A childhood favourite and a movie i still love now

Rating: 8/10 (16 October 2008)

Delighted to get a region 1 version DVD of this film as its been unavailable in the UK on any format. I first saw this about 1989 on a late Sunday night and loved it. Seen it several times since and am delighted to see this movie but featuring added scenes not included on the theatrical cut. There are about 5-6 different plot threads which dovetail nicely as the movie progresses but essentially i think it comes down to three main stories. Los Angeles, 1941 and in the wake of Pearl Harbour Americans are coming to terms with the paranoia and fear of a possible Japanese invasion. There's Army Captain Tim Matheson desperate to get Nancy Allen up in an airplane where she will be sexually responsive to his advances. Then you have civilian Ned Beatty discovering the Army want to put an AA gun in his yard. In the mean time, Beatty's daughter is being wooed by two men, civilian dancer Bobby DiCicco and aggressive soldier Treat Williams who fight for her against the backdrop of a fabulously arranged swingdance sequence. All this whilst a Japanese submarine is submerging off the Californian coast. Throw in a dozen other wonderful characters and performances and you've got a terrific ensemble cast. The additional scenes flesh out some plots and characters not really explained in the theatrical release. Its loud, noisy and beautiful to look at. You'll either love it or hate it. I love it and was delighted to find that when screening this for my girlfriend she liked it as well. An underrated Spielberg classic.