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The Pacific (miniseries)

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The Pacific
The Pacific's intertitle
GenreWar miniseries
Written byBruce C. McKenna
Robert Schenkkan
Graham Yost
George Pelecanos
Larry Andries
Michelle Ashford
Directed byTim Van Patten
David Nutter
Jeremy Podeswa
Graham Yost
Carl Franklin
Tony To[2]
StarringJames Badge Dale
Jon Seda
Joseph Mazzello
ComposersHans Zimmer
Geoff Zanelli
Blake Neely
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes10 (List of episodes)
Production
ProducersSteven Spielberg (executive)
Tom Hanks (executive)
Gary Goetzman (executive)
Tony To (co-executive)
Graham Yost (co-executive)
Eugene Kelly (co-executive)
Bruce C. McKenna (co-executive)
Cherylanne Martin
Todd London
Steven Shareshian
Tim Van Patten (supervising)
George Pelecanos (co-producer)
Robert Schenkkan (co-producer)
Running time540.1 minutes
Production companiesDreamWorks Television
Playtone
BudgetUS$ 200 million
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseMarch 14[1] –
May 16, 2010

The Pacific is a 2010 American television series produced by HBO, Playtone and DreamWorks that premiered in the United States on March 14, 2010.

The series is a companion piece to the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers and focuses on the United States Marine Corps' actions in the Pacific Theater of Operations within the wider Pacific War. Whereas Band of Brothers followed the men of Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment through the European Theater, The Pacific centers on the experiences of three Marines (Eugene Sledge, Robert Leckie and John Basilone) who were all in different regiments of the 1st Marine Division.

The Pacific was spearheaded by Bruce C. McKenna (co-executive producer), one of the main writers on Band of Brothers. Hugh Ambrose, the son of Band of Brothers author Stephen Ambrose, served as a project consultant.

The miniseries features the 1st Marine Division's battles in the Pacific, such as Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, as well as Basilone's involvement in the Battle of Iwo Jima. It is based primarily on the memoirs of two U.S. Marines: With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge; and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie.[3] It also draws on Sledge's China Marine[4] and Red Blood, Black Sand, the memoir of Chuck Tatum, a Marine who fought alongside Basilone on Iwo Jima.[5][6]

Episodes

Main article: List of The Pacific episodes

Cast

Production

The Pacific was produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman in association with HBO Miniseries, Playtone, DreamWorks, Seven Network and Sky Movies.[11][12] Seven and Sky both invested in the project for the right to broadcast it in Australia and the United Kingdom respectively.[13] Nine Network has previously broadcast the HBO productions of Band of Brothers. Nine had a broadcast deal with HBO's parent Warner Bros., but then HBO started to distribute its own productions separately.[14] In April 2007, the producers set up a production office in Melbourne and began casting.[15]

Originally the project was estimated at $100 million to produce,[14] but ended up costing over $200 million, making The Pacific the most expensive television miniseries ever created by any network.[16][17][18] According to The Malaysian Insider the series cost $270 million, with an estimated A$134 million of that spent in Australia.[19] The Australian newspaper Herald Sun estimates that it brought 4,000 jobs and generated A$180 million for the Australian economy.[20]

Filming of the miniseries in Australia started on August 10, 2007,[21] and finished in late May 2008.[22] From August until November 2007[23] filming took place at locations in and around Port Douglas, Queensland including Mossman, Queensland;[24] Drumsara Plantation, Mowbray National Park[24] and beaches at Rocky Point, Queensland.[24] Production then moved to rural Victoria,[25][26] in the You Yangs near Lara (from November–December 2007),[27] then at a sand quarry on Sandy Creek Road near Geelong, Victoria until February 2008.[28] Melbourne city locations were used in late 2007 and through 2008 including Central City Studios at Melbourne Docklands (March 2008);[29][30] Flinders Street (between Swanston and Elizabeth streets, 1–4 February 2008);[31][32] the intersection of Swanston and Flinders streets (February 2008);[33] Flinders Street Station (2–3 February 2008).[34] Other suburban locations included Bundoora, Victoria,[35] specifically the Ernest Jones Hall at the La Trobe University campus, Bundoora (late May 2008);[36] the Railway Hotel, South Melbourne (December 2007);[37] Scotch College, Melbourne (December 2007);[37] Melbourne High School (December 2007).[37][38]

