Hell in the Pacific
Short description
Hell in the Pacific is a 1968 American adventure drama set during the Second World War. An American pilot, shot down over the ocean, washes up on a tiny uninhabited island in the Pacific, only to find it is already occupied by a Japanese navy captain whose ship has been lost. The two men are enemies with no way off the island, and they spend their first weeks stealing from each other, fighting over the limited fresh water and food, and taking one another prisoner in turn. Eventually both come to see that neither can survive alone, and they begin working together on a raft that might carry them away from the island. Lee Marvin plays the pilot and Toshirō Mifune the captain; the film rests almost entirely on the two of them, with little dialogue. John Boorman directed from a screenplay by Alexander Jacobs and Eric Bercovici, with Reuben Bercovitch producing. It was Boorman's second feature, following Point Blank, made a year earlier and preceding Deliverance in 1972. The film had a budget of four million dollars and took about three million worldwide on release. On IMDb it holds 5.3 out of 10 from roughly 2,100 votes, while on TMDB it has 7 out of 10 from 192 votes. A critics' rating of 6.5 out of 10 from 18 reviews places it a little above the IMDb audience score but below the TMDB figure.
What's left behind the scenes
- Initially, the film was shot under the title "The Enemy is War".
- Neither the studio nor the producer liked the already filmed ending, and it was decided to use the explosion scene from Blake Edwards' (1922-2010) "The Party" (1968). The original ending can be found on DVD releases, in which the two main characters still disagree with each other and simply part ways. There is also another ending that was never filmed but was written in the original script. The film crew didn't like it and decided to abandon it immediately. Here, two Japanese soldiers arrive on the island and arrest Lee Marvin's (1924-1987) character. Toshiro Mifune's (1920-1997) character tries to object, but to no avail. Later, he comes across Marvin's beheaded body and, in a rage, kills both Japanese soldiers.
- The film is based on the play "Armored Train 14-69" by V. Ivanov.
- Neither the studio nor the producer liked the filmed finale, so it was decided to use the explosion scene from Blake Edwards' film "The Party." The original ending, in which the two main characters still disagree and simply part ways, can be found on DVD releases. The script had a different ending, but it was decided to scrap it: two Japanese soldiers arrive on the island and arrest Lee Marvin's character. Toshiro Mifune's character tries to object, but to no avail. Later, he stumbles upon Marvin's headless body and kills both Japanese soldiers in a rage.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
