Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

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:

Remember Pearl Harbor | Oahu | Alert | Flag Raising | B 17

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 nominations

Cast

Martin Balsam	...	Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet
Sô Yamamura	...	Vice-Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (as Soh Yamamura)
Joseph Cotten	...	Henry L. Stimson, U.S. Secretary of War
Tatsuya Mihashi	...	Commander Minoru Genda, Air Staff Officer, Japanese First Fleet
E.G. Marshall	...	Colonel Rufus S. Bratton
James Whitmore	...	Admiral William F. Halsey
Takahiro Tamura	...	Lt. Commander Fuchida
Eijirô Tono	...	Admiral Chuichi Nagumo (as Eijiro Tono)
Jason Robards	...	Lt. General Walter C. Short, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army Hawaii
Wesley Addy	...	Lt. Commander Alvin D. Kramer
Shogo Shimada	...	Ambassador Kichisaburo Nomura
Frank Aletter	...	Lt. Commander Thomas
Koreya Senda	...	Prince Funimaro Konoye, Prime Minister of Japan
Leon Ames	...	Frank Knox, U.S. Secretary of the Navy
Junya Usami	...	Vice-Admiral Zengo Yoshida

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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Toei Company

Trivia:

Akira Kurosawa agreed to direct the Japanese part of the film only because he was told that David Lean was to direct the American part. This was a lie, David Lean was never part of the project. When Kurosawa found out about this, he tried to get himself fired from the production - and succeeded.

Goofs:

Continuity: When USS Ward commences attack on Japanese midget sub, sub is shown with piece of conning tower missing before Ward hits it with gunfire. As sub is diving after being hit, conning tower is intact.

Quotes:

[Telephone conversation from the radar station to the Information Center]
Pvt. Elliot: Sir, this is Private Elliot at Opana Point. There's a large formation of planes coming in from the north - 140 miles, 3 degrees east.
Lt. Tyler: Yeah? Well... Don't worry about it.
[Click!]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

Soundtrack:

Chattanooga Choo Choo

One of the best WW2 movies ever.

Tora! Tora! Tora! has long been a favorite of this WW2 buff. Considering I have had 34 years to study and learn about the war since the film first was shown, I still maintain it is almost unbeatable in terms of realism and historical accuracy. An added attraction for me has always been it's total lack of a love interest. Unlike the recent "Pearl Harbor", T!T!T! is not complicated by any silly love stories. While by recent standards the movie may seem slow paced and plodding, the details of the events leading up to the attack is gratifying to see and actually educational. The attack action is thrilling, well paced, and in its use of models, actual planes and other equipment,is extremely realistic with few distracting anachronisms. Be aware that this is definitely not a movie to watch if you are in a hurry.