The Pacific

I think "The Pacific" has been done very well. Even though the series is just focusing on three guys, I think that makes it more personal in a way. Episodes 5,6, and 7 have been just mind blowing. The directors have definitely given the viewer a glimpse at the ferocity of battle against the Japanese.

I like that they show the elements contributing just as much to the misery as the enemy. The psychological effect it has on the soldiers and marines is very pronounced and I think this is something that is often overlooked by those who are uninitiated.
 
Last edited:
I agree with KnightTemplar, ignorance is a good description. I have always been amazed at how limited is knowledge of most WWII vets (to the War’s history and the “big picture”) and how influenced they seem to be by their own propaganda.
pendennis also makes points -In retrospect how could a man (Earl Warren) who would so flagrantly ignored our Constitution become Chief Justice of the very institution charged with interpreting the document.

"History is complicated. It is not the story of a few people, it is the story of an immense number of people-each of them full individuals in their own right, each of them having their own grater of lesser impact on developments." Eric Flint
 
I just watched the Pacific again in its entirety....love it. absolutely love it. Especially after reading all the books that it's based off of, they did an excellent job with the series. Like I've said before, you expect it to be like BoB...It's just different. The nature of the war was different, the campaigns were fought differently, and the battles were so costly that it is hard to follow any one company with any type of continuity.

From a soldier to the Marines, Semper Fi Mac.
 
I have the utmost respect for the Marines of the 1st Division in the South-West Pacific campaign. Those blokes fought awful battles under abysmal conditions. Especially when they were left without logistic support for a time.

Semper Fi.
 
Read the book and greatly enjoyed and admired it. Havent had a chance to see it on the t.v but would like too. Gotta have respect for those men, scratch that any man or women who has stood and up and sacrificed something for their country whichever one it may be
 
The Pacific is great. It shows the horror and savagery of the war without mercy in the pacific. It wasn't like the war in Europe at all. In the ETO you were fighting an enemy that--for the most part--obeyed the rules of the Geneva Convention. If you were captured you could be reasonably sure of humane treatment at the hands of the Germans.

I like Band of Brothers very much, but with the depiction of the war in the pacific Hanks and Spielberg were up against a much different challenge. Remember, BOB chronicled the events of Easy company from basic training to the end of the war in Europe. From Normandy to VE day was only 9 months.

In the Pacific the fighting started in August of 1942. It would have been impossible to follow a group of Marines from Guadalcanal to VJ Day. That's why the story focuses on Leckie, Sledge, and Basilone. That was the only way they could deal with so much time in combat. Smart guys, great series.
 
That is a good TV ,but if describe battle scene paragraph:9mm: maybe more,that will perfect.
Last night I had the privilege of watching part of what I believe could be the best thing ever put on film (or whatever they use now). Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have outdone themselves with this in my opinion. Just seeing Part one and a brief glimpse of Part 6 when they try to take Peleliu's airfield, I have to say this will probably surpass Band of Brother's as my favorite.
 
They're both just different. Band of Brothers set up worked for the European theatre but probably would not have worked for the Pacific. Same goes for the Pacific, worked for the Pacific Theatre but probably would not have for the European. Both were excellant in my opinion and I can't honestly pick a favorite out of the two.
 
I think that the Band Of Brothers has the edge in Pacific, BoB just flows better than the Pacific and I am not trying to take away from what those men did, but that is my choice.
 
I think that the Band Of Brothers has the edge in Pacific, BoB just flows better than the Pacific and I am not trying to take away from what those men did, but that is my choice.

agreed. the pacific was a snoozefest... but im a little biased being a Soldier who's tired of the usmcs ridiculous PR campaign. In my defense, the US Army did majority of the Island hopping anyways
 
it is a good show, but it is not as good as band of brothers, it lacks the same feeling, it misses something that band of brothers did have. (cant really formulate what i mean)

I can agree with you on this, but from my opinion, (and it is not highly educated) I think that it truly represented what happened in the Pacific. It was SO horrendous, SO logic defying. Our men were dying left and right and our guys had to become callous to it crack up. Thus, maybe, the lack of feeling or camaraderie. It was just a downright slaughter.
I have watched BOB six or seven times. I could only bear to watch 'The Pacific' once even though I own the set.
"The Pacific" is one of the most moving films that I have ever seen.
Schindler's list comes in second, especially because I have Jewish heritage and have studied the holocaust a bit.
 
I just got the Blue-Ray. Its good, but not as good as BOB.

The Pacific did something than BOB, whereas BOB focused on one company (Easy Company, 2ND Battalion, 101st Airborne), The Pacific focused on 3 individual soldiers from different divisions (1st, 5th and 7th Marine Divisions).

I agree with USMC03, because Hanks and Spielberg changed the approach of the series the continuality was lost. I also didnt find the stories of John Basalone and Eugene Sledge all that interesting, though I did sympathize with Robert Leckie whose time in the Pacific was one tragedy and mis-fortunate after another.

One thing The Pacific did focus on better than BOB was those that were lost. In the books Band of Brothers, Ambrose states that of the original 120 men of Easy at Currahee only a handle were left in 1945. But we never really saw what happened to them except for a few cases.

In the Pacific this is better as we learn to what happened to people like Manny, Ack-Ack, Runner, Gibson, Hoostier, Captain Jamesson, Gunny Haney, etc are all either killed, wounded, or simply reach breaking point.

For me watching a hard ass like Gunny Haney (who reminded me of SGT Hartmann in Full Metal Jacket) actually crackup under constant fire was telling how truly horrible war is.
 
They were all in the same division, the 1st Marine Division. They were all in different Regiments. Nonetheless I'm sticking to my guns and saying it was as good as BOB.
 
They were all in the same division, the 1st Marine Division. They were all in different Regiments. Nonetheless I'm sticking to my guns and saying it was as good as BOB.

Indeed, you are correct. All first were in 1st Marine Division but served in the 1st, 5th, and 7th Regiments and not exactly at the same time+spot as each other (although Basilone and Leckie were both at Guadalcanal).

And you are certainly entitled to your opinion. :smil:
 
Last edited:
I love band of Brothers than the Pacific

BOB is the most amazing world war 2 movie i ever seen...well the the story is well crafted and so the effects.... truly amazing. :biggun:
 
Yesterday I saw the first episode of "The Pacific". I didn't like the fast forward to Guadalcanal. No training and no explaining how they got from the USA to Guadalcanal. Maybe it was done because everything went in a hurry, as it did then I suppose. The action was very good. BoB was VERY good.
 
agreed. the pacific was a snoozefest... but im a little biased being a Soldier who's tired of the usmcs ridiculous PR campaign. In my defense, the US Army did majority of the Island hopping anyways

I think that the Pacific was intense but I agree about the PR. The Army also did the lagest anphib ops and did them with less loss then the USMC (although I think a lot of the Marines problems were caused by the Navy).
 
Back
Top