Tora Tora Tora Steelbook [Blu-ray] [1970]

This is still one of the best and most impressive American war films ever made, presenting an honest, balanced and historically faithful depiction of the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the USA into the war.It fares quite well on today's large-size digital TV screens; I originally saw it in the cinema and – as you'd expect - it was pretty spectacular, with breathtaking flying sequences which still retain their thrill even on the reduced scale.A long film (cinemas had an intermission in the middle) it has quite a preamble before the real action starts; unusually for Hollywood it takes a rather documentary-styled approach which helps concentrate the storyline on what matters rather than some romantic interest or character development; indeed, at the time mainly less well-known actors were cast to retain an ensemble feel to the film and avoid any fixation on stars.It is also historically balanced, giving a lot of time to the Japanese side of the events; the evocative carrier take-off scenes at dawn are some of the most memorable and visually striking aerial footage outside of authentic wartime archives.A great deal of consideration was also given to the authenticity of the production with carefully modified aircraft and clever mock-ups standing in for the types used in the period.It certainly still outclasses Michael Bay`s behemoth “Pearl Harbor” (2001) which seems outrageously hokey next to this, despite all it`s CGI special effects.A very fine movie that has aged well and still engrosses as a viewing experience.The standard DVD release is as listed above in the product description and it delivered a sharp and satisfactory picture on my own TV.

I've watched this film several times and still find it watchable.It is one of the best historical recreations of war that I have seen. One excellent feature is it shows things from both sides the Japanese as well as the USA. It shows the Japanese as divided and Yamato as being forced into a situation where he has to plan for a war he does not wish to fight. It also shows the shortcomings within the American military and that despite having broken the Japanese code and having warning of an impending attack they failed to adequately prepare. Bearing in mind that the film was made in 1970 it still bears up well against the later and in my opinion atrociously bad 'Pearl Harbour'. The film gives in my view a balanced view showing both sides of the conflict.

.... there is hardly more to be said about this film, other than to reinforce what has been said already with very (VERY) few dissenting voices. Its about as factually correct as you are going to get from a Hollywood movie that's made for profit, not historical reference and accuracy.Best plan with this film, is sit back and immerse yourself into the plot lines and self evident skills at all levels and types displayed; never mind the interminable beat for best comment blah blah. Just view and enjoy a superbly made film, as factual as you are going to get for a commercial Hollywood movie, that is about one of the Iconic events of the 20th Century.

‘Tora Tora Tora’ cinema-released in 1970 is beyond dispute the best film ever made about the Japanese Navy’s December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, incomparably superior to the juvenile, toe-curling 2001 embarrassment ‘Pearl Harbor’ directed by Michael Bray and ‘starring’ (if such a word can be used) the unfortunate Ben Afflick.TTT adopts a meticulous documentary style and tells the story from both US and Japanese perspectives in two separate and eventually interlocking narratives, deploying a large cast of characters but no obvious ‘stars’ to focus the sympathies of the audience. The Japanese viewpoint is told by Japanese actors speaking Japanese and directed by Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaku (Akira Kurosawa was initially engaged for the job, but worked too slowly and proved too much of a control freak, so was replaced). The American narrative is directed by Richard Fleischer. Caution: the first two thirds of the film may not appeal to viewers seeking only the excitement and titillation of combat action scenes, as the 18-month diplomatic build-up to the Japanese attack is chronicled with intelligence and fine detail. This background however serves to build the tension for the final reel very effectively, and places the action against a deeper perspective.The scene of the actual attack lasts only 30-minutes, but soaked up the majority of the film’s $25million budget, an unprecedented cinematic extravagance in 1970. As other reviewers have pointed out, there was no CGI in 1970: real aircraft and real ships were used (or the next-best thing: realistic 50-foot scale replicas). Mock dogfights were flown by real pilots in real vintage P40s and AT6 Texans ‘enhanced’ to make them as close as possible in appearance to Japanese naval aircraft, and the carnage on the USN capital ships and the USAAF bases during the attack was created with real explosions and real danger to the stuntmen, several of whom were killed or injured during the filming. This long air-raid scene still looks absolutely stunning and utterly convincing, though being 1970 you don’t see the horrific injuries detailed close-up as you might in a more recent production such as Spielberg’s ‘Saving Private Ryan’.Due to this profligacy of spend on visual spectacle, TTT didn’t break even for the studio on initial release but the film’s reputation has grown over the years. It’s a movie with a script so intelligent, with a narrative so well-crafted and edited, that you can watch it again and again and each time gain a deeper understanding of the complex historical perspective. The only mild criticism levelled at the film is that the Japanese treachery is whitewashed to a degree, with Hirohito’s direct culpability airbrushed out as he was at the time of filming still constitutional monarch in the by-then reconstructed and democratic Japan, and this criticism does hold merit but does not take away from the power of the film.The 2012 Blu-Ray from Fox Searchlight is the best-ever release of TTT, with astounding image clarity and sharp detail. You get both the original 136-minute English-language theatrical release with Japanese dialogue subtitled, and the extended 148-minute Japanese cinema release including a couple of extra scenes: a poignant scene of Yamamoto being ushered in to the Emperor’s presence to discuss the planned attack, and a comedy vignette of two galley cooks on one of the Japanese carriers where the elder one tries to explain to the younger stooge-character how their crossing the international dateline means they are now living through yesterday again.The Blu-Ray also includes an impressive menu of extras. The most interesting is a 90-minute documentary backstory of the film, its ruinous budget and the problems between Fox and the ageing, paranoid Kurosawa (“in three weeks, he had filmed only eight minutes of unusable material”), how the special effects were done and critical reception of the film on its 1970 release. Additionally, there’s newsreel from 1941 and the documentary film ‘A Day of Infamy’. I also have the previous 136-minute DVD release in my collection, but the Blu-Ray beats it hands down for sharp image quality and as an overall viewing experience. Recommended unconditionally to anyone interested in the origins of America's entry into WW2, to action-movie fans and cinema buffs everywhere.

I always liked this film because it portrayed the events accurately. Being a WW2 plane fan, I had to get used to US trainers pretending to be Japanese fighters, torpedo bombers & dive bombers,-BUT the stunts were amazingly good!Nagumo let his brave pilots down by being over cautious, & they must have been very frustrated by him! In the end the Japanese missed the carriers & that helped the US no end! The more recent film Pearl Harbour is terrible,-they have a real Zero, but its painted green[Army colour] They have a Gung Ho US pilot attacking head on & the Japanese pilot veers away to get shot down[??] In real life the US pilot veered away & the Japanese pilot shot him down! All I can say about this recent film is,-Kate Beckinsale is very pretty!