HBO's Band of Brothers: Pacific War

[Rumsfield 1]

Thanks for the update Bulldogs, I can't wait to see this on DVD.

I agree with you that the first Band of Brothers was biased toward the Americans. However I'm not surprised that this new series is presented from an American point of view, considering the following info I found on wikipedia:

The Pacific is based primarily on two memoirs of U.S. Marines, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie.[3] The series will tell the stories of the two authors and Marine John Basilone, as the war against the Empire of Japan rages. It also draws on Sledge's China Marine[28] and Red Blood, Black Sand,[29] the memoir of Chuck Tatum, a Marine who fought alongside Basilone at Iwo Jima.

Perhaps if they do another series they could present it from the European allied point of view, or even from the German point of view :eek:. Personally I would like to see a German or Russian version of this series, as watching the western allied may feel a bit redundant.

[Hans Ludwig 0]

Or you can just watch it here.

http://www.hbo.com/#/the-pacific/episodes/0/01-part-1/index.html

[4 IN 1 0]

Thanks for the update Bulldogs, I can't wait to see this on DVD.

I agree with you that the first Band of Brothers was biased toward the Americans. However I'm not surprised that this new series is presented from an American point of view, considering the following info I found on wikipedia:

Perhaps if they do another series they could present it from the European allied point of view, or even from the German point of view :eek:. Personally I would like to see a German or Russian version of this series, as watching the western allied may feel a bit redundant.

Why would they? It is an American TV series for American people telling the storys of amreican soldiers in that war from the first place, which is just as stupid to ask BI to creat all NATO country armed force and put it into the game selling $60 just for the sake of "because you want it"

Besides BOB never did(nor even try to) convince people that US are the only one who fighting the war, I have no idea why you guys get these idea, even from a non-American people view:confused:

[bangtail 0]

BoB was biased.

As much as the producers claim it was all based on fact, there were some things I had a lot of trouble believing.

For example, I'm so sure one American ran up on ~40 Germans and shot them all 'willy nilly' while they just sat around and watched /sarcasm off.

The first episode of the Pacific was more of the same, 4 Americans die while killing what looked like hundreds of Japs. I'm not saying this didn't happen on both sides but the producers make a point of showing it from an American perspective.

This is completely understandable as it was made for American audiences and it wouldn't sell very well if they were objective and actually made a show that was completely impartial and unbiased.

I found BoB to be highly entertaining despite the obvious bias and I suspect I will enjoy The Pacific as well.

Edited March 18, 2010 by BangTail

[4 IN 1 0]

BoB was biased.

As much as the producers claim it was all based on fact, there were some things I had a lot of trouble believing.

For example, I'm so sure one American ran up on ~40 Germans and shot them all 'willy nilly' while they just sat around and watched /sarcasm off.

The first episode of the Pacific was more of the same, 4 Americans die while killing what looked like hundreds of Japs. I'm not saying this didn't happen on both sides but the producers make a point of showing it from an American perspective.

This is completely understandable as it was made for American audiences and it wouldn't sell very well if they were objective and actually made a show that was completely impartial and unbiased.

I found BoB to be highly entertaining despite the obvious bias and I suspect I will enjoy The Pacific as well.

four words: READ THE DAMN BOOKS

besides, every sane man would know that you cant make TV show 100% based on facts, there are areas that need to tweak and change inorder to make it entertaining

Edited March 18, 2010 by 4 IN 1

[reyhard 2082]

Why would they? It is an American TV series for American people telling the storys of amreican soldiers in that war from the first place, which is just as stupid to ask BI to creat all NATO country armed force and put it into the game selling $60 just for the sake of "because you want it"

Well, the thing is, that assumptions like 'everyone want to see heroic american soldiers killing hundreds of enemies is based on public opinion. If HBO will see, there is demand for showing war from different point of view, then, I suppose, they will make something like that. So telling that is dumb, to request such thing is... well, they said once that's it's ridiculous to fly like birds ;)

[bangtail 0]

four words: READ THE DAMN BOOK

besides, every sane man would know that you cant make TV show 100% based on facts, there are areas that need to tweak and change inorder to make it entertaining

Yes, because what someone wrote is obviously just as accurate as what they put on TV.

Maybe it happened, maybe it didn't. My point was that it certainly didn't seem plausible in the way that it was filmed/portrayed.

With regards to your 2nd comment, I'm well aware of that and I clearly stated it in my post.

---------- Post added at 12:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:08 PM ----------

Well, the thing is, that assumptions like 'everyone want to see heroic american soldiers killing hundreds of enemies is based on public opinion. If HBO will see, there is demand for showing war from different point of view, then, I suppose, they will make something like that. So telling that is dumb, to request such thing is... well, they said once that's it's ridiculous to fly like birds ;)

Hollywood (for the most part) doesn't make objective and unbiased films when it comes to the USA's war exploits.

