Welcome back CinaCultites and today we are diverging from our usual formula to review the 1970 Japan-U.S. co-production Tora! Tora! Tora! to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Looking to recreate the success of their 60's star studded D-Day blockbuster The Longest Day, 20th Century Fox turned it attention to another monumental date in US history: December 7th 1941. Going all out with the effects, set design, props (even a brief relationship with famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa) and available assets, it seemed like the makings for another potential hit. However the movie sank at the US box office (while becoming a major hit in Japan) with many critical of the film's "history class like focus on historical detail" and coupled with the nation's mood of the ongoing Vietnam War. 5 decades later however, the movie has been re-evaluated and lauded not only as a true war epic but as one of Hollywood's most faithful takes on history. Does this movie deserve the status of classic to films like A Bridge Too Far, The Longest Day or Schindler's List? How does it compare to Michael Bay's 2001 Pearl Harbor? Could the attack really have been prevented? Join Lucas and Cordell as we examine and compare the events of the film to historical fact and honor the brave men and women who gave their lives on Sunday December 7th, 1941.
Music: Tora! Tora! Tora! Melody by Jerry Goldsmith.
