"Band of Brothers -Pacific to start production" Topic

Something definitely to look forward to-Speilberg is doing a Pacific version of Band of Brothers!

link

And I thought B.O.B was intense. The Pacific Islands will be a definate Fag-Break-in-the-interval jobby.

Interesting, I look forward to it!

That is the best bit of news i have heard since BoB came out on DVD!

To use the words of Big Kev here in Australia – "I'm excited!"

can't wait. Thoroughly enjoyed BOB. Looking forward to what these great movie makers can do with the Pacific War.

YOU LITTLE BEAUTY!!!

are they going to concentrate on a single unit or the entire war?

A single unit from what I have read before. But you never know I guess.

Ya, baby! I can't wait. Glad to see this is going to be done.

I understand the focus begins with a single unit from the 1st (or possibly 2nd) Marines, but as it progresses we follow at least one of the men from that unit (they may be used as a cadre to form up a new marine unit). That's how we can be on Guadalcanal to start and end up on Iwo (where neither the 1st nor 2nd Marine Divisions landed).

The press release suggests lots of work for Australian actors…I realize that most of the "Americans" in BoB were Brits…does this mean it will feature Australians as Americans…Can Mel Gibson get a walkon?

db

Mel Gibson is American.

Uh-unh. He just moved here. We' ship him back if we could.

Mel Gibson is American.

Depends how drunk he is.

It's likely to be based around the 1st Marine Div. E.B. Sledge's son was on another game forum, and discussed this production a bit. He was interviewed pretty extensively about his Pa by the writers. (For those not aware, "Sledgehammer" was a mortarman in the 5th Marines who wrote "With the Old Breed," one of the best US WWII memoirs IMHO.) One of the main characters was supposed to either be, or be based on Sledge.

The project was under development in 2004-2005, and last I heard it was due out in 2006, but obviously got pushed way back. I thought maybe it got trash-canned.

link

Mel Gibson was born in America and moved to Australia when he was 8. Both his parents are American born. As soon as he could he deserted the great nation and returned "home".

they are looking for 1500 extras over the six months of filming, so if your in the acting game call your agent now!

Hmm – i was an extra for a mini series called "My Brother Jack".

The film company came to my military unit to seek out soldiers as extras to give it realism.

It was the easiest $500(au) i ever made – 2 days pay for hardly any actual work.

I wonder if they will do the same again for BoB-Pacific.

If its all based in The Pacific, with the US Marines, how are Hollywood going to shoe-horn in one of those 'oh-so-funny', inept, stereotyped, British Officers? No major American-based War film, or TV series, is complete without one!

Oh, and if Mel Gibson does get involved, expect the Marines to be fighting the English!who killed his son, or murdered his wife, or spiked his drinks.

All the Japaneese soldiers need is English accents and Mel would sign up.

Hey they're tea drinkers too. Hmm I see a link here.

I was just wondering if Gibson is involved, how he would manage to slag the British in this one?

"If its all based in The Pacific, with the US Marines, how are Hollywood going to shoe-horn in one of those 'oh-so-funny', inept, stereotyped, British Officers? No major American-based War film, or TV series, is complete without one!"

And where was this stereotype in Band of Brothers? I didn't see one.

Or in Saving Private Ryan, for that matter? Both of these were done by the same guys who will most likely not focus at all on our esteemed Allies and be lambasted for THAT, too. I understand completely about the gripes concerning the Brit-bashing that sometimes happens, but if it's a story about an American unit who didn't fight alongside the Brits why is that a problem?

"how are Hollywood going to shoe-horn in one of those 'oh-so-funny', inept, stereotyped, British Officers? "

Simple sir! We use PLUCK! Pluck, by jove! That will do the trick! Now give me some farmhands to massacre.

