View source for Tora! Tora! Tora!

{{short description|1970 film about the attack on Pearl Harbor}}
{{other uses|Tora Tora Tora (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Tora! Tora! Tora!
| image          = ToraToraTora1970.png
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = '''American sequences'''<br>[[Richard Fleischer]]<br>'''Japanese sequences'''<br>[[Toshio Masuda (director)|Toshio Masuda]]<br>[[Kinji Fukasaku]]
| producer       = [[Elmo Williams]]
| screenplay     = '''American sequences'''<br>Larry Forrester<br>'''Japanese sequences'''<br>[[Hideo Oguni]]<br>[[Ryūzō Kikushima]]
| based_on       = {{Plainlist|
* {{based on|''Tora! Tora! Tora!''<br>1969 book|[[Gordon W. Prange]]}}
* {{based on|''The Broken Seal''<br>1967 book|[[Ladislas Farago]]}}
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Martin Balsam]]
* [[So Yamamura]]
* [[Joseph Cotten]]
* [[Tatsuya Mihashi]]
* [[E. G. Marshall|E.G. Marshall]]
* [[James Whitmore]]
* [[Takahiro Tamura]]
* [[Eijirō Tōno]]
* [[Jason Robards]]
}}
| music          = [[Jerry Goldsmith]]
| cinematography = '''American sequences'''<br>[[Charles F. Wheeler]]<br>'''Japanese sequences'''<br>[[Shinsaku Himeda]]<br>[[Masamichi Satoh]]<br>[[Osamu Furuya]]
| editing        = [[James E. Newcom]]<br>[[Pembroke J. Herring]]<br>[[Inoue Chikaya]]
| studio         = Williams-Fleischer Productions<br>[[Toei Company]]
| distributor    = [[20th Century-Fox]] (United States)<br/>Toei Company (Japan)
| released       = {{Film date|1970|09|23|United States|1970|09|25|Japan|df=y}}
| runtime        = 144 minutes
| country        = United States<br/>Japan
| language       = English<br>Japanese
| budget         = $25 million<ref name="Parish p. 411"/><ref>Solomon, Aubrey. ''Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series)''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. {{ISBN|978-0-8108-4244-1}}. p256</ref>
| gross          = $37 million <small>(rentals)</small><ref name="Fox"/>
}}

'''''Tora! Tora! Tora!''''' ({{langx|ja|トラ・トラ・トラ！}}) is a 1970 [[epic film|epic]] [[war film]] that dramatizes the events leading up to the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in 1941, from both American and Japanese positions. The film was produced by [[Elmo Williams]] and directed by [[Richard Fleischer]]<!--The Japanese segments form a significant portion of the film:-->, [[Toshio Masuda (director)|Toshio Masuda]] and [[Kinji Fukasaku]]. It features an [[ensemble cast]], including [[Martin Balsam]], [[Joseph Cotten]], [[So Yamamura]], [[E. G. Marshall|E.G. Marshall]], [[James Whitmore]], [[Tatsuya Mihashi]], [[Takahiro Tamura]], [[Wesley Addy]], and [[Jason Robards]]. It was Masuda and Fukasaku's first English-language film, and first international co-production. 

The ''tora'' of the title, although literally meaning "tiger", is actually an abbreviation of a two-syllable codeword (i.e., ''totsugeki raigeki'' 突撃雷撃, "lightning attack"), used to indicate that complete surprise had been achieved.<ref>{{Cite web |title=15 Things You Might Not Know about Pearl Harbor - AOP Homeschooling |url=https://www.aop.com/blog/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-pearl-harbor |access-date=2023-06-19 |website=www.aop.com}}</ref>

