The Pacific. New 10 part mini-series by Steven Spielberg

Last nights highlight was when the Marine went to take a dump in the cave

 

I am not a fan of this series in the least; I only watch out of respect for the subject.

 

I still haven't seen any yet. Glad too. Gonna wait till they're all available then get my supplies ready for a 10 hour marathon.

 

i've been watching it on a monday night here in new zealand and it's been very interesting so far

 

I watched episode 9 last night. I've see all the previous episodes as well. I would say that the events in episode 9 could at a certain level be compared to the Bulge sequences in BOB. It goes a very log way to illustrate the mental strain that these men were under. I was also left with the impression that the war in the Pacific was far more dehumanizing than the war in Europe. The filth, mud, decaying bodies and the frequency of close combat with personal weapons, grenades and flame throwers seems more brutalizing than the combat portrayed in BOB. By saying that I don't mean to diminish the experiences on the European veterans.

Although the character development and number of detailed characters is perhaps less than BOB, I still feel the series is excellent and a tribute the men that served in that theater.

 

I ve gone on the record next door as saying the show sucks; that's not saying it doesn't have it's high points, it's just something less than I expected.

I would have liked to see more about the charecters portrayed in the series: Sledge, Leckie, Basilone and Puller. I don't think the production team captured the essence of the Marine Corps like they did the airborne.

This is just my opinion. Pound for pound I think Generation Kill was a much better series and a lot better than Band of Brothers.

 

I have to agree with FormerJuggs.... Although I can't quite put my finger on it, Pacific just doesn't "Grab" me the way BoB does. It has the excellent cinematography, the intense battle scenes, the 'fog of war' feel, and everything else that is reminiscent of BoB.... Yet I still feel something is missing????

BoB caught me off guard when it was first aired, I was unaware of the series... the first episode I caught was No.7 "The Breaking Point" about the attack on Foy. I was instantly hooked. Ever since (even though I have the DVD box-set) I'll still watch it whenever a station puts it on TV. But with Pacific the bones of BoB are there, yet the flesh is missing. It's not the subject matter, nor is it the theater of operation or the different writers and directors of each episodes. Maybe it's the 'hype' surrounding it, resulting in my expectations being so high. It's like Clint Eastwoods Flags of our Fathers Vs Letters of Iwo.... exactly the same, yet completely different... if you know what I mean????

 

Maybe it's the 'hype' surrounding it


Most probably is mate. As you say, BoB caught you off guard, as did with me - the first episode I saw was Carentan.

Of course I haven't seen the Pacific yet, but I reckon everyone who watches it is looking to compare to BoB. Even if unintentionally.

Some good comments on this thread and I can't wait to see the whole 10 hours for myself.

 

Most probably is mate. As you say, BoB caught you off guard, as did with me - the first episode I saw was Carentan.

Of course I haven't seen the Pacific yet, but I reckon everyone who watches it is looking to compare to BoB. Even if unintentionally.

Some good comments on this thread and I can't wait to see the whole 10 hours for myself.


I think you'll enjoy it, mate. It gets better and better as the series progresses.

 

British things never seem to have that same 'pizazz' as American stuff. However
The Brits still produce some good movies from time to time, more so than any other Euro country thats for sure.


Guys is the Pacific filmed differently from BOB at all, is the camera work to close to the actors or is that just me ?

Ive seen 2 and a half episodes so far and they were quite good, but alas havent really been grabbed, i think ive seen 5, 6 and parts of 7.

 

It is difficult to get to "know" the main characters but it is a compelling series. I watched episode 7 recently and thought the attack across the airfield was some of the most powerful TV I have seen; I thought it was up there with the beach sequence in Saving Private Ryan.

One nagging thought that keeps going through my head as I watch each episode is that the high command within the USMC had a WW1 mentality in throwing soldiers forward; the airfield being a case in point. I know its a TV adaption but if it was accurate, and there was veteran input at the beginning, there appeared to be minimal suppresion fire, virtually no armour or ongoing air support and to attack in broad daylight across open space just seems plain stupid to me.

I have nothing but respect for the USMC troops and I agree with an earlier post that the Pacific campaign seems devoid of humanity but is there something about the American command mentality? Films about Patton and MacArthur appeared to have a "Carry on and damn the casualties" approach so it is not restricted to this series. Any views guys?

Jim

 

I wondered why the Americans were determined to drive all the way across Iwo Jima once they got what they needed, mainly the airfield. Couldn't they have set up a defensive screen and then let the Japanese come to them rather than attacking the defensive network that they had been working on for months? Eventually wouldn't the Japanese eventually been forced to attack as they would have been cut off from resupply. If they didn't attack they would have withered away over time. Perhaps they had lots of heavy stuff back in the hills they could of hit the airfield with? I do seem to recall that the Americans were landing stuff on the field almost minutes after it was taken.

