The Pacific

[Cyber Soldier]

I don't know, the Tanaka Type38 and Type99 aren't exactly hard to get hold of.

[thewallhitme]

saw an advert for this a few days a go. cant remember when its comng on or on what channel. any one know?

[-Angel-]

I don't know, the Tanaka Type38 and Type99 aren't exactly hard to get hold of.

Thats not the point. Very few westerners feel much desire to play japanese, aside from the cultural differences the pacific theatre is largely ignored in europe due to the conflict on our doorstep. Maybe PTO games will pop up across the US after it is aired, but I remain sceptical.

 

Simply put, where you can always be assured of 20 or so germans being available for 'the bad guys', an equal number of japanese would be considerably harder to muster.

 

My .02p.

[fingertwister]

saw an advert for this a few days a go. cant remember when its comng on or on what channel. any one know?

 

Saw this being advertised on Sky in the UK. Looks as if the sly pricks are showing it on Sky Movies so that you will need the movie subscription to view it. All it says is coming in Spring.

[mikoyan99]

Thats not the point. Very few westerners feel much desire to play japanese, aside from the cultural differences the pacific theatre is largely ignored in europe due to the conflict on our doorstep. Maybe PTO games will pop up across the US after it is aired, but I remain sceptical.

 

Simply put, where you can always be assured of 20 or so germans being available for 'the bad guys', an equal number of japanese would be considerably harder to muster.

 

My .02p.

 

We're trying very hard to raise interest in the IJA and SNLF - hopefully this will help; there's a lot of myths, mainly from allied propaganda, about the general characteristics, weapons and equipment of the Japanese. Even as a 6'2" western bloke, I still look about right in japanese uniform (to my surprise as much as anyone elses).

I hope the new series helps; you never know.

-Matt

[snowman]

Saw this being advertised on Sky in the UK. Looks as if the sly pricks are showing it on Sky Movies so that you will need the movie subscription to view it. All it says is coming in Spring.

 

Yeah - Sky Movies HD (so probably a premium premium channel!)

 

I guess this means it's not an HBO production - Oh well, it won't have the same appeal in the UK as BoB anyway, being the more distant Pacific theatre - even British troops who fought there tend to be forgotten.

 

If it appears on free UK TV (And I'm sure it will sometime), I'll watch it, but I won't be sending Murdoch any cash.

 

Cheers.

[Elias]

Yeah - Sky Movies HD (so probably a premium premium channel!)

 

I guess this means it's not an HBO production - Oh well, it won't have the same appeal in the UK as BoB anyway, being the more distant Pacific theatre - even British troops who fought there tend to be forgotten.

 

If it appears on free UK TV (And I'm sure it will sometime), I'll watch it, but I won't be sending Murdoch any cash.

 

Cheers.

 

I very much doubt it will only be showing on the HD Sky Movies channels, but it definitely seems to be limited to the Sky Movies channels, be it 1,2,3 or HD 1 or 2 etc etc.

 

Second point, it is a HBO production (along with Dreamworks and some channel from Australia called "Seven Network") So it's as much HBO as Band of Brothers was, considering that also came under HBO, as well as Dreamworks, BBC and Playtone (although presumably Playtone will receive credit on The Pacific seen as its Hanks' company)

 

J

[creepingfear]

I'm interested in seeing The Pacific, but not holding my breath. Granted it'll having mind blowing visuals and stuff, but Spielberg Productions = Typical Swaltzy *suitcase* (apart from Schindlers List). No doubt it will once again give the world the impression that the US single handedly won the pacific theatre without any reference to the tens of thousands of British, Australians, New Zealanders, Indians, Burmese, Chinese ect.

 

On a side note, did the Russians (Soviets) fight the Japanese? I don't think I've ever heard of any WW2 kicking between those two. I've got the full The World At War DVD collection and don't recall anything being mentioned.

[Desolation mkII]

The Russo-Japanese Pacific Neutrality Pact meant that the Ruskies didn't fight the Japs until the last 12 days or so of the war and then almost entirely in Manchuria and Mongolia.

[chas]

So, its finally here.

[Desolation mkII]

Will have to give it a gander.

 

Now we need to push the BBC into making one about British troops that fought in the war.

[creepingfear]

^^^

Commonwealth troops.

[Jagdraben]

I'm interested in seeing The Pacific, but not holding my breath. Granted it'll having mind blowing visuals and stuff, but Spielberg Productions = Typical Swaltzy *suitcase* (apart from Schindlers List). No doubt it will once again give the world the impression that the US single handedly won the pacific theatre without any reference to the tens of thousands of British, Australians, New Zealanders, Indians, Burmese, Chinese ect.

 

On a side note, did the Russians (Soviets) fight the Japanese? I don't think I've ever heard of any WW2 kicking between those two. I've got the full The World At War DVD collection and don't recall anything being mentioned.

