December 7th (1943) User Reviews

"You know that I know that you know that this is an attack by Japan."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 20 December 2014]

Docudrama about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, that led to the US entering World War II. The version I have seen twice now on TCM is the unedited 82-minute version. The shorter version, which runs 34 minutes, is the one that won the Oscar for short subject documentary. The first part of the film is amusingly corny. Uncle Sam (Walter Huston) is vacationing in Hawaii, where he is interrupted by his conscience (Harry Davenport) the day before the attack. They discuss the history of Hawaii, the loyalty of Japanese-Americans, and America's complacency. From there we have the Pearl Harbor attack and the entry into the war. These scenes are a combination of stock footage and recreations shot by famed cinematographer Gregg Toland. It's not hard to differentiate between the two. Dana Andrews plays the ghost of a sailor who died at Pearl Harbor and Paul Hurst plays the ghost of a soldier who died in WWI. The credit for this film seems to go to John Ford, although it appears all he may have done is edit down Gregg Toland's longer version. I haven't read up on the film's history so I can't say for sure. I will say that very little about this screamed John Ford to me, stylistically speaking. Like I said, it's corny and maybe a little offensive if you want it to be, but I found it pretty fascinating. It's a nice window into the mindsets of Americans at the time and how they felt about these issues and events. The attack itself is excitingly recreated. WWII buffs should find a lot to chew on here. Everybody else, how you'll feel about it likely depends on the baggage you bring with you. Some will like it, some will hate it, and some will like to hate it. Hopefully most of you will find it interesting and your blood pressure will be unaffected.

"You want peace but you want it the easy way".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 8 December 2014]

Even as World War II was raging in 1943, there did not exist a lot of war footage to illustrate America's entry into the conflict. President Franklin Roosevelt ordered up this documentary piece to help explain the events that occurred before, during and after the tragic attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. This eighty two minute documentary treatment was not released during the War because of objections by the U.S. Navy. A thirty four minute version was gleaned from the longer picture by director John Ford, and won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject in 1943.

I found the approach used to be somewhat odd but also effective, with the character of Uncle Sam (Walter Huston) having a conversation with what was ostensibly his conscience (portrayed by Harry Davenport). Uncle Sam, the pacifist was fairly convinced that Japan did not pose an immediate threat to the country, while his alter-ego argued on the side of vigilance and caution.

The first part of the film offers some startling facts about life on Hawaii at the time relative to the Japanese-American population. In 1941, one hundred fifty seven thousand Japanese represented thirty seven percent of the population of the Islands, and the majority of those (one hundred twenty two thousand) were actually American citizens. The narrator reveals that many of them were born in Hawaii, as a courtyard of school children are shown patriotically reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing 'God Bless America'. In hindsight, these demonstrations appear almost surreal on film.

Contrasted against this show of patriotism is a brief history of Shintoism, an almost religious worship of the First Japanese Emperor considered immortal, with Japanese Emperor Hirohito representing a mortal image of a deity. The reverence shown by the Japanese in honoring their ancestors created a strong racial and social bond between them and the Imperial Dynasty, thereby posing a cautionary reaction in those who would distrust Japanese-American Hawaiians as potential enemies who might feed vital military information back to Japan.

In regards to the actual attack on Pearl harbor, the film uses reenactments interspersed with actual combat footage, and it's never difficult to tell the difference between the two. Considering the era and technology available, the effort is generally effective as long as one overlooks the obvious use of toy battleship replicas and cardboard mock-ups. With the attack lasting ten minutes shy of two hours, the horror and destruction amassed within that time frame was virtually inconceivable at the time. The obvious reaction of the country in 1941 was one of horror and disgust, and as one observes those events today from the vantage point of seventy plus years, it's remarkable how the country came together to recoup and rebuild it's way back to victory.

original 82 min version

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 10 December 2018]

After Pearl Harbor, Gregg Toland filmed a propaganda movie for the navy about the attack. The military and John Ford would reshape the 82 min film down to a 34 min short which would win the 1944 Oscar for documentary short. In recent years, the full length film is recovered and released.