Nazrat,
Band of Brothers, Market Garden edition, at the start, knowing how this one will pan out, the script calls for an American officer to stress that this is a British operation, (so the American veiwing public can rest assured, when it all goes Pete Tong, it was, after all, a British operation)
Same episode, painfully posh, inept, British tanker refuses to lob a shell through a house to smack a German tank, My Grandfather, a Market Garden Guards Armoured Veteran, nearly threw his stick through the Telly, at that little gem.
Saving Private Ryan, Ted Danson, 'Montys overated, blahblahblahblahbloodyblah.What is it? do you want an empire and can't have one, has the world taken away your toys? In its (short) history, America has done any number of heroic, Film worthy actions, why slate a tiny, inoffensive little country like ours? we never hurt anyone (snigger)

'I understand completely about the gripes concerning the Brit-bashing that sometimes happens, but if it's a story about an American unit who didn't fight alongside the Brits why is that a problem?'
Not a problem at all, ole boy, just leave us and the lazy characterisations out of it, ok?
Oh, and get your bloody hands off the Battle of Britain, while your at it!
Love 'n' hugs
John

As I recall, the Battle of Britain movie had the top Air Marshall be an inept officer, refusing to allow non-English flyers participate in the defense. With the pilot pool totally depleated and things looking totally grim, some Polish flyers out training fly to intercept the jerries (against orders) and do quite well. Then the old sod must back off his position and allow the rest of the foreigners to join in.

Seemed like the turning point in the movie, which left me with the impression that if not for the foreign pilots, the BoB would have gone the other way.

And all because of that one self-centered Brit general.

Did we make that movie, or was that one of yours? : )

We're allowed to do it to ourselves, its called irony, oh, never mind!
I heard speak of a Battle of Britain film where it centred on an American pilot who won it for us, based on a real bloke who had trouble actually taking off!
Did I imagine this?

How about the Brit tank commander in Band of Brothers that did not want to shoot through the wall in the house at the tank on the other side in case he caused damage.

As a Yank, and an Anglophile, my favorote moment of British cinematic glory is in the Longest Day with Peter Lawford as Lord Lovat wading ashore at Sword Beach with Bill Millin blasting away on the bagpipes ("Highland Laddie" I think it was). Those guys were MEN!

As for the new Spielberg effort, am very excited. My Dad was in the Marines in WWII so it hits home personally.

i think given their track record with BoB we are in safe hands.

Also there are enough ex-marines about to make the producers think twice about falling short in the standards required in telling such a yarn!

I think the Aussies got the nod as they were cheap and had suitable locations up in our north- any pommie bashing will be a pure bonus. :)

Excellent news. Thanks for the link.

"Same episode, painfully posh, inept, British tanker refuses to lob a shell through a house to smack a German tank, My Grandfather, a Market Garden Guards Armoured Veteran, nearly threw his stick through the Telly, at that little gem."

"How about the Brit tank commander in Band of Brothers that did not want to shoot through the wall in the house at the tank on the other side in case he caused damage."

That wasn't Hollywood crap, it was a recreation word for word of what one of the Paras said happened. I didn't think that it made the Brit tanker look like some sort of clod, just a guy following unreasonable orders. And he died because of it. The really negative stuff they said, such as Winters coming across a British tank commander getting drunk with a local lass and refusing to get on the road to help the British Paratoops was left out. I thiought it a good edit, myself.

If this goes well, maybe we'll see next:

Band of Brothers Africa (a unit in the Big Red One fighting remnants of Rommel's Afrika Korps in Tunisia)

Band of Brothers Eastern Front (following a crack Russian outfit rolling back the Germans from Bagration to the Battle for Berlin).

If this one goes well. maybe we'll see next:

Band of Brothers Eastern Front – might be a bit tricky…war crimes towards end of war, Stalin's purges etc. Could work though depending on the Soviet unit of choice.

Band of Brothers – Big Red One Vs Afrika Korps – can't we see some British Tommies :)

How about – BAND OF BROTHERS – COMMANDO UNIT making their way up through Mediterranean onto Germany??? Now that would be good!

Nazrat,
The icident in question wasn't through a house, it was in a wood, and the American sergeant warned the commander of the Cromwell that a Panther was lurking about 400 yards (metres?, I forget) away, the Tank commander said he couldn't see it, and thus could'nt shoot it, reasonable enough, the American knew what was coming and jumped off the tank, again, very reasonable! the Cromwell inched forward to try to aquire the target and got walloped, ALL the crew escaped, (minus the gunners legs, nasty) The next Cromwell was also hit. A little different to the BoB version, in intent, and also in detail, but not as good for the 'folks back home to bray over' 'those goddamm stooopid limeys, good job we got them that enigma machine, or they'd have done nothing, hawhawhaaaawww'' I tire of this, lets talk about something positve, lets see what a beautiful day it is, lets say something righteous, (name the film.)
Now Have I also been arguing with you over 12SS at Caen?
We need more love, brother!

