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Summary: The Compelling True Story of America's Entry into WWII
Review: I first saw this film many years ago when it was a movie of the week on network TV. Like any kid, I was interested in the battle scenes, and by the time I'd graduated with a Communications degree, I dismissed this movie out of hand as a faithful, but unexceptional telling of the Battle of Pearl Harbor.Mea Culpa!! I finally saw this film in widescreen format, and this movie's artistic value magnified ten-fold. The idea for this film was inspired: an American director would shoot the American scenes telling the USA side of the battle, and a Japanese director would tell the Japanese side of the story. Originally the legendary Akira Kurasowa was hired to direct the Japanese side of the story, but after a falling out, Toshio Masuda ended up directing the Japanese side of the film. Richard Fleischer directed the American sequences. Fleischer does a fine job, but Masuda is absolutely brilliant. The Japanese side of the story is the more compelling side of the story, but Masuda truly does a masterful job of setting forth scenes of eloquence and power in telling the story of highly motivated people whose actions will doom their country. Despite truth being stranger than fiction, Hollywood all too often needlessly flushes historical truth down the toilet ("JFK" anyone?). Fortunately, this powerful story is meticulous in its historical accuracy. With a compelling muscial score and great special effects, especially considering the age of this film, this is a film which should appeal to movie lovers and history buffs both. IMPORTANT!! This is a film which can ONLY be appreciated in widescreen/DVD format. The dogfight sequences, the impressive sets and much of the drama is lost in the version formatted for TV, resulting in the butchering of a masterpiece.
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Summary: Buy this film today!
Review: The movie ia a truly remarkable work. It allows us to see the viewpoints of both the Americans and Japanese with a high degree of historical accuracy. Its good to see all the military blunders and various levels of incompentence by both politicians and military officials in the film. I say this because in a number of World War II films we are only allowed to see the Axis powers behave like bumbling idiots. The film would be a great addition to any video library and teachers would find it useful to show to their students.
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Summary: Unnatural, contrived dialog; undisclosed ads up front.
Review: The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor seems to be accurate, as to time, and place, and naval/military deployments. However, the screen writers have gone out of their way to depict Americans as either stupid, ignorant, or unconcerned. While on the other hand, the Japanese enemy is depicted as polite, wise, and opposed to war, and the number of American casualties seems of little importance. It is apparent that the dialog was written in Tokyo; and it surely could have been the product of General Tojo's war-time propaganda machine. Yashida and Yamamoto, et al., say things like: 1- "We have awakened a sleeping giant." 2- "I've lived in Washington and studied at Harvard, so I know the Americans are a proud and just people." 3- "If war becomes inevitable America would be the most formidible foe we ever fought." Such words belie the truth: Japan's intended world conquest, in conjunction with her NAZI allies, as revealed at Corregidor and on the Bataan Death March, and earlier in China and Korea. The Japs were very much a part of the European Holocaust, in that they were willing allies of the NAZI Party; in this video the blame for the NAZI alliance is laid on General Tojo, not the Navy, and not the Emperor. The good fellows in Tora! Tora! Tora! were "only following orders." Sound familiar??? In keeping with the general disingenuousness of this 20th Century Home Entertainment product, customers who are paying for a commercial-free viewing experience are getting several minutes of advertisements, for several different 20th Century videos. The advertisements are not disclosed on the packaging, or at the point of purchase. A sneak attack, very much like the Japanese killing of Americans at Pearl.
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Summary: Pure History Recreated
Review: This is simply a beautiful film depicting the events leading up to, and including the attack on Pearl Harbor - enhanced even more through the DVD format. I've seen this movie many times and it is now a welcome addition to our film library. For me, the best part is at the end when Admiral Yamamoto, while in a meeting with his officers discussing a post-attack message, leaves them with these final, prophetic words: "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve".
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Summary: This Is A Terrific Depiction of The Start of WWII!