Uncle Sam is eagerly promoting Hawaii as a peaceful vacation spot. Mr. C questions him and their conversation reveals the history of Japanese immigration onto the island. While Uncle Sam shows them as patriotic Americans, Mr. C counters with suspicions of their true loyalties. Uncle Sam is shown to be naive in his beliefs as Mr. C uses a false story to illustrate the disloyalty of some of the Japanese population cooperating with the Japanese Empire and the German Nazis. Uncle Sam is shown as a weak-kneed disbeliever until the attack wakes him from his sleep proving him wrong. Of all the hokey propaganda takes, the most effective is the voices from the soldiers' graves. It really makes it a war for all Americans.

The fictional espionage story reminds me of the old industrial educational films with bad acting. On the hand, the attack recreations blend very well with real footage of the attack. I can see why so much of it was cut while the leftovers would be award winning. Overall, there is great craftmanship in the battle while the preceding espionage story is poorly acted and problematic as a documentary endeavor. It does show how easily fear can be whipped by against the local Japanese population and explain the popularity of the internment decision. As a time capsule, it shows how a false narrative can easily push people into the wrong conclusions. As a film, it shows great skills in combat recreation.

Chances to see history like this only come once.

[boris-26 · 17 March 2001]

After America entered World War II at the close of 1941, Hollywood directors were "drafted" into making short films for the war effort. These directors included Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, and the most poetic, sentimental of Hollywood directors at the time- John Ford. Ford made this short film. Part of it is a political cartoon come to life. Uncle Sam (Walter Huston) is on vacation in Hawaii. It's not yet December 7th, 1941. He doesn't have a care in the world, other than his conscious (played with delicate humor by the great Harry Davenport!) reminding him of possible trouble brewing. The film also serves as a neat documentary about life in Hawaii before the war, and offers a peek into the heavy Japanese-American population at the time. Look for Dana Andrews in a ghostly bit part. History books just have the dates and places of historic occurrences. This seldom seen classic shows the mindset!

PEARL HARBOR: The Fantasy

[redryan64 · 7/10 · 10 December 2014]

ANYONE WHO HAS visited the U.S.S. ARIZONA MEMORIAL at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii will be interested in any film that relates to the attack of December 7, 1941. The devastation of that first Sunday in December was designed by the forces of Imperial Japan to render Uncle Sam impotent to do anything while the tentacles of "the Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere"(Japanese Empire for short)stretched out across the Phillipines, Hong Kong, Malaya, Indonesia and many other islands.

WELL SCHULTZ, NO matter how bad things were at that low point, we rebounded and got our industry geared up for War Production. We believe it was Japanese Admiral Yamaoto who said: "We have only succeeded in awakening a Slumbering Giant!" (maybe it was "Sleeping Giant!")

RATHER THAN BEING a Documentary, a Drama or even a Docu-Drama, the film emerged as a true Fantasy. It features a vacationing Uncle Sam (Walter Huston) looking over and evaluating the then U.S. Territory of Hawaii. He is soon joined by a "Mr. C" (for Constitution? played by Harry Davenport). The imaginary pair start a lively and deeply analytical discussion about the history, geographical importance and demographical breakdown of Hawaii.

IT IS MADE perfectly clear that the majority components of the Territory was not Caucasain*, but rather of an Asiatic origin from China, the Phillipines and other lands. But the single largest component of the peoples here are of Japanese descent.

THE FILM IS careful to show all of the positive side of the business, social and especially family structure of the Japanese American. Without having to resort to any fanciful speculation or slanted views, the characters make the case in favor of these Neisi folks. The storyline centers on the issue of "different" peoples' having similar likes, needs and abilities. The words "Race" and "Racisim", which are so commonly thrown about in today's media, are absent from this celluloid dissertation.

ODDLY ENOUGH, THE storyline then takes a sharp turn in demonstrating just how little bits of info can be woven into big time espionage and a clear and present danger to our security. An imaginary scenario is presented that portrays that not all Axis Spies in the Pacific are Asian; as we have the Japanese Consulate being briefed by a Nazi German agent. Wisely, the adage of "the slip of the lip can sink a ship" is demonstrated with German operatives eavesdropping on people engaged in pertinent info in restaurant.

