Tora! Tora! Tora! is by all means a true human drama, capturing the intense realism of a Dada painting to the rasping voice of Ella Fitzgerald caressing our souls into the flavors of sweet jazz. It is in fact, the experience of America combined into one film. Inspired by Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," Tora! Tora! Tora! is an exploration of what drives our desires and what encourages our fears. Most passionate love falls victim to the scrutinies of mediocrite, poverty is the flavor of all loss, meaning is evaporated in the waves of bodies, and in the end only one glimmer of hope shines in the eyes of a single child. The symbolism is so ripe with thought that one can only compare it to the symbols of 'On the Waterfront' or '8 1/2.' Particularly strong symbols include the devastating motif of the ceiling fans, and the overbearing recurrence of clocks. It is a magnificent combination of all that should be film. The climactic bull fight scene can only be compared to the climactic scenes of 'The Big Country' or 'Bridge on the River Kwai.' And not even Emily Bronte in the height of her career could have written with such poignant tragedy as we see in the last scene of the star crossed lovers of Tora! Tora! Tora! It is truly a film to be rivaled, and not many should step up to challenge this film of an even greater grandeur scale. No film should look to Tora! Tora! Tora! without reverence and a genuine thankfulness that we are alive enough to see a film such as this. Thank you.
Review of Tora! Tora! Tora!
