Tora! Tora! Tora! 1970

type: Movie

language: English

duration: 145 min

genre: drama

theme: epic

director: Kinji Fukasaku

Score: 6 / 10

Tora! Tora! Tora! is a 1970 epic war film that dramatizes the events leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, from the American and Japanese positions. The film was produced by Elmo Williams and directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaku, and stars an ensemble cast including Martin Balsam, Joseph Cotten, So Yamamura, E.G. Marshall, James Whitmore, Tatsuya Mihashi, Takahiro Tamura, Wesley Addy, and Jason Robards. It was Masuda and Fukasaku's first English-language film, and first international co-production. The tora of the title, although literally meaning "tiger", is actually an abbreviation of a two-syllable codeword (i.e., totsugeki raigeki 突撃雷撃, "lightning attack"), used to indicate that complete surprise had been achieved.

Plot

In August 1939, the United States imposes a trade embargo on a belligerent Japan, severely limiting raw materials. Influential Japanese army figures and politicians push through an alliance with Germany and Italy in September 1940, despite opposition from the Japanese navy, and prepare for war. The newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, reluctantly plans a pre-emptive strike on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, believing that Japan's best hope of controlling the Pacific Ocean is to quickly annihilate the American fleet. Air Staff Officer Minoru Genda is chosen to mastermind the operation while his old Naval Academy classmate Mitsuo Fuchida is selected to lead the attack.

Awards

Cast

More details

author	Akira Kurosawa Hideo Oguni
award	Academy Award for Best Visual Effects National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
contentLocation	Tokyo Washington, D.C.
director	Kinji Fukasaku Richard Fleischer Toshio Masuda
editor	Inoue Chikaya James E. Newcom Pembroke J. Herring
events	Attack on Pearl Harbor aviation World War II
genre	drama historical
keywords	admiral isoroku yamamoto aircraft carrier alliance with germany and italy belligerent japan chief of staff chūichi nagumo combined fleet cordell hull empire of japan enemy agent george marshall harold r. stark harold rainsford stark i fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve. imperial japanese army imperial japanese navy isoroku yamamoto isoroku yamamoto\'s sleeping giant quote japanese army japanese combined fleet japanese navy kichisaburō nomura minoru genda mitsuo fuchida monitor naval academy naval base nothing on the run pacific ocean pearl harbor purple purple code radio transmission raw materials secretary of state sleep trade embargo tripartite pact united states secretary of state us military warn wash
musicBy	Jerry Goldsmith
nomination	Academy Award for Best Cinematography Academy Award for Best Film Editing Academy Award for Best Production Design Academy Award for Best Sound Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
producer	Elmo Williams
productionCompany	Toei Company
publisher	20th Century Fox
recordedAt	Honolulu San Diego
theme	docudrama epic japanese war