Feature The Pacific
The Leeds Guide is invited along for a sneak preview of the pilot for Spielberg and Hanks' new Second World War TV series
Feature: The Pacific
In 2001, Steven Spielberg teamed up with Tom Hanks to bring you the Emmy Award winning ‘Band of Brothers’ – a ten part TV mini series set during the Second World War. It focused on Easy Company’s journey during their time in France, from their initial training in 1942 to the infamous D-Day landings in Normandy. After such high praise they have re-collaborated to bring you ‘The Pacific’.
‘The Pacific’ follows three intertwined stories of marines Leckie, Sledge and Basilone during their battles against the Japanese. After the surprise attack on the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbour, within 24 hours thousands of young Americans decided to enlist in the armed forces to fight for their country. ‘The Pacific’ tracks the soldiers through a number of key areas including the ferocious opening battle at Guadalcanal to the bleak, sandy terraces of Iwo Jima, through the terror of Okinawa and finally to their triumphant but tense return home after V-J Day.
It has a number of similarities to ‘Band of Brothers’ including the fierce and realistic action sequences as well as strong performances that make it a highly engaging drama. However in terms of production (shot entirely in high definition at a cost of around $220 million, twice as much as ‘Band of Brothers’) there is a very different approach in terms of scale. It very much feels like a Hollywood theatrical release rather than a TV series, and clearly that is what the production team have intended to create.
You can of course make up your own minds when this high concept, high definition drama hits Sky Movies in the Spring, with the first two episodes being shown back to back.
‘The Pacific’ is on Sky Movies Premiere/HD from Monday 5th April at 9pm
Posted on Tuesday 2nd March 2010
Michael Cunneen
Sending you to Twitter, hold on... 
