Tora! Tora! Tora! [Blu-Ray]

Included with the Tora! Tora! Tora! Blu-Ray are three out-dated documentary shorts on the film and the attack on Pearl Harbour that all ostensibly say the same thing. Noting that the "surprise" attack from the Japanese was consistent with their battle techniques at the time, they reiterate the fact that it cost more to re-enact the bombing of Pearl Harbour than it did the Japanese to bomb it in the first place. This leads into discussion about the critical and financial failure of the film, which is blamed on its medicinal, docudrama feel, as well as its lack of blockbuster stars. They also discuss the eventual decision by Fox executive Richard D. Zanuck to cut most of the filmed Japanese sequences, believing that American audiences wouldn't care about their perspective. Apparently, the big fuss about this decision wasn't its astuteness or necessarily patronizing nature, rather it was that Zanuck's father, Darryl, conceived the structure in the first place, mirroring the formula of the successful The Longest Day, wherein a different director would shoot each side of a battle. But more interesting than the long-winded, pedantic speeches about military strategy and cultural speculation is the out-dated commentary on America being positioned never to suffer a surprise attack again ― an assertion clearly made prior to the millennium. Beyond these supplemental materials and the extensive Fox MovieToNews shorts, the actual film is presented in the theatrical and extended versions, allowing the viewer to see the original Japanese footage, which is just as dry and expository as the American footage, only there's more saluting and stoicism. And since it's a Blu-Ray release, the quality of the image is crisp and clear, making the act of watching the film, and remarking on it as a work of curiosity and cultural relevance more so than something of enjoyment, aesthetically pleasing for those keen on the wonders of technological advancement.