So I have decided to rewatch The Pacific, HBO's WWII miniseries. I have watched HBO's WWII: European Theater mini series Band of Brothers several times and believe it to be the best 10 hours of television ever produced. I was less impressed with The Pacific the first time I watched it, and believe it deserves a second viewing.
Band of Brothers: What I realize is that the story of the 101st Airborne, Easy Company is a linear story of heroes triumphing over the Germans in WWII. It is a likable story with Dick Winters as the center point. There are a myriad of reasons Band of Brothers deserves the accolade of "Best," but my comments here are about The Pacific.
I am two episodes in and already feel I misjudged The Pacific my first time around. The tragedy of war is overwhelming in this series, but in addition, the chaos and non-linearity that seems to define the marines experience in the South Pacific is even more unsettling. I find it a harder story to "like," due to this unsettling chaotic violence, but am finding myself deeply moved by the experiences I am viewing.
One of the stories woven into the narrative is that of writer and Private First Class, Robert Leckie. Here are some of his words:
Here was cacophony; here was dissonance; here was wildness; here was the absence of rhythm, the loss of limit, for everyone fires what, when and where he chooses; here was booming, sounding, shrieking, wailing, hissing, crashing, shaking, gibbering noise. Here was hell.
More to come...
