047 A glimpse
Although Bradley has been warning himself not to compare "Pacific War" with "Band of Brothers", even if the production team is similar, these are two completely different works, but when the series started to air, that kind of I still can’t help but think of the highly acclaimed and classic work that made my blood boil..
“Ouch! Ouch! "When interviews with real veterans appeared again on the big screen, boos and screams came from the screening room. Like "Band of Brothers," "Pacific War" uses interviews with veterans as a starting point for each episode. Cut in to lead the audience back to that period of time.
Similar picture texture and similar frame structure awakened the audience's inner excitement. The audience's expectations for "Pacific War" can be clearly felt at the scene, and the long-lost excitement and joy overflowed without concealment, and the scene was full of joy. Ledley couldn't help but smile and waved his fist symbolically..
But soon, Bradley discovered the difference between the two works. They were two completely different works..
“The first episode of "Band of Brothers" opens with a boot camp. As many as twenty characters are intertwined together, which makes patients with prosopagnosia really miserable. However, each of the nameless characters has passed the arduous training camp and, with just a few strokes, It becomes three-dimensional, and the tension in the air makes people deeply feel the urgency of war. It can be said that the opening group scene demonstrated profound scheduling and control skills, and quickly raised the sense of anticipation..
"Pacific War" chose to start with family life, describing the direct reaction of American society to the war after the Pearl Harbor incident. The anxiety and uneasiness hidden under the peaceful singing and dancing slowly spread..
The series uses Robert Lacy and John Basilone's ordinary day before they join the army as the starting point, describing their lives with their families. The trivial daily life stories may not seem to be deliberately described, but the details are revealed. Ingenious but always reflecting people's reaction to the war at that time - full of confidence and moving forward with their heads held high. Their uneasiness about the war was covered up by their confidence in victory, and even the festive atmosphere was a little more restless..
Without the hardships of the "Band of Brothers" boot camp, it is more realistic and truly connects war with reality. This adds a touch of reality to the series and awakens the audience's inner resonance..
Bradley felt a little surprised. Such a start was undoubtedly bold, but also wise. As a reporter, he is not a professional film critic, but he is not an ordinary audience either. He knows that such a choice will weaken the audience's expectations. It is very likely to encounter bad reviews, but such a drastic change is a good thing for "Pacific War". It demonstrates Steven Spielberg's determination to create a unique series, which makes him optimistic about the follow-up. The story creates a vague expectation.
“The opening chapter of "Band of Brothers" cannot be said to be earth-shattering and fascinating, but the truth is revealed in the ordinary, and the friendship between soldiers is initially established. It also contrasts the difficulties of the boot camp with the brutality of the subsequent battlefields, setting the stage for subsequent episodes. The wonderfulness laid a solid foundation.
“The opening chapter of "Pacific War" seems ordinary and trivial. It gives the characters enough time to show them to the audience completely and clearly. The image and name are clearly matched, establishing enough relationship between the audience and the characters. Contact, which made Bradley start to wonder, what is the purpose of this?？
Use the peace and tranquility of family life to contrast the cruelty and cold-bloodedness of war, or use family ties to outline the pain and hardship of the three characters on the battlefield? Still have other ideas？
While thinking about it, Bradley's eyes suddenly lit up. Renly appeared on the stage..
Eugene Sledge, like the other two protagonists, starts with family life. His father, a doctor, announced the verdict. Eugene could not pass the soldier's test because of a heart murmur, so he could not join the army; His brother has changed his military uniform and is about to go to the battlefield. Seeing his father and brother, Eugene left home disappointed and angry, and went to see off his friend Sid - he will also enlist in the army tomorrow..
Bradley's eyes lit up slightly. Renly's performance really made people taste a little different. This should be regarded as the first highlight in the first twenty minutes..
“Phew..." Taking a long breath, Kyle-Smith, a senior professional film critic of the Wall Street Journal, shook his head and exhaled the turbid air accumulated in his chest. His thoughts were a little complicated and heavy. .The first episode has ended. It lasted nearly an hour. He needs to sort out his thoughts, sort out his expectations and excitement, and then make an objective judgment on the episode..
Judging from the frame structure, "Pacific War" abandoned the film-like production method of "Band of Brothers" and adopted a method closer to the miniseries..
