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‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ Blu-ray Review: Epic Filmmaking Worthy of Its Subject

John Nolte — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:03:07 +0000

The idea behind “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (1970) was for 20th Century Fox to create a companion piece to “The Longest Day” (1962) that would also reproduce that big-budget, all-star, WWII extravaganza’s success — a success that had pretty much saved the studio from bankruptcy. And, in a way, this made sense. Still reeling from the 1963 box office catastrophe “Cleopatra,” and dealing with a number of high-profile flops such as “Hello Dolly” (1969), “Star” (1968), and “Doctor Dolittle” (1967), Fox was again in financial trouble. As a result, the legendary Darryl F. Zanuck, the Chairman of the Board who had overseen production of “The Longest Day,” and his son Richard, the studio’s president, felt that the 1941 sneak attack on Pearl Harbor would be the ticket out of all their problems.

Unfortunately, the complete opposite proved true. The film went over-budget, costing a then-astronomical $25 million, earned critical raspberries and flopped. The fallout would contribute to one of the most incredible events in the history of Hollywood, when the elder Zanuck fired his own son. In the end, when compared to the film, the actual attack on Pearl Harbor was much cheaper to produce, took less time to plan, and was, at least in the short-term, a success.

“Tora! Tora! Tora!,” however, would outlive its detractors and find a new audience on television and eventual profitability from home video, as well as some overdue critical respect. The Blu-ray transfer (released yesterday to commemorate today’s 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor) delivers this near-classic full justice with a gorgeous widescreen transfer and a ton of extras that delve deeper into the backstories I touched on above.

Using a similar approach to the “Longest Day,” where American, British, and German directors filmed the scenes involving their respective countries, the American scenes for “Tora!” were directed by journeyman Richard Fleischer (“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”) and, after the notoriously difficult Akira Kurosawa had a narcissistic meltdown, Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Masuda were last-minute hires brought in to direct the Japanese action and actors. The result is a splendid docu-drama — a tense, engrossing tick-tock approach that tells the story of the meticulous planning, diplomacy, and stupidity that resulted in a crippling blow to our Pacific fleet and the deaths of 2,042 Americans.

Unlike “The Longest Day,” though, the budget just wasn’t there to hire movie stars, and while this forced choice probably hurt the box office, it does make for a better film. Martin Balsam, Joseph Cotten, E.G. Marshall, James Whitmore, and Jason Robards (who was in the Navy and survived the real attack) are all superb, as are the Japanese actors, and a murderer’s row of exceptional character actors perfectly suits the tone and seriousness of the narrative.

And it’s the narrative that’s the real star here. The hundred-plus minutes that lead up to a brilliantly staged and filmed attack sequence fascinates with detail, thanks mostly to a perfectly structured script and a fidelity to historical accuracy (truth is always more interesting than fiction). The attack itself is an unforgettable mind-blower and a reminder that CGI will never replace this kind of epic filmmaking.

Reportedly, some felt the film’s lack of box office success was due to the fact that the American people weren’t yet ready to see the Japanese portrayed in a sympathetic way. Further proof of this theory was that the film did do very well in Japan. Maybe. But if that is the case, it was a failure of promotion, not the film itself. This faithful retelling does little to acquit the Japanese. While we are made to understand the political and geographical hands they were dealt, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” shows us a very militaristic Imperial Japan and evens foreshadows the kamikaze attacks to come. The Japanese are certainly given their humanity, but there’s also a robotic quality to the military at large. In other words, this is no “Letters From Iwo Jima,” director Clint Eastwood’s overrated and misguided attempt to portray from the Japanese point of view the brutal battle for that small but crucial island.

Today, the 70th anniversary of a terrible crime committed against our country by a people we would eventually defeat, rebuild, and become allies with, is an appropriate day for 20th Century-Fox to rerelease this outstanding spectacle. 40 years and a lot of lazy CGI later, the filmmaking is even more impressive than it was then, but the film also honors our country simply by telling the truth.

“Tora! Tora! Tora!” is available for purchase today at Amazon.

