U.S.S. Arizona: The Life & Death Of A Lady

Of the 2,400 men who died at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, roughly half went down with the U.S.S. Arizona. Producer/writer Bill Armstrong (whose Custer's Last Trooper was reviewed in the July-August, 1991 issue) once again demonstrates a sure hand in telling a story, as he recounts the history of the Arizona from her launch in 1915 to her death in 1941. Combining historical film clips with contemporary interview footage of survivors, the video does an excellent job of recreating a sense of life aboard the ship. One interviewee recalls that--contrary to the stereotypes about military food--the chow on the Arizona was so good, the sailors even tipped the mess cooks. The real strength (and partial weakness) of the video is the gradually building story of two officers: Joseph K. Langdell, an Ensign from the Arizona and Kenji Abe, a former Lieutenant in the Japanese air force who dropped one of the bombs on the Arizona. Eventually the two men meet at the U.S.S. Arizona memorial and, if one ignores the hyperbolic voiceover narration during this section which sounds a lot like tabloid TV, the meeting between the two men is undeniably an emotional powerhouse. Standing erect, Langdell and Abe look upon the wall plaque listing the names of those who died, and struggle to retain their composure while tears signaling the resurgence of painful memories course down their cheeks. Excepting the occasional overwriting, U.S.S. Arizona: The Life & Death of a Lady is a high quality production that is sure to be popular with library patrons. Highly recommended. (Available from: Bill Armstrong Productions, Inc., 15585 High Knoll Road, Encino, CA 91436.)