December 7th: The Movie

Banned for nearly fifty years, director John Ford's version of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor was confiscated by Navy officials upon its completion and released in a heavily-edited 34 minute form in 1943 (earning Ford his fourth Oscar). A joint project of Ford and gifted cinematographer Greg Toland (Citizen Kane), the full-length film was considered too critical of U.S. naiveté in Hawaii prior to the attack. Walter Huston stars as "Uncle Sam," the complacent American public on vacation. Soaking up the Hawaiian sun, he is visited by "Mr. C," who represents his conscience. "Mr. C." points out that Hawaii's population is now 37% Japanese-American, and goes on to suggest that an intricate web of spies and traitors are feeding information to Hirohito concerning American airfields, naval deployment, and security. Although Japanese-Americans are likely to flinch at the unflattering portrait, Ford and Toland are quick to point out that following the attack, the Japanese-Americans were the first in line to donate blood and buy war bonds. The second half of the film chronicles the raid on Pearl Harbor, using incredibly realistic battle scenes (most of which were shot on 20th-Century Fox's backlot). Film aficionados will enjoy Toland's multi-layered cinematography, and historians are likely to be interested in the propaganda aspects of the film. It is, however, questionable whether general audiences are going to appreciate the superb (for its day) technical aspects of December 7th: The Movie. Still, dismissing the ludicrous contemporary title appendage "The Movie"--a distinction normally reserved for mega-blockbuster Hollywood films (which this is definitely not)--December 7th: The Movie is an interesting piece from the Hollywood curio closet, whose strange lineage (explained in a prologue to the film) merits its addition on most library shelves. Recommended. (R. Pitman)