The Pacific (miniseries)

The Pacific

The Pacific's intertitle
Genre War miniseries
Directed by Tim Van Patten
David Nutter
Jeremy Podeswa
Graham Yost
Carl Franklin
Tony To[1]
Produced by Steven Spielberg (executive)
Tom Hanks (executive)
Gary Goetzman (executive)
Tony To (co-executive)
Graham Yost (co-executive)
Eugene Kelly (co-executive)
Bruce McKenna (co-executive)
Cherylanne Martin
Todd London
Steven Shareshian
Tim Van Patten (supervising)
George Pelecanos (co-producer)
Robert Schenkkan (co-producer)
Written by Bruce McKenna
Robert Schenkkan
Graham Yost
George Pelecanos
Larry Andries
Michelle Ashford
Starring James Badge Dale
Jon Seda
Joseph Mazzello
Music by Hans Zimmer
Geoff Zanelli
Blake Neely
Budget US$ 150 million
Country United States
United Kingdom
Australia
Original channel HBO, Sky Movies, Seven Network Australia
Original run 14 March – 16 May 2010 (2010-05-16)
Running time 540 minutes
No. of episodes 10
Official website

The Pacific is a 10-part television World War II miniseries, produced by HBO, Seven Network Australia, Sky Movies, Playtone and DreamWorks, that premiered in the United States on March 14, 2010.[2]

The Pacific is a sister to the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers. It focuses on the United States Marine Corps' actions in the Pacific Theater of Operations within the wider Pacific War. Whereas Band of Brothers followed one Army infantry company through the European Theater, The Pacific follows three Marines (Eugene Sledge, Robert Leckie and John Basilone) in separate combat actions.

The Pacific was spearheaded by Bruce 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.[3]

Contents

Synopsis

The Pacific is based primarily on two memoirs of U.S. Marines, With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie.[3] The miniseries tells the stories of the two authors and Marine John Basilone, as the war against the Empire of Japan rages. It also draws on Sledge's China Marine[4] and Red Blood, Black Sand,[5] the memoir of Chuck Tatum, a Marine who fought alongside Basilone on Iwo Jima.[6]

The miniseries features well-known battles with Japan involving the 1st Marine Division, such as Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, as well as Basilone's involvement in the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Hugh Ambrose has written the official tie-in book to the miniseries,[7] which follows the stories of the three men featured in the miniseries as well as stories of their fellow Marines. It was published in the USA and UK in March 2010.

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.[8] Seven invested in the project for the right to broadcast it in Australia.[9] 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.[10]

In April 2007, the producers set up a production office in Melbourne and began casting.[11]

Filming of the miniseries in Australia started 10 August 2007,[12] and finished in late May 2008.[13]

The score was written by Hans Zimmer, Geoff Zanelli and Blake Neely and was released on 9 March 2010. The miniseries premiered in the USA on 14 March 2010, on HBO.[14]

Budget

Originally the project was estimated at $100 million to produce.[10]

The miniseries had a budget of more than $150 million (AUD$ 200 million), with an estimated AUD $134 million of that spent in Australia,[15] and is thought to be the most expensive television production ever made in Australia.[11] The Australian newspaper the Herald Sun estimates that it brought 4,000 jobs and generated AUD $180 million for the Australian economy.[16]

Filming locations

From August through November 2007[17] filming took place at locations in and around Port Douglas, Queensland including Mossman, Queensland.[18]; Drumsara Plantation, Mowbray National Park [18] and beaches at Rocky Point, Queensland.[18]. Production then moved to rural Victoria.[19][20] in the You Yangs near Lara, Victoria (from November–December 2007),[21] then at a sand quarry on Sandy Creek Road near Geelong, Victoria till February 2008.[22]

Melbourne city locations were used in late 2007 and through 2008 including Central City Studios at Melbourne Docklands (March 2008).[23][24]; Flinders Street (between Swanston and Elizabeth streets; 1 –4 February 2008).[25][26];the intersection of Swanston and Flinders streets (February 2008).[27]; Flinders Street Station (2 –3 February 2008).[28].

Other suburban locations included Bundoora, Victoria,[29], specifically the Ernest Jones Hall at the La Trobe University campus, Bundoora (late May 2008)[30]; the Railway Hotel, South Melbourne (December 2007)[31]; Scotch College, Melbourne (December 2007).[31]; Melbourne High School (December 2007).[31][32]; Mornington Railway, Melbourne; Rathdowne Street, North Carlton and Victoria Park, Collingwood.

Broadcast

The series premiered in the U.S. and Canada[33] on 14 March 2010. HBO Asia premiered The Pacific at 9pm on 3 April 2010, with the first 2 episodes being aired back to back on the first week. Singapore, Hong Kong, and Indonesia will have Dual Language available and both Singapore and Hong Kong plus Taiwan, Malaysia, and Philippines will have High-Definition available on HBO Asia HD Channel.[34]

It began broadcast on 5 April 2010 on Sky Movies in Ireland and the United Kingdom.[35] In Portugal, the series was broadcasted 5 April 2010 on AXN and in HD on AXN HD two days after the original broadcast in the US. In Norway, Finland and Sweden the series began broadcasting on Canal+, in Turkey CNBC-e on 18 April 2010, in the Netherlands on 7 April 2010 on Veronica, and in Greece on Nova Cinema on 10 April 2010. In New Zealand the series began broadcasting on 12 April 2010 on TV One. In Italy the miniseries will begin broadcast on 9 May 2010 on Sky Cinema 1, in Germany on 15 July on Kabel eins. In Japan the miniseries will begin broadcast on 18 July 2010 on WOWOW.[36] In South Africa the miniseries started broadcasting on 5 May 2010 on the Mnet channel. The series premiered in Israel on 18 July 2010 on yes (Israel's satellite platform) and was shown on yes4 movie channel and yesHD2. It was also available as catch-up service on yesVOD in SD and HD.

Marketing

Australia

Channel Seven, as a part of the channel's annual New Year TV preview of its upcoming shows that it would be broadcasting the same corresponding year, released a trailer at 12.06 am, 1 January 2010. This trailer was unapproved by HBO. Ten days after it was released temporarily on the Internet, it was promptly removed by HBO and Channel Seven due to copyright infringement.

The brief 1 minute 16 second trailer shows the disembarkation of the 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division on the island of Peleliu on 15 September 1944. It starts off with a platoon of Marines on an amtrac waiting for the ramp on their LST to drop to allow their embarkation towards the beach to commence. The trailer then cuts and shows the Marines in LVT-1s and DUKWs approaching Orange Beach as they take incoming fire from Japanese artillery and machine guns on Peleliu. The trailer then cuts again to the scene on the beachhead where we see the Marines from the earlier waves struggling to establish a foothold on the beach as they encounter heavy machine gun and mortar fire from the defending Japanese garrison. The voice over of the Channel Seven trailer then erroneously describes the battle being shown as "the battle that saved Australia". The advertising campaign focuses heavily on a perceived emotive connection with the Australian experience of the Second World War, despite the series actually focusing almost entirely on the American experience of the south and Central Pacific Campaign.

The trailer focuses on one Marine in particular named Eugene Sledge (played by Joseph Mazzello), the author of With The Old Breed, one of the sources that the writers and producers of The Pacific have used for the mini-series.

The series broadcast commenced in Australia on Channel 7 on Wednesday, 14 April 2010, at 8:30 pm.[37]

United States

The first official U.S. trailer for The Pacific aired on HBO prior to the season 2 premiere of True Blood on 14 June 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 onscreen—alluding to and confirming the series release date. A new trailer currently is available on the HBO website after which the date "March 2010" is displayed, giving a more specific series release date. On 14 Jan. 2010, Comcast added On Demand content from the series, including a scene from The Pacific, interviews with the producers and character profiles.[38]

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. See external links below.

