In 2010, “The Pacific” will air on HBO as a ten part mini series.
- A clip from HBO’s series “The Pacific.”
“The Pacific” is based on the books “With the Old Breed,” by Eugene Sledge, which was hailed by historian Paul Fussell as “one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war,” and “Helmet for My Pillow,” by Robert Leckie (recipient of the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Annual Award), as well as original interviews conducted by the filmmakers. Continuing the World War II oral history work begun by his father Stephen E. Ambrose (author of the book Band of Brothers), Hugh Ambrose serves as a consultant on the miniseries, as does Captain Dale Dye, USMC (Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and Platoon).
The miniseries follows Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. Specifically, it tracks the intertwined odysseys of three U.S. Marines – Robert Leckie (played by James Badge Dale), Eugene Sledge (played by Joe Mazzello) and John Basilone (played by Jon Seda) – across the vast canvas of the Pacific. 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 forests 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.
OMG: Not being a contributor to HBO, I’m just catching up to “Col.” Dye’s actions in Band of Brothers. Great shows. What’s next, Dale? Be a general in “The Pacific”. “Platoon” was wonderful, as was the other one of VN with Penn and Fox, but they kept you in proper rank. CAPT in “Super Carrier” was okay as we can translate USMC to USN; FBI man in “Saving Tess”, Col. in the E-boli one with Hoffman & company…I’m sure you’re drawing pay commensurate with your performances and teaching. Congrats & hope to see you again one of these years when you’re at peace. Bob McEwen