The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
#1
DVD Talk God
Thread Starter
#2
Senior Member
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
Really wish I didn't have to wait for it to pop up overnight. It's not BOB but it's better than 99.9% of what's on TV today. I'm surprised that they are going to address Basilone's story from Camp Pendleton to Iwo Jima in one episode.
#6
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
Sorry, but the first part, all the way up to Iwo Jima, bored me to tears.
I know just last week I was complaining how The Pacific just seemed to be battle after battle, so now I feel like kind of an idiot saying that I didn't really like everything EXCEPT for the battle scene.
Not sure what it was, but the Iwo Jima battle scene seemed way more interesting to me that most of the previous battles. Can't put my finger on it, but the end was great, but like I said, most of the stuff beforehand was pretty boring. I did like the training sequences though and Basilone's speach about respecting the Japanese soliders.
Next week looks intense.
I know just last week I was complaining how The Pacific just seemed to be battle after battle, so now I feel like kind of an idiot saying that I didn't really like everything EXCEPT for the battle scene.
Not sure what it was, but the Iwo Jima battle scene seemed way more interesting to me that most of the previous battles. Can't put my finger on it, but the end was great, but like I said, most of the stuff beforehand was pretty boring. I did like the training sequences though and Basilone's speach about respecting the Japanese soliders.
Next week looks intense.
#8
Needs to contact an admin about multiple accounts
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: New York
Posts: 773
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
I wasn't bored, but at episode 8, it seems like the makers of this series have made pretty much everything throughout the series either stoic or solemn. The only joy that seemed to have occurred so far was when 1) the guy crapped his pants running away from the hidden Japanese soldier, and 2) Basilone talking about the cup of coffee he had the day after his Guadalcanal experience.
At this point, I don't even want to bother comparing it to BoB - the series is just missing something at a basic storytelling level. Although as usual, the combat scenes are well shot.
Damn, I really hate being the naysayer - I want to like this series so much, but I don't see it having much replay value for me in the future.
#9
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Viva BuyMoria!
Posts: 3,464
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
I was bored up to Iwo Jima too, but it wasn't really the fact that there wasn't a battle or anything, it was John Seda. I never really liked him so I just didn't care about his love life.
#10
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
Glad that I'm not the only one who thought most of this ep was boring as hell.
BoB? Not even close by comparison. Overall, very disappointed considering my very high expectations.
BoB? Not even close by comparison. Overall, very disappointed considering my very high expectations.
#12
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
And to echo your point about replay value. Any time I'm flipping through the channels and happen to catch a rerun of BOB on HBO or the History channel I get drawn into it no matter what episode it is and end up watching for at least 15 minutes. I watch The Pacific on Sunday night and don't even think about it again until the next Sunday. I honestly don't see myself ever watching The Pacific again and that's so opposite from Band of Brothers because I could watch that every day.
#13
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
I really enjoyed this episode, maybe because I'm in awe of Basilone. After reading his wiki-bio, he seems more heroic than the show depicted him to be. I didn't realize in the episode where he held off the Japanese soldiers, that there were about 3000 of them. He could have left the Marines and lived as a hero for the rest of his left, but went back to fight. It's hard to believe he was only 28.
Here's a piece written by a Marine who was there the day Basilone died:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...041,full.story
Here's a piece written by a Marine who was there the day Basilone died:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...041,full.story
#14
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
I've been a few episodes behind but finally caught up for this week's new episode. I have to agree with those who were bored through much of the episode. I couldn't get very involved in Basilone's love story. I just didn't feel that emotionally invested in it.
#15
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
How long was he at the base and "wooing" the girl before he was shipped out?
I mean it seemed like he met her, she didn't like him at first, but over the span of a couple days he convinced her to go out with him and then within a couple more days they got married. I know that does happen occasionally, but the whole timespan seemed ridiculously short.
#16
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
That's exactly what I'm not liking about this show, the inability to give the feel of the passage of time. Basilone's been in the mainland for a year already? It's like everything just happens real quickly, without any storytelling behind it. I get a better idea of what happend from the 90 second voiceovers from the survivors in the beginning than I do from the hour that follows.
And the battle sequences are just everybody running around and getting blown up without any kind of scope or drama. Reading the background about Basilone is revelatory because I'm sure not getting that from this program.
It almost feels like a highlight reel from a much longer miniseries.
And the battle sequences are just everybody running around and getting blown up without any kind of scope or drama. Reading the background about Basilone is revelatory because I'm sure not getting that from this program.
It almost feels like a highlight reel from a much longer miniseries.
#18
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
I just looked up Basilone on Wikipedia and it says he first arrived at Camp Pendleton on 12/27/43. He got married on 7/10/44, so almost 7 months after he initially arrived. He seemingly met her right away and got married very soon after he met her, but it was more like 7 months. In the movie he seemingly went right from his honeymoon to Iwo Jima, but he died on 2/19/45, so that was probably another 6 months. So, from the time he first arrived at Camp Pendleton to the time he died, it was almost 14 months. The movie did a TERRIBLE job explaining that passage of time. I literally thought all this happened in like a matter of weeks or at most a couple months.
