Know your history!

Rating: 9/10 (30 June 2001)

I must let you know, as someone who appreciates history and research, that there is more to the substance of the plots in the film than most would like to admit. Not wanting to reveal anything in this critique, let it suffice to say that most history books aren't as accurate and truthful as we would like to believe. Many parties on both sides of the conflict would certainly take issue with the innuendo in the film, not for it's fallacy, but for it's basis in fact. Relational situations, such as those put forward in the film did occur, as many of our fathers and grandfathers can confirm. And to comment on the casting, consider all of the photos you have seen of WWII veterans....handsome boys, weren't they? So don't think it so unrealistic that the cast is composed of chiseled visages with frames to match - soldiers don't need uniforms to be attractive. As for the nurses in the film, when you're lonely or scared, any woman looks like a pin-up girl, even if she is a bit short or plumb or lacking in the intelligence department!
So enjoy the film for what it is, an endearing rendition of a tragic event, as seen through the eyes of men and women who did exist (though perhaps with a bit more gore, and a bit less glamour), who did live and love and lose - for love of duty and country. Remember, one main purpose for producing a film (besides making money), is to tell a story so we, the audience can see a bit of ourselves, and relate to the events described. On that score, Pearl Harbor succeeds. I highly recommend this movie for a wide range of audiences, and applaud the screenwriter and director for their discretion with certain scenes which could have been ruined had they been depicted in the more-typical (modern) "Hollywood style".