Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

Directors:

Richard Fleischer
Kinji Fukasaku
(more)

Writers:

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

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 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Martin Balsam	...	Adm. Husband E. Kimmel
Sô Yamamura	...	Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto (as Soh Yamamura)
Joseph Cotten	...	Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson
Tatsuya Mihashi	...	Cmdr. Minoru Genda
E.G. Marshall	...	Lt. Col. Rufus S. Bratton
James Whitmore	...	Vice Adm. William F. 'Bull' Halsey Jr.
Takahiro Tamura	...	Lt. Cmdr. Mitsuo Fuchida
Eijirô Tôno	...	Vice Adm. Chuichi Nagumo (as Eijiro Tono)
Jason Robards	...	Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short
Wesley Addy	...	Lt. Cmdr. Alwin D. Kramer
Shôgo Shimada	...	Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburo Nomura
Frank Aletter	...	Lt. Cmdr. Francis J. Thomas - USS Nevada
Koreya Senda	...	Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro Konoye
Leon Ames	...	Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox
Junya Usami	...	Adm. Zengo Yoshida
Richard Anderson	...	Capt. John B. Earle
Kazuo Kitamura	...	Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka
Keith Andes	...	Gen. George C. Marshall
Susumu Fujita	...	Rear Adm. Tamon Yamaguchi
Edward Andrews	...	Adm. Harold R. Stark
Bontarô Miake	...	Adm. Koshiro Oikawa (as Bontaro Miyake)
Neville Brand	...	Lt. Harold Kaminsky
Ichirô Ryûzaki	...	Rear Adm. Ryunosuke Kusaka (as Ichiro Reuzaki)
Leora Dana	...	Mrs. Kramer
Asao Uchida	...	Gen. Hideki Tojo
George Macready	...	Secretary of State Cordell Hull
Norman Alden	...	Maj. Truman H. Landon
Kazuko Ichikawa	...	Geisha in Kagoshima
Walter Brooke	...	Rear Adm. Theodore S. Wilkinson
Hank Jones	...	Davey - Student Pilot in Biplane
Rick Cooper	...	Lt. George Welch
Karl Lukas	...	Capt. Harold C. Train - USS California
June Dayton	...	Miss Ray Cave
Ron Masak	...	Lt. Laurence Ruff - USS Nevada
Jeff Donnell	...	Cornelia Clark Fort
Shunichi Nakamura	...	Capt. Kameto 'Gandhi' Kuroshima
Richard Erdman	...	Col. Edward F. French
Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi	...	Rear Adm. Chuichi Hara (as Kan Nihonyanagi)
Jerry Fogel	...	Lt. Cmdr. William W. Outerbridge
Carl Reindel	...	Lt. Kenneth M. Taylor
Elven Havard	...	Mess Attendant 3rd Class Doris 'Dorie' Miller
Edmon Ryan	...	Rear Adm. Patrick N. L. Bellinger
Toshio Hosokawa	...	Lt. Cmdr. Shigeharu Murata (as Tosio Hosokawa)
Hisao Toake	...	Saburo Kurusu - Japanese Ambassador to Germany
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tôru Abe	...	Rear Adm. Takijiro Onishi (uncredited)
Hiroshi Akutagawa	...	Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal Koichi Kido (Japanese version only) (uncredited)
Kiyoshi Atsumi	...	Cook #1 (Japanese version only) (uncredited)
Harold Conway	...	Eugene Dooman - US Embassy Counselor (uncredited)
Dick Cook	...	Capt. Logan C. Ramsey (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
Jerry Cox	...	Lt. Kermit A. Tyler (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
Mike Daneen	...	Edward Crocker - US Embassy First Secretary (uncredited)
Francis De Sales	...	Capt. Arthur H. McCollum - Wilkinson's Subordinate with Stark (uncredited)
Dave Donnelly	...	Maj. Gordon A. Blake - Hickam Field Operations Officer (uncredited)
James B. Douglas	...	French's Subordinate (uncredited)
Bill Edwards	...	Col. Kendall J. Fielder - Short's Intelligence Officer (uncredited)
Dick Fair	...	Lt. Col. Carrol A. Powell - Radar Officer #1 (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
Jamie Farr	...	Multiple Characters (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburo Nomura (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Charles Gilbert	...	Lt. Col. William H. Murphy - Radar Officer #2 (uncredited)
Hisashi Igawa	...	Lt. Mitsuo Matsuzaki - Fuchida's Pilot (uncredited)
Robert Karnes	...	Maj. John H. Dillon - Knox's Aide (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Civilian Official Seated at Meeting Table (uncredited)
Randall Duk Kim	...	Tadao - Japanese Messenger Boy (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
Berry Kroeger	...	U.S. Army General (uncredited)
Akira Kume	...	Katsuzo Okumura - Embassy Officer at Typewriter (uncredited)
Dan Leegant	...	George Street - RCA Honolulu District Manager (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
Ken Lynch	...	Rear Adm. John H. Newton - USS Lexington (uncredited)
Eitaro Matsuyama	...	Cook #2 (Japanese version only) (uncredited)
Mitch Mitchell	...	Col. Walter C. Phillips - Short's Chief of Staff (uncredited)
Hideo Murota	...	Japanese Pilot (uncredited)
Steve Pendleton	...	Destroyer Captain (uncredited)
Charlie Picerni	...	Burning Sailor (uncredited)
Walter Reed	...	Vice Adm. William S. Pye (uncredited)
John Henry Russell	...	Radio Operator with Kaminsky (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
Dan Savino	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Robert Shayne	...	Cmdr. William H. Buracker - Halsey's Operations Officer (uncredited)
Edward Sheehan	...	Brig. Gen. Howard C. Davidson - CO 14th Pursuit Wing (uncredited)
Tommy Splittgerber	...	Ed Klein - Honolulu Telegraph Operator (uncredited)
G.D. Spradlin	...	Cmdr. Maurice E. Curts - Kimmel's Communications Officer (uncredited)
Hiroshi Tom Tanaka	...	Japanese Midget Submarine Crewman (uncredited)
Larry Thor	...	Maj. Gen. Frederick L. Martin (uncredited)
George Tobias	...	Captain on Flight Line at Hickam Field (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Officer at Signing of Pact (uncredited)
Bob Turnbull	...	Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Harlan Warde	...	Brig. Gen. Leonard T. Gerow (uncredited)
Meredith 'Tex' Weatherby	...	Ambassador Joseph C. Grew (uncredited)
David Westberg	...	Ens. Edgar M. Fair - USS California (uncredited)
Bruce Wilson	...	Pvt. Joseph Lockard - Opana Point (uncredited)
Bill Zuckert	...	Adm. James O. Richardson (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Fleischer
Kinji Fukasaku		(Japanese sequences)
Toshio Masuda		(Japanese sequences)

