Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This DVD contains two documentaries. The first is John Ford's film about the attack on Pearl Harbor. I had mixed views about this film. I thought the original scenes from the attack were very interesting, and there were some scenes which I've never seen before. However, the scenes which included the plastic models were very poorly done. I realize this film was made over fifty years ago, but I was still disappointed with the poor use of the replicas of the American battleships. It was very easy to tell that they were not real.
The second documentary on this DVD was much better. It deals with the kamikaze attacks against the American fleet off Okinawa. The footage in this documentary is all actual. The viewer gets a true sense of what it was like to fight against an enemy fully intent on diving their plane into an American ship. The skies were literally full of anti-aircraft shells, yet the kamikazes kept on coming. Most never made it to their targets, but some did manage to break through, but thanks to the heroic efforts of the ships' crews, most of the ships were operational after the attack. However, some ships, such as the USS Franklin, suffered a much worse fate.
Overall,I gave this DVD 4 stars; the Pearl Harbor documentary gets 3, while the Okinawa documentary gets 5. Some parts of the Pearl Harbor documentary were very interesting, but I thought the poor use of the models greatly detracted from the overall quality of the film. On the other hand, the Okinawa film was excellent. The footage is all authentic, and the viewer gets a real sense of what it was like to be in a kamikaze attack.
I recommend this video highly. Both documentaries describe two important parts of World War II; one at the beginning of the war, and one at the end. Watch this video and see what it was like to fight the Japanese attackers at Pearl Harbor and survive a kamikaze attack in the waters off Okinawa.
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December 7th - The Pearl Harbor Story (2001)John Ford's "DECEMBER 7th:THE PEARL HARBOR STORY," wasbanned by the U.S. Government for nearly fifty years.This special editionis now available; presenting the fully restored 84-minute version, withsubtitles added to the controversial Japanese language sequences and aspecial "behind the scene" introduction.(A completely censored 34-minuteversion of the film was released and earned John Ford his fourth AcademyAward.) This full-length version stars Walter Huston as Uncle Sam and isset in Honolulu on the day before the Japanese attack.Uncle Sam vacationscomplacently in Hawaii, concerned with the on-going war in Europe.OnSunday morning, December 7th, air squadrons appear, "swooping down likeflights of tiny locust".The attack on Pearl Harbor, America's firstbattle of World War II, is vividly illustrated as only Hollywood can do. Bonus Features: Universal Newsreel: Pearl Harbor first films|Movietone News Extra! - First actual battle films. Includes comments by AlBrick- the Movietone cameraman who filmed the footage| Japan's Reaction! -When this "uncensored" version was first shown in Japan in 1995 it wastreated as a major news story. See the actual newscast| Commentary by 4actual Pearl Harbor survivors| Compare the "cut" and "uncut" versions|Frank Capra's infamous "Know Your Enemy" (1945) 62-minute documentary|Scene Selection. Specs: DVD9; Dolby Digital Mono; 104 minutes;B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 2001; SRP - $9.99.
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