The series' score was written by Hans Zimmer, Geoff Zanelli and Blake Neely and was released on March 9, 2010.[citation needed]

Historian Hugh Ambrose, son of Band of Brothers author Stephen E. Ambrose, wrote the official tie-in book to the miniseries,[39] which follows the stories of two of the featured men from the miniseries, Basilone and Sledge, as well as stories of Sledge's close friend Sidney Phillips and two men not featured in the series, marine officer Austin Shofner and U.S. Navy pilot Vernon Micheel. The different cast provides a wider view of the Pacific theatre, allowing the book to include the fall of the Philippines, Midway, Philippine Sea and Luzon and expand the narrative to include depictions of life as experienced by prisoners of war, senior officers and the development of naval aviation. It was published in the UK and the U.S. in March 2010 and Ambrose gave a webcast interview about the book at the Pritzker Military Library on April 15, 2010.[40][41]

Broadcast

The series premiered in the US and Canada[42] on March 14, 2010, on HBO.[43] HBO Asia premiered The Pacific at 9 pm on April 3, 2010, with the first two episodes being consecutively broadcast in the first week. Singapore, Hong Kong, and Indonesia had dual language available. Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Philippines broadcasts were available in high-definition on the HBO Asia HD Channel.[44] The Pacific began broadcast on April 5, 2010 on Sky Movies in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[45] In Portugal, the series was broadcast on April 5, 2010 on AXN and in HD on AXN HD two days after the original broadcast in the U.S. The series broadcast commenced in Australia on Channel 7 on Wednesday, April 14, 2010, at 8:30 pm.[46] In Denmark, Norway, Finland, France and Sweden, the series began broadcasting on Canal+; in Turkey, CNBC-e on 18 April 2010; in the Netherlands, on April 7, 2010 on Veronica; and in Greece, on Nova Cinema on April 10, 2010. In New Zealand, the series began broadcasting on April 12, 2010 on TV One. In Italy, the miniseries began broadcast on May 9, 2010 on Sky Cinema 1; in Germany, on July 15, 2010 on Kabel eins. In Japan, the miniseries started July 18, 2010 on WOWOW.[47] In South Africa, the miniseries started broadcasting on May 5, 2010 on the Mnet channel.

Marketing

The first official U.S. trailer for The Pacific aired on HBO prior to the season 2 premiere of True Blood on June 14, 2009. It showed footage of the three main characters, including a conversation between Leckie and Sledge, Basilone's marriage and numerous combat scenes. The trailer concluded with "2010" displayed on-screen -alluding to and confirming the series release date. A second trailer was released on the HBO website after which the date "March 2010" is displayed, giving a more specific series release date. On January 14, 2010, Comcast added on-demand content from the series, including a scene from The Pacific, interviews with the producers and character profiles.[48] Another trailer was shown in February 2010 during Super Bowl XLIV, depicting several combat scenes. An extended trailer (3:47) to the miniseries can be viewed on the series' official website.

Reception

Critical reception

The Pacific was very well received by critics, receiving an average score of 87 out of 100 at review aggregator Metacritic.[49] Time magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the Top 10 TV Series of 2010,[50] and it also received an 8.3 on IMDb.[51] IGN reviewer Ramsey Isler gave the entire miniseries an 8.5 out of 10 'Great' score, saying "Although I don't think The Pacific overtakes Band of Brothers in terms of technical execution and overall entertainment value, many of the comparisons will be moot as The Pacific is a different kind of series with different goals. This series sought to look beyond the combat and it paints a full, vivid picture of the war and the people that fought it through focused, individual stories. That's a tall order for any series to fulfill, and although The Pacific doesn't always come through with shining colors, it does make an admirable effort."[52] IGN also reviewed each individual episode, with Episode 9 receiving a perfect 10 out of 10 score.[53]

Accolades

The Pacific won a Peabody Award in 2010 for "this series reminding us of the necessities—and the costs—of service."[54]

