The original war films were not for entertainment or educational value, but rather to rally support for the war effort among civilians. Although this was the main goal of the films in the 40′s, current war films are made for the purpose of entertainment, but many are historically accurate, such as the HBO dvd, The Pacific.
Any fan of war movies remembers seeing some of the poor quality, inaccurate portrayals of historical battles in films made in the 60′s, 70′s, and of course the 80′s. The goal of many of these films was big explosions and outrageous feats of soldiering, instead of an accurate look at the battle itself. Fortunately the producers of The Pacific have made historical accuracy a priority while making this film, especially filming locations.
The Pacific was filmed in Australia, and for the non-combat scenes, the city of Melbourne was a perfect location for the production. Melbourne is full of Victorian architecture, which ended up being a fantastic backdrop for a lot of the filming that didn’t take place on a battlefield. HBO built period sets at a major movie studio in Melbourne to re-create things that didn’t exist in the city in modern times. The movie producers wanted to portray Marines and Soldiers coming back to civilization in Australia for some well deserved R & R, and used Flinders Street in Melbourne as a set for this purpose. The street was shut down for a short period while the talented crews accurately returned the street back to 1943.
Viewers of the HBO dvd, The Pacific are also treated to some of the most fantastic reenactments of Pacific Theater battles ever filmed. Producers searched over hundreds of locales to find a spot to accurately represent the South Pacific battlefield and decided on several different spots in the tropics of northern Australia. Battle locations such as Okinawa and Guadalcanal were accurately re-created here, as the geography turned out to be quite similar to the real places where the invasions occurred. The dense jungle terrain of this tropical area is a lot like similar battlegrounds in the Pacific.
The research and procurement of the correct uniforms and equipment for a film like The Pacific is a huge undertaking. Many of these pieces of equipment are not readily available anymore, so a lot of work is required to find them, or even build new ones for the film. HBO called upon the expert knowledge of International Military Antiques to assist in the research and supply of weapons and other props for the production. WWII reenactors were recruited to stand in as soldiers in battle scenes in the film.
Anyone who loves modern WWII movies and appreciates the art of being true to history and accurate portrayal of combat will really enjoy the HBO dvd The Pacific. Hanks and Spielberg continue to dominate in this arena, and have proven once again that they are committed to accurately portraying WWII events. Once again, they have created a fantastic film about World War II and presented it in historically accurate context. If you are like me, you have a high standard for WWII films, and will definitely find that The Pacific lives up to that standard.
: 4D movie
