Since March 14, I have spent my Sundays glued to my 42-inch flat-screen HDTV pretending that I am avoiding Japanese artillery, gunfire, horrendous surroundings and malaria.
Well, OK, pretending to be in the horrors of World War II is stretching it a bit. But if you haven’t seen the new HBO 10-part miniseries “The Pacific,” then there is something very wrong with you and something very wrong with the life that you’re living.
The series is from the men (Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg) who brought you “Saving Private Ryan” and the 2001 HBO mini-series about Easy Company’s European campaign, “Band of Brothers.” The producers have recreated the island and the intense battles that divisions of the United States Marines faced against the never-surrendering army of Japan.
“The Pacific” starts out thankfully not at Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is overused and I am glad the underlying war of World War II receives a little more attention in “The Pacific.”
When it comes to watching something about World War II, the European theater and Hitler are usually shoved down my throat. This is where “The Pacific” differs and rejuvenates my respect for those men and women who embarked in war against the Japanese.
The miniseries concentrates on the story of three marines Sgt. John Basilone (Jon Seda), Pfc. Eugene “Sledgehammer” Sledge (Joe Mazzello) and Pfc. Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) over the fighting from 1942-45.
“The Pacific” expands, with these three soldiers, embarking on the dangerous and largely unknown battles, such as Okinawa, Peleliu and the battle of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain. This is how the mini-series succeeds, by telling the relatively unknown stories about the fighting that took place and the struggles the American soldiers embarked on.
I have yet to conclude if “The Pacific” is a better viewing than that of “Saving Private Ryan” or “Band of Brothers.” But so far, I do know that I have been on the edge of my seat for eight 50-minute episodes. One installment that speaks the most volume of the war in the Pacific theater is “Part Five,” and it deals with the amphibious invasion of the island of Peleliu. A majority of the episode is based on Sledge’s real-life account and diary he kept during the war.
Sledge, who gained the nickname “Sledgehammer,” turned his written work into a memoir called, “With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa.” The words used in “With the Old Breed” are chilling and at times hard to grasp about the battle of Peleliu.
Sledge writes about the conditions, fighting and the moral dilemmas both sides dealt with during the battles. But the bleakness of “The Pacific” comes from the breathtaking cinematography and directing by Carl Franklin (each episode has a different director).
The most chilling part of the episode, though, is that you know what the Marines are about to embark on. About 30 minutes into “Part Five,” the Marines load up into amphibious crafts. The camera makes it feel like you are on a water ride at a theme park. It takes you and the troops down into the crystal-clear water off the island.
Once the soldiers begin their quick journey from a Navy ship down into the waters of the Pacific Ocean, all hell breaks loose. Above is the U.S. Air Force bombarding the island; to the left and to the right are other transports avoiding Japanese artillery, and in front of you is a firefight between the U.S. and Japanese forces off the beach.
Even on a television, it truly feels like the spectacle and chaos of World War II.
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Check out the readings that based the story of HBO’s “The Pacific:”
“The Pacific” by Hugh Ambrose
“Helmet For My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific” by Robert Leckie
“With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa” By E.B. Sledge*
