Filw review: The Pacific (2012), by Carl Franklin and David Nutter. ***

recensione in italiano di seguito in questo post

Synopsis

This limited collector's Blu-ray edition includes a bonus 7th disc entitled "Inside the Battle: Peleliu."

The Pacific is an epic 10-part miniseries that delivers a portrait of WWII's Pacific Theatre as seen through the intertwined odysseys of three U.S. Marines - Robert Leckie, John Basilone and Eugene Sledge. The extraordinary experiences of these men and their fellow Marines take them from the first clash with the Japanese in the haunted jungles of Guadalcanal, through the impenetrable rain firests of Cape Gloucester, across the blasted coral strongholds of Peleliu, up the black sand terraces of Iwo Jima, through the killing fields of Okinawa, to the triumphant, yet uneasy, return home after V-J Day. The viewer will be immersed in combat through the intimate perspective of this diverse, relatable group of men pushed to the limit in battle both physically and psychologically against a relentless enemy unlike any encountered before

Inside the Battle: Peleliu: An exclusive look into the battle of Peleliu. Combining exclusive historian and veteran interviews with real footage from the battle of Peleliu, this featurette illustrates the massive undertaking of the battle for Peleliu in the Pacific theater of World War II.

John Basilone

Review

I was somewhat disappointed by this set. The characters I found hard to follow from film to film, and they are too often busy with marginal maneuvering around Australian chicks than fighting the Japanese. OK that is part of the story of the Pacific war, but I feel too much time has been devoted here to peripheral aspects of the campaign.

The rhetoric is a bit excessive, to the points where it detracts from the overall credibility of the work.

Special effects are also OK, could have been better with available technology for sure.

In the end one is left wondering: is this a fictional account, in which case it is too convoluted and lack focus? Or is it a historical rendering of the war, in which case there is too much that is left out?

Overall still worth watching but don't expect too much in terms of either a good story (like for Band of brothers) or a good documentary.

The extra DVD on the battle of Peleliu is mostly a few interviews with veterans. OK but a series like this should have devoted much more to this pivotal battle, second only to those at Iwo Jima and Okinawa for the Pacific war.

Recensione italiana

Sono stato un po' deluso da questa collezione di DVD. I personaggi sono difficili da seguire da un film all'altro. Troppo spesso i protagonisti sono presi a corteggiare le ragazze in Australia più che a combattere i giapponesi. OK anche questo fa parte della guerra, ma mi pare abbia avuto troppo risalto.

La retorica del film è eccessiva, al punto che va a scapito della credibilità storica del lavoro di ricerca.

Effetti speciali abbastanza ben fatti, ma con la tecnologia degli ultimi anni avrebbero potuto certamente essere migliori.

Alla fine mi sono chiesto: si tratta di una fiction, nel qual caso è convoluta e senza sufficiente focalizzazione? Oppure è un documentario, nel qual caso troppe cose son state trascurate?

Tutto sommato vale la pena di guardare questi DVD, ma senza aspettarsi troppo né come fiction né come documentario.

L'edizione inglese ha anche un extra DVD sulla battaglia di Peleliu. Si tratta di alcune interviste a veterani. Credo che un cofanetto come questo avrebbe dovuto dedicare di più a questa battaglia, che viene solo dopo Iwo Jima e Okinawa tra le battaglie più cruente della guerra del pacifico.

Buy the European version here




Buy the US version here