John Boorman's descent into Hell
Hell in the Pacific explores the nature of human aggression
Few directors manage two great pictures in their entire career, but in the late ’60s director John Boorman teamed up with actor Lee Marvin for two in a row.
Point Blank (1967) was a new wave noir that set the standard for thrillers – Marvin’s one-man army and Boorman’s non-linear style were obvious building blocks for Steven Soderbergh’s retro-modern opus The Limey. The following year, Boorman reteamed with Marvin for a completely different picture. With its minimal cast, Hell in the Pacific pits Toshiro Mifune opposite Marvin as two soldiers trapped on a desert island during the Second World War.
As the sun breaks the horizon, Boorman quickly establishes the environment as a key element in the drama. Composer Lalo Schiffrin’s bombastic theme for the title sequence soon settles into an uncharacteristically low-key score. Mifune finds evidence that he is no longer alone on the island and that night has brought with it an intruder in the form of Marvin, a marooned United States Air Force pilot. Discovery leads to curiosity and they begin to test each other’s boundaries, aware of the danger that they are in.
Cinematographer Conrad Hall's simplistic style suits the mood, his camera moving with the characters, exploring their opponents from a distance, and then creeping closer. Hall’s resumé is now legendary, and his work on Hell in the Pacific is a testament to that. Sun-drenched cinemascope offers an aptly broad canvas for the drama to play out on.
Boorman approaches the film with a basic elegance. Having pushed the limits of North American cinematic conventions with Point Blank, he seems content to strip down his style, and creates tension through understatement. By using little dialogue and less music, he lets the incidental sound support the film's atmosphere.
The success of this film lies in its universality. The premise is simple – Robinson Crusoe meets The Dirty Dozen, but in English and Japanese (without subtitles). Preying on the audience’s ability to put themselves in the place of the characters, Hell in the Pacific succeeds twofold.
The film also has a certain maturity that sets it apart from most war pictures. Focusing on the characters, Hell in the Pacific avoids rock-throwing or escalating fist-fights and evolves into an analysis of human nature. As should be the case, the characters also evolve, but this change is depicted in a unique way. Screenwriters Alexander Jacobs and Eric Bercovici use unexpected incidents and outbursts to expose the characters. While Marvin and Mifune can certainly hold their own in a shouting match, they also prove capable of the same understatement that Boorman uses to tell the story.
In the end, the film's moderately optimistic stance is tempered with a standard commentary on war and the nature of human aggression. Hell in the Pacific may be simplistic, but like Point Blank, it has an impact that can still be felt today. Films like Cast Away (2000) and No Man’s Land (2001) each have elements that seem to be borrowed directly from this film. While not perfect, Hell in the Pacific offers a blend of entertainment and analysis that is rare by any standard.
The recent DVD release offers a beautiful film-to-video transfer as well as both the North American and British endings. Neither is very hopeful, yet each offers a satisfying conclusion with a distinctly different tone. |
