This documentary provides a comprehensive and balanced account of the attack on Pearl Harbor. It includes movie footage which attests to the ferocity of the attack and the damage it caused, not only in terms of property destroyed but the toll it exacted on its victims - the Americans. The documentary also places the attack in a broader historical context, showing how it was planned months in advance and explaining why the Japanese decided to take such a radical course of action. What is particularly notable is the actual length of the attack, which lasted over two hours as well as the immense size of the Japanese armada used to launch the attack. It is clear that Japan was determined to deliver to the US a devastating blow - and succeeded. The documentary also raises the question of when the war with Japan actually began: in 1940, when the US moved its Pacific Fleet from San Diego to Hawaii; in July 1941, when the US imposed an oil embargo on Japan; or in November 1941 when Secretary Hull rejected the Japanese proposal for peace? The documentary also shows the attempts at reconciliation between some of the actual combatants decades after the end of the war. Such attempts give cause to wonder as to the value of bringing together bitter adversaries. Whatever the case, one point is made absolutely clear: the attack on Pearl harbor is one of the landmark events of history that changed the world forever.
Tora Tora Tora: The Real Story of Pearl Harbor
(2000 TV Movie)
War, peace, reconciliation.
22 July 2014