 

.....One nagging thought that keeps going through my head as I watch each episode is that the high command within the USMC had a WW1 mentality in throwing soldiers forward; the airfield being a case in point. I know its a TV adaption but if it was accurate, and there was veteran input at the beginning, there appeared to be minimal suppresion fire, virtually no armour or ongoing air support and to attack in broad daylight across open space just seems plain stupid to me.



One thing you need to remember is that in 1944 Close Air Support was still being figured out and large scale night attacks were not in the US Assault paradigm.

On "D" day the Marines stopped just short of the Airfield and on "D+1-2" the Airfield was captured leaving approximately 8,000 Japanese still in the hills.
Peleliu, battle for (Operation Stalemate II) - The Pacific War's Forgotten Battle, September-November 1944
Battle of Peleliu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have nothing but respect for the USMC troops and I agree with an earlier post that the Pacific campaign seems devoid of humanity but is there something about the American command mentality? Films about Patton and MacArthur appeared to have a "Carry on and damn the casualties" approach so it is not restricted to this series. Any views guys?

Jim


Marines/ Troops being shown attacking on line through withering fire is pure Hollywood as it makes for stunning cinematography and simple direction.
Band of Brothers/ Saving Private Ryan are the first shows, I know of, that depict small unit tactics. While it makes for entertaining television it often gives the impression that only 12 guys won the war. The other downside to the show is that it is written from the perspective of a mortarman and machinegunner so you do not get to see the fine details of the small units; just the big picture of defensive battles and fire support.

I wondered why the Americans were determined to drive all the way across Iwo Jima once they got what they needed, mainly the airfield. Couldn't they have set up a defensive screen and then let the Japanese come to them rather than attacking the defensive network that they had been working on for months?.

The Airfields were the main objectives and they not only had to be captured; but, they also had to be secured. Very few of the islands that the Marines captured were of the size to allow the Japanese to be pushed back far enough that there artillery would be ineffective against the airfields. So, once the airfields were captured you had to find the guns.

Eventually wouldn't the Japanese eventually been forced to attack as they would have been cut off from resupply. If they didn't attack they would have withered away over time. Perhaps they had lots of heavy stuff back in the hills they could of hit the airfield with? I do seem to recall that the Americans were landing stuff on the field almost minutes after it was taken.

The airfields were always put into use as soon as possible. On on Henderson Field (Guadalcanal) carrier planes were landing for fuel and re arming while the battle was still going on. There are several stories about planes landing on airfields soon after they were captured.

Brad

 

Brad

Many thanks for your answers. I suppose a huge amount is perspective. At the beginning of Ep 7 there was film of an advance over open ground. Thinking of what you said, realistically that was all the cameraman could see so that is the image that remains.

All the best

Jim

 

Brad

Many thanks for your answers. I suppose a huge amount is perspective. At the beginning of Ep 7 there was film of an advance over open ground. Thinking of what you said, realistically that was all the cameraman could see so that is the image that remains.

All the best

Jim

Having served in both the 1st and 7th Marine regiments I have studied the battles of Guadalcanal and Peleliu ad nauseum; you gotta know your history if you want to get promoted.

You hit the nail on the head about perspective and that is the biggest difference between Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Where Band of Brothers was focused on a single company the Pacific, deals with the perspective of one person in a section supporting a comapny (Machine Guns and Mortars are support) so the perspective is going to be more broad than that of a rifleman.

Brad

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that the island in question (Iwo) had to be secured in order for it to be used as intended, an unsinkable aircraft carrier. Just about every square inch was to be used as hanger space, fuel and ammo storage areas, radar posts, maintenance shops, hospitals, troop quartering areas, etc. No way could any Japanese units be allowed to exist or operate in that scenario, so a "defensive line" separating liberated territory from "indian terrritory" would allow for maximum efficiency of the island. They had to be dug out of their tunnels and bunkers and removed from the equation, or in some cases, buried by enterprising SeaBees and their bull dozers. Even as it was, there were several cases of handfulls surving Japanese soldiers making the last banzai charge months after the island was declared secure, and making a mess of things. Even during the heat of the battle early on, a crippled B-29 came in under fire and made an emergency landing on the recently taken airfield. Fuel was hustled in from the beach, and as soon as enough was taken on for it to get back to it's base, it took off and headed home.

 

Watched the last episode tonight and thought the whole thing was excellent. It's on my to buy list when it comes out on Blu-ray.

 

Brad...

Is it true that after the horrific battle on Pelilu the USMC never utilized the airfield on the island? It seems like an awful waste of the lives of those young Marines.

 

Brad...

Is it true that after the horrific battle on Pelilu the USMC never utilized the airfield on the island? It seems like an awful waste of the lives of those young Marines.

It was utilized, just not to the extent that was originally envisioned. The war in the Pacific progessed so quickly that the strtegiac importance of the island was deminished by the time the invasion took place.