Its life aboard the 5000 man aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.
Hardly a recruiting video and No, you haven't seen one like this before.
The glory and the gross. Today's sailors from Jet jockeys to lowest scrubs. The 9 hrs series is midway through as of Tuesday. Doubtless there will be repeats. Not a standard dry documentary/ lecture. It was done by a major movie makers who know how. Texture shifts from the "mission" to the personal and back. The pace demonstrates the film skill.
Some of the "stars": The cute little 'sistah' from a complete disaster of a family who's only inspiration was a deceased grandma "who knew she would make something of herself..." The jet pilot , from a happy-go-lucky flyboy mould, ...but now, w/ a new family at home...is struggling. The strongest (real) character is baby faced Chris, one of the "ordies" who all wear red on the flightdeck. Responsible for handling high explosives & arming missles on the jets, he says he feels old & responsible at 21..and at the same time feels like a kid as he worries over his pregnant girlfriend who "forgets" to write. The female jetpilot who's family doesn't "get it"...at all. On a phone call when her mother finds out she just came back to the carrier at night (after hrs over Iraq) "Isn't it dangerous to fly at night?" (unspoken Subtext: MOM, IT's ALL dangerous everyDAY !!)
Turns out 'Liberty' leave...is not the same in every foreign port.
Then there's the odd but likeable sailor who wants early discharge & claims he's a reflexive 'racist", (though he has good relationships with minorities (?).
There's the killing heat...and daunting boredom in confined quarters. Then the danger patrolling small craft in the Gulf of Arabia. How the "Boat" handles shipboard relationships, casual and otherwise. What happens when a man was overboard at night, etc etc. etc.
Amazing the Navy let some of this stuff be filmed. It could be called good drama....except its all real. Myriad motivations, outlooks and craziness, yet when the chips are down....they perform mostly like a "ballet" . One which, if you look...you can actually see.
Posted on Wed, 04/30/2008 - 11:44 — by backrow