Again, that's fine, they produce things that people will pay to see. It's a business.

I find Europe is far better at making objective war films. All you have to do is grab a copy of Stalingrad to see that in action.

Edited March 18, 2010 by BangTail

[4 IN 1 0]

Well, the thing is, that assumptions like 'everyone want to see heroic american soldiers killing hundreds of enemies is based on public opinion. If HBO will see, there is demand for showing war from different point of view, then, I suppose, they will make something like that. So telling that is dumb, to request such thing is... well, they said once that's it's ridiculous to fly like birds ;)

my point is, that it would not be a series, but something else

oh and just to point out, we human alone still cant fly like birds, we made machine that fly(or land safely)

Yes, because what someone wrote is obviously just as accurate as what they put on TV.

Maybe it happened, maybe it didn't. My point was that it certainly didn't seem plausible in the way that it was filmed/portrayed.

With regards to your 2nd comment, I'm well aware of that and I clearly stated it in my post.

If you cant trust the books written by those person who acturally been there(with evidence from later researchers),who else can you trust?

Edited March 18, 2010 by 4 IN 1

[bangtail 0]

my point is, that it would not be a series, but something else

oh and just to point out, we human alone still cant fly like birds, we made machine that fly(or land safely)

If you cant trust the books written by those person who acturally been there(with evidence from later researchers),who else can you trust?

Short answer, no one ;)

As I said, it's got more to do with the way it was filmed. It just doesn't seem plausible to me but hey, I wasn't there.

No amount of 'research' is going to validate anyone's claims with respect to that specific incident. Either you were there, or you weren't.

If you actually believe that shows like 'BoB' and 'The Pacific' are unbiased, objective portrayals of what actually happened, you're delusional.

It's entertainment for the masses (and it excels in that capacity), not pure historical fact.

I really hope Spielberg and Co do a Vietnam version of it :)

Edited March 18, 2010 by BangTail

[Rumsfield 1]

Why would they? It is an American TV series for American people telling the storys of amreican soldiers in that war from the first place, which is just as stupid to ask BI to creat all NATO country armed force and put it into the game selling $60 just for the sake of "because you want it"

Besides BOB never did(nor even try to) convince people that US are the only one who fighting the war, I have no idea why you guys get these idea, even from a non-American people view:confused:

I agree with you that Band of Brothers is an "American TV series for American people telling the storys of amreican soldiers", I have no dispute with you on that.

However, you said "Why would they?" If I understand you correctly, it sounds as if you believe it is highly unlikely that Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks would ever consider making a war series that was not from an American perspective. Consider not too long ago Spielberg was the producer for a movie called "Letters from Iwo Jima":

The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.

Also, he produced/directed "Schindler's List" another movie not told from an American perspective. I have to disagree with you, and say that it is well within the realm of possibility to see them make a series like BoB from a non-American perspective, assuming, of course, that they decide to make another war series and assuming it is focused on world war II, again.

[bangtail 0]

However, you said "Why would they?" If I understand you correctly, it sounds as if you believe it is highly unlikely that Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks would ever consider making a war series that was not from an American perspective. Consider not too long ago Spielberg was the producer for a movie called "Letters from Iwo Jima":

Yah, that would be really cool. I'd love to see them do the Soviets in Afghanistan. That would be killer.

[blazer01 0]

Letters from Iwo Jima good film in my books id like to see him do one from Soviets perspective of WW2

[bangtail 0]

Letters from Iwo Jima good film in my books id like to see him do one from Soviets perspective of WW2

Yep, that would be very cool as well :)

[reyhard 2082]

oh and just to point out, we human alone still cant fly like birds, we made machine that fly(or land safely)

I don't think people in those times (and so I ;)) thought about flying alone. Do I have to mention Ikar and how in ancient age they imagined flying?

Letters from Iwo Jima good film in my books id like to see him do one from Soviets perspective of WW2

As fas as I'm concerned, there is plenty of Russian movies created, that more or less try to stylize on american movies (Shtrafbat?)

[sic-disaster 311]

We need more war movies from different perspectives in general, without the cheesy love backstory.

There is so much untouched stuff left, not just from WW2.

But there is a distinct lack of Eastern Front movies, or movies on the German side in general.

Or a good movie about the Finland-Russian war, Russians in Afghanistan, World War 1 with all sides etc.

[Bulldogs 10]

What BOB and the Pacific do is perspective and omission. That's not a bad thing, actually it's a good thing.

Perspective has to be done otherwise it's not a strong story, just a documentary. Omission also has to be done because if it adds too many layers and too many characters and demographics then it's just going to confuse everyone.

The omission I mean is that they avoid any mention of allies. BOB had some short mentions of how the Russian captured some POW camps and such but to the most part they avoid any stories about linking up with non-US allied forces or about what allied forces have done in the war.

