The Pacific was a shell of what BoB was. BoB is truly wonderful....if for nothing else, the soon to be "stars" in it. Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, Jimmy Fallon...not to mention Donnie Wahlberg and Tom Hanks propping up his son, Colin, in the show. The actors (with exceptions) are exceptional for their roles. David Schwimmer as Sobel is maybe the most loathesome of a company leader as I can imagine.
The Pacific....instead of focusing on a particular company or operation kinda tried to duplicate the attachment that fans of BoB had with those characters. Like the medic, Garnier, Nix, that big dude Bull something.
In short, if youre looking to piggy back BoB with The Pacific, dont waste your time. You'll be disappointed. BoB has made me tear up on multiple occasions. When they play that last softball game andMajor Winters gives a run down of how everybody's life turned out....it made me flat out cry for what those men were portrayed and what they did for my country. None of my family was in WWII, but I loved all of the characters by the end of BoB.
The only thing about The Pacific I really liked was that Ortilani, from Oz and the Little kid from Jurassic Park and Radio Flyer got career resurgences. Lol
But it's worth posting again for those who may have missed it and like hearing WW2 stories.
My father served in the Navy during the war and talks about his ship getting hit during the Battle of Saipan and being at the base when the Indianapolis dropped off the bombs and the Enola Gay took off to drop one of them on Hiroshima (you also get to hear the kind of thick NYC accent that most people just imitate).
p.s.--The accompanying image is of my father's ship on VJ Day (my dad is the coolest cat in the photo, so he's easy to spot!). from a 1975 interview - ( New Window )
But it was definitely easier/more enjoyable to follow Easy Company. The Pacific theater was just more grim and desolate--surviving on islands in the middle of nowhere vs. the occasional reprieve of a European town/city.
I like The Pacific too, but it may have bitten off a little more than it could chew. They pulled source material from several different places - including books by Leckie and Sledge. Hell, you could've done a 10-part series just on John Basilone.
My high school Spanish teacher's dad was Bob Leckie
In 1996 Spielberg had already approached her family about using his book as part of a project. It's amazing how long it can take something to go from an idea to a completed project.
RE: My high school Spanish teacher's dad was Bob Leckie
In 1996 Spielberg had already approached her family about using his book as part of a project. It's amazing how long it can take something to go from an idea to a completed project.
I spoke with Bob Leckie's daughter about that very subject. Before and after the war, Leckie covered local sports for The Record newspaper, and I've worked for the past few years at the company that now publishes that paper (and a slew of other products). Anyway, I wrote a magazine article about him a while back and was able to connect with her.
Leckie's wife, Vera, received the first call from the Spielberg/Hanks production company (Playtone), and told them she'd get back to them - she then called her daughter and asked, "Have you ever heard of Tom Hanks? His people just called asking to use Dad's book for a miniseries."
I like The Pacific too, but it may have bitten off a little more than it could chew. They pulled source material from several different places - including books by Leckie and Sledge. Hell, you could've done a 10-part series just on John Basilone.
Thats the thing they probably shouldve spent more time on it just to one up BoB.
RE: RE: My high school Spanish teacher's dad was Bob Leckie
In 1996 Spielberg had already approached her family about using his book as part of a project. It's amazing how long it can take something to go from an idea to a completed project.
I spoke with Bob Leckie's daughter about that very subject. Before and after the war, Leckie covered local sports for The Record newspaper, and I've worked for the past few years at the company that now publishes that paper (and a slew of other products). Anyway, I wrote a magazine article about him a while back and was able to connect with her.
Leckie's wife, Vera, received the first call from the Spielberg/Hanks production company (Playtone), and told them she'd get back to them - she then called her daughter and asked, "Have you ever heard of Tom Hanks? His people just called asking to use Dad's book for a miniseries."
When did you talk to her? She was a really nice person and a great teacher. I was lucky enough to go on a class trip to Spain that she organized my senior year. Phenomenal trip.
Joan Leckie Salvas is her name, I think? She was incredibly generous with her time, and emailed me a bunch of great photos. She loved the portrayal of her dad, but did admit they took a lot of liberties in the series. The opening scene with Bob and Vera outside the church never happened, and Bob never wrote her letters during the war either. They were neighbors, but didn't have much of a relationship until after the war.
holds a special place in my heart. I grew up in John Basilone's hometown and know many of the family. My father was Grand Marshall for one of the memorial parades.