AS WELL INTENDED and truthful that this scene was, we can't help but feel that it was an indicator of the mentality behind the Japanese Relocation Centers created by FDR at the behest of California Governor Earl Warren.

THE MILITARY RELOCATION Camps are, in retrospect, one of the Darkest Days in our History and a shameful display of governmental abuse. (Ironically there was not even one case of sabotage or collaboration with the Axis Powers by a Japanese American; although the same can't be said for Germans, who weren't interned.)

THE MOVIE FINISHES up with some hopeful words of wisdom from some Soldiers, Sailors Marines and Airmen who died on that "Day of Infamy", whose spirits told their stories.

IN WHAT WAS a fine and genuinely heart felt gesture to the families of those who gave their all on 12/7/41, Family Members of several young Servicemen appear to honor their Sons.

WHEN VIEWING THIS movie today, we must at least try to see it through the lens of time. Remember, it was big war and very scary.

Short Version: Dated recreation of the bombing of Pearl Harbor is best viewed in context of its time

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 1 February 2007]

I saw the short, 34 minute, version of this film and I'm intrigued by the notion of what constitutes a documentary since so much of this film has been recreated. Essentially the story of what happened on that morning this is brief retelling of what happened, mixed with a rousing warning to the Japanese that the destruction they caused wasn't as fatal as they would have liked.

I'm of mixed minds about the film. Certainly the recreation of the bombing is stunning and had I seen this film back in the 1940's I would have been floored by it since its often a great mix of almost believable Hollywood magic and real life footage. Its so good that its clear that later recreations of the attack like Tora Tora Tora and Pearl Harbor stole shots and sequences from it. Unfortunately these same films, freed of the shackles of having to be a propaganda puff piece, are more interesting to watch. We can get lost in the story and don't need to have our patriotism pumped up.

Its not bad, its just more a curio that should be viewed in context of when it was made rather than as a piece of entertainment or a source of real information on the subject.

Worth a look for those who want to see a snapshot of how the war was viewed during the war, or for those cine-files who want to see where later movies cribbed their shots.

Banned For Many Years

[DKosty123 · 6/10 · 9 December 2016]

For the time this was made, this is an amazing effort. While the combat sequences are not perfect, when this was made many films were still using military props that date back to World War 1. At least this one appears more current. This full length one has all the objectionable stuff that had to be cut for the award winning short version.

In a way, a lot of the later versions of this story owe things to this one. Up until Tora Tora Tora, this is a better telling of the attack than other efforts. There are errors and there is some great points about the peace that existed before the attack and the Japanese Propaganda after it. There is racism, is that goes with the era this was made. People want to forget that the races stayed separate in the American Military until after World War 2.

It is interesting that the film points out that the Japanese Propaganda after the attack claimed credit for sinking the US Carrier Enterprise which luckily was out at sea when the attack happened. This was wishful thinking as the American Carriers were the ships that if they had been there and sank, would have crippled the American war effort in the Pacific for months.

A major error is in the morning services before the attack. The minister makes a speech saying that December 7th is the third Sunday of Advent. There is no way that is possible as that Sunday would be December 14th. Obviously the service is either staged, or shot on December 14th. There is some good factual information in this movie that makes it a good film to watch.

On the 75th Anniversary of the attack in 2016, Turner Classic Movies ran this unedited version directly ahead of Tora Tora Tora, a smart thing to do as it is the best double feature describing that day. I like the touches of the censorship here on the radar equipment and some other parts that were sensitive intelligence when this movie was made.

Historical curiosity

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 8 May 2003]

Greg Toland, a phenomenal and temperamental cinematorgrapher ("Citizen Kane" inter alia) wanted to be a director instead of a photographer, and this is basically his film. As part of Ford's Field Photo group he was assigned this project, which was to explain how and why Pearl Harbor could have happened.

Toland was a better photographer than a director. Very little documentary footage of the Pearl Harbor attack existed. Most of what was available was shot after the attack, sometimes days later. So Toland organized a lengthy (some 80 minute-long) version of events by restaging the attack both in Hawaii and on the studio lots in Hollywood.