Writing credits
Larry Forrester		(screenplay) &
Hideo Oguni		(screenplay) &
Ryûzô Kikushima		(screenplay)
Gordon W. Prange		(based on "Tora! Tora! Tora!")
Ladislas Farago		(based on "The Broken Seal")
Akira Kurosawa		(Japanese sequences) uncredited

Produced by
Keinosuke Kubo	....	associate producer (Japanese episodes)
Otto Lang	....	associate producer (Japanese episodes)
Masayuki Takagi	....	associate producer (Japanese episodes)
Elmo Williams	....	producer
Richard Fleischer	....	producer (uncredited)
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Film Editing by
Pembroke J. Herring
Shinya Inoue		(as Chikaya Inoue)
James E. Newcom

Art Direction by
Richard Day
Taizô Kawashima		(as Taizoh Kawashima)
Yoshirô Muraki		(as Yoshiro Muraki)
Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by
Norman Rockett
Walter M. Scott
Carl Biddiscombe		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Layne Britton	....	makeup artist
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup supervisor (as Dan Striepeke)

Production Management
William Eckhardt	....	unit production manager
Stanley Goldsmith	....	unit production manager (as Stanley H. Goldsmith)
Masao Namikawa	....	unit production manager
Jack Stubbs	....	unit production manager
Richard D. Zanuck	....	executive in charge of production (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Hall	....	assistant director
Shunsuke Kariya	....	assistant director
Ray Kellogg	....	second unit director
Hiroshi Nagai	....	assistant director
Elliot Schick	....	assistant director
Robert Enrietto	....	second unit director: plane sequences (uncredited)