Joan Leckie Salvas is her name, I think? She was incredibly generous with her time, and emailed me a bunch of great photos. She loved the portrayal of her dad, but did admit they took a lot of liberties in the series. The opening scene with Bob and Vera outside the church never happened, and Bob never wrote her letters during the war either. They were neighbors, but didn't have much of a relationship until after the war.
Yup that's her. If I remember right she appears briefly with her mom (Vera) in one of the interview segments during the series. Really sweet person.
Really enjoyed speaking with her. I believe Vera's still alive too, but I didn't get a chance to speak with her. Joan seems to handle all the family media requests regarding all things Pacific.
I like The Pacific too, but it may have bitten off a little more than it could chew. They pulled source material from several different places - including books by Leckie and Sledge. Hell, you could've done a 10-part series just on John Basilone.
Thats the thing they probably shouldve spent more time on it just to one up BoB.
I believe that Spielberg and Hanks purposely did not try to remake Band of Brothers ala Pacific. It was meant to be different. Whereas BoB stayed with Company E, 2nd battalion 502 of the 101st, They chose to make the Pacific without the character development of BoB, IIRC anad they moved about a bit.
Personally, while done well, I don't think it was as good as Band of Brothers. My Dad was a SeaBee on Okinawa, so I was interested to see how they would present it. I enjoyed Sledge's and Leckie's books better than the series.
I'll watch Band of Brothers at anytime and have probably watched most episodes a couple dozen times. I have only seen Pacific once and a couple episode twice. I should rewatch. It is much darker than Band of Brothers. I think fighting the Japanese was much darker than fighting in Europe.
The Pacific was a shell of what BoB was. BoB is truly wonderful....if for nothing else, the soon to be "stars" in it. Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, Jimmy Fallon...not to mention Donnie Wahlberg and Tom Hanks propping up his son, Colin, in the show. The actors (with exceptions) are exceptional for their roles. David Schwimmer as Sobel is maybe the most loathesome of a company leader as I can imagine.
BoB confirmed what I suspected, you don't want Ross from Friends as your company commander.
with The Pacific is actually unfair. Band had one source, the Stephen Ambrose book, written in 1992, decades after the war, with all the added perspective that provides.
The Pacific, OTOH, is based on at least 3 sources, the Leckie and Sledge books, which I believe were written during those soldiers actual experiences of the war, along with the Basilone story.
Of course Band of Brothers is going to appear more cohesive and a better story-simply because the source material itself is singular, and it was written by an actual historian, and not the soldiers themselves as they were going through the horrors of the Pacific war.
I remember an interview with Tom Hanks where he mentioned the European theater is actually oversaturated with film/media depictions, while the Pacific theater has been under-represented.
Those soldiers deserve to have their story told as well....
When I heard Spielberg / Hanks were making "The Pacific", the only thing I wanted was to *Finally* see the invasion of Peleliu brought to the screen. One of the most intense and costly battles of the war, and yet not that well known to the general public.
The Japanese defenders of Peleliu dug in deep to the volcanic rock hills, and had completely changed their tactics after their earlier island losses.
The Guadalcanal and Iwo segments were great, but those battles have been covered many times previously.
The Peleliu segments did not disappoint, and were the highlight of the series for me.
It features so many young actors on the cusp of stardom.
An amazing series, definitely worth a re-watch.
The companion series, the Pacific, is also well worth a watch. Robert Leckie, who was one of the featured heroes in pacific authored a great single volume WWII history called "Delivered" that is a great read.
The Pacific....instead of focusing on a particular company or operation kinda tried to duplicate the attachment that fans of BoB had with those characters. Like the medic, Garnier, Nix, that big dude Bull something.
In short, if youre looking to piggy back BoB with The Pacific, dont waste your time. You'll be disappointed. BoB has made me tear up on multiple occasions. When they play that last softball game andMajor Winters gives a run down of how everybody's life turned out....it made me flat out cry for what those men were portrayed and what they did for my country. None of my family was in WWII, but I loved all of the characters by the end of BoB.