The rather long prologue is like a cartoon. Walter Houston is dressed in an Uncle Sam costume and has a sort of argument with his conscience before the attack. Oh, sure, Uncle Sam admits, there are some traitors among the hyphenated Japanese but they're a negligible threat. We get to hear Philip Ahn (a Korean) explain that Shintoism is Japan, and Japan Shintoism, and that Hirohito is the direct descendant of God, which must have gone over well with Christians.

The attack itself is reasonably well done for the time but embarrassing to watch now. American dive bombers pose as Japanese. The model work, with tiny airplanes on strings, is obvious. Cardboard ships explode into slivers in a tank. Non-actors pose as American servicemen and die Hollywood deaths, twisting and falling gracefully. The narrator tells us that the whole deal might have been different if an inexperienced lieutenant had heeded the radar warning of a subordinate, which is true, but which couldn't be admitted at the time. The result was an unshowable movie.

Ford and his editor, Robert Sherwood, were called in to try salvaging it by cutting it down to about half an hour. Ford may or may not have added any shots. Only one of them resembles something he might have done. (A chaplain saying mass cuts it short, makes the sign of the cross, and says, "To your battle stations, boys.") Of course Ford's name is on the credits as director. He was John Ford. But it isn't his picture.

Was there more than one message in this film?

[SimonJack · 10/10 · 24 August 2012]

John Ford's 1943 docu-drama, "December 7th," is an interesting piece of history in its own right. In hindsight, we can see what Ford must have thought when he pulled together this film for the Navy and War Department. Clearly, it had an important purpose and value for that time. And, just as clearly to me, it had more than one message. Remember, up until Pearl Harbor, there had been divergent states of mind in the U.S. about the war.

So, this film set out to wake Americans up and get people to stop to think. It gave us lots of information about Hawaii. Most Americans probably knew of the islands only as a great place to vacation on the beach. How many non-residents knew much about Hawaii or its people at that time? Who knew that 25 percent of the population was of Japanese descent? Or that 122,000 of the 157,000 Japanese then in Hawaii were American citizens? And remember, that was some two decades before Hawaii was to become a state. For that matter, how many people today know much about Hawaii's past up to the start of World War II? I know I had no inkling of much of this data before seeing this film, and then checking some historical references.

This film gives us a broad picture of the Japanese Americans in Hawaii. We see and learn about their businesses, their beliefs, their culture, and their history. The film presents this in a pro and con format between the two main characters. The message seemed clear. Americans should stop to think, and not jump to conclusions. The film should lead viewers to be more open-minded about the Japanese Americans in general. But, also it should help viewers see the need for vigilance by the government because of known Japanese espionage. By this time, we had considerable experiences with the fifth column efforts by Nazi supporters in the eastern U.S. They tried to promote confusion and distrust among the populace and hinder U.S. support for the Allies in the war. Today, we can look at this film and better understand the time, place, moods, fears and concerns of the nation.

My DVD with this film also has some other interesting extras. It has two movie newsreels, a video with interviews when the Ford film was first shown in Japan in 1995, and Frank Capra's 1945 documentary on Japan, "Know Your Enemy."

A cameraman assigned to Honolulu at the time shot the first Universal newsreel of Pearl Harbor. But, its report is quite inaccurate in places. It says that American Army and Navy planes helped repel a fourth wave of attackers. Such guesswork never should have been used by news sources. As we soon learned, the Japanese attack had wiped out the Army airplane force. And, there were no Navy planes because the carriers were out to sea. In another part, a narrator says that the Japanese attack was planned to take place when the carriers were gone. Again, we know that's not true, as the facts later attested. The Japanese planned their attack mainly to knock out U.S. Naval air power as the core of the U.S. naval forces. That would give them a big advantage in the Pacific, and they were surprised to find out that the carriers weren't in port. Later films, such as "Tora, Tora, Tora," give accurate historical accounts of December 7th, including good accounts from the Japanese side.

Finally, the Capra documentary, "Know Your Enemy," was on this DVD. This is an interesting example of a propaganda film. It was produced apparently to show to Americans going to serve in the Pacific in 1945. Some criticize the narrator's tone and derogatory comments in places. I agree. Propaganda should give information truthfully and without racial or cultural slurs. That said, this film gave more interesting – and accurate – information about Japan. Its history, people and culture of the last two centuries before Pearl Harbor would help Americans understand the why and how of Japan's drive for conquest.