Salute to Memorial Day: ‘Battleground’ (1949)

John Nolte — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:42:17 +0000

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Forced to choose a single moment from a single film that best exemplifies the extraordinary spirit America’s fighting men and women show day in and day out in their sacred duty to protect this country, it would be this one. Here’s a chunk of what I wrote about this scene back in February of 2009 when actor James Whitmore died:

Whitmore plays Sgt. Kinnie, the battle hardened leader of a small group of soldiers lost and confused in the midst of the Battle of the Bulge. Because of frostbite, Kinnie limps through most of the film as he leads the men through increasingly difficult times right up to that dreaded moment where bayonets are necessary because the ammunition’s run out.

Whitmore’s superb in the role, was nominated for an Oscar as a supporting actor (he won the Golden Globe), and launched a sixty year career that would include memorable turns in “The Asphalt Jungle” (1950), “Kiss Me Kate” (1953), “Them!” (1954), “Planet of the Apes” (1968), “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (1970), “Chato’s Land” (1972), “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994), numerous television appearances and two successful one man stage shows as Will Rogers and Harry Truman.

But the closing scene of “Battleground” is how I’ll always remember him

After endless days of hell, Kinnie and the other survivors are finally out of danger and set to be relieved by fresh troops. Hungry, exhausted, and shaken to the core, they’re a ragtag bunch dreaming only of a hot meal and clean sheets. Kinnie understands, though, that his men have one more mission: to put on a brave face and show their replacements a fighting spirit.

Directed by The Mighty William Wellman (his finest hour — and I don’t say that lightly), “Battleground” is not only one of the finest war films ever produced, but also an unqualified masterpiece not enough people know about. If you haven’t seen it, do. If you have, spread the word.

And don’t forget to thank a Veteran … for everything. Because without them we’d have nothing.

And if you think about it, say a prayer for my grandson Mikey, who’s currently in basic training with the National Guard. I’m so proud of him I could bust, and so worried I’ve been a little sick to my stomach since he left.

And yes, I have a grandson old enough to enlist. Long story.

What’s your favorite cinematic salute to our troops? Not just a particular film, but a specific scene or moment?

There Is Something Wrong With My Television

Schizoid Mann — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:21:25 +0000

The way I see it television needs, among other things, the following:

1. Science Fiction/Thriller/Horror Channel

A short form/short film channel showcasing those genres. Independent producers, writers, creators could submit work to be aired. It wouldn’t have to be, nor should it be at the Sundance level of professionalism delivered on DigiBeta and starring Cameron Diaz doing a favor for the filmmaker because it’s her friend’s cousin, either.

We don’t want that. There’s plenty of that kind of venue and they turn down 99% of the stuff submitted anyway, mainly because it’s not the work of someone’s friend’s cousin. So forget that right away. It has to be underground, guerilla, shoestring and, most important, good. Very good. Damn good. But not expensive. How can you do that, you say?

With writing.

What happened to writing? What happened to story? What happened to acting, for that matter? Not wallpaper-chewing acting, but competent, believable acting. What happened to it? These are questions I am not asking alone. No, James Lipton is not asking them; he’s busy with that ridiculous list of moronic questions no one cares about except the extremely annoying acting students in the audience, and even they don’t care, merely pretending to so he’ll notice them. No, James might be wondering where great acting went, but he’s not really looking in the right place. But millions of viewers are. They’re asking these same questions every time they turn on the TV or go to the movies. What happened to good writing? Where are the movie stars? Where are the great character actors? People are asking. No one is answering.

The professionals are very good at the technical aspects of production. But when it comes to story, they can’t seem to get it right anymore. They can’t even get close to good. This is where lack of money helps. Focus on the writing, and of course the acting. Because good writing can be decimated by bad acting sure as there are little green apples and worms to ruin them. Then, people will take notice.

Now is a great time to write. Imagine trying to pen a script or play or short drama when Faulkner, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Hecht and the Epsteins were all at their typewriters doing the same thing. There’s no one close to that now writing for movies or television, or anywhere for that matter. No one even close. If you can write, or learn to, then start writing. The field is wide open. The problem is, no one is watching closely because they’re all trying to decide which movie to spend their money on that is least likely to disappoint and turn to regret before they’re back in their own driveway.

That’s not exactly the mindset the audience should be in, should it? That’s not the kind of thinking that the American movie-going public used to have, is it? We’re a nation of movie lovers because we were raised on the breakfast of champions, the Golden Age of Hollywood. The Golden Age is gone, but maybe not forever.