Art Department
Tsukasa Kondo	....	art crew
Ivan Martin	....	construction supervisor (uncredited)
Joseph Musso	....	production illustrator (uncredited)
Jack Senter	....	assistant supervising art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
James Corcoran	....	sound recordist
Herman Lewis	....	sound recordist
Theodore Soderberg	....	sound recordist (as Ted Soderberg)
Murray Spivack	....	sound recordist
Shin Watarai	....	sound recordist
Douglas O. Williams	....	sound recordist (as Doug Williams)
Don Hall	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
A.D. Flowers	....	mechanical effects
Johnny Borgese	....	special effects (uncredited)
Greg C. Jensen	....	special effects (uncredited)
Glen Robinson	....	mechanical effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Art Cruickshank	....	special photographic effects
Gail Brown	....	miniature construction supervisor (uncredited)
Edward Hutton	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)
Howard Lydecker	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Lightning Bear	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Brutsche	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)
Vince Deadrick Sr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chad Evans	....	stunts (uncredited)
J. David Jones	....	aerial stunts (uncredited)
Charlie Picerni	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rock A. Walker	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Osamu Furuya	....	photographer: Japanese episodes (as Osami Furuya)
Shinsaku Himeda	....	photographer: Japanese episodes (as Sinsaku Himeda)
Masamichi Satoh	....	photographer: Japanese episodes
Charles F. Wheeler	....	director of photography: American episodes
Mal Bulloch	....	still photographer (uncredited)
David Butler	....	cinematographer: second unit (uncredited)
Thomas Del Ruth	....	assistant camera: second unit (uncredited)
Dave Friedman	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
William Huffman	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Tom Kerschner	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Doug Kirkland	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Rexford L. Metz	....	assistant camera: second unit (uncredited)
Sterling Smith	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Jack Whitman	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Tamotsu Yato	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Courtney Haslam	....	wardrobe supervisor
Ed Wynigear	....	wardrobe
Michael Butler	....	set wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Brent Eldridge	....	digital color correction (uncredited)

Music Department
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator
Alexander Courage	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonard A. Engel	....	supervising music editor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
George Hamlin	....	picture car coordinator: Washington (uncredited)
Chris Haynes	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Jack Canary	....	air operations
Kuranosuke Isoda	....	technical advisor
Tsuyoshi Saka	....	technical advisor
Kameo Sonokawa	....	technical advisor
E.P. Stafford	....	D.O.D. project officer and naval coordinator (as Commander E.P. Stafford USN)
Shizuo Takada	....	technical advisor
Theodore Taylor	....	production coordinator
Duane Toler	....	script supervisor
Maurice Unger	....	production coordinator
George Watkins	....	air operations (as Capt. George Watkins USN)
Arthur P. Wildern Jr.	....	air operations (as Lt. Col. Arthur P. Wildern Ret.)
Bill Benedict	....	pilot: B-17 (uncredited)
Robert Buckhart	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
George Burnette	....	pilot: B-17 (uncredited)
Don Clark	....	pilot: B-17 (uncredited)
Don Fletcher	....	pilot: B-17 (uncredited)
Shigeru Fukutomi	....	story consultant (uncredited)
Minoru Genda	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Bill Groomer	....	pilot: B-17 (uncredited)
Davie Haines	....	pilot: B-17 (uncredited)
Randee Lynne Jensen	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Gaines Johnston	....	production auditor (uncredited)
J. David Jones	....	chief pilot (uncredited)
Allen Mosley	....	pilot: B-17 (uncredited)
Gary Pylant	....	pilot: B-17 (uncredited)
Dominic Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)
Ruth Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)
Konrad Schreier Jr.	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Hal Sherman	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Sam Steele	....	pilot: B-17 (uncredited)
Jim Stumpf	....	pilot: B-17 (uncredited)
Ted Taylor	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Yasuji Watanabe	....	story consultant (uncredited)
B.H. Watson	....	army affairs coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
• Toei Company (uncredited)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1970) (USA) (theatrical) (released by)
• 20th Century Fox (1970) (France) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1970) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Centfox Film (1970) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1973) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Magnetic Video (1977) (USA) (VHS)
• Magnetic Video (1977) (USA) (video) (Betamax)
• Fox Video (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Japan (2001) (Japan) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (extended Japanese cut)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2009) (Italy) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (extended Japanese cut)
• SF Home Entertainment (2009) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (extended Japanese cut)
• Fox Pathé Europa (2010) (France) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (extended Japanese cut)
• Fox Films (1970) (Finland) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• CBS / Fox Video (1986) (Greece) (VHS)
• FS Film (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Fox Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Magnetic Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2002) (Finland) (TV)
• Showtime (????) (Finland) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Vision Photography Inc.  aerial photography
• Pacific Title  titles
• Armies of the World  costumes and props (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