One can see some clear similarities between Japan and Germany – in their efforts to arouse the people to support war and conquest. Several news film clips taken in Japan show masses of people being rallied for support of Japan's efforts. The similarity to Nazi Germany is uncanny. One also can see how the nationalistic rallies in this film could lead so many Japanese soldiers to think lowly of other people and be able to treat prisoners, civilians and even women and children so brutally..

Ford's film, "December 7th," is shown in its uncensored and censored parts – noted on the screen as it plays. This is an excellent piece of history in its own right. Anyone interested in World War II, and anyone who wants to know and understand the history of that time better, should see this film. The extras that are on this DVD are also of historical value.

December 7TH {Short Theatrical Version} (John Ford and, uncredited, Gregg Toland, 1943) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 4 February 2014]

This is another war documentary by Ford, obviously detailing the nefarious 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour that saw the U.S. finally enter WWII. Ironically, the film was originally made as a feature (running 82 minutes) but was heavily censored by the authorities – despite having been commissioned by President Roosevelt himself! – to the point that it was reduced to a 34-minute short, entered in the Academy Award category for Best Documentary Short and winning the Oscar! For the record, only the edited version was released among the extras on Fox's BECOMING JOHN FORD (2007) DVD and, while I managed to acquire the full-length edition off "You Tube", I opted to only watch the shorter print in view of its being Oscar season!

Anyway, this makes a much better attempt to tell the whole story than THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY (one imagines the feature being that more comprehensive in this regard!), and only resorts to mawkishness – albeit movingly done regardless – towards the end i.e. when the fallen soldiers 'introduce' themselves to the audience. Needless to say, the Japanese side is depicted in strictly caricatured terms (which was the accepted norm for the duration of the conflict, seen also in contemporary cartoons!)…but, while a Japanese civilian (sympathizing with the invasion) is interviewed, we also get to see how other naturalized Orientals hid evidence (not just store-signs but the Asian calligraphy itself!) of their old country in shame. Again, a number of stars lend their services to provide the accompanying narration: I recognized Walter Huston's voice in this streamlined copy but, reportedly, the likes of Harry Davenport and Dana Andrews were also involved.

This review is for the much longer original version.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 15 September 2015]

My review is for the original full-length docudrama made by Gregg Toland. For a variety of reasons, the US government (who commissioned the film) hated Toland's version and John Ford was brought in to rescue the project. He re-shot some scenes, created a few new ones and edited away about much of the film. Interestingly, this much shorter version received an Oscar and the original version was censored for many years.

The film begins with the embodiment of Uncle Sam (Walter Huston) meeting up with an old guy (the familiar character actor, Harry Davenport). What follows is a history lesson concerning Hawaii (particularly focusing on Hawaiians of Japanese descent) and account of the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which is narrated by Sam. Interestingly, Uncle Sam talks on and on about how these Japanese-Americans are very loyal to America and Davenport (usually such a nice guy in films) goes on to question their loyalty and their 'so called religion called Shinto'! Interestingly, Davenport's attitude about these people is pretty much in line with the government policy of internment of Japanese-Americans following the December 7th attack. And, very oddly, Uncle Sam is seen as naive and perhaps a little stupid. What follows is a lot of dry narration and, finally, an odd scene between dead soldiers (one of which id Dana Andrews).

So why did the government dislike the film? First, although being anti-Japanese was encouraged, the original version basically said that beneath their veneer, many Japanese-Americans were evil agents working for Japan--and that Uncle Sam (i.e., the US government) had been naive and complacent. Second, when it came to the surprise attack, the original film said that we SHOULD have been ready and led credence to conspiracy theories that the government knew or should have known about the attack. As a result, of both themes, the film came off like an indictment of the government and instead of instilling patriotism, it might have instead served to create a defeatist and anti-government attitude. I can see why the film was re-made and edited.

