Tora! Tora! Tora! 2012 Reviewer: Richard Tara Directors: Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku Cast: Martin Balsam, So Yamamura, Joseph Cotten, Tatsuya Mihashi, E.G. Marshall, James Whitmore

A very down-to-earth movie about the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7 1941. There have been many movies made about that event and most, like “From Here to Eternity,” have tended to romanticize the dreadful happening of that day.

In 1941, the Japanese industry was starved for oil, rubber, metals and other raw resources. The United States had imposed an embargo on Japan to force them to give up their colonial ambitions and move out of China that they had been slowly occupying since 1937.

The Japanese decided to do the Americans and the British one better by launching a surprise attack against Pearl Harbor, Singapore and the Philippines. The rational was that by crippling the US navy the American government would have no choice but to sue for peace. A Japanese task force of 4 aircraft carriers was surreptitiously sent to bomb and destroy the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. The US intelligence agencies found out about the sneak attack and tried to warn the fleet at Pearl Harbor, but to no avail. The Navy and Army commanders ignored all the danger signals. Even at the eleventh hour, the primitive radar installation in Hawaii picked up the Japanese planes approaching Pearl Harbor. But, the warnings were delivered late and the radar sightings were dismissed as a flock of birds by an idiot of a lieutenant. Many battle ships and destroyers were sunk and over 3000 lives were lost. What many people do not know is that most of the ships were raised, repaired and joined the war within a year. As for the end result, just like Ben Laden discovered sixty years later, all that the Japanese achieved was to wake up a sleeping giant. Within four years, practically all of the planners and participants of that cowardly attack paid for it by their lives.

This movie explains in minute and yet fascinating details, the planning and the triumph of the Japanese Navy and unpreparedness of the Americans during those crucial days leading to the calamity of December 7, 1941.

The story, is meticulously close to actual happenings. The acting by a string of character actors led by Martin Balsam as Admiral Husband Kimmel, the Navy commander in Pearl Harbor at the time, George Macready as secretary of state Cordell Hull and So Yamamura as Admiral Yamamoto are well crafted. Richard Fleischer an American director with uneven record directed the US scenes. Japanese segments were directed by two Japanese directors. The cinematography is really well done. The aerial combat shots must have been a challenge and well worth watching. For a film made in 1970, it is still crisp and looks fresh to our jaded eyes!

The pace of the story is really rapid and you will not be bored. The producer, Richard Zanuck wanted the story itself to be the star and that is why he shied away from superstars of the day. A well crafted story based on facts, good acting and cinematography. A very satisfying movie. And a classic gem. A very down-to-earth movie about the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7 1941. There have been many movies made about that event and most, like “From Here to Eternity,” have tended to romanticize the dreadful happening of that day.

In 1941, the Japanese industry was starved for oil, rubber, metals and other raw resources. The United States had imposed an embargo on Japan to force them to give up their colonial ambitions and move out of China that they had been slowly occupying since 1937.

The Japanese decided to do the Americans and the British one better by launching a surprise attack against Pearl Harbor, Singapore and the Philippines. The rational was that by crippling the US navy the American government would have no choice but to sue for peace. A Japanese task force of 4 aircraft carriers was surreptitiously sent to bomb and destroy the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. The US intelligence agencies found out about the sneak attack and tried to warn the fleet at Pearl Harbor, but to no avail. The Navy and Army commanders ignored all the danger signals. Even at the eleventh hour, the primitive radar installation in Hawaii picked up the Japanese planes approaching Pearl Harbor. But, the warnings were delivered late and the radar sightings were dismissed as a flock of birds by an idiot of a lieutenant. Many battle ships and destroyers were sunk and over 3000 lives were lost. What many people do not know is that most of the ships were raised, repaired and joined the war within a year. As for the end result, just like Ben Laden discovered sixty years later, all that the Japanese achieved was to wake up a sleeping giant. Within four years, practically all of the planners and participants of that cowardly attack paid for it by their lives.

This movie explains in minute and yet fascinating details, the planning and the triumph of the Japanese Navy and unpreparedness of the Americans during those crucial days leading to the calamity of December 7, 1941.

The story, is meticulously close to actual happenings. The acting by a string of character actors led by Martin Balsam as Admiral Husband Kimmel, the Navy commander in Pearl Harbor at the time, George Macready as secretary of state Cordell Hull and So Yamamura as Admiral Yamamoto are well crafted. Richard Fleischer an American director with uneven record directed the US scenes. Japanese segments were directed by two Japanese directors. The cinematography is really well done. The aerial combat shots must have been a challenge and well worth watching. For a film made in 1970, it is still crisp and looks fresh to our jaded eyes!

The pace of the story is really rapid and you will not be bored. The producer, Richard Zanuck wanted the story itself to be the star and that is why he shied away from superstars of the day. A well crafted story based on facts, good acting and cinematography. A very satisfying movie. And a classic gem.