Released in 1970, ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ depicts the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. From its conception, it was intended to be as unbiased and historically accurate as a film adaptation of history can be. Drawing material from two books by respected historians, the film allows us to view the event from the perspective of many key figures, as well as lesser known but important actors.
‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ was the brainchild of Daryll Zanuck, producer of ‘The Longest Day’. Seeking to follow up the success of that film, Zanuck set out to make an authentic and historically accurate portrayal of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Fortunately, 20th Century Fox had recently acquired the rights to Ladislas Farango’s book ‘The Broken Seal’, which detailed the perspective and failure of US Naval intelligence prior to the attack. The film’s title and most of the screenplay was based on ‘At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor’, a collection of primary historical documents and commentary by University of Maryland Professor of History Gordon Prange. Prange was appointed the Chief Historian on Douglass MacArthur’s staff, and had interviewed and documented many of the key players on both sides and was considered the definitive authority on the Pacific theatre of World War II. Prange was later hired to be an advisor on the film, and meticulously edited the script to ensure historical accuracy. Zanuck also consulted with many other historians, and even hired the actual architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, Minoru Genda, as a consultant.
‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ again used the technique of having multiple directors tell the story from different perspectives. It took things a step further by having an American direct the American sequences, and a Japanese director direct the Japanese. This was done to ensure the portrayals of both sides were as accurate and unbiased as possible. Fox hired Richard Fleischer, who had previously directed the historical epic ‘The Vikings’ (starring Kirk Douglas and a pre-Psycho Janet Leigh), and had experience with effects heavy films such as ‘20,000 Leagues Under The Sea’, ‘Doctor Doolittle’ and ‘Fantastic Voyage’ (he would go on to direct another sci-fi classic in Soylent Green). For the Japanese sequences, Fox initially wanted Akira Kurosawa, one of the most respected directors in the world. But ultimately due to creative differences and budget constraints, Kinji Fukasaku (who went on to direct 2001’s ‘Battle Royale’) replaced Kurosawa and directed the sequences in the final film.
The film begins with Tojo and the Prime Mister Konoye discussing Japan’s need for raw materials and the deteriorating of relations with the United States. Here, they ultimately conclude that the only way to achieve their ambitions in southeast Asia and the Pacific is to destroy the Pacific fleet, recently moved to Pearl Harbor. From there the film follows key figures on both the American and Japanese sides as events move towards the inevitable climax of the attack. The first half of the film documents dozens of events, from the planning of the attack to the establishment of a radar post. All of these events, large and small are shown to have an impact of how the attack played out. When the attack finally comes, the action is visceral and spectacular. There are many incredible stunts and effects, especially during the sequences depicting the attack on the airfields. There are two real plane crashes captured on film, one of a P40 Tomahawk (controlled by radio) crashing through a row of parked planes, narrowly missing a dozen men (according to the commentary, this was not planned and the stuntmen are actually running for their lives!).
Zanuck thought that Admiral Kimmel and General Short, the local commanders in charge of the Navy and Army respectively, had long been blamed for not preparing enough for the attack or ignoring warnings. The film was made to dispel the myths and unfair bias these men, and ultimately tell a factual account of events. Ultimately, this developed into the concept of showing the attack from both perspectives.
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In the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack, much blame and misinformation circulated. The public and higher ups in the War Department blamed Kimmel and Short for not taking the appropriate steps in the face of an imminent attack. This was not the case, and as the film shows, many warning signs were entangled in government bureaucracy, dismissed by subordinate officers, and simply ignored. For example, the Japanese strike force was picked up on radar, but mistaken for a flight of B-17’s coming in from the mainland. The film also depicts the USS Ward incident, where a Japanese midget sub was sunk just off the harbor entrance before the attack. The Capitan of the Ward, William Outerbridge, radioed in a report of the incident, but it was assumed to be a false alarm, as there had been many in the weeks prior to the attack. On the Japanese side, many of the scenes with Admiral Yamamoto show how reluctant he was about engaging in a protracted war with the United States but was ultimately forced by the Army’s policies to commission and execute the attack.
In addition to the military aspect, the film shows the interaction between Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Ambassador Nomura. The Japanese government kept Nomura in the dark about the plan to attack and used him to buy time. At the end of the film, because the Japanese embassy did not have a professional typist on staff, the Declaration of War, which was supposed to be delivered to Hull at 1:00 PM Eastern time, was delayed by and entire hour. By the time Nomura delivered the declaration, the attack was already underway.
The film does not place any unnecessary blame or praise on any individual but instead shows how many small mistakes built up to catastrophe. There is no protagonist, instead showing us events from different perspectives in real time.
However, no historical film is a perfect recreation of the events they depict. Luckily the issues with ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ are negligible. For the sake of fitting several months’ worth of events into a two-hour film, some characters are composites of several real people, and many lines were put in to explain a person’s concerns or knowledge that were obviously never spoken aloud. AS an interesting example, this film is likely the origin of Yamamoto’s famous quote “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve”. Zanuck claims to have read this in Yamamoto’s diary, but this has never been substantiated. However, this quote encapsulates Yamamoto’s feelings on the matter.
In conclusion, ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ holds a unique place in history as a film in which objectivity and historical accuracy play a bigger role than any actor. By consulting with historians, using primary sources, and deliberately prioritizing a truthful retelling, the film comes close to being a documentary, but with cinematic flair. It’s achievements as both a work of film and is dedication to unbiased documentation of real events make it the definitive screen depiction of the events of December 7th, 1941. It is remarkable how a film that has its roots in serious academic study of history manages to be simultaneously engaging, exciting and informative.
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