Sure it was filled with very nasty anti-Japanese material...but was it well made? What about the technical merits of the film? I don't really think it was made well. Much of the film needed tightening. For example, the Japanese montage just went on too long. Additionally, as I mentioned above, the film was not at all successful in conveying what the government wanted--a HUGE drawback. Its nasty tone really represents negative propaganda and I fully understand the need to re-do this picture. Still, very interesting and an unusual insight into the sorts of feelings brewing in America at the time. Probably mostly of value to historians today and I am glad it is finally available-- politically correct or not!

By the way, it IS true that many of the ships sunk at Pearl Harbor were actually repaired and recommissioned. I am not sure whether or not the US government wanted this to be known or not. I could see an advantage for not letting the enemy know this or the benefit of letting the civilians know we are resilient.

excellent movie of historical value expressing sentiments of the time.

[pkreid-1 · 10/10 · 15 April 2009]

Should be shown to all students of American history of the World War II era. Shows the perspective of the times. Unfortunately, it appears previous reviewer has a revisionist history view of what the times should have reflected. The Uncle Sam-Mr Conscience sequence is of particular value, showing what can happen if our leaders fall asleep or become over confident. The combat footage is dramatically realistic, and some of that footage was used in the great series "Victory at Sea". The part at the end when the narrator talks to those men who died at Pearl also shows one important emotional truth. "We are all Americans". A truth we sometimes forget.

Great reenactment

[K_Paulus01 · 7/10 · 4 August 2005]

This is a well made Hollywood movie about Pearl Harbor. Director John Ford working for the government made this film after the attack as a motivational and propaganda film. The vast majority of the film is staged as there was no footage of the actual attack. The only real footage is the aftermath of some of the ships burning. That being said Ford attention to detail has lead many to believe that the shots of the Japenese planes where real. In reality they were Duantless Dive-bombers. Further the movie tends to downplay the losses of the United States while encouraging the anti-Japenese ideals of the day. Overall this is a good movie and a fairly accurate retelling if one remembers that it is not actual footage and rather a sound stage for the most part. Those interested in real battle footage should look to Ford's Battle of Midway which is entirely real footage and is even in color.

Documentary made up of staged recreation and combat film

[oscar-35 · 16 May 2012]

*Spoiler/plot- 1943, A documentary that discusses and shows the many US military command and government war actions during the WW2 Pacific theater.

*Special Stars- Director: John Ford

*Theme- The US will win against any obstacle.

*Trivia/location/goofs- Documentary made up of recreation with actors from narrative films and live action combat or newsreel footage. John Ford was a command naval officer.

*Emotion- An enjoyable and this is really an impressive war documentary. It suffers from the staged or fake reenactment scenes to complete the narrative. Once you've seen this you can understand what all those war films have been trying to achieve. However, there are the unpleasant shots of injured Americans and some blatant racism in the form of the word use of 'Japs or 'Nips'. But it is extremely educational and does what a narrative simulated war film can do. You do have to put up with the blatant propaganda but this actually helps put the documentary in its war era context, providing an insight into social and political opinion of the time.

What everyone misses

[tttag · 10/10 · 8 January 2015]

Here's the explanation for this film.

In President Roosevelt's judgment, the 110,000 American citizens of Japanese descent living on the West Coat were a terrible threat to national security during ww2. Accordingly, they had been interned in concentration camps, suddenly and brutally.

Obviously, the 160,000 Japanese-Americans on Hawaii posed an even greater threat, since Hawaii was the most critical American base in the Pacific. Roosevelt wanted these potential subversives locked up as well, and the task of December 7th was to argue for this necessity by indicting the loyalty of 160,000 Hawaiian citizens.

But something rare in recent American history occurred. The military governor of Hawaii, General Delos Emmons said, in so many words, "Nuts, I won't do it!" And he prevailed. The Nisei stayed free. Accordingly, December 7th's denunciation of their disloyalty was replaced with a tribute to their patriotism. And not a single hostile act by a Japanese- American was reported during the war.

Hawaii's successful defiance of Roosevelt is an ignored event in American history — not surprisingly, because it gives the lie to the excuse that continued internment of 110,000 people (mostly Californians) through almost four years of war (and the effective confiscation of their property to the profit of their neighbors) was an understandable precaution in the heat of the moment.

