I had Tears, A powerful film if you can be transported back.

Rating: Null/10 (25 May 2001)

Overall I like this film. The movie contains some scenes that brought tears to my eyes with some images of patriotism, self sacrifice, courage and bravery that, for me, were overwhelming. To feel them, you must be able to put yourself into the mindset of the people that lived in 1941. If you can let it, Pearl Harbor will transport you back 60 years for an adventure and is the REAL REASON to see this movie. If you can't you will probably find the film a cliché riddled special effects saturated overlong melodrama. What am I talking about? Well, leave your the post Vietnam era institutionalized cynicisms and 21st century self-centeredness in the lobby. People back then had, in my opinion, a much greater sense of duty, honor, country and personal self-sacrifice than exists today. (See what I mean? Are you already thinking I'm a preachy cornball?) Sorry X-ers we grew up in a post baby boomer world and have not HAD to live the meaning of those words the way the Greatest Generation did. ( The folks that came of age during the Great depression, and Second World War) I mean come on, our generation's war, the Gulf, was fought and won in 100 hours and we as a nation were never in any danger. Also unlike the 1930-40s, today we have loads of government institutions and welfare programs to care for us if we can't cut it. However don't feel bad the worst self absorbed offenders are still the baby boomers. I guess what I am getting at is when I see the some of the Pearl Harbor characters on screen that are close to my age, ( I am not talking just about the three main leads but several of the supporting characters as well ) I wonder, who do I know or have met that has what it takes to rise to THAT occasion. Few I am afraid.
SEMI- SPOILERS until the Cinematography review below. I was moved when I saw the recreation of the guy picking up the anti aircraft gun and fighting back when the gun crew is killed. This was real and was in part captured in newsreel footage, and shown in John Ford's `December 7th and also recreated in Tora Tora Tora (1970). In terms of self sacrifice, in one scene one of nurses confesses to her boyfriend that she is pregnant by another guy and will go with him. He takes the news like a man and accepts her decision and immediately gives her up. There is no modern ME FIRST crap via 'how could you do this to me', or 'so what, forget him and the kid, your mine' etc. It was refreshing. Kudos to the director as I really felt some of the pain and anger right along with some of the characters.
THE CINEMATOGRAPHY AND EFFECTS: Interestingly this movie has incredible attention to detail on one hand and a few glaring goofs on the other. One example of fine detail is in a split second shot inside a bomber where you see the historically accurate bombsite that replaced the standard Norden bomb site for the raid. Also there is the quick broad shot the destroyed American ships where over in a corner you get a glimpse of a deep sea diver in period brass helmet attempting to search for survivors. (blink and you miss him) However there are also some glaring authenticity errors. I only mention them because in other cases the attention to detail was so incredibly fine that these goofs left me surprised the got in the movie. Primarily I am talking about a couple of shots where one minute you see WWII era carriers with their plain rectangle deck. Then in others you see modern Jet-age carriers with the protruding side runway. And in one shot you see the deck jet catapult tracks that launch modern planes. I was floored that this got by. Perhaps they got by because these were just 'establishing' shots and not part of the effects laden battle scene shots etc. were the money ( and time) was really spent. The cinematography was great. Really great. Interestingly there was much more actual model and full size effects and mock ups than you would expect. I read the June 2001 issue of American Cinematographer that covered Pearl Harbor. In it one technician laments that so many people will just assume so much of the LIVE special effects are CGI when they are not. For example real US navy ships circa WWII, in mothballs in Hawaii, were used for some of the pyrotechnics. Anyway if you can get into it, as I did, Pearl Harbor was a great, and at times moving movie experience.