Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

Directors:

Richard Fleischer
Kinji Fukasaku

Writers:

Larry Forrester (screenplay) &
Hideo Oguni (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 September 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

The incredible attack on Pearl Harbor.

Plot:

A dramatization of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the series of American blunders that allowed it to happen.

Plot Keywords:

Attack | Pearl Harbor | Japan | Hawaii | Navy

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 nominations

Cast

Martin Balsam	...	Admiral Kimmel
Sô Yamamura	...	Admiral Yamamoto (as Soh Yamamura)
Joseph Cotten	...	Henry Stimson
Tatsuya Mihashi	...	Commander Genda
E.G. Marshall	...	Lt. Colonel Bratton
James Whitmore	...	Admiral Halsey
Takahiro Tamura	...	Lt. Commander Fuchida
Eijirô Tôno	...	Admiral Nagumo (as Eijiro Tono)
Jason Robards	...	General Short
Wesley Addy	...	Lt. Commander Kramer
Shogo Shimada	...	Ambassador Nomura
Frank Aletter	...	Lt. Commander Thomas
Koreya Senda	...	Prince Konoye
Leon Ames	...	Frank Knox
Junya Usami	...	Admiral Yoshida

Also Known As:

Tora! Tora! Tora!: The Attack on Pearl Harbor (Australia)

Runtime:

144 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color (as De Luxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (Westrex Recording System) (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:PG | Brazil:Livre | Australia:G (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 (1972) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | Taiwan:GP | UK:U | USA:G | West Germany:16 (f)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The manned radar antenna site depicted as "Opana Point" was actually Koko Head which is just above Oahu's famous Hanauma Bay. This is on the opposite side of the island from the real-life location. Today, it is home to many antennae including the FAA's CKH VORTAC.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Ward attacks the Japanese minisub near the entrance to Pearl harbor, the minisub's depth is inconsistent between shots. We see it alternately with its entire sail out of the water, then with just the periscope visible.

Quotes:

Frank Knox: But do you really think that this Kurusu can do any good?
Cordell Hull: Well, I doubt it, Frank. He's hardly the most tactful choice. When he was ambassador in Berlin, he signed the Axis Pact on behalf of Japan.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Australia (2008)

Soundtrack:

Chattanooga Choo Choo

Great, great, great

Forget the recent, rubbish Pearl Harbor movie. DVD review.

December 7 1941.

Fantastic war movie that still holds up today. Worth viewing alongside the terrible Ben Affleck version just to see how bad today's movies really are. There's a good build up to the attack and the picture shows how unprepared the Americans were: the radar was in a bad location; the President was not fully informed about the threat; the US planes were all stored together to avoid espionage (but ideal to be attacked); and for every sensible soldier just doing his job there was a superior officer who dismissed the warnings. The Japanese navy seemed to consist of young and energetic pilots ruled by stern older officers who respected rank. The fighting scenes were spectacular to watch; there's plenty of destruction, but little violent deaths. Some good actors appear including Whitmore, Robards, and Brand. All in all this movie has a great title and is far better than the recent Pearl Harbor movie - there's no crummy romantic sub-plots. Director Fleisher seems to have done his best work from the late '60s and early '70s.

Tora, Tora, Tora is essential war movie viewing.