Now, we just spent an entire year with Basilone. Are they going to explain what Sledge, Snafu and the rest of the marines were doing for the 14 months that Basilone was falling in love? How can they just skip and entire year of Sledge's life?
Now, we just spent an entire year with Basilone. Are they going to explain what Sledge, Snafu and the rest of the marines were doing for the 14 months that Basilone was falling in love? How can they just skip and entire year of Sledge's life?
#20
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
Based on that photo, they did a really good job casting Lena.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I had no problem realizing the passing of time in his courtship of Lena. Given that he was transferred to Hawaii for more training before going to Iwo Jima, I don't have a problem with them skipping right from the honeymoon to the beach landing. I really enjoyed the episode.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I had no problem realizing the passing of time in his courtship of Lena. Given that he was transferred to Hawaii for more training before going to Iwo Jima, I don't have a problem with them skipping right from the honeymoon to the beach landing. I really enjoyed the episode.
#22
DVD Talk Legend
#23
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
This was a tough episode to watch since anyone who's read about John Basilone knows how it's going to end.
I've finally figured out what, for me, is missing from this series. In BoB the elderly veterans talking at the start of each episode figured prominently in the story and when their names were finally revealed at the very end it was incredibly powerful stuff. Seeing the real-life counterparts to the characters you've just watched through 10 or so hours really grounded the whole thing in a unique way.
But when they finally do the big reveal at the end of The Pacific will we know who any of these men are? The Big Three in the story are all deceased and while I don't want to diminish what these veterans went through I just don't see myself having the same reaction as I did when I finally realized that I had been watching the real Bill Guarnere, Carwood Lipton, etal on screen all that time.
I've finally figured out what, for me, is missing from this series. In BoB the elderly veterans talking at the start of each episode figured prominently in the story and when their names were finally revealed at the very end it was incredibly powerful stuff. Seeing the real-life counterparts to the characters you've just watched through 10 or so hours really grounded the whole thing in a unique way.
But when they finally do the big reveal at the end of The Pacific will we know who any of these men are? The Big Three in the story are all deceased and while I don't want to diminish what these veterans went through I just don't see myself having the same reaction as I did when I finally realized that I had been watching the real Bill Guarnere, Carwood Lipton, etal on screen all that time.
#24
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Florida
Posts: 2,089
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
I just looked up Basilone on Wikipedia and it says he first arrived at Camp Pendleton on 12/27/43. He got married on 7/10/44, so almost 7 months after he initially arrived. He seemingly met her right away and got married very soon after he met her, but it was more like 7 months. In the movie he seemingly went right from his honeymoon to Iwo Jima, but he died on 2/19/45, so that was probably another 6 months. So, from the time he first arrived at Camp Pendleton to the time he died, it was almost 14 months. The movie did a TERRIBLE job explaining that passage of time. I literally thought all this happened in like a matter of weeks or at most a couple months.
Now, we just spent an entire year with Basilone. Are they going to explain what Sledge, Snafu and the rest of the marines were doing for the 14 months that Basilone was falling in love? How can they just skip and entire year of Sledge's life?
Now, we just spent an entire year with Basilone. Are they going to explain what Sledge, Snafu and the rest of the marines were doing for the 14 months that Basilone was falling in love? How can they just skip and entire year of Sledge's life?
I'm sure they will tell you what Sledge and them have been up to since Peleliu because they have told us where they went after every battle so far. They went to Melbourne after Guadalcanal and went to Pavuvu after Gloucester.
I agree with others that this series isn't as good as BoB because it lacks a central narrative. Going back and forth between three main characters allowed us to see different parts of the war, but as a storytelling device it is not as fluid. However, I think it's easier for BoB to have a consistent narrative because it only deals with one company over about a 12 month span, whereas The Pacific is covering 3-4 years. Remember, the 1st Marine Division spent more time in Melbourne after Guadalcanal than Easy Company spent in Europe fighting.
My favorite episodes of the series have been 5-7, which deal with Sledge and Peleliu. I really like the characters of Sledge and Snafu. One of the warmest/funniest parts of the series was when both of them were in a foxhole and the old Gunny was talking to them and left by saying something like "woof woof" and Snafu says something like "what the hell was that?" and then they start cracking up.
#25
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The Pacific -- "Part Eight" -- 05/02/10
They went back in time to show what Basilone was doing since he left Guadalcanal. The time line for last night's episode covered a lot of ground. For example, according to the dates you listed, when Basilone arrived at Camp Pendleton, the 1st Marine Division was at Cape Gloucester (episode 4). Also, Sledge and company were on Peleliu from September - November 1944, and at the same time Basilone was training with the 5th Marine Division to preparation for the Iwo invasion.
But that makes me believe even more than the series failed miserably to properly explain the timing of everything. It seems almost impossible to tell the stories of 3 different people in 3 completely different areas and doing completely different things, but even still, I think they could have done a better job in that respect.