“"Band of Brothers" can be said to be one story per episode, and each story is related but independent of each other. This film-like production method gives the finished series a film quality, which is compact, concentrated, and climaxed; and " It can be clearly seen from the first episode of "Pacific War" that the script structure is laid out layer by layer and advanced layer by layer. The foreshadowing laid today may not emerge until the next few episodes..
In the first third of the first episode, the three protagonists appeared separately, but in the end, Robert Lacy became the character leading the main plot, and the other two characters disappeared..
The flaw of this production method is that it loses the unique cinematic quality of "Band of Brothers"; but the advantage is that the ideological core of the entire series is slowly superimposed. If it can eventually detonate and sublimate, the depth, height, and thickness of the series will will exceed the shock brought by "Band of Brothers".
This maintains the sense of anticipation for "Pacific War", after all, only the first episode was played today.
Judging from the lens quality and shooting special effects, the 223 million investment in "Pacific War" has undoubtedly paid off. The particularity, hardship and fierceness of the island war have been demonstrated. The war scenes are grand and the effects are shocking. , and more importantly, the second half of the first episode brought the torture of human nature.
When the U.S. military successfully ambushed and annihilated all the incoming Japanese troops, leaving only one Japanese soldier resisting tenaciously on the other side of the river, the soldiers began to use this Japanese soldier as a target, playing a game of cat-on-string, and playing with their lives. While applauding, this gave Robert a strong shock. In sharp contrast to the daily life at the beginning of the series, the core idea of "Pacific War" began to emerge..
But it is a pity that the first episode is a little conservative. There is not much novelty in the entire script structure and plot direction, and the plot seems a bit fragmented. In some places, it is too powerful and in other places it is slightly insufficient..
As a set of miniseries, the first episode of "Pacific War" is enough to score 80 points. In Kyle's mind, the first episode of "Band of Brothers" is 85 points. You can feel that the two dramas The overall level of the episode is still slightly different. But Kyle didn’t seem regretful at all, because the first episode brought an unexpected surprise.！
Renly-Hall.
Kyle had to admit that this newcomer actor who appeared on the screen for the first time burst out with unimaginable acting charm. Although Renly's Eugene only appeared for less than three minutes, the intricate emotions were there. The restrained performance burst out with powerful shock..
The most impressive thing is undoubtedly the scene where Eugene stood at the door of the hall and looked at his father and brother. It was only a three-second pause, but you could clearly feel the cruelty and pain of the sun shining on those thin shoulders. , the subtle changes in the muscles can be seen in the shadow cast by the side face, vividly showing the struggle, contradiction, tolerance, obedience and sincerity deep in the heart..
He didn't even show his face, let alone his eyes. The expressiveness of his body language was natural. When he appeared on the screen, the audience's eyes were involuntarily focused on him..
A mere glimpse, but it leaves an infinite aftertaste that is unforgettable.
Kyle couldn't help but become curious about the actor Renly, curious about how high his acting talent could reach, curious about whether this was just a flash of inspiration or whether it could be continued in all subsequent performances, curious about what he would do. What kind of story should be given to the character of Eugene? After all, this is just three minutes of the first episode. It’s amazing, but it doesn’t explain much..
But it is undeniable that as an actor, Renly's debut left a deep impression on people..
Recalling the praise and admiration of Tom and Steven at the premiere, Kyle originally thought it was just a publicity method. Compared with the other two leading actors, Renly was younger, fresher, and more handsome, and had publicity value. There is more potential to tap into both business and commercial value, and the crew's praise should be a part of the publicity strategy; but now, Kyle feels that there may be more to it than that. Perhaps, this unknown newcomer can really become a surprise..
If we exclude Renly, the score of the first episode is estimated to be seventy-five points, but it is precisely because of Renly's brilliance that Kyle is full of expectations..
What's more, this is only the first episode of "Pacific War". It is mainly about foreshadowing and layout. The content of the next nine episodes is the real essence..
If before tonight's premiere, the high reviews of "Band of Brothers" made people have a little doubt about "The Pacific", then after the premiere, Kyle believes that at least the first episode successfully completed the task. and maintained expectations.
Kyle can't wait. On the one hand, he is looking forward to the direction of quality and whether it can reach the level of "Band of Brothers"; on the other hand, he is looking forward to... Kyle doesn't want to admit it, but he is indeed looking forward to that. Performance of newcomers.
He is not yet twenty-one years old? This is really amazing！
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