The film was released in the United States by [[20th Century-Fox]] on September 23, 1970, and in Japan by the [[Toei Company]] on September 25. It received mixed reviews from American critics, but was praised for its historical accuracy and attention to detail, its visual effects, and its action sequences.<ref name="Aviation Great films" /><ref name=":0" /> ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' was nominated for five [[Academy Awards|Oscars]] at the [[43rd Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] and [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]], winning [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]] ([[L. B. Abbott|L.B. Abbott]] and [[A. D. Flowers|A.D. Flowers]]).<ref name="Orriss p. 200" /> The [[National Board of Review]] ranked it in its [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films of 1971]]. A 1994 survey at the [[USS Arizona Memorial|USS ''Arizona'' Memorial]] determined that for Americans the film was the most common source of popular knowledge about the Pearl Harbor attack.<ref name=":1" /> {{TOC limit|limit=2}}

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT plot summaries for featured film articles should be 400-700 words -->
In September 1940, following a severe trade embargo imposed on a [[Empire of Japan|belligerent Japan]] by the United States a year prior, influential [[Imperial Japanese Army|Japanese army]] figures and politicians push through an [[Tripartite Pact|alliance with Germany and Italy]], despite opposition from the [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese navy]], and prepare for war. The newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the [[Japanese Combined Fleet|Combined Fleet]], [[Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]], reluctantly plans a pre-emptive strike, believing Japan's best hope of controlling the [[Pacific Ocean]] is to quickly annihilate the American Pacific fleet anchored at [[Pearl Harbor]]. Air Staff Officer [[Minoru Genda]] is chosen to mastermind the operation, while his old Naval Academy classmate [[Mitsuo Fuchida]] is selected to lead the attack.

In [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], U.S. military intelligence has broken the Japanese ''[[Purple (cipher machine)|Purple Code]]'', allowing them to intercept secret Japanese radio transmissions indicating increased Japanese naval activity. U.S. Army Colonel [[Rufus S. Bratton]] and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Alwin Kramer monitor the transmissions. At Pearl Harbor, Admiral [[Husband E. Kimmel]] increases defensive naval and air patrols around Hawaii. General [[Walter Short]] orders aircraft concentrated on the airfield runways to avoid sabotage by enemy agents, while some planes are dispered to other airfields on [[Oahu]].

Diplomatic tensions escalate as the Japanese ambassador to Washington continues negotiations to stall for time. Bratton and Kramer learn from intercepts that the Japanese planned 14 radio messages from [[Tokyo]] to their embassy in Washington with orders to destroy their code machines after receiving the final message. Deducing the Japanese will launch a surprise attack after the messages are delivered, Bratton tries warning his superiors. However, Chief of Naval Operations [[Harold Rainsford Stark|Harold R. Stark]] is indecisive over notifying Hawaii without first alerting President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], while Army Chief of Staff General [[George Marshall]]'s order that Pearl Harbor be alerted of an attack is stymied by poor atmospherics that prevents radio transmission and a warning telegram not marked urgent. The Japanese fleet launches its aircraft at dawn on December 7. Two radar operators detect their approach to Hawaii, but the duty officer Lieutenant [[Kermit Tyler]] dismisses their concerns. Similarly, the claim by the destroyer {{USS|Ward}} to have sunk a Japanese miniature submarine off the entrance to Pearl Harbor is dismissed as unimportant. The Japanese achieve total surprise, which Commander Fuchida indicates with the code signal "Tora! Tora! Tora!"

The damage to the naval base is catastrophic and casualties are severe. Several battleships are either sunk or heavily damaged. General Short's anti-sabotage precautions allow Japanese aircraft to easily destroy American planes on the ground. In Washington, a stunned [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Cordell Hull]] is asked to receive the Japanese ambassador [[Kichisaburō Nomura]]. The 14 part message – including a declaration that peace negotiations were at an end – was meant to be forwarded to the Americans thirty minutes before the attack, but the Japanese embassy failed to decode and transcribe it in time. The attack started while the two nations were technically still at peace. The distraught Nomura, helpless to explain the late ultimatum and unaware of the ongoing attack, is rebuffed by Hull.

The Japanese fleet commander, Vice-Admiral [[Chūichi Nagumo]], refuses to launch a scheduled third wave of attack aircraft for fear of exposing his fleet to U.S. submarines. General Short and Admiral Kimmel belatedly receive Marshall's telegram warning