Tora! Tora! Tora! Written by Gordon Prange, Ladislas Farago, Akira Kurosawa and three other screen writers

Tora! Tora! Tora! Written by Gordon Prange, Ladislas Farago, Akira Kurosawa and three other screen writers

                Akira Kurosawa has worked on the script of Tora! Tora! Tora!

                Furthermore, Tora! Tora! Tora! Has won an Academy Award

                Having said that, one must add that:

One: Akira Kurosawa must have had a small contribution, for he was initially not listed on the writers list.

Second: the Academy Award was for technical achievement: Special Effects.

Moreover, it is a remarkable achievement, the film has been nominated for a further four Oscars, also in the technical domain.

This motion picture is about the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In addition, it is not only a gripping story, but it is also rendered from two opposite perspectives of the Surprise attack:

Japanese view point

American angle

The movie is even more enticing if we consider that the Americans produced their side of the war.

In addition, the Japanese were in charge of the Japanese presence, with own writers, directors.

Two different teams working on the same film could result in confusion.

Perhaps the film may seem fragmented for some viewers.

However, it is a tremendous spectacle, in large part due to the Oscar winning special effects that were stunning for that period.

This viewer was wondering about artistic license.

Early on, the Japanese have a discussion on board one of their ships.

The dialogue is something like this:

We have an unusual situation

Somebody strange leads the fleet

It was never under the command of a minister

This man was under heavy attack

Therefore, he is now on this ship, and all the navy has to defend it

It sounded very awkward.

However, it could be the result of consulting records of communication

On the other side, the American commanders had a very strange behavior.

One was walking his dogs when danger was at a peak- not that there is anything wrong with taking care of pets.

Other key leaders in the chain of command refused to believe the information intercepted from Japanese messages.

They had such a take on the situation that conspiracy theories supported the claim that important factors wanted the attack.

One –or perhaps a few- book even claims that the American president himself wanted the Japanese to provoke the US.

As a supporter of Britain and its allies, Franklin D. Roosevelt needed the ultimate act to join the war effort openly.

More likely, the commanders did not believe the Japanese would ever dare and do such a thing.

The raid on Pearl Harbor was not as deadly or as damaging as it was meant to be and the enemy fleet had a choice.

Hard liners wanted the attack to continue and produce more casualties.

The Japanese admiral ponders the options and decides that his country needs the fleet for future operations.

This aspect and the fact that they did not have enough fuel make the commander order the retreat.

We all know what happens after that.