Primetime Emmy Awards

Category Nominee(s) Episode Result
Outstanding Miniseries Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Tony To, Graham Yost, Eugene Kelly, Bruce C. McKenna, Cherylanne Martin, Todd London, Steven Shareshian, Tim Van Patten, George Pelecanos, Robert Schenkkan Won
Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie Anthony Pratt, Dominic Hyman, Richard Hobbs, Scott Bird, Jim Millet, Rolland Pike, Lisa Thompson Won
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special Meg Liberman, Camille H. Patton, Christine King, Jennifer Euston, Suzanne M. Smith Won
Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie Remi Adefarasin “Peleliu Landing” Nominated
Stephen F. Windon “Okinawa” Nominated
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special Penny Rose, Ken Crouch “Melbourne” Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special David Nutter & Jeremy Podeswa “Iwo Jima” Nominated
Tim Van Patten “Okinawa” Nominated
Outstanding Main Title Design Steve Fuller, Ahmet Ahmet, Peter Frankfurt, Lauren Hartstone Nominated
Outstanding Make-up for a Miniseries or Movie (Non-Prosthetic) Chiara Tripodi, Toni French Won
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special (Original Dramatic Score) Blake Neely, Geoff Zanelli, Hans Zimmer “Home” Nominated
Outstanding Prosthetic Make-up for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special Jason Baird, Sean Genders, Gregory Nicotero, Jac Charlton, Chad Atkinson, Ben Rittenhouse Won
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie Edward A. Warschilka “Peleliu Landing” Nominated
Alan Cody “Iwo Jima” Nominated
Alan Cody & Marta Évry “Okinawa” Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special Tom Bellfort, Benjamin L. Cook, Daniel S. Irwin, Hector C. Gika, Charles Maynes, Paul Aulicino, John C. Stuver, David Williams, Michelle Pazer, John Finklea, Jody Thomas, Katie Rose “Peleliu Landing” Won
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie Andrew Ramage, Michael Minkler, Daniel Leahy “Basilone” Won
Andrew Ramage, Michael Minkler, Daniel Leahy, Craig Mann “Peleliu Landing” Nominated
Gary Wilkins, Michael Minkler, Daniel Leahy, Marc Fishman “Iwo Jima” Nominated
Gary Wilkins, Michael Minkler, Daniel Leahy “Okinawa” Nominated
Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special John E. Sullivan, Joss Williams, David Taritero, Peter Webb, Dion Hatch, John P. Mesa, Jerry Pooler, Paul Graff “Guadalcanal/Leckie” Nominated
John E. Sullivan, Joss Williams, David Taritero, David Goldberg, Angelo Sahin, Marco Recuay, William Mesa, Chris Bremble, Jerry Pooler “Peleliu Landing” Won
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special Robert Schenkkan & Michelle Ashford “Iwo Jima” Nominated
Bruce C. McKenna & Robert Schenkkan “Home” Nominated

