Attack in the Pacific (1944)

Genre:

Documentary | War

Cast

Henry H. Arnold	...	Himself (with Marshall) (archive footage)
Alan Brooke	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
Kai-Shek Chiang	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
Winston Churchill	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
Andrew Cunningham	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
John Dill	...	Himself (at Anglo-American conference) (archive footage)
James Doolittle	...	Himself (walks deck of Hornet with Mitscher) (archive footage)
William F. Halsey	...	Himself (on deck) (archive footage)
Hastings Ismay	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
Ernest J. King	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference, in USMC uniform) (archive footage)
William D. Leahy	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
Wei Liu	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
George C. Marshall	...	Himself (at Anglo-American conference) (archive footage)
Marc A. Mitscher	...	Himself (commander, USS Hornet) (archive footage)
Louis Mountbatten	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
Chester W. Nimitz	...	Himself (decorates soldier) (archive footage)
Charles Portal	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
Lewis B. Puller	...	Himself (on Peleliu, holds helmet) (archive footage)
Sam Rayburn	...	Himself (in Congress behind FDR) (archive footage)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt	...	Himself (Day of Infamy speech) (archive footage)
James Roosevelt	...	Himself (in Congress beside FDR) (archive footage)
William H. Rupertus	...	Himself (on Peleliu, beside Puller) (archive footage)
Chen Shang	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
Raymond A. Spruance	...	Himself (studies map with Nimitz) (archive footage)
Joseph W. Stilwell	...	Himself (at Cairo Conference) (archive footage)
Henry Wallace	...	Himself (in Congress behind FDR) (archive footage)

Also Known As:

Armed Forces Information Film: A.F.I.F. Number 3 (USA) (series title)

Runtime:

52 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Movie Connections:

Featured in Trinity and Beyond (1995) (V)

How defeat of the Japanese empire was planned and accomplished during World War II.

There are over 10000 islands within the Pacific Ocean located between Asia and America, the vast majority of which possess little geopolitical importance in periods of peace but, during the Second World War, a good many of these outposts suffered through the dismal experience of armed conflict between two widely separated nations: Japan and the United States. This dramatic documentary, an Armed Forces Information Film, completed a year before the war's end, is dedicated to the men of the United States Navy, a fighting organization which fulfilled a most significant role in bringing about the defeat of Japan; the combat footage, although propagandistic, is startling. Following a valuable introduction describing the variegated Pacific islands and their denizens, effective use is made of film and graphics to describe the spread of Japanese military power from its base south to Australia, including the attack at Pearl Harbor, and provides excellent coverage of the methods used by members of the Allies, particularly the U.S., to prepare for counterattacks against Japan, bloodily advancing from island to island. Top-flight editing marks this work wherein all scenes are filmed by combat photographers, and although largely devoted to Naval/Marine achievements, the contributions of both the American Army and Army Air Force are highlighted as well, and scenes of the Jimmy Doolittle led bombing attack of Tokyo are particularly memorable.