December 7th: The Pearl Harbor Story

John Ford’s “December 7th” was banned by the U.S. Government for nearly fifty years.  This special edition features the fully restored 84-minute version set in Honolulu on the day before the Japanese attack.  Uncle Sam (Walter Huston) vacations complacently in Hawaii, concerned with the on-going war in Europe.  On Sunday morning, December 7th, air squadrons appear, “swooping down like flights of tiny locust”.  The attack on Pearl Harbor, America’s first battle of World War II, is vividly illustrated as only Hollywood can do.  1941|104 min|B&W|1.33:1|NR

SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary by 4 actual Pearl Harbor survivors; “December 7th” 34 minute general release version;  Frank Capra’s infamous  62-minute documentary “Know Your Enemy Japan” (1945) (with commentary by a Japanese National); Universal Newsreel: “Pearl Harbor First Films,” and Movietone News Extra!