imagine. And they did a hell of a job conveying that sentiment.

Unfortunately, with a goal and a story like that, you're not going to endear viewers like they did in BoB.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Most powerful scene was Sledge breaking down when he was going out hunting.

I was glad Snafu didn't let him lose his soul by ripping the Japanese guy's teeth out.

Series definitely got better.

 

[CliffnDallas]

So did this series portray the US Marines as insane, muderious savages and the poor Japanese as just doing their duty? I sak because I quit watching weeks ago.

 

[burmafrd]

well if you listen to canadian and those of his ilk yes.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

People that think they were trying to make soldiers look bad in some kind of way are killing me. Oh it is some grand conspiracy to make the soldiers look bad. Same for people who comment about war movies being nothing more than glorifying war. Oh they are trying to make it look all fun to recruit young men.

Little clue to people. War is not all goofing around and giggles. You put any large group of men into those situations and you are going to have Different types of soldiers. Some that just can not handle the job. Ones that do their job and do it well. Those that far and away rise up above the challenges like Basilone and then you will always have some guys that are already monsters or they turn into monsters after seeing such horrors.

Only showing the good or great guys is never telling the whole story. Only showing the good parts of war is never the whole story. I love war movies, even ones that are only showing the good things and sometimes are comedies at times. But there is nothing wrong with showing the bad side of war as well to tell the whole story. You don't have nightmares and mental problems years and years down the road because everything was rosy or you did not flirt on the edge of a moral compass or see things that will change how you view life.

If you talk to enough veterans of war (WWII or other wars) you will find stories of men doing courageous things, true heroes and most time they don't consider themselves heroes. You will find stories of ultimate sacrifice. You will find stories of men who have gained bonds they will never break. You will also find stories of men scarred by memories of what they did and in some cases what they did.

It is a full gambit of things in war not just the good or the bad. Nor is it some grand conspiracy by people making all of these movies to paint a group in a bad light. Now that does not mean it does not happen, it just does not happen as much as some people think.

Furthermore in this series, just as in other war series by HBO, they consulted with the men over the story. Does anyone think they would get some of these vets to do the intros to each episode or sign off on the series if they are just going to go out there and try to besmirch them? Seriously.