I think you Brits may be missing the point. All military films have marionette officers as bad guys. If you look closely at the films you mention, US officers get slagged more than the Brits.

I don't think BoB made British soldiers look bad at all, but it did make their high command look inept, Monty in particular. Remember, the British tanker told the paratrooper, "I believe you, but if I can't see him, I can't shoot". The man was trying to follow what was probably an unreasonable order, which doesn't make him incompetent, it makes him disciplined.

You British must understand that slagging Monty has a long tradition here on this side of the pond, but it's not aimed at the British military in general, which is generally regarded as very competent. Monty is widely viewed by Americans as highly overrated and as something of a megalomaniac. This view was prevalent during the war (Read an Army at Dawn to get a sense of it), and has continued to this day. A few years ago, my dad, a career army officer, gave me a book about tactics published by the military, with chapters written by different generals. He warned me to take Monty's chapter with a grain of salt. Americans blame him for a host of fiascos during the war, with Market-Garden being the worst. Since BoB was a recollection of American paratroopers rather than an objective historical tome, I'm guessing it showed their attitude fairly accurately. But I don't recall that attitude extending to the average soldier. Actually, the American high command didn't come off looking too good either, which isn't surprising since the series was a grunt's-eye view of the war.

Is it a fair assessment? I don't know. Maybe. Who knows? To be honest, I've only gotten one side of the story, which tended to play up Monty's faults. Is the American military free of inept and overrated officers? I dunno (smirking), what do you think?

However, since BoB came from a book written by an American (and a fairly partisan one at that), about an American unit, and was filmed with a primarily American audience in mind, it doesn't really surprise me much. If a British show about a British unit were to similarly present the lads in a better light than their American comrades, I wouldn't bat an eye.

Think MeroMero's appraisal of Monty is very fair actually, and I am a Brit.

I think that the British military then, (and perhaps now) was a very different 'machine' to it's American ally. I also feel that during WWII they were fighting 'different' wars – to a degree.

"Now Have I also been arguing with you over 12SS at Caen?"

Nope, I know nothing about the unit so I wouldn't have essayed an argument about it! 8)=

And it WASin fact a nice day here in NC. 74 degrees and windy.

What is this series being based on? Please don't tell me its Stephen Ambrose.

cheers chris

I believe BoB was based on Stephen Ambrose.

I read the book and it certainly seemed like it, rather than being the other way around.

Could be wrong though….

Yes, Mr Ambrose has made a tidy pile from BoB, I was asking whether anyone knows if he has any involvement with the new Pacific series

cheers chris

That would be tough as he's been dead for a couple of years. But you never know.

I meant did he write anything on the Pacific? In a moment of weakness I foolishly read some of his Normandy stuff, after that I didn't pay much attention to his back catologue.

cheers chris

I am suprised some of you "Brits" did not bring up the movie Patton where both the lead and the German officers tooks shots at Monty. And I believe that the Movie " A Bridge to far" made light of Monty and some of the Britsh officer corp. It is what it was! Lets not forget old Monty had the help of the Ultra machine and its intecepts to win in North Africa as well as the having the AMERICANS come in .Remember it was the Arsenal of Democracy and the Russians who won in Europe.

Ambrose was about to write a Pacific theatre book but cancelled the project when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was friends with Spielberg and was going to consult on the Pacific "BoB" project.

Oh…and yes, Monty had his shortcomings but so did much of the Allied command. Bradley, for example, was no better. It could be argued that sheer weight of numbers both in men and materiel, not superior generalship, carried the day.

Nonetheless, the achievements of the Ultra codebreakers and the grit and bravery of the individual soldiers, ALL the Allied soldiers, should be celebrated. Movies like "Band of Brothers" and the upcoming Pacific project do that.

As for the Axis soldiers, I respect their courage and patriotism. Movies like "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "Stalingrad" do justice to their story as well.

Sure would be nice to see the US Army get some credit for their victories in the Pacific. While I would never downplay how important the Marines were to victory in the PTO, the Army gets little to no credit, and they had tons more personnel on the ground in the PTO than the Marine Corps. Guadalcanal would have been a much different campaign without the US Army's Americal Division.