Reception

The Pacific was very well received by critics, receiving an average score of 87% at review aggregator Metacritic.[39]

Awards

The Pacific was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards in the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards.[40][41]

Year Category Nominee(s) Episode Result
2010 Outstanding Art Direction For A Miniseries Or Movie Anthony Pratt, Dominic Hyman, Richard Hobbs, Scott Bird, Jim Millet, Rolland Pike, Lisa Thompson N/A Won
Outstanding Casting For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special Meg Liberman, Camille H. Patton, Christine King, Jennifer Euston, Suzanne M. Smith N/A Won
Outstanding Cinematography For A Miniseries Or Movie Remi Adefarasin Part Five Nominated
Outstanding Cinematography For A Miniseries Or Movie Stephen F. Windon Part Nine Nominated
Outstanding Costumes For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special Penny Rose, Ken Crouch Part Three Nominated
Outstanding Directing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special David Nutter, Jeremy Podeswa Part Eight Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Miniseries Or Movie Edward A. Warschilka Part Five Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Miniseries Or Movie Alan Cody Part Eight Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Miniseries Or Movie Alan Cody, Marta Evry Part Nine Nominated
Outstanding Main Title Design Steve Fuller, Ahmet Ahmet, Peter Frankfurt, Lauren Hartstone N/A Nominated
Outstanding Makeup For A Miniseries Or Movie (Non-Prosthetic) Chiara Tripodi, Toni French N/A Won
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special Jason Baird, Sean Genders, Gregory Nicotero, Jac Charlton, Chad Atkinson, Ben Rittenhouse N/A Won
Outstanding Music Composition For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special (Original Dramatic Score) Blake Neely, Geoff Zanelli, Hans Zimmer Part Ten Nominated
Outstanding Miniseries N/A N/A Won
Outstanding Sound Editing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A 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 Part Five Won
Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Miniseries Or Movie Andrew Ramage, Michael Minkler, Daniel Leahy Part Two Won
Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Miniseries Or Movie Andrew Ramage, Michael Minkler, Daniel Leahy, Craig Mann Part Five Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Miniseries Or Movie Gary Wilkins, Michael Minkler, Daniel Leahy, Marc Fishman Part Eight Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Miniseries Or Movie Gary Wilkins, Michael Minkler, Daniel Leahy Part Nine Nominated
Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special John E. Sullivan, Joss Williams, David Taritero, Peter Webb, Dion Hatch, John P. Mesa, Jerry Pooler, Paul Graff Part One Nominated
Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special John E. Sullivan, Joss Williams, David Taritero, David Goldberg, Angelo Sahin, Marco Recuay, William Mesa, Chris Bremble, Jerry Pooler Part Five Won
Outstanding Writing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special Robert Schenkkan, Michelle Ashford Part Eight Nominated
Outstanding Writing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special Bruce C. McKenna, Robert Schenkkan Part Ten Nominated

Cast

The following credits have been taken from the IMDb.[42]

Episodes

# Title Directed by Written by Original US air date U.S. viewers
(in millions)
1 "Part One" Tim Van Patten Bruce C. McKenna 14 March 2010 (2010-03-14) 3.1[44]
Robert Leckie and the 1st Marines land on Guadalcanal and take part in the Battle of the Tenaru. 
2 "Part Two" David Nutter Bruce C. McKenna 21 March 2010 (2010-03-21) 2.8[45]
John Basilone and the 7th Marines land on Guadalcanal to bolster the defenses around Henderson Field. 
3 "Part Three" Jeremy Podeswa George Pelecanos & Michelle Ashford 28 March 2010 (2010-03-28) 2.8[46]
The 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal is relieved and arrives in Melbourne, Australia. Basilone receives the Medal of Honor and is sent home to sell war bonds. 
4 "Part Four" Graham Yost Robert Schenkkan & Graham Yost 4 April 2010 (2010-04-04) 2.5[47]
Eugene Sledge enlists in the Marines and trains for combat, while Leckie and the 1st Marine Division are put into action at Cape Gloucester. Leckie is treated for nocturnal enuresis. 
5 "Part Five" Carl Franklin Laurence Andries & Bruce C. McKenna 11 April 2010 (2010-04-11) 2.711
Sledge and Leckie land with the 1st Marine Division at Peleliu. 
6 "Part Six" Tony To Bruce C. McKenna, Laurence Andries & Robert Schenkkan 18 April 2010 (2010-04-18) 2.382
The Marines move to capture Peleliu's vital airfield. Leckie is wounded by blast concussion and evacuated. 
7 "Part Seven" Tim Van Patten Bruce C. McKenna 25 April 2010 (2010-04-25) 2.553
Sledge and the 5th Marines move into Peleliu's Bloody Nose Ridge to face the Japanese. 
8 "Part Eight" David Nutter & Jeremy Podeswa Robert Schenkkan & Michelle Ashford 2 May 2010 (2010-05-02) 2.343
Basilone is transferred to the 5th Marine Division and lands at Iwo Jima. 
9 "Part Nine" Tim Van Patten Bruce C. McKenna 9 May 2010 (2010-05-09) 1.805
Sledge and the 1st Marine Division land at Okinawa. 
10 "Part Ten" Jeremy Podeswa Bruce C. McKenna & Robert Schenkkan 16 May 2010 (2010-05-16) 1.955
Sledge and Leckie return home after the Japanese surrender. 

