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Hell In The Pacific [VHS] [1969]
 
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Hell In The Pacific [VHS] [1969]

VHS ~ Lee Marvin
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Lee Marvin, Toshirô Mifune
  • Directors: John Boorman
  • Writers: Reuben Bercovitch, Alexander Jacobs, Eric Bercovici
  • Producers: Henry G. Saperstein, Reuben Bercovitch, Selig J. Seligman
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English, Japanese
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
  • VHS Release Date: 4 Jun 2001
  • Run Time: 98 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00005CBZ0
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 16,914 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Hell in the Pacific is one of the most original and thoughtful war films of the 1960s. Fresh from Point Blank (1967) Lee Marvin reunited with director John Boorman for this elemental story of a US pilot and a Japanese naval officer washed ashore on an otherwise uninhabited Pacific island. Lee Marvin speaks English; Toshiro Mifune (The Seven Samurai) speaks Japanese; and the audience shares their frustrations as they attempt to communicate, as Boorman does not use subtitles. Once the men become aware of each other's presence they move from wary avoidance through conflict to an uneasy truce as they realise they will have to cooperate to survive. The naturalistic acting is key to the film's success, greatly aided by the fact that both stars served their respective countries in the Pacific theatre during the Second World War. Conrad Hall's cinematography is superb, using natural light to evoke the beauty of the island, and the wide Panavision frame to show the men's isolation and their reactions to each another. Boorman developed further his fascination with man against nature in Deliverance (1974) and The Emerald Forest (1985), and there wouldn't be another poetic war film until Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line (1999).

On the DVD: The stereo sound is fine, atmospherically reproducing both the natural sounds of the island and Lalo Schfrin's imaginative score. The picture quality likewise is very good, with the image well focused with strong colours and plenty of detail. Unfortunately the 2.35:1 image has been panned and scanned to 1.33:1 TV ratio, destroying the scale and beauty of the compositions and sometimes meaning the viewer sees only one side of the interactions between the two men. Extras are perfunctory, with production notes, biographies of the stars and a "slide show". Considering even BBC2 occasionally shows the film in near full Pavavision and with Boorman's preferred, TS Elliot inspired ending, this DVD is a lost opportunity to bring a modern classic into the digital age. --Gary S Dalkin



Synopsis

Two men, one American, the other Japanese, meet on a desolate island in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. Their evolving relationship is an interesting study of human conflict.

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty in the Pacific, 19 Oct 2003
This review is from: Hell In The Pacific [DVD] [1969] (DVD)
Not a film about war but about humanity. You actually feel the relief as these two find a little civilisation and eventually sit down to tea together. But reality, like Harry Angels debt in Angel heart, cannot be cheated. There is another ending to this film, which I wish had been included on the DVD, but maybe that will come in for the 'Directors cut' re-release. The humour is all Marvin's, an especially funny bit is when it sort of rains on the other guy, you need to see it. Don't be put off by the title or the fact it takes place during wartime, it's more than that.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, true brilliance., 14 Jul 2001
By j. Buckley (Gods Own County) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hell In The Pacific [DVD] [1969] (DVD)
Lee Marvin is a crashed pilot in world war II an finds his way on to a small island in the pacific ocean. Hoping to find provisions all he finds is a japanese officer ( Toshiro Mifune ) also marooned on the island. Then starts a game of cat and mouse until they dicide to co-operate. But will they survive ? This is an exciting action film which is a must see for any Marvin fan. This gripping war drama is one to own.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Terrible Ending..., 14 Jun 2007
This review is from: Hell in the Pacific [DVD] [1968] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)

I enjoy 'war' films and heard that this was an excellent one so I watched it and I must say I was a little disappointed.

The film was tense, atmospheric and genuinly gripping. You realy feel for the characters and there is a fair bit of humour too.

However the ending is terrible. I realise the director was trying to portray the nastiness/futility of war but the ending was too bleak after sitting through all their struggles to survive.

Frankly if the ending had been more imaginative I would have given it 4 stars but as it is I felt rather cheated at the end
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