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« on: March 12, 2010, 01:40:44 am »
Oh, hey, did you like Band of Brothers? Maybe you didn't see it at all. Either way, if you are interested in the American conflict with the Japanese in the Pacific during World War 2, or more specifically the experiences of the 1st Marines and some of the 7th on Guadalcanal, Peliliu, etc., then you will be interested in HBO's new series from the producers of Band of Brothers. I've had a privileged preview (for review purposes only), and it's really magnificent. It gets better and better as the episodes go on.
It's called The Pacific. It's a miniseries following the lives and experiences of 4 men and their comrades during their tours of duty in the Marine Corps. If you want to see a presentation of the reality of a vicious war on a level that it has never been portrayed, from the first-person point of view of several authors and a winner of the Medal of Honor, this is your chance.
First a disclaimer: It's not for children. It's bloody, brutal, and doesn't pull the punches. The details and story are taken from the writings of three authors and another veteran: Eugene Sledge, With the Old Breed (1st Marines), Robert Leckie, Helmet for My Pillow and a career of professional publication (1st Marines), Sidney Phillips, You'll Be Sor-ree (1st Marines), and John Basilone (7th Marines, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor for service on Guadalcanal).
Basilone is a little out-of-place, being from another Division and also unable to supply a personal account, but his story is quite magnificent and worthwhile. The rest of the series comes almost exclusively and moment-by-moment from the personal accounts of men who fought as members of the 1st Marine Division.
Sledge's book With the Old Breed is required reading for all marine officer candidates, consisting of the experience of the most brutal battle participated in by Americans during World War 2 (and the rest of his tour of duty) from the perspective of a highly intelligent Christian southern gentleman. His Christianity and his genteel demeanor are downplayed for the benefit of the audience, so that won't be obstructing your view of his story. He's a gentle young man surrounded by the reality of the worst kinds of human suffering and human behavior, juxtaposed to heroism and bravery.
Leckie was a quiet man in the war, an author before and after. Later a respected historian, his writings have been said by his compatriots to include exploits and events of various members of the 1st Marines. The acting and the part are both incredibly good, and the story of the man's experience spans from the trenches of the islands as a machine-gunner and intelligence runner to the streets of Melbourne and even through a military mental hospital. He's a quiet emotional man, a stoic but a person of profound and deep emotion as portrayed by James Badge Dale. If talent is what it takes to get around Hollywood, this man is going places.
Sidney Phillips was an unexpected addition. He had written a small book of stories and recollections about the War, for the benefit of his family and excluding the gritty details. Although he has mentioned his combat experiences at times to individuals, he has no desire to recount them in detail and sees no need to revisit and record them. His best friend Eugene Sledge was haunted by them for decades (to the point that he would arise shouting in the night from his dreams), and there is no knowing what it cost those like Phillips to put them behind him. Sledge and Phillips were childhood friends from the same hometown, and ended up both serving as mortarmen in the 1st Marine Division. They saw each other only for a few days on Guadalcanal, but Phillips provided a vital link between Leckie and Sledge, and the experience for these men of meeting and parting on the miserable edge of the abyss is telling. Phillips is thus included as a less-prominent main protagonist, and his humorous book provides countless details and entertaining flavor throughout the early episodes.
Of course, artistic license was taken with some elements. Foul language enters at appropriate points and is an integral part of the reality of the situation, but rather than including the realistic 4-5 words per sentence (veterans say they didn't use any real adjectives during the conflict) this film spares you from drowning in obscenities and uses them just enough to let you know their place in the Marines' lives.
Extreme care and attention to detail resulted in a stellar work of art in every respect, but sitting with a veteran who was on the scene, one is witness to several comments on the little details that could have been fixed by the oversight of such a veteran. For instance: the marines must climb rigging nets to enter the ships at some points, and a veteran will tell you that only a fool would grab the crossropes unless he wanted to risk the full weight of a man in heavy gear under the influence of the ocean's sway standing on his hand. The realism and attention to detail is quite good, although they do make a small number of typical "Hollywood-approved" breeches in reality such as clustering comrades for dramatic scenes on shrapnel-filled battlefields. Nothing says hand grenade like 25 men standing in a 10-yard radius.
A few liberties were taken with permission as to their activities in Melbourne, though names of the girlfriends were changed due to the fact that the events portrayed didn't actually occur. Another disclaimer: HBO has a certain niche market to satisfy, and there's a long "soft-core" pornographic scene that dwarfs anything seen in 300 or Watchmen. It's just actors acting, but ... well, it's graphic. And long. Whether a long scene of an attractive naked woman pretending to have sex with an artfully covered man is a draw or a discouragement is up to the individual viewer.
Any complaints aside, I can't stress enough what an awesome piece of cinematic achievement this film is. This film is truly not to be missed, and in the words of Tom Hanks "I wish I could lock everyone in the theater for 10 hours, but we can't really do that. Can we?"
