The Pacific

The Pacific: Brutal Warfilm Done Right Modern media rarely depict the Second World War's Pacific theater. This lack of portrayal is due to the violent and depressing nature of that theater of war. The Pacific, a US miniseries produced in 2010 strives to show this war with no filters, and give a snapshot of what it was like to fight in this conflict.  It was directed by many different directors, each giving their own spin on the show.  It was filmed in color, and its run time is 530 minutes long. The Pacific focuses on the exploits of three Marines from the 1st Marine Division. These three soldiers are as follows: Robert Leckie, Eugene Sledge, and John Basilone. What they endured encompassed many different experiences that defined the Pacific theater. Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa are some of the crucial battles featured in The Pacific. In addition to showing significant battles, The Pacific also shows non-fighting experiences too. Leave from the front line and post-war were both shown in detail, making the miniseries a complete view into the wartime experience.

Disclaimer: I shall not be summarizing every detail of the plot considering that it is so massive.

Episode 1:

   The first episode of The Pacific starts with Robert Leckie going to church to pray for the Pearl Harbor victims. Basilone has a meeting with other NCOs (Non-commissioned officer) and eating dinner with a fellow Marine. The atmosphere during these times is something not often seen in other films. The overall feeling of uncertainty before any battles have happened is refreshing. In this episode, we also see Sledge getting a check-up from his father, who determines that he has a heart murmur. The heart murmur prevents Sledge from joining the Marines for now and fills his heart with disappointment. This plays into the cliche of everyone wanting to join the military to "do their part." It's seen in movies from Hacksaw Ridge to Captain America and is a little played out at this point.

   The main focus of the first episode is Leckie's first experience with combat. Leckie was a member of one of the first regiments to land at Guadalcanal. We see the Marines of the 1st Marine Regiment in the Higgins landing crafts. They are very nervous about what lies ahead of them.  Once Leckie and company land, however, they are met with an empty beach with the exception of a few soldiers who are relaxing.  This is an accurate depiction of what first happened at Guadalcanal since the Japanese had decided to fortify their positions further inland.  From this point on, it became a waiting game.  The Marines only find traces of Japanese activity.  Tension builds and the Marines become more and more fearful of the unseen enemy.  At last, the Japanese reveal themselves, rushing the Marine’s position in the middle of the night.  The following morning reveals a great number of dead Japanese soldiers.  While the Marines are checking the dead, a Japanese soldier playing dead activates a grenade, killing a medic.  The most interesting part of the episode follows.  An unarmed Japanese soldier is tortured by Marines by gunfire, pushing him to mentally break.  Leckie then kills the Japanese soldier out of mercy, much to the dismay of his fellow soldiers.

    This final part of the episode is a great example of how The Pacific doesn’t try to sugarcoat the events of the war.  It shows that the US armed forces also committed atrocities and that we should not be portrayed as the knights in shining armor.  This scene also characterizes Leckie very well.  He is shown to be more compassionate than his fellow Marines, a rare quality during wartime.

Episode 2:

    The second episode has many elements that define the Pacific theater.  One scene has Marines rushing an Army camp and stealing supplies.  This scene is significant because it shows the rivalry between the Army and Marines.  This scene also demonstrates the supply situation during Guadalcanal (and most of the war).  During this episode, there are Marines that eat rations from 1918.  During most of the war, the Marines would receive reserve Army equipment, leaving the Marines to dislike the Army.

    The other significant thing to happen during this episode is that John Basilone earned his medal of honor.  The Japanese attacked Basilone’s regiment in the middle of the night, outnumbering them by a large margin.  Basilone defended him and his fellow Marines with extreme valor, going far as picking up a searing hot LMG (Light machine gun) in order to hold the position.  He single-handedly saved many individual Marine's lives and was a deciding factor during the defense.

    The final part of the second episode is also important.  As the 1st Marine Division is leaving Guadalcanal, Leckie talks to a cook who says, “Guadalcanal? Everybody's heard of Guadalcanal and the 1st Marine division. You guys are on the front page of every newspaper in America. You're heroes back home.”  This is reflective of how people felt about the Marines who fought in Guadalcanal.  They saw Guadalcanal as the first resounding victory in the war, and the first step towards defeating the Axis.

Episode 3 & 4:

    Episode 3 and 4 don’t show major battles, but instead shows what it was like for the Marines who went on leave in foreign countries.  They were both hailed as heroes who were major factors in winning the war.  However, at the same time, they were also resented by some because of the way they acted.

    During these episodes we see both Leckie and Basilone having a break from combat.  Leckie was sent to Australia, where he interacts with the locals in many different ways.  Basilone was sent back to the United States in order for him to receive his medal of honor, and to sell war bonds.

    In both Leckie and Basilone’s times away from the frontlines, they feel some form of PTSD.  Basilone later on the series feels guilty for no longer being on the battlefield.  He chooses to return, leading to his death on the beaches of Iwo Jima.  Leckie had issues with handling stress from the battle, so he is sent to a hospital in order to recover.

    In the hospital, he meets a fellow Marine that he knew.  He is also going through issues dealing with the stress of war.  In the conversation they have, you can tell that Leckie sees that he could have ended up just like his comrade.  This episode has an extreme focus on the effect of war on an individual’s mind.  The conversation Leckie has only furthers the point that it is important to take care and maintain a healthy mental state while at war.

Episodes 5, 6 & 7:

    These episodes chronicled the 1st Marine Division’s time on Peleliu.  It couldn’t be a film about the Pacific theater without the naval landings.  Peleliu is the one that is focused on the most during The Pacific.  To my understanding, this part of the miniseries was to fully highlight the combat scenarios that a Marine would find in the Pacific war.  

Episode 8 & 9:

    These episodes contain the Battle of Okinawa in them, one of the bloodiest of the entire war.  They were shot in a very gritty and realistic way that reflected what was happening in the battle.  The color grading was also beautiful during this part of the film, boosting the red in the so the scenes feel more violent and murky.  The cinematography during this part was also amazing.  The directors found a way to make an ugly and disgusting landscape a beautiful one. This scene is particularly interesting:

    The acting in this scene is incredible, and the composition just compliments everything.  The most impactful part (at least for me) is watching Sledge stare at the burning Japanese soldiers as they get gunned down by Marines.  It looks like he can’t believe what is set out before his eyes.  He finds the suffering and cruelty unfathomable.  He is then asked by a fellow Marine if he was okay.  The following conversation summarizes the Marine's mindset perfectly.  The other Marine dehumanizes the Japanese, making them out to be “rats” that need to be exterminated.

Episode 10:

    Episode 10 is the most interesting episode in my opinion.  The acting and writing transcend what came before it.  Episode 10 tells the tale of the Marines coming home and trying to readjust to civilian life.  Very few films even dare delve into this idea since it is such a touchy and relevant topic.  One scene has Sledge attempting to restart his life, and go to college.  However, the Marine Corps does not provide training that is useful in peacetime.

You can see his face slowly fall as he realizes his skill set no longer has any use.  He therefore also feels like he has no use in society.  Sledge’s story is one that is all too familiar for veterans.  This episode’s central message is that veterans returning from wartime require assistance to return to a person that can contribute during peace.