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Watch the HBO DVD,
The Pacific
War movies were first created not as documentaries or historical facts, but instead were merely used as fund raising tools for the war effort. In modern times, films such as the HBO dvd, The Pacific, were created to bring the reality of the horrors of war home to the viewer, and do so in an accurate historical context.
In recent times, movie producers have placed more emphasis on being true to the event, making sure uniforms, weapons, equipment, and geographical locations are carefully selected to ensure that the viewer gets the most accurate historical account possible. The Pacific’s non-combat scenes were filmed at multiple locations in Melbourne, Australia. The city has many Victorian era structures that were perfect for filming WW2 “home country” scenes. The producers also created elaborate 1940’s era sets at Melbourne Central City Studios that could not be easily constructed on street level sets. The film company chose Flinders Street, one of Melbourne’s busiest streets to recreate the scene of thousands of US soldiers and sailors coming to Australia for R & R. The street was closed for several days while the expert set crews accurately brought the area back to 1943.
The HBO dvd, The Pacific also includes some of the most dramatic and realistic combat scenes ever put on film. The unique landscape of the South Pacific islands on which the battles were fought was filmed at multiple locations in Australia’s tropical north. Locations in Queensland including Port Douglas, Mossman, and Four Mile Beach were transformed into World War II battlefields. These spots are geographically and physically very similar to the places where the battles were fought, including Guadalcanal and Peleliu. The dense, hot, humid jungles of these islands are quite accurately portrayed by the tropical north Australian landscape.
Researching and acquiring weapons, uniforms, and equipment for a production such as The Pacific can be quite a daunting task, especially when historical accuracy is so important to the production team. Many hundreds of hours of research followed by just as many hours of searching are required to procure the props and weapons for the film. HBO used a US based company, International Military Antiques, to supply some of the required props used in the movie. Amateur military re-enactors are also commonly recruited to play the roles of the armies in battle scenes, many of whom are experts on the weapons and equipment of the era.
For those that enjoyed such films as Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, and Windtalkers, the HBO dvd The Pacific is sure to deliver much of the same satisfaction in regards to combat scenes and historically accurate production. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have shown over and over that their attention to detail and historical accuracy in creating World War II era films are second to none. They have once again put together the right combination of research, location, actors, and story line to satisfy even the most discriminating of war film buff. You are sure to enjoy this series as much as I have, and undoubtedly will want to enjoy watching it over and over again, as it always seems to offer much more each time you see it again.