References

  1. ↑ Schneider, Michael (15 August 2007). "More directors take 'Pacific' plunge". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117970323.html?categoryid=14&cs=1. Retrieved 1 February 2008. 
  2. ↑ Stanhope, Kate (16 December 2009). "HBO to Premiere The Pacific 14 March". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/HBO-Premiere-Pacific-1013190.aspx. Retrieved 3 April 2010. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Zeitchik, Steven (24 April 2007). "HBO greenlights Spielberg mini". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963752.html?categoryid=1238&cs=1&p=0. Retrieved 3 April 2010. 
  4. ↑ http://www.hbo.com/the-pacific/index.html#/the-pacific/about/index.html
  5. ↑ http://www.marineswwii.com
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Gilbert, Lori (14 March 2010). "Stockton man's Iwo Jima experience part of HBO miniseries". The Record. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100314/A_NEWS/3140307. Retrieved 3 April 2010. 
  7. ↑ Neilan, Catherine (14 December 2009). "Canongate signs The Pacific tie-in". The Bookseller. http://www.thebookseller.com/news/106642-canongate-signs-the-pacific-tie-in.html. Retrieved 3 April 2010. 
  8. ↑ "Channel Seven Lands Spielberg". News.com.au. 16 May 2007. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,21737407-10229,00.html. 
  9. ↑ Ziffer, Daniel (16 May 2007). "Spielberg miniseries forms link with Seven". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/spielberg-miniseries-forms-link-with-seven/2007/05/15/1178995158707.html. Retrieved 3 April 2010. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Bodey, Michael (16 May 2007). "Seven trumps Nine by landing war miniseries". The Australian. News.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,21738368-462,00.html. Retrieved 3 April 2010. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Browne, Rachel (8 April 2007). "Australia Poised to Score $150m Deal for Epic War Series". The Sun-Herald. 
  12. ↑ "First Shots in War Epic". mX. 10 August 2007. 
  13. ↑ "University's Hall of Fame". Diamond Valley News. 21 May 2008. 
  14. ↑ O'Hara, Helen (23 April 2009). "Exclusive: Tom Hanks On Toy Story 3". Empire online. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=24621. Retrieved 3 April 2010. 
  15. ↑ Dunn, Emily; Maddox, Garry (3 December 2008). "Stay in Touch: Thanks Hanks". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/stay-in-touch/watts-to-pose-nude-for-archie/2008/12/02/1227980016042.html. Retrieved 3 April 2010. 
  16. ↑ "Movies on a Roll". Herald Sun. 3 August 2008. 
  17. ↑ Browne, Sophia (9 November 2007). "Crew Retreats from North". The Cairns Post. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Irby, Ross (26 September 2007). "Battleline retreats for filming". The Cairns Post. 
  19. ↑ "Spielberg to Film in Queensland". The West Australian. 22 June 2007. http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=23&ContentID=32129. 
  20. ↑ Kalina, Paul (26 April 2007). "Spielberg war Epic for Docklands". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/spielberg-war-epic-for-docklands/2007/04/26/1177459792743.html. Retrieved 3 April 2010. 
  21. ↑ Devlyn, Darren (10 November 2007). "War Comes to You Yangs". Herald Sun. 
  22. ↑ "Film Cast Member Breaks Leg in Freak Incident". Geelong Advertiser. 31 January 2008. 
  23. ↑ Idato, Michael (21 May 2007). "The View: Spielberg's Pacific". The Sydney Morning Herald. 
  24. ↑ Breen, Daniel (24 January 2008). "Strike Forces Early End to Filming". Geelong Advertiser. 
  25. ↑ Cameron, Kellie (3 February 2008). "Spielberg Declares War". Sunday Mail. 