Ford and Toland, whatever their sentiments at the time, were following orders. A year after the war was over, in December 1946, Ford made a point of depositing in the National Archives an 82-minute print, unreleased (but now on DVD), containing Toland's unreleased sequences preceding the 34- minute released sequences. As a single film it makes no sense: the second part contradicts the first, blatantly. Yet it documents a government policy that we have forgotten ever even happened.

Subjective but still excellent propaganda doc that's fundamental for Ford fans to watch!

[talisencrw · 8/10 · 16 July 2016]

This was solid. Recently I have taken an interest in both the propaganda films and wartime documentaries of World War II from both sides. I especially wanted to see this, since I love Ford's 'They Were Expendable' so much. Definitely worth the effort to find if you have a similar inclination for the material.

I have always wondered if a truly 'objective', 'unbiased' documentary can be made. Simply the decisions a director makes in what to capture and what not to makes such a gesture impossible, doesn't it? I especially feel this is the case when it comes to nationalistic documents, such as this.

I have NO idea what its competition was, but this deservedly won Ford an Oscar for Best Documentary: Short Subject--this was a fine work he was well to be proud of.

What A Hoot

[pv71989 · 1 June 2004]

It's hard to imagine why this little gem of a flick was unavailable for 50 years. Actually, the original 82-minute length with its brief references to a missed opportunity involving a radar that picked up the Japanese attack force was banned by Chief of Staff George C. Marshall as inflammatory. Cinematographer Gregg Toland had filmed most of it on a Hollywood lot, but producer John Ford had to come in and edit in down a 34-minute film. Amazingingly, it won Ford his fourth Oscar -- as a documentary.

You have to get the full 82-minute version. The first 15 minutes are blatantly racist and jingoistic. Walter Huston plays the embodiment of Uncle Sam, which is pacifist, as America was in 1941, despite the war in Europe. Harry Davenport plays Mr. C, Uncle Sam's conscience. The two begin a dialogue where, despite Uncle Sam's best efforts to portray Japanese-Americans as loyal, Mr. C picks apart the defense and sells our own citizens are being ripe for recruitment by the Imperial Japanese military. It's done so covertly as to leave the impression that any Japanese-American could be a spy. It even uses Korean actor Philip Ahn as a smiling Shinto priest to malign that religion and say that any religion other than Christianity is immoral.

Amazingly, Nazi spies show up to "aid" the Japanese spies, who are always smiling. Toland shows Nazi spies listening to the conversations of sailors and civilians who spill military secrets like slippery glasses of milk. Oddly enough, the scenes of Americans freely spilling secrets and Nazis spies walking around Hawaii pretty as they pleased should have been more of a security concern than Japanese-Americans who taught their kids about their ancestry and culture.

The action shifts (finally) to December 7th. The radar scene is featured prominently, then the Japanese planes attack. I have to say that Toland may have thought his special effects were something in 1943, but now they look just plain cheesy. Paper-mache ships explode in showers of sparks, instead of flames. You can clearly see the strings holding up the Japanese planes. Despite being riddled by .30- and .50-caliber bullets from the Japanese planes, American sailors take the time to stop, drop and die gracefully.

What's most galling is the inaccuracies. Toland shows the battleship Nevada underway (which really happened), but then shows Japanese torpedoes blowing her into a mass of flaming wreckage. In reality, about 25 Japanese bombs wrecked her decks as the Nipponese pilots desperately tried to sink her to bottle up the entrance to Pearl Harbor.

Also, the movie shows mock-ups of the battleship Pennsylvania, as well as the destroyers Cassin and Downes. All three are in dry dock. Suddenly, a slew of bombs rips the Pennsylvania apart. The destroyers follow suit. In reality, a crane operator used his crane boom to thwart attacks on the Pennsylvania and she suffered one superficial bomb hit. The missed bombs, however, did pummel Cassin and Downes in junk that boxed the battleship in for weeks.