The only thing about The Pacific I really liked was that Ortilani, from Oz and the Little kid from Jurassic Park and Radio Flyer got career resurgences. Lol
My father served in the Navy during the war and talks about his ship getting hit during the Battle of Saipan and being at the base when the Indianapolis dropped off the bombs and the Enola Gay took off to drop one of them on Hiroshima (you also get to hear the kind of thick NYC accent that most people just imitate).
p.s.--The accompanying image is of my father's ship on VJ Day (my dad is the coolest cat in the photo, so he's easy to spot!).
from a 1975 interview - ( New Window )
I spoke with Bob Leckie's daughter about that very subject. Before and after the war, Leckie covered local sports for The Record newspaper, and I've worked for the past few years at the company that now publishes that paper (and a slew of other products). Anyway, I wrote a magazine article about him a while back and was able to connect with her.
Leckie's wife, Vera, received the first call from the Spielberg/Hanks production company (Playtone), and told them she'd get back to them - she then called her daughter and asked, "Have you ever heard of Tom Hanks? His people just called asking to use Dad's book for a miniseries."
Thats the thing they probably shouldve spent more time on it just to one up BoB.
Quote:
In 1996 Spielberg had already approached her family about using his book as part of a project. It's amazing how long it can take something to go from an idea to a completed project.
I spoke with Bob Leckie's daughter about that very subject. Before and after the war, Leckie covered local sports for The Record newspaper, and I've worked for the past few years at the company that now publishes that paper (and a slew of other products). Anyway, I wrote a magazine article about him a while back and was able to connect with her.
Leckie's wife, Vera, received the first call from the Spielberg/Hanks production company (Playtone), and told them she'd get back to them - she then called her daughter and asked, "Have you ever heard of Tom Hanks? His people just called asking to use Dad's book for a miniseries."
When did you talk to her? She was a really nice person and a great teacher. I was lucky enough to go on a class trip to Spain that she organized my senior year. Phenomenal trip.
Yup that's her. If I remember right she appears briefly with her mom (Vera) in one of the interview segments during the series. Really sweet person.
Quote:
I like The Pacific too, but it may have bitten off a little more than it could chew. They pulled source material from several different places - including books by Leckie and Sledge. Hell, you could've done a 10-part series just on John Basilone.
Thats the thing they probably shouldve spent more time on it just to one up BoB.
I believe that Spielberg and Hanks purposely did not try to remake Band of Brothers ala Pacific. It was meant to be different. Whereas BoB stayed with Company E, 2nd battalion 502 of the 101st, They chose to make the Pacific without the character development of BoB, IIRC anad they moved about a bit.
Personally, while done well, I don't think it was as good as Band of Brothers. My Dad was a SeaBee on Okinawa, so I was interested to see how they would present it. I enjoyed Sledge's and Leckie's books better than the series.
I'll watch Band of Brothers at anytime and have probably watched most episodes a couple dozen times. I have only seen Pacific once and a couple episode twice. I should rewatch. It is much darker than Band of Brothers. I think fighting the Japanese was much darker than fighting in Europe.
BoB confirmed what I suspected, you don't want Ross from Friends as your company commander.
The Pacific, OTOH, is based on at least 3 sources, the Leckie and Sledge books, which I believe were written during those soldiers actual experiences of the war, along with the Basilone story.
Of course Band of Brothers is going to appear more cohesive and a better story-simply because the source material itself is singular, and it was written by an actual historian, and not the soldiers themselves as they were going through the horrors of the Pacific war.
I remember an interview with Tom Hanks where he mentioned the European theater is actually oversaturated with film/media depictions, while the Pacific theater has been under-represented.
Those soldiers deserve to have their story told as well....
The Japanese defenders of Peleliu dug in deep to the volcanic rock hills, and had completely changed their tactics after their earlier island losses.
The Guadalcanal and Iwo segments were great, but those battles have been covered many times previously.
The Peleliu segments did not disappoint, and were the highlight of the series for me.
..and BOB is the best, agreed.
An amazing series, definitely worth a re-watch.
The companion series, the Pacific, is also well worth a watch. Robert Leckie, who was one of the featured heroes in pacific authored a great single volume WWII history called "Delivered" that is a great read.