The history behind HBO’s “The Pacific”

The first part of HBO’s new miniseries about US Marines in the Pacific War will air on March 14th:

You can read more about it and view other videos on its official homepage. They’ve got a 10 minute mini documentary called “The Atanomy of the Pacific War” which includes footage of interviews with historians Akira Iriye, Donald L. Miller, Richard B. Frank, John W. Dower, and Hugh Ambrose (son of Stephen Ambrose and author of the official companion book to the miniseries). The documentary focuses on how both sides fought with intense hatred against a de-humanized enemy.

Here it is, embedded from YouTube:

And here is a video about how they tried to preserve the greatness of Eugene Sledge’s memoir, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, when creating episodes based on Sledge’s experiences:

You can also head over to YouTube and see a similar video about their adaptation of Robert Leckie’s Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific.

The early trailers and teasers for this miniseries had me wondering about its quality, but these extended videos about the filmmaker’s attention to source material has made me very interested in watching the final product.

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Hamachiman

I dunno, concept sounds great but looking at this trailer, looks like another heavy melodramatic war series filled with the usual cliches, and “Private Ryan” type war sequences.

afsfasadf

I hope there is no screaming guy besides his friends dead body scenes. I can’t help but scream SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE in those situations.

HamachiMan

Oh for sure there will be. One of the ultimate cliches of war movies, the dramatic death scene. The dying soldier/Marine who goes on a 5 minute monologue about the fragility of the world itself, ending with a plea to tell their loved ones that they love them (inbetween labored gasps). Screams of medic along with calls for morphine.

And extreme closeups of blood and gore and CGI effects.

vancouverite

Nothing wrong with that, PVT Ryan and BoB were both epic productions and the only movie/series to this day that portrayed the horrors of war as horrors, not simply thrilling, adrenaline pumping action ( ala Black Hawk Down, which in all honesty I love aswell, but for different reasons )

Reit

After the first 15 minutes or so, Saving Private Ryan was a pretty typical US war movie, complete with reluctant heroes, father-like leaders and the storyline of America as a melting pot. Other than the few really bizarre scenes, Thin Red Line was a much better movie about the horror and moral conflicts in war.

HamachiMan

Thin Red Line (1998) had some exceptional and powerful scenes, especially its depiction of battle on Guadalcanal with its long grassy knolls. However, the movie was ruined by ridiculous ‘human interest’ stories. When I was watching this movie in the theater, the audience literally broke into laughter when one of the guys received a dear john letter. This, after the majority of the movie featured scene after sappy scene of sickeningly sugary love letters and scenes of his loved one back home.

gtg

as somebody who enjoyed “Band of Brothers” i am really looking forward to this.

However not really looking forward to the japan release – we probably get this around 2012 as a dvd box set which will cost half a fortune…
http://www.squidoo.com/Ryoma-Sakamoto Eric

I’ve always thought that Full Metal Jacket was one of the best anti-war war movies because it shows how, as well as dehumanizing the enemy, the military systematically brutalizes its own young recruits in order to turn them into killers.
Patrick

I don’t feel like watching this.mostly because it another film about americas side on the war can someone aleast make some on other side of the war I mean there’s so many films about the u.s. How bout the Russians, French, or even German, or Japanese . I know there’s some films on the other sides role but all compared to all the american ones and how much advertisments they get is not even half of how much

Hamachiman

Well, because the producers of this film are mostly American, it’s based on several American novels and authors, and made for an American audience (HBO), it’s obviously going to be from the American’s point of view.

There have been war movies featuring ‘the other side.’ The Longest Day back in 1962 featured participants from all sides of the D-Day invasion, including the Germans (who actually spoke in German and were free from all the usual stereotypical Nazi ideology). Enemy at the Gates in 2001 was based on the Battle of Stalingrad and a duel between a German and Russian sniper (yes it was in English). Clint Eastwood made an entire Iwo Jima movie based on the Japanese side.

So it’s not entirely rare or unique, I’m sure each country would be ‘biased’ on showing things from their viewpoint.

The history behind HBO’s “The Pacific”

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