I haven't posted much because I've been wrapping up school; finishing grading Caesar papers, and working on my reading stack at home. I mentioned Monday that Steve and I finished watching The Pacific this weekend. I know it got mediocre reviews most of the way through (I quit checking after a while) because everyone wanted it to be Band of Brothers redux.
It wasn't.
And the Pacific war wasn't the European war, either.
As soon as the series was over I pulled Bob Leckie's book, Helmet for My Pillow
, off the shelf. I bought it but hadn't read it, right before the series started. I've cued up With the Old Breed
for a re-reading. I've got a couple of others in line, too.I thought the series was so well done. I wasn't there, of course, and don't know how accurate or authentic it all was, and I know they changed a few things from Eugene Sledge's book, but I thought it was awesome. The awe those young men inspire is incredible. They were just kids...all of them. What they sacrificed to defend this country - well, it was a story that needed to be told.
Lots of movies have been made about the European theater - some cheesy and some more realistic. Lots of stories have been told about Iwo Jima, too. But the Pacific war as a whole, I don't think, had been told in film.; at least, not quite so well.
HBO is going to rerun the series on Memorial Day weekend. If you missed it you absolutely should make it a point to watch. If you did watch it, tell me what you thought.
Even the music was well done! Listen to the theme - it's haunting. Emmy nominations to come.
