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Post by wmcclain on Apr 5, 2022 12:11:10 GMT
(This is past the classic era, but I wanted to keep my Fleischer reviews in one forum. I ask for your indulgence). Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), directed by Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku, and Toshio Masuda. The emphasis is on historical accuracy in this joint US-Japanese production, a meticulous retelling of the attack on Pearl Harbor. As documentary it is quite well done, but is less satisfying as drama. Nothing wrong with the actors, but they have to speak the plot every step of the way and this makes it wooden. Critics found the film dull but history buffs in both countries have liked it better. We get a sense of the risky gamble the Japanese were taking, and of their luck in finding the Americans so poorly prepared. The last aspect is really hammered: one poor decision after another. The air battle and ground attack are tremendous. The model work on the ship explosions is not as good, and for some reasons movie recreations never match the colossal scope of the disaster as shown in the original newsreels: The wikipedia article has a section on errors; they are all the sort of details that fly right by me. Akira Kurosawa put quite a lot of time in on this but was replaced and little of his film used. It really wasn't his sort of project. Jerry Goldsmith score with a variety of martial themes. For DC he brings up the Copland-esque music traditional in American political thrillers. Available on Blu-ray with a fine image and natural color.
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Post by politicidal on Apr 5, 2022 13:04:08 GMT
The attack on Pearl Harbor is a tremendous action sequence. The rest of the movie is a chore to sit through.
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lune7000
Junior Member
@lune7000
Posts: 1,091
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Post by lune7000 on Apr 5, 2022 14:21:53 GMT
I believe I remember reading once that the movie recreation of the Pearl Harbor scene was more expensive than the damage done to ships, buildings etc. in the real raid.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Nov 18, 2023 14:42:28 GMT
I was surprised I liked it more than I anticipated. There's more depth than I expected, especially knowing movies that came after it did not, like Midway (1976).
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Post by Old Aussie on Nov 18, 2023 19:16:19 GMT
I was going to a Rugby League game but a massive hail storm forced its postponement. So we went into the city (Sydney) and caught TORA at the cinema instead. The theatre was packed....probably more to do with the weather than the quality of the film.
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Post by twothousandonemark on Nov 19, 2023 1:56:35 GMT
Terrific film, it's been in my top 10 war movies for years now. A cornerstone of all WWII viewings.
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