The Pacific miniseries (2010)

[Zuul]

So apparently we have a few other people around this place who enjoy WWII history. Is there anybody else around here who's been following and awaiting The Pacific from the creators of Band of Brothers as much as me? The trailer:



I've been following this project pretty much since it was announced, because one of the books it's based off of is E.B. Sledge's memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. That book is quite likely my favorite war memoir of all time. The book was based on notes he secretly took and kept in his copy of the New Testament and doesn't do much romanticizing or glorifying, but almost makes you feel guilty for not having gone out and fought the war yourself anyway.

I'm hoping that the really disturbing dehumanization of the Japanese by the Americans that was described in the book is addressed in the miniseries as well. I don't think honesty is disrespectful and that was most definitely a part of how those battles were fought and how trophies were taken from the bodies--literally--of the dead. Also, one of my favorite parts in the book is when a medic gently shames a soldier on the topic and probably saves his humanity.

[The Original An Gadaí]

I had heard there was going to be a sequel set in the Pacific Theatre and was aching to see it after I last had a marathon viewing of Band of Brothers, over two nights. I'm hoping it is as good, or nearly as good as its predecessor. In a way, Band Of Brothers did for the war genre what The Wire has done for the cop format.

[Zuul]

Yeah, I really have high hopes for it, too. Band of Brothers was phenomenal. There were a lot of places where it was flawed, I'll be the first to admit, but in the places where it excelled it really made up for it. The miniseries format like this is probably the best for capturing these little windows into the war, as well.

Also, a lot of the filming of this one apparently took place in Australia. There have been advertisements implying the war efforts of the Australians are portrayed, which would be nice since I'd hate for this to be entirely American-centric like so many of the other WWII epics we've put out.

[What Exit?]

No HBO currently. I might see if they have a deal at FIOS. This looks like it would be really good.

[Jeff]

I look forward to obtaining this in an illicit manner and watching it. I was pretty so-so until I realized that Tom Hanks would not be acting in it.

[Zuul]

I look forward to obtaining this in an illicit manner and watching it. I was pretty so-so until I realized that Tom Hanks would not be acting in it.

No, Tom Hanks is definitely not acting in it. From the looks of the cast, they're mostly no-names or little known. That actually reassures me, since I know that they had the clout to pull in big names. Since they went with lesser known actors, I'm hoping the emphasis will be on the people they portray and the war, and not on the stars.

Gross factoid: Because of the heat, humidity, and the fact that there were difficulties digging graves on the coral island of Peleliu, things got really, really awful. The bodies of the dead Japanese soldiers were given very shallow graves that were easily uncovered.. The stench was said to be absolutely nightmarish, to the point that even starving in battle the men had difficulty eating. It caused quite a psychological toll on the men as well, as you can imagine. It's one thing to have to kill someone in the heat of battle. Quite something else to be unable to bury the body and be forced to watch it decompose. From on set descriptions, this aspect of things is making it into the miniseries.

Yummeh.

[The Original An Gadaí]

I'll likely wait until it is available on DVD in this part of the world. I really enjoyed watching BoB in big long chunks.

[Nrblex]

Sounds like it could be good to check out. Band of Brothers was incredibly emotionally draining on me, though. There are a couple of scenes that, even just remembering them, can make me feel a little choked up. I don't know if I'd have the same visceral response to The Pacific.