The Pacific is a shining example of this. Read up about how the pacific campaign carried out from all perspectives, including how the Australians had to withdraw their forces from Africa to hold off the Japanese invasion, how they spent years fighting them, and how the Australians were overrun and had to withdraw leaving behind only a few troops who disobeyed orders to stay and train the locals to fight the Japanese forces in guerrilla warfare. Watch how the locals with the help of some troops held off the Japanese for months until the US joined the battle by cutting off the Japanese from behind ceasing their supplies.

After that, watch the intro to Pacific again and notice that it avoids any mention of anyone other than US being invloved in the Pacific campaign.

As I said, this isn't a bad thing. For the series to remain story centric it has to focus primarily on the efforts of the company without consfusing the viewers with too much detail. That's why series like BOB and the Pacific are both brilliant, compelling and informative, they're just not documentary, which is a mistake many people make with them.

Edited March 18, 2010 by Bulldogs

[4 IN 1 0]

Thats because BOB is really mostly only about E company stories, and it limited to the three main person and the ones who know them well in the pacific, there isnt really much room for stories of other sides, otherwise it will not be a story teller, but a very badly made documentary.

All in all both bob and the pacific is not intented for people to "see the bigger picture" of the war, we have documentary for that, what they intented to do is to take a peek on how it is like being a US soldierat that time.

Edited March 19, 2010 by 4 IN 1

[andersson 285]

OT: warmovies about finland and russia:

We need more war movies from different perspectives in general, without the cheesy love backstory.

There is so much untouched stuff left, not just from WW2.

But there is a distinct lack of Eastern Front movies, or movies on the German side in general.

Or a good movie about the Finland-Russian war, Russians in Afghanistan, World War 1 with all sides etc.

Abit OT but there are many films about finland-russia and the 2 russian movies about afghanistan I seen is good (there are more but I havent found anyone with text).

Fin : talvisota (winter war) and Ru: 9 rota (9th company) is recommended by me.

Btw: Good german films are das boot and stalingrad.

I wouldnt say lack of films. But ofcourse I would like to see more, I agree that there are many good interesting settings from the eastern front that could be excellent movies.

[sudayev 27]

Who says about lack of war movies or series from soviet perspective?

There is a great russian series called - SHTRAFBAT from 2004 and it is about penal rifle squad and their poor misery. One of best war series I have ever watched, seriously. And without cheesyness with excellent acting. Some actors that played in 9th Company also have their appearance here in Shtrafbat, for example Aleksandr Bashirov (Pomidor from 9 rota). I dont think HBO would have made such epic and reallistic vision with this one here.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425715/

Teasers, clips on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=SHTRAFBAT&search=Search&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&spell=1

And another good production from Russia I'd like to recommend you is - Grozovye Vorota (Storm Gates).

Story is very similar to "9 Rota", but action takes place in Chechnya Mountains. if you like "9 Rota" you will also like Storm Gates. There is a lot of shooting in this series. Everything is filmed very well.

Imdb entry:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0902981/

Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Grozovye+vorota&search_type=&aq=f

Enjoy all & Peace

Edited March 22, 2010 by Sudayev

[jakerod 254]

Is "Grozovye Vorota" about that battle on top of a hill in Chechyna where the VDV got surrounded?

[andersson 285]

I been searching for Grozovye Vorota today and if I got it right there are two films made after the series.

I would like to buy the series with english subtitles but cant find it anywhere, only the movie.

[sic-disaster 311]

I have Ninth Rota lying here, as well as Stalingrad.

Both are great movies.

I have been looking for Strafhbat for some time but i couldnt find a proper copy with English (or preferably Dutch) subtitles for a reasonable price.

I shiver at the thought of Enemy at the Gates though. What a horrible piece of shit that was...

[sudayev 27]

Is "Grozovye Vorota" about that battle on top of a hill in Chechyna where the VDV got surrounded?

Yes, this is it.

[Sugz 10]

On toppic...

I saw the first 2 Episodes. And, I dont know, its a very good series so far, but I'm struggling getting into the mood of the situation and the characters emotions as i did with Band of Brothers - It feels like there is something missing.

Oh, and why did they do away with the Washed out colour scheme of BOB, that helped it look more authentic!

[Steakslim 1]

On toppic...

I saw the first 2 Episodes. And, I dont know, its a very good series so far, but I'm struggling getting into the mood of the situation and the characters emotions as i did with Band of Brothers - It feels like there is something missing.

Oh, and why did they do away with the Washed out colour scheme of BOB, that helped it look more authentic!

Because it's cliche by now? While i like the desaturated bleach bypass look, it has been overused, plus I do not think it would of been as esthetically pleasing in pacific jungle shots. What color choices they're using so far are working well enough.