Hello, I am curious to know a few things about the movie, PEARL HARBOR. 1. Regarding the moving picture photographer scenes during the attack, was the black and white scenes actual footage from '41? 2. How accurate was the storyline? Is it really based on 2 best friend captains and 1 girl? Thank you to a previous post, answering my question and curiosity on AA shells and radar proximity detonation. ps- please cite sources if possible Sincerely
Well, get ready for a barrage of bile from the members here about that movie Andrew. : ) The storyline is pretty bad. I don't think that is actual footage from that camera. The two main characters are very very loosely based off two fighter pilots who got up in the air and fought back (kenneth M Taylor, and George Welch). The rest is hogwash compared to a farily good movie like Tora Tora Tora. Very poorly put together movie set IMO. With all the CG work that can be done, they did not even get the setup of the harbor correct.
Here is a pretty accurate summation of the movie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor_(film) As for other sources there is an extensive list of references for the actual events of 7 Dec. 1941 at your local library and on line that may be accessed by typing : WW2 Pearl Harbor into either an Internet search engine or the electronic card catalog.
As mentioned by others, pull a pass on this one (Pearl Harbor) for actual honest viewpoint of the sneak attack, also as mentioned the older but more accurate Tora, Tora, Tora is far superior. And much actual footage was taken on that "Day of Infamy", and some of it incorporated into this thirty minute John Ford production of December 7th. It is of course a propaganda film, but it does use both original clips and reenactments to ‘tell the story". Goto: December 7th : John Ford : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
I really can't say much about the quality or lack of it in the film. Read enough reviews from people I trust that I didn't bother watching it. However I will draw your attention to the links at the bottom of OpanaPointer's posts. A huge amount of information is hung off them and readilly accessable.
For any of you interested in seeing what a Corpus Christi Radion Talk-show Host looks like? (Eric von Wade) look closely at the scenes of the crew running down the deck of the Lex-look for a crewman who sticks out his tongue at the camers as he runs by-THATs Erich von Wade. As for the rest of the movie-its well hated and laughable and their versions of actual events are well-to put it like Patton might have said in his famed speech: its like" watching your Grandfather Shovel Ship in Louisiana."