Review: This is an intriguing and entertaining film, made by two separate and independent teams (one each in Japan and in the US) and lends itself to a fair and less biased presentation of the tragic, devastating, and sometimes hapless events leading to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese restless and anxious to flex their military muscle after a period of military expansion during the 1920s and 30s, are struggling to build an imperial future, and with the British and Dutch then desperately preoccupied with their own European problems with the Nazis, the only nation standing in the way of their ambitions is the United States. With military adventurism so influential in Japanese society at the time, the hard-liners seize the stage, expand the Navy, and prepare for war. The United States, meanwhile, is busy trying to figure out who, what, where and when about the nature of Japanese intentions. Although not mentioned iun the movie, the U.S. had decided to expand its navy because of the nature of the Jaopanese threat, so the Japanese naval staff felt constrained to act relatively quickly so as to preserve and take full advantage of their tactical and strategic advantage over the American Pacific fleet. They knew that in two or three years ours would become too real a threat to their ambitions. Another reviewer said that if we had been more alert the war could have been prevented, and I strongly disagree. Too many oars were already in the water to turn around. But I do believe we could have been much better prepared and lost fewer men, ships and time had we been more alert and sanguine about the possibility of attack. ALl that being said, this is a fairly accurate account of the events and the attack itself, although at the end you get the distinct impression that the Japanese commander allowed only one wave of attackers to come in, and this is not accurate. There were two distinct waves of attack at Pearl Harbor, the second being more costly and less fruitful for the Japanese attack force. Most of the battle scenes are well-done and quite realistic. All in all, this is an excellent depiction of the attack, and I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Great view of the attack on Pearl Harbor by both sides
Review: Tora Tora Tora was a great movie, and DVD only made it better. Every time I buy a DVD I am surprised not only with the quality but also the extras. With Tora Tora Tora, you get the movie as well as the original theater teasers which in themselves are quite historic looking when you consider how the teasers are made these days. As a movie, Tora Tora Tora is exceptional. The Japanese view was produced by a Japanese production team, while the American view was made by an American production team. I thought this would lead to an authenticity not seen in the usual one sided Hollywood view one would expect. But there was a scene where the Japanese officers are being briefed by their Commander-in-Chief. When he mentions the code for recall to Japan, some of the officers jump up and complain saying it would be bad for morale and that they couldn't possibly do that. Living and working in Japan and a traditional Japanese company, I cannot imagine anyone of that era second guessing a superior. If this really happened, then I would love to see the evidence to support it. This thorn aside, Tora Tora Tora is a must see movie for anyone interested in the beginnings of the Pacific War in WWII. It is presented as something that could have been stoppable, but thanks to a few inept moves by people who should have known better. If half of the errors pointed out in the movie are true, then the steps leading to the Pearl Harbor attack is the blackest comedy of errors ever. See it for yourself.
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Summary: Eye-opening and unforgettable!
Review: This is a great movie! It tells the real story behind Pearl Harbor. I've seen it five times, and each time it captivates me and makes me think. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves history!
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Summary: Quantitative Evaluation
Review: Audio Merits:8/10; Video Merits:10/10; Scenario Merits:8/10; Cinematographic Merits:10/10; Musical Merits:8/10; Overall Artistic Performance:8/10; DVD Extras:7/10;Recording Total Quality:9/10 Professor's Recommendation: A perfect representation of historical events on cinematographic basis.
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Summary: Boring or action-packed?
Review: I've seen reviews talking both sides of the fence. In reality, this is not a film that has one combat scene after another. Most of the story revolves around the events leading up to the 'surprise' attack, with the actual raid on Hawaii taking place at the end of the film. However, I would argue that the story is NOT boring. Quite the contrary, it does a fine job of chronicling the events which led up to the attack -- both from the American and Japanese side. Much of the footage centers around American intelligence putting together pieces of the puzzle and making an attempt to warn complacent military commanders of a possible confrontation. Tora, Tora, Tora excels in this respect. You feel the tension mount as the plot unfolds. The actual attack scenes at the end of the movie are well done and provide a suitable climax at the appropriate time. The musings and misgivings of the high Japanese Naval commander about attacking America just before the closing credits gives a touch of drama which does credit to the Japanese as a people rather than to merely show them as stereotyped, mindless warriors. This is one of the good ones. If you like a good war story, you'll enjoy this picture.
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Summary: A wonderful retelling
Review: This movie gives you an idea of the scale of these events. The movie captured everything, even details that many text books choose to leave out. The action seems like it was torn right out of a signal corps camara and the plot and huge cast stay true to the past. This is a classic with a fairly well-done transfer to DVD. It is a must for any history buff or war movie fan.
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