  26. ↑ Byrne, Fiona (4 November 2007). "CBD's Role in Major Movie". Herald Sun. 
  27. ↑ Lucas, Clay (15 September 2007). "Spielberg and Hanks to stop Melbourne traffic". The Age. 
  28. ↑ Burke, Kelly (9 February 2008). "'Film capital' on tenterhooks as Melbourne steals show". The Age. 
  29. ↑ Cannata, Sarah (25 June 2008). "Baird Hitches up His Horses to Draw Movie Roles". Whittlesea Post. 
  30. ↑ |title=University's Hall of Fame |work=Diamond Valley News |date=21 May 2008}}
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Smith, Bridie (11 December 2007). "School's Out and The Army's In, Albeit for a Very Pacific Reason". The Age. 
  32. ↑ Bruce-Rosser, Kate (26 March 2008). "Fight for a Skyline". Stonnington Leader. 
  33. ↑ "IMDb News". http://www.imdb.com/news/ni1380988/. 
  34. ↑ "The Pacific official site". HBO Asia. http://www.hboasia.com/pacific/. 
  35. ↑ "Sky Acquires New Series "'The Pacific' from the Makers of Band of Brothers". Press Release. BSkyB. 21 April 2009. http://corporate.sky.com/media/press_releases/2009/the_pacific.htm "Sky Acquires New Series. 
    "Spielberg & Hanks' The Pacific Comes To Sky Movies". MOVIES:. BSkyB. http://movies.sky.com/band-of-brothers-ii-comes-to-sky-movies. 
  36. ↑ "The Pacific official site". WOWOW. http://www.wowow.co.jp/drama/pacific/. 
  37. ↑ Devlyn, Darren (6 April 2010). Channel 7 drama, The Pacific, creates 4000 Aussie jobs. Herald Sun, 6 April 2010. Retrieved from http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/channel-7-drama-the-pacific-creates-4000-aussie-jobs/story-e6frfmyi-1225850285650.
  38. ↑ "Comcast adds exclusive HD content from ‘The Pacific’". HD Report. 14 January 2010. http://www.hd-report.com/2010/01/14/comcast-adds-exclusive-hd-content-from-the-pacific/. Retrieved 14 January 2010. 
  39. ↑ "The Pacific". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/tv/shows/pacific?q=the%20pacific. Retrieved 29 March 2010. 
  40. ↑ 2010 Primtetime Emmy nominations
  41. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374463/awards
  42. ↑ "The Pacific". IMDb. 1 February 2008. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374463/fullcredits. 
    "The Pacific: Cast & Crew". PacificFans.com. 1 February 2008. http://www.pacificfans.com/cast-crew. 
  43. ↑ [1]
  44. ↑ Seidman, Robert (16 March 2010). "Kamikaze! HBO’s Big Budget The Pacific Premiere Ratings Disappoint". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/03/16/kamikaze-hbos-big-budget-the-pacific-premiere-ratings-disappoint/45169. Retrieved 29 March 2010. 
  45. ↑ Seidman, Robert (23 March 2010). "Nielsen Ratings for HBO’s “The Pacific” Down, But Not Much For Second Episode". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/03/23/nielsen-ratings-for-hbos-the-pacific-down-but-not-much-for-second-episode/45897. Retrieved 29 March 2010. 
  46. ↑ Seidman, Robert (31 March 2010). "Ratings for HBO’s “The Pacific” Steady". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/03/31/ratings-for-hbos-the-pacific-steady/46877. Retrieved 2 April 2010. 
  47. ↑ Seidman, Robert (31 March 2010). "Ratings for HBO’s “The Pacific” Down On Easter Sunday". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/04/06/ratings-for-hbos-the-pacific-down-on-easter-sunday/47557. Retrieved 6 April 2010. 

Further reading

External links

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries

Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001) · Band of Brothers (2002) · Taken (2003) · Angels in America (2004) · The Lost Prince (2005) · Elizabeth I (2006) · Broken Trail (2007) · John Adams (2008) · Little Dorrit (2009) · The Pacific (2010)
(1976–2000) · (2001–present)