Back when the existing SciFi channel started, and it was still spelled the way Uncle Forry coined it, they aired a lot of really great stuff. Much of it was the 60s, 70s series we grew up on related to science fiction or horror (I mean the earlier horror, not the nauseating torture porn that defines the genre today). The channel aired well-known staples like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits and later series such as, Night Gallery, Tales from the Dark Side and The Ray Bradbury Theater. There was also another show, not nearly as well known as those, called Dark Room which aired in the early 80s. Produced with a much lower budget, it featured stories playing on the same genres, also cast with aspiring actors, many of whom often getting one of their very first gigs. I think Dark Room was a good concept that would work on an even lower budget, non-union, level today.

In terms of broadcast quality, since many might be wondering how a shoestring production is going to be up to suitable standards to air on television. Well, here’s an example from Japan, not exactly a backward nation of media technology. One of Tokyo’s major filmmaking schools has an hour long television show which airs student films. Films. Not digital video, film. Of course, they’re converted to analog or digital for airing. But these shorts were shot and edited on film. It’s wonderful, innovative stuff these students are producing with not a small amount of blood, sweat and fear. I realize there is no way you’re going to get American kids with iPhones working with a Bolex or Arri 16 today. Nor should we want or expect anyone to. It’s expensive, difficult and, obviously, there’s no need. I don’t want to do it again, either. But the concept of underground, unrepresented, amateur but polished works getting aired on television is needed. If creators, producers, writers, filmmakers know they have a chance at getting something shown where people can see it and respect it at the same time, and it’s in a mainstream venue, such as television, they will produce.

Sure, YouTube is excellent in this way, but it’s saturated with girls jumping on beds singing into their hairbrushes. And that’s the good stuff. No, there needs to be a better alternative between the exclusive, vast and varied festivals, so many now that even a winner at anything but the biggies may never be seen again, the high-end, yawn-inspiring programming on the misspelled SyFy Channel and the stuff that washes up on YouTube. Something professional that can expose the non-professional to the world of reviews, critics and, hopefully, agents and financing. It could work.

Which leads me to something that did work and now painfully does not.

2. Music Television

Yes, television with music videos. That’s right, the kind that used to play on that cable channel previously known as MTV before it was taken over by reality shows, soft porn, more reality shows and even more lesser-than-soft porn. The channel where they actually played music videos. Yeah, that one. It was also the same place where creative animators could contribute to producing music videos and even those short, inexpensive channel IDs that everyone loved and looked forward to seeing each and every time.

And speaking of inexpensive, remember when music videos were produced on a shoestring budget, looked like they were, and no one cared? In fact, they were all the more enjoyable for it. Look at any music video produced today. You’re talking about something that exceeds a budget for a major commercial for Nike, Nissan or Sony. And that’s really what it is, a commercial. Along with being too expensive to produce for a newcomer, they’re numbingly boring.

Seems to me, that with the proper contractual agreements, a small amount of palm-greasing, and a gun pressed against the right heads, so many of the great music videos from the past- and there are thousands (MTV only started with about 200) that are not being played anywhere but on YouTube, pending removal for copyright infringement, could and should be seen and enjoyed again on a television channel. As for those present up-and-coming musical artists, you don’t have to encourage them to produce their own music videos, they’re already doing that, but with little chance of MTV airing them, they all end up on, where else? YouTube! Again, not bad, but once again, they’re lost in the whirlpool of related videos of girls jumping on beds singing into their hairbrushes, part 2, 3, and 4. No, there’s got to be a better way, a better place.

Remember, there was.

Hire some of the old VJs that are still with us, (Rest in peace, J.J.) and add in some new blood to host those greats and some new unknowns as well, and that’s all folks want from a music channel. It really is. I constantly read, and I mean constantly, people posting comments on 80’s music videos on YouTube yearning like mad for their airplay on TV again and groaning at what became of the once great music television network and how it now leaves nothing to the imagination and everything to be desired. Does anyone aside from Ashton Kutcher actually watch MTV anymore? I mean, seriously, it’s complete and utter garbage. It would be healthier to air-drop a teenager into Chernobyl than to sit them down in front of today’s MTV for the same amount of time. Don’t get me started.

Television clearly needs a lot more than these two improvements. But this a beginning. It’s true, we used to have these things, and lots of other things, too. With enough passion we can have them again, maybe even better. Then we won’t yearn for what once was. We won’t have the time.

We’ll be too busy enjoying it.