Series Shows Bravery, Horror of 'Pacific' Fighting
Walt Belcher - Tampa Tribune
Mar 09, 2010
Having covered the European battles of World War II in "Band of Brothers," Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks teamed again to produce "The Pacific," a 10-hour, $200 million miniseries debuting Sunday night on HBO.
"The Pacific" is as graphic, gritty, violent and triumphant as "Band of Brothers" (1998), which won six Emmy Awards. It follows the men of the 101st Airborne Division from boot camp to the D-Day invasion and on to victory in Germany.
"The Pacific" is inspired by real-life accounts from Marines who fought against Japan in the islands of the Pacific, including John Basilone, a hero at Guadalcanal who was awarded the Medal of Honor.
It also is based on books such as E.B. Sledge's "With the Old Breed," "Red Blood, Black Sand" by Chuck Tatum and Robert Leckie's "Helmet for My Pillow." There's a companion book coming out for "The Pacific," written by historian Hugh Ambrose.
Basilone is played by Jon Seda, Sledge by Joe Mazzello and Leckie by James Badge Dale. They head a cast of more than 30 principal roles. The story recounts the bloody battles of Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, tiny Peleliu and Okinawa.
Hanks, on the cover of the current Time magazine, is being hailed for producing American history dramas including "John Adams."
Hanks' father served in the Navy during World War II and saw action in the Pacific. In the Time interview, Hanks says he wanted to show the bravery of those who fought in the Pacific and also the horrors of that war.
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