Tora! Tora! Tora! [Blu-ray]

Martin Balsam Director: Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku, Toshio Masuda, Akira Kurosawa Richard Fleischer

Overview

This 25-million dollar epic collaboration accurately recreates the events that led to the Japanese attack on the American naval base during World War II. With Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, the wheels are set in motion by Japan to plan the attack. After internal differences in the government, the Japanese quickly mobilize plans for the assault. Key American personnel ignored warnings of the possibility of Japanese aggression. The first part of the film divides scenes from both countries. Part two contains spectacular battle scenes of the bombing that destroyed the American naval base of operations in Hawaii. Governmental errors on both sides add to the confusion, but the Japanese ultimately carry out the deadly mission. The film did well in Japan, did not do well in the he United States, and took years to make back the production costs. It remains an insightful and well crafted World War II action drama that was the result of years of negotiations between the two countries.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/08/2012
UPC:	0024543817277
Original Release:	1970
Rating:	G
Source:	20Th Century Fox
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:25:00
Sales rank:	2,882

Special Features

Commentayr by director Richard Fleischer & Japanese film historian Stuart Galbraith IV; Day of infamy documentary; History vs. Hollywood - Tora! Tora! Tora!: a giant awakes; AMC backstory: Tora! Tora! Tora!; Behind-the-scenes gallery; Production gallery; Fox movietonews; Original theatricla trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Martin Balsam	Admiral Husband E. Kimmel
So Yamamura	Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto,Actor
Joseph Cotten	Henry L. Stimson
Tatsuya Mihashi	Commander Minoru Genda
E.G. Marshall	Colonel Rufus S. Bratton
Takahiro Tamura	Lt. Commander Fuchida
James Whitmore	Admiral William F. Halsey
T¿no Eijir¿	Admiral Chuici Nagumo(as Eijiro Tono)
Wesley Addy	Lt. Commander Alvin D. Kramer
Shôgo Shimada	Ambassador Kichisaburo Nomura
Frank Aletter	Lt. Commander Thomas
Koreya Senda	Prince Fumimaro Konoye
Leon Ames	Frank Knox
Jun Usami	Admiral Zengo Yoshida
Richard Anderson	Captain John Earle
Kazuo Kitamura	Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka
Keith Andes	General George C. Marshall
Jamie Farr	Multiple Characters
Paul Frees	Japanese Ambassador Kichisaburo Nomura
Elven Havard	Doris Miller
Hank Jones	Actor
Robert Shayne	Actor
Richard Krisher	Actor
Jason Robards	Actor
Eijir Tono	Actor
Ned Wertimer	Actor

Technical Credits

Ryuzo Kikushima

Richard Fleischer	Director,Producer
Kinji Fukasaku	Director
Toshio Masuda	Director
Akira Kurosawa	Director
Darryl F. Zanuck	Executive Producer
Elmo Williams	Producer,Sound/Sound Designer
James Corcoran	Sound/Sound Designer
Ryuzo Kikushima	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

One of the best World War II movies ever made, Tora! Tora! Tora! lavishly and meticulously restages the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor -- and does so with a zeal for authenticity that borders on the documentary. The real-life story unfolds simultaneously from both American and Japanese points of view; in an unusual filmmaking gambit, Hollywood director Richard Fleischer helms the scenes featuring American principals Martin Balsam, Joseph Cotten, E. G. Marshall, and James Whitmore, while Japanese directors Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaka handle those with Soh Yamamura, Tatsuya Mihashi, Takahiro Tamura, and Eijoro Tono. This approach results in a more balanced presentation of the facts, including dramatizations of the misinterpretations and blundering that bedeviled both sides in the days leading up to the attack. Famous historical personalities are accurately portrayed, actual locations are utilized wherever possible, and the actors play their parts with restraint. A well-deserved Oscar went to special-effects giants A. D. Flowers and L. B. Abbott for their amazingly realistic re-creation of the Sunday-morning bombing. Refreshingly free of the mindless jingoism that characterizes many WWII movies, Tora! Tora! Tora! stands head and shoulders above most others because it attaches equal importance to showmanship and accuracy. Fleischer and Japanese-film historian Stewart Galbraith supply a commentary for the Special Edition DVD, which also includes the documentary Day of Infamy.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse