A war drama mini-series titled The Pacific was made for viewers to enjoy following a similar concept, where the tale of war is told through the eyes of two surviving U.S. marines during World War II’s Pacific Theatres.
Directed by Tim Van Pattern and David Nutter, the war-series drama is based on a memoir by two United States Marine Europe by Eugene Sledge titled With The Old Breed and Helmet For My Pillow by Robert Leckie.
Written by Bruce C. McKenna and Graham Yost, the series stars James Badge Dale playing PFC. Robert Leckie’s role, Ashton Holmes playing Cpl. Sidney Phillips’ role, Josh Helman playing PFC Wilbur Runner Conley, Keith Nobles playing PFC. Bill Hoosier’s role and Toby Leonard Moore playing 2nd Lt. Stone in the lead.
The supporting cast stars Henry Nixon playing 1stLt. Hugh Corrigan’s role, Tom Budge playing PFC. Ronnie Gibson’s role, Caroline Dhavernas playing Vera Keller’s role, Joseph Mazzrllo playing Cpl. Eugene Sledge’s role, Rami Malek playing Cpl. Merriell Shelton’s role, Linda Cropper playing Mary Frank’s role, Scott Gibson playing Capt. Andrew Haldane’s role, and William Sadler plays Lt. Col. Lewis’s role.
Released on March 14, 2010, The Pacific was brought by HBO for viewers’ to know what goes on between and after a war is over. Losing a loved one isn’t easy ever, but one learns to deal with it.
The mini-series has ten episodes with a runtime of 45-58 minutes that focuses on the emotions of people in war and their families suffering. The war drama series had a massive budget of $200 M. Viewers loved the authenticity of emotions portrayed by the movie’s brilliant cast.
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The Pacific – Premise
The mini-series focuses on the memories of two U.S. marines and their experience during the Second World War in the Pacific Theater. The series starts with the week following the Pearl Harbor attack and Robert attending church and encountering Vera Keller, his neighbor, on the way out.
Robert makes a promise to Vera about writing letters to her daily as he has enlisted himself in the United States Marine Corps. Meanwhile, John Basilone and his companions, including Manny Rodriguez and J.P Morgan, are informed by Cbesty Puller about the Marine Corps entering the Pacific Theatre.
John and his noncommissioned officer friends attend a Christmas dinner with the Basilone family, while Eugene Sledge and Sidney Phillips, two childhood best friends, bid adieu before Sidney leaves for the boot camp. The Guadalcanal Campaign started in the August of 1942. Meanwhile, the 7th Marines and Basilone land on the Guadalcanal to fortify the defense around the Henderson field.
Basilone ends up burning his hands after he holds the hot barrel with his bare hands while attempting to hide and relocate his machine gun. The following morning, Basilone comes to know about Rodriguez not making it out alive as he died in action, though Basilone killed several of the Japanese soldiers.
Meanwhile, the 1st Marine Division is relieved after arriving in Melbourne, and Leckie falls in love with charming Stella Karamanlis, but she breaks his heart in fear of losing him during the war. Leckie and his friend are demoted after the two become drunk, and Leckie relives Juergens from his guard duty.
Basilone is sent home after receiving a Medal of Honour for his actions in the war. Eugene enlists in the Marine and begins to train as he wasn’t able to do so earlier due to suffering from a heart murmur. Meanwhile, Leckie gets treated for his issues with bedwetting.
Sledge and Phillips briefly reunite with each other before Phillips returns home, and the Marines continue to move to capture Peleliu’s vital airfield while continuing to fight exceedingly with little drinkable water. After showing several battles, the Marines returned after the Japanese surrender.
After his return, Leckie takes up a job at a newspaper while starting a new relationship with Vera. Leckie reveals to Vera that he never sent the letters he wrote during the war as he wasn’t sure that he would survive in the war. The series ends with Sledge being haunted by the war horrors while Basilone’s widow gives his medal of honor to his parents.
The Pacific – Filming Locations
The filming of Pacific started on August 10, 2007, and wrapped up in May 2008, with Port Douglas, Queensland, as the prime location.
1. Port Douglas, Queensland
Known for luxe designs and luxury resorts, the beautiful town in the Coral Sea, Port Douglas, was used for the filming of the war-drama series by the production crew of The Pacific.
The filming location was used for the filming of the scenes with the men being stationed at the beach. Some of the other locations used for filming include Mowbray National Park and Mossman Drumsara Plantation.
2. Australia
Known for cute koalas, lush rainforests, rolling wine, and tropical beaches, a beautiful sovereign country was used for the filming of the brilliant series. Lara, a rural town in Victoria, Australia, was used for filming some parts of the miniseries. The scene where Leckie and his soldiers arrive in Guadalcanal through tall grasses was mostly likely filmed here.
The Central City Studios in Melbourne Docklands was used to film some of the scenes by the production crew of The Pacific. The scene where the Marines arrive in Melbourne to reprive was most likely filmed at this location. Some other locations used for filming the mini-series include Flinders Street and Rocky Point Island.
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