Wow. Another home run by Spielberg. I wonder where they got all of the Springfields for the scenes at Guadalcanal?
The scene with the Japanese soldier being grazed and toyed with while in the water was very good. Not in the sense of inflicting pain but seeing the frustration and humanity and his despair…I have a feeling this is gonna be a very good series.
Between no HBO, being TDY then deploying I’m going to have to wait for this on DVD… Glad to hear initial reviews being favorable…
Spooky
Interesting that there are positive opinions about this first episode of The Pacific because my wife and I felt exactly the opposite. We felt none of the emotion, tension, and realism that made Band of Brothers so amazing was present in any way shape or form in The Pacific. We were left very disappointed.
In addition, I came away feeling that the Americans were portrayed as the villains. Honestly how could you describe the scene of the Americans toying with the last Japanese soldier as portraying us as anything but evil. The main curly-haired marine put him out of his misery, sparing him from further torture at the hands of the Americans.
And if you watched the previews of upcoming episodes there is a scene of American Marines being dressed down as the officer yelling at them describes how honorable the Japanese are and how they’ve been at war for centuries. Now that may be true, but again it came off as the Japanese are better than we are. No that’s not quite right. Not that they’re better, but that we, who were in a war with them, should be more respectful of them. Forget for a moment the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor that was glossed over at the beginning of the episode.
No, I think Tom Hanks’ comments comparing the Pacific theater to our current wars in the Middle East and implying that a big portion of the conflicts are based on the fact that our enemies look and act different from us showed exactly how this mini-series was going to be slanted.
I told some friends at work that I was concerned this would be the tone of this mini-series. Band of Brothers was easy for Hanks and Spielberg to make. We were killing evil white Europeans who themselves were trying to murder an entire race of people. With the Japanese, however, there is a racial component which requires the mini-series address so that it doesn’t come off as anti-Japanese.
Nope, this mini-series is not going to be anywhere near what Band of Brothers was. I’m very angry with Hanks and Spielberg after this first episode. I hope future episodes prove me wrong but I’m not optimistic.
Perception , like mileage , can vary.
The individual explaining the difference between cartoon characters and men in Trailer 5 is John Basilone . With an " E".
Given Hanks’ recent comments about the Pacific war, I have zero interest in seeing this series. We were not at war with the Japanese because they were “different” or “prayed to a different God” any more than we are currently at war with radical islamists because they are “different” or “pray to a different God.” To characterize the Pacific war in those terms and to slander the troops who bled the ground red as sadistic savages is unacceptable.
Japan was a belligerent power with their own master race thing going on. The war crimes they perpetrated are sufficiently horrific to make the Nazi war crimes look somewhat less inhuman. Those who fought the Japanese up close and personal in the pacific campaign learned very fast that the normal rules of warfare did not apply because the Japanese didn’t play by them. One only has to see a few dead Marines killed by a “surrendering” Japanese soldier with a grenade once to form the idea that a generous application of firepower would be prudent in dealing with Japanese soldiers.
Band of Brothers was a remarkable work for a simple reason: It was a series based on a remarkable book by a remarkable man who led other remarkable men through the hell of war. As such, it was impossible to portray the men of Easy Company as anything but what they genuinely were: Heroes.
Without that sort of governing restraint it should come as little surprise that a couple of liberal dumbasses left to their own devices would defame the service and contribution of our fighting men in the pacific.
Hanks as much said that his view of the Pacific war was one where Americans were motivated by racism. I have not watched any of the mini-series, but am put off by the overtones that it supposedly has.
American racism in WWII is so easy for the sheeple to buy off on. Most Americans think that “racism” is an American thing, and mostly a characteristic of white people. Anyone who has been anywhere in the world knows that is bull. Cambodia has the montagnards. Afghanistan has hazaras. Various tribes in Africa even hate each other, though both are black, but recognizably different in features. Japanese are notoriously racist.
The Japanese in WWII have a history of brutal handling of POWs, enemy civilians (rape of Nanking), and using women from conquered countries as sex slaves. This is not to say that there was no honor among some of their officers, such as the Admiral in the battle of Samara that did not fire on American sailors on the sinking Midway as the Japanese ships passed. But Japanese were notorious for being bad prisoners. Captured and wounded Japanese would attack the doctors that operated on them. They would not surrender. It became such an issue that it was a matter of practicality for the Americans to shoot all Japanese and accept no surrender.
Anyone that thinks that the Pacific theatre was some bloodbath of racism is mistaken. And to reference the propoganda posters that were racist; those were for the people (sheeple back then too) in America, Soldiers and Marines probably figured out the measure of the Japanese soldiers pretty quick.
The European theatre was no less violent. There were plenty of violent incidents against the Germans that did not fit the scope of war. They included reprisals for German atrocities (it did not matter if the unit you “paid back” was the unit that perpetrated the crime, it was just the first unit some pissed of GIs found), killing surrendering Germans that waited until the last minute to give up (after killing some GIs in the assault), killing snipers whenever found, and of course killing any German soldier that was dumb enough to say Hiel Hitler. German officers too, such as the German colonel that told the GI sergeant “I cannot surrender to someone of your rank.” The GI said, “Ok,” and shot him.
The units that were most likely to commit these actions, on both sides, were the units that were considered most heavily indoctrinated in training. These units included Ranger units, Airborne units, Marine infantry, and German SS units.
Bottom line, if the mini-series has a political agenda to expose the American villiany and Japanese honor, I will have no interest in seeing it as unfair to both Japanese and American participants.