144 min | Japan:149 min | UK:137 min | 160 min (Extended Japanese Edition 2009)

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (some 35 mm prints) | 4-Track Stereo (some 35 mm prints)

Certification:

Australia:G (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Finland:K-12 (re-rating) (1970) | Norway:16 (1972) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | Taiwan:GP | UK:U | USA:G (Approved No. 22330) | West Germany:16 (f) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:PG | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-13 (Japanese release) (2009) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) (1970)

Filming Locations:

Ashiya, Japan

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

This movie's opening prologue states: "The American Pacific Fleet was attacked and partially destroyed by Japan on . . . Sunday Morning December 7, 1941. This attack led to the entering of the United States into World War II. All of the events and characters depicted are true to historical fact."

Goofs:

Factual errors: The full-scale replica of USS Nevada seen throughout movie has too many 14-inch guns. USS Nevada and USS Oklahoma had 10 14-inch guns (2 3-gun turrets and 2 2-gun turrets, with one of each type turret fore and aft). The full-scale Nevada has 12 14-inch guns as found on later USS Arizona and USS Pennsylvania. The miniature models of Nevada and Oklahoma used in the Battleship Row sequences have the correct number and layout of 14-inch guns.

Quotes:

Cordell Hull:In all my fifty years of public service, I have never seen a document so crowded with infamous falsehoods and distortions, on a scale so huge that I never imagined until today that any government on this planet was capable of uttering them.
Ambassador Nomura:[pleading] Mr. Hull...
Cordell Hull:[wearily] Go!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "NYPD Blue: Torah! Torah! Torah! (#3.2)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

At Last

Excellent, if not one of the best documentary style movies of all time, as told from both sides, of the event that plunged the United States into the Second World War.

This movie reigns supreme over it's 2001 version Pearl Harbor which is really a fictional love story confined within a true conflict. Tora Tora Tora is based on actual events leading up to this avoidable tragedy, notably the bureaucratic bungling and complacency from the top down which allowed the Japanese attack to succeed.

Throughout this well done production, the story in true chronological sequence shifts between the two opposing sides with full subtitles giving the role played by each leading actor.

The viewer is given a clear concise unfolding of events with the part of the code-breakers importantly emphasized.

The attack is quite breathtaking in parts with several scenes closely resembling or being actual footage taken.

Ironically the breaking of the Japanese naval code by U.S. Intelligence gave the Americans every opportunity to correctly contemplate the next move of their adversary, but a desire for utmost secrecy by the Roosevelt Administration and the top brass of the Navy and Army restricted the transmission of clear and proper communications necessary for the Pearl Harbor commanders, Admiral Kimmel and General Short to make sound objective judgments regarding their respective commands.

Both men were treated shabbily by their superiors in the aftermath of the attack, were relieved of their command, and for decades thereafter had to endure the shame and responsibility placed on them in allowing this occurrence to happen.

This movie does a lot to exonerate them from their part in this terrible disaster.

P.S. I had the great honor of meeting bugler Richard Fiske personally, (USS West Virginia) with a colleague of mine when we visited Pearl Harbor in March 1997, (plus autograph),and had our photo taken with him. It is one of my enduring photos of this great sailor who gave his time unselfishly as a volunteer survivor, at the base, to give two second generation Australians the respect of knowing that we met a man who belonged to a nation which contributed to the success of winning the Pacific War.