Also, the narrator "cleverly" points out that the Japanese pilots calmly fly across Hawaii, confident that their attack is a complete surprise, but they many hundreds of Japanese-Americans-turned-spies have lulled America to sleep. The pilots know they are about to deal a blow to the ships that lay at anchor because they have been specifically targetting those same ships in practice. Also, the two Japanese ambassadors in Washington talking to Henry Hull, are called sneaky and bland, knowing the attack is imminent.

In truth, the attacking pilots were afraid that they would be met by American fighters and anti-aircraft fire all the way in. When they broke into the skies above the anchorage with no American the wiser, only then did squadron leaders issue the code word that meant they had achieved complete surprise. The pilots had been after the American carriers all along, not the battleships, but only learned the carriers were not in port just a short time before take-off. Fuel concerns and fears of American submarines prompted them to launch the attack rather than wait a day or so to see if the carriers appeared. Finally, the Japanese ambassadors in Washington had no idea an attack was to occur. Japanese prime minister Hideki Tojo had sent them a confusing message that made no hint of war. Tojo knew the ambassadors were fond of America and didn't want them giving out any warnings.

The movie shows the three Japanese midget submarines that were captured after the attack and says they were all captured. In reality, three were captured, but two were sunk, along with the mother submarine that had carried them all. Curiously, one sub was sunk as it entered the harbor prior to the attack, but the report somehow never made it to the right people. That was a more glaring error than the radar foul-up, but some poor Army Air Force lieutenant incurs Toland's wrath rather than the captains and admirals who screwed up the submarine report.

Also, the narrator (George O'Brien) triumphantly remarks that 200 Japanese planes attacked and 50 were shot down. The movie shows the second wave of Japanese planes being shredded and driven off by our brave gunners. In truth, only 29 planes and 55 Japanese fligth crewmen were lost (along with 25 guys on the submarines, including the ones on the captured midget subs who committed suicide). Here were have America's first instance of enemy casualty rates.

The film ends with the narrator pointing out some of the sailors and Marines who died. Toland and Ford are smart enough to include all races -- black, white and Hispanic. The parents of the deceased potrayed themselves. The movie ends with a patriotic speech between the narrator and the ghost of an American sailor, played by Dana Andrews. I'm as patriotic as the next guy, but I was ready to puke by this point.

Back in 1942 when this film was first shot, the inaccuracies and racism were overlooked because they got Americans' blood boiling. After the war when the facts of Pearl Harbor slowly came out, the film looked more and more fake, ultimately becoming as much a novelty as those stupid government education films of the 50's and 60's that warned of Communists around every corner and of marijuana destroying the country.

All in all, December the 7th is worth a look just to see how America portrayed itself and its enemies during the war. The Japanese did the same thing with a film called "I Bombed Pearl Harbor," which was a hit in Japan until the Imperial Navy went down in flames at Midway.

If you want to know what really happened at Pearl Harbor, buy the war classic "Tora, Tora, Tora."

Very interesting, NOT racist

[lynpalmer1 · 8/10 · 8 December 2021]

I've been to Hawaii 12 times so far and Pearl Harbour 3 times so I found this very interesting and personal. I found this a little erratic at times but generally very well done and deeply moving. The real footage of the aftermath and the citizens of Oahu had me tearing up. I particularly liked the very fair treatment toward the Japanese citizens and any claims this documentary is blatantly racist is absolutely ridiculous, especially considering the times and subject matter. The ending is a very rousing world wide call to win the war.

Excellent footage with an unnecessary, tacked-on, prologue

[llltdesq · 9/10 · 7 December 2001]

This Oscar-winning documentary features some spectacular battle footage and is generally well-done, except for the Hollywood hokum grafted onto the beginning, for who knows what reason. It's ridiculous and boring. just ignore it and watch the documentary. The documentary, sans lead-in, is recommended highly.

Important

[Michael_Elliott · 26 February 2008]

December 7th, 1941 (1943)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

John Ford's highly entertaining recreation of Pearl Harbor and the events after it certainly deserved the Academy Award win it received for Best Documentary Short. The film mixes recreated scenes very well with actual footage and I'd go as far to say that the battle scenes (done with models) are among the best from any war film of the period. The version I watched was the original, 34-minute theatrical version.

All of Ford's WW2 shorts are worth seeking out as well as the film's done by Frank Capra during this period.