History is history, opinion is crap. Even if it is Tom Hanks. Screw him, the commie.
The ruling class of the Empire developed a very solid strangle hold on their military much earlier and much more effectively than the Nazis did in Germany. The Japanese fighting men that the oldtimers faced had been systematically brainwashed and brutalized since the age of 8 or 10.
Even some Japan sources discuss the "evil eyes " of Japanese in China. I’ll post some links about the 37th ID , Ohio National Guard and how they took care of business. Among other things the Ohio guys wiped out the 6th Imperial Infantry Division , “of Rape of Nanking fame”. The exchange rate was 33 to 1.
I just think that the humanizing of the enemy in epsiode one, right after a Japanesse prisoner blows up a corpse man with a gernade to be a little much.
Considering how absolutely brutal the Pacific campaign was, I think the better way to do it would be to de-sensitze the viewer to the level of violence, and then snap them back to reality.
One thing I remember from “Little Boy and Fat Man” was how the a large number of the scientists lost interest in the gadget as a weapon after the Nazi’s were defeated. Germany was seen as the larger overall threat even when the war was just starting. But I wonder how much of the loss of interest by the scientists was related to many of them being Jewish and with the Nazi’s out of the way their internal reason for working on the bomb diminished. Add in 60 years, our PC culture and guilt over the internment of Japanese-Americans, and a Hollywood point of view that the Nazi’s were the real enemy and you get this kind of portrayal.
When was the first sympathetic German soldier portrayed in “Band of Brothers”?
The Japanese have been at war for centuries and we just figured out what end of a rifle the bullets come out of?
IIRC, when they are on the ship, the poet kid cites a line that basically says that they are there as an extension of the nations sword? That isn’t exactly apple pie and freedom.
Kind of odd to me in that I could stop watching now. The first episode was almost self contained. War is hell, the enemy has a human side, good people and wicked die, all humans can be evil. Was this footage left over from 'Flags of our Fathers" and “Letters”?
While I don’t know that it was wholely “sympathetic” the first interaction I remember is the morning after the jump when (IIRC) Malarkey talks with the German soldier who was actually an American whose family moved to Germany in their Nazi zeal.
Your entire post is hard to cipher, as in what is your overall opinion? But I don’t think that the Pacific campaign can be classified as brutal, compared to the European campaign. Both were brutal, as is any example of total warfare between peer military organizations.
Thanks to all the men and women of the armed services who still fight for my right to be free, even as my own government tries to deny me that right.
Hanks and his cronies are morons! I have no respect for his opinions or views and anyone who shares his twisted ideas. We fought Japan because of Pearl Harbor. If the freakin Chinese or French staged the attack instead, wouldn’t we have kicked there butts as well! My father was wounded twice, at Guadalcanal and Okinawa, my uncle Johnny died at Tarawa, my uncle Roy died on Guam and my uncle Bert died in the Bataan death march. The Japanese did what they had to do and so did our heroic servicemembers. For Hanks remarks I will not watch this series or anything else he has a hand in. That’s my right!
Admittedly, I have not seen or heard T. Hank’s comments leading up to the premiere last night, but based on people’s comments I take it that they were viewed as disparaging in some fashion.
What I saw last night was generally pretty good (7/10). I did not pick up on any underlying liberal theme. It appeared to me to show the Canal as the bloody place that it was.
As for the racism issue, the show depicted what I expected it to depict, especially since I just finished E.B. Sledge’s book. Now, I guess the point can be made that the sheeple that don’t know military history (Nanking, Unit 731, etc.) as well as us may be influenced by the portrayals of Marines in the show, but it didn’t bother me at all. I think the racism angle was omnipresent (on both sides) and will be encountered throughout the series. I know my deceased grandfather’s (ETO 1945) attitudes would probably be construed as racist on the subject.
Unfortunately, I have a hard time believing this series can live up to the expected hype and surpass BOB. That may be an insurmountable obstacle. It will be must-see TV for me though and I am sure I will add the DVDs to the collection. After I watched the episode last night, I googled the Battle of Alligator Creek to learn more about it. The photos from that battle seemed eerily similar to the scenes in the show.
not sure I will buy this one ?
but will watch it
I am also bummed about how hanks now lefty boy is saying things he is !!!
also the fact they are saying how they are going to show much more of the soldier after war than BOB will give them more time for their view to slant it their way
Something about the way the American soldiers were portrayed just didn’t feel right. Can’t nail it down.
Forgettable characters which lacked realism. No sense of palpable fear, insecurity, confusion, etc… which came across so well in BoB. The whole thing just seemed more Hollywood movie-ish and less documentary-ish. No real sense of being part of the battle.
Oh yeah, one last thing. Did the marines really let people wear their hair that long back then?
While I’m looking forward to the show, I do wish Hanks would shut his trap. Talk about a fly in the ointment.:mad: The whole think will be tainted by the thought that I’m supporting a liberal, leftest blowhard (who I used to respect as an actor) by watching it.
I watched and enjoyed last night’s episode of The Pacific. I’ll neither condemn nor defend Tom Hanks, but would suggest that the Time Magazine article be read in its entirety before judging Hanks solely on the singular quotation that has been making the rounds.
The article can be seen at http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1969606,00.html
It was okay. IMO it was light on character development, but also light on “action”. It lacked a monologue narrative that some of the BoB episodes had, which might’ve helped tie things together. If you did not already know a little about Guad, you’d be lost.
I will keep watching, as this is getting closer to my Grandfather’s war (he was in CBI) than anything else. Still, after episode 1, I have to say that BoB remains the king.