Golden Globe Awards

Category Outcome
Best Miniseries or Television Film Nominated

References

  1. ^ Stanhope, Kate (16 December 2009). "HBO to Premiere The Pacific 14 March". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  2. ^ Schneider, Michael (15 August 2007). "More directors take 'Pacific' plunge". Variety. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  3. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (24 April 2007). "HBO greenlights Spielberg mini". Variety. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  4. ^ "About the Series". HBO. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  5. ^ "Red Blood Black Sand". MarinesWWII.com. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  6. ^ a b c Gilbert, Lori (14 March 2010). "Stockton man's Iwo Jima experience part of HBO miniseries". The Record. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=127544164
  9. ^ Patterson, Michael Robert (27 January 2007). "Andrew A. Haldane". arlingtoncemetery.net. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  10. ^ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=3774242
  11. ^ "Channel Seven Lands Spielberg". News.com.au. 16 May 2007.
  12. ^ Reynolds, Simon. "Sky responds to 'Pacific' airing criticisms". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  13. ^ Ziffer, Daniel (16 May 2007). "Spielberg miniseries forms link with Seven". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  14. ^ a b Bodey, Michael (16 May 2007). "Seven trumps Nine by landing war miniseries". The Australian. News.com.au. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  15. ^ Browne, Rachel (8 April 2007). "Australia Poised to Score $150m Deal for Epic War Series". The Sun-Herald.
  16. ^ Askmen.com: The Pacific: 5 Things you Didn't Know
  17. ^ Popeater.com (AOL News): How HBO Made the Most Expensive Mini-Series of All-Time
  18. ^ Manila Bulletin: 'The Pacific', a $200 million HBO mini-series
  19. ^ Dunn, Emily; Maddox, Garry (3 December 2008). "Stay in Touch: Thanks Hanks". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  20. ^ "Movies on a Roll". Herald Sun. Australia. 3 August 2008.
  21. ^ "First Shots in War Epic". mX. 10 August 2007.
  22. ^ "University's Hall of Fame". Diamond Valley News. 21 May 2008.
  23. ^ Browne, Sophia (9 November 2007). "Crew Retreats from North". The Cairns Post.
  24. ^ a b c Irby, Ross (26 September 2007). "Battleline retreats for filming". The Cairns Post.
  25. ^ "Spielberg to Film in Queensland". The West Australian. 22 June 2007. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Kalina, Paul (26 April 2007). "Spielberg war Epic for Docklands". The Age. Australia. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  27. ^ Devlyn, Darren (10 November 2007). "War Comes to You Yangs". Herald Sun. Australia.
  28. ^ "Film Cast Member Breaks Leg in Freak Incident". Geelong Advertiser. 31 January 2008.
  29. ^ Idato, Michael (21 May 2007). "The View: Spielberg's Pacific". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  30. ^ Breen, Daniel (24 January 2008). "Strike Forces Early End to Filming". Geelong Advertiser.
  31. ^ Cameron, Kellie (3 February 2008). "Spielberg Declares War". Sunday Mail.
  32. ^ Byrne, Fiona (4 November 2007). "CBD's Role in Major Movie". Herald Sun. Australia.
  33. ^ Lucas, Clay (15 September 2007). "Spielberg and Hanks to stop Melbourne traffic". The Age. Australia.
  34. ^ Burke, Kelly (9 February 2008). ""Film capital" on tenterhooks as Melbourne steals show". The Age. Australia.
  35. ^ Cannata, Sarah (25 June 2008). "Baird Hitches up His Horses to Draw Movie Roles". Whittlesea Post.
  36. ^ "University's Hall of Fame", Diamond Valley News, 21 May 2008
  37. ^ a b c Smith, Bridie (11 December 2007). "School's Out and The Army's In, Albeit for a Very Pacific Reason". The Age. Australia.
  38. ^ Bruce-Rosser, Kate (26 March 2008). "Fight for a Skyline". Stonnington Leader.
  39. ^ Neilan, Catherine (14 December 2009). "Canongate signs The Pacific tie-in". The Bookseller. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  40. ^ Ambrose, Hugh (March 2010). The Pacific. New York: New American Library. ISBN 978-0-451-23023-2. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  41. ^ Webcast Interview of Hugh Ambrose at the Pritzker Military Library on April 15, 2010
  42. ^ "IMDb News".
  43. ^ O'Hara, Helen (23 April 2009). "Exclusive: Tom Hanks On Toy Story 3". Empire online. Retrieved 3 April 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  44. ^ "The Pacific official site". HBO Asia.
  45. ^ "Sky Acquires New Series "'The Pacific' from the Makers of Band of Brothers". Press Release. BSkyB. 21 April 2009. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
    "Spielberg & Hanks' The Pacific Comes To Sky Movies". MOVIES:. BSkyB.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  46. ^ Devlyn, Darren (April 6, 2010). Channel 7 drama, The Pacific, creates 4000 Aussie jobs. Herald Sun, 6 April 2010.
  47. ^ "The Pacific official site". WOWOW.
  48. ^ "Comcast adds exclusive HD content from 'The Pacific'". HD Report. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  49. ^ "The Pacific". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  50. ^ Poniewozik, James (9 December 2010). "The Top 10 Everything of 2010 – The Pacific". Time. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  51. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374463/
  52. ^ Ramsey Isler (19 May 2010). "The Pacific: Series Review". IGN. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  53. ^ "The Pacific Review". IGN.
  54. ^ 70th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2011.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Pacific (miniseries).
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