If you haven't watched HBO's original series The Pacific, you should. Everything about the 10 part mini-series was outstanding. Great acting, great cinematography, and a seemingly seamless integration of the stories of 3 real life marines who served in the Pacific theater during WW II.
One of the best parts of the series was seeing the real life clips of the men whose lives were portrayed in the series and listening to their voice overs, so stoic sometimes, other times their voices drenched with emotion, fighting back tears as they recalled events that happened 60 some years ago.
In every multi-protagonist story there's always one person who stands out. For me, it was Eugene Sledge (Sledgehammer). A doctor's son from Mobile, Alabama, he enlisted as a starry-eyed young boy and came back from the war a conflicted man. Beautifully portrayed by actor Joe Mazello (remember the kid from Jurassic Park? Man, do I feel old!)
And in case you're wondering, yes, I did cry during almost each episode, none more so than the last one where they wrapped up all the stories. I think my favorite scene in that last episode was the closing. The war has been over for a bit and Eugene is sitting out in the yard of his family home in Mobile, lost in thought and emotion, contemplating nothing or maybe everything, and his mother tells him that he needs to get over his mulling and get his life "in order." His father gently leads Eugene's mother away and tells her to leave him alone. "You don't know what he's been through." Then there's a fade out and that's it. Poignantly simple and beautifully done.
1 comment:
I haven't seen The Pacific yet, Maria, but I'm glad you told us about it!! Hope you had a fun, long weekend ;).
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