 

Uh... Saving Private Ryan was about American Rangers and the 101st in Normady. Band of Brothers was about American paras. The Pacific is about US Marines fighting in the Pacific. There are very few opportunities to show anything more than the Marine Corps POV, let alone the American POV, when it's about Americans and set in the USN/USMC sphere of operations in the Pacific. One of the episodes is set in Australia, apparently, and there's always the possibility of the Coastwatchers making an appearance during the Guadalcanal and New Britain episodes. And given that much of the filming and most of the extras are Aussies, I would expect them to make a cameo, at least. But not much more than that.

 

And, yes, the Soviets did declare war against the Japanese during the last month of the war. And in that month, they captured all of Manchuria. The entrance of the Soviets into the Pacific War probably did as much as the usage of the Atomic bombs to end the war before boots were on the ground in Japan: As much as the Japanese loathed the West, they hated Communists and the Soviets in particular (as they were both Russian and communist) more than they hated us.

 

I would enjoy seeing a CBI theater mini-series and a North African mini-series (the latter with British, Australian, and American troops featured).

[snowman]

I can see his point though.

 

Sadly most of the funding for these kind of things comes mostly from America, so the emphasis is on the activities of Americans.

 

I'd love to see something like BoB about the Eighth Army in Africa or maybe Monte Cassino from a joint NZ/Free French/German POV, but I don't suppose they'd get the budget to make it...

 

Cheers.

[Azulsky]

Looking forward to watching it, had a grandfather who was a Higgins driver and another in the Seabees at Guadancanal(among other places).

 

Cant blame them for focusing only on Americans, there is undoubtedly a fair bit of patriotism involved in the making of the series.

 

Tom Hanks(Executive Producer) has been involved with the National D-Day Museum and much of the impetus for the resurgence of WW2 documentaries recently is because we are about to lose the generation forever.

 

That all said even on places like the History Channel i you dont hear too much about non-US participation in the Pacific.

 

Hanks was on Colbert a week or so ago http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-r...tom-hanks-pt--1

 

[Desolation mkII]

Not got the budget? The annual revenue of the BBC, from television alone is 3.5 billion pounds.

 

^^^

Commonwealth troops.

 

British Broadcasting Corporation. The primary concern is Britain. I'm not criticising the Americans for making a series about American units, I am criticising the BBC for funding that program (IR the original BoB) over a British series.) Indeed a program made about a British unit would potentially be just as insular aside from occasional run ins with allies.

[Jagdraben]

Saw the first episode and... I'm on the fence about it. I don't think the premier is going to be the best episode. So I'll keep watching it. It certainly won't be unwatchable.

[BrooklynBorn]

I liked it.

 

It is however going to be hard to fill the shoes of Band of Brothers.

[creepingfear]

If anybody ever gets the chance to watch or even buy an Aussie mini series called ANZACS, do it, it's absolutely the dogs nuts. Based on a WW1 ANZACS unit.

 

The BBC have in the past few years done some pretty good WW2 based dramas about the fighting. There was that 2 part (or was it 3 parts?) docu-drama called Dunkirk.

[Ionic Gorilla]

I remember watching ANZACS on the telly back in the 80's. Absolutely A1, can't recommend it highly enough.

 

But I have never been able to find it on dvd

[creepingfear]

Allow me to help you there my friend. I bought the box set from EZYDVD direct from Aussie Land back in '08. Region 4 code. I believe this is the only place that sells it.

 

http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/222517

 

Fantastic. No fancy CGI or hi-tech SFX back then. Just good old fashioned manly guns and explosions. This mini series is your original Band Of Brothers.

[RacingManiac]

Saw the first ep, I think much like the first ep of the BoB its sorta to build the mood. It certainly made the point of the Japanese's fight to the last man mentality....(the whole scene with that one Japanese guy is classic, IMO)...

[snowman]

Not got the budget? The annual revenue of the BBC, from television alone is 3.5 billion pounds.

 

Not sure where you got that figure from (or what you mean by 'from television alone'), but the BBC funds a whole lot of stuff and revenue <> profit to make series (although that's what they claim to be doing with the new web and Digital Radio cuts).

 

British Broadcasting Corporation. The primary concern is Britain. I'm not criticising the Americans for making a series about American units, I am criticising the BBC for funding that program (IR the original BoB) over a British series.) Indeed a program made about a British unit would potentially be just as insular aside from occasional run ins with allies.

 

No doubt ANY programme will seem that way a bit - BoB is excellent TV (Oddly many of the actors were British), but a two or three parter with the same production qualities based on 'Pegasus Bridge' (also by Stephen E. Ambrose) would be good too - Of course it would seem a bit insular, but a good story, well produced is always worth watching no matter what the subject matter.

 

Cheers.

[davedawg123]

Saw first ep. Thought it was great.

[creepingfear]

Episode 1 if anyones interested - http://www.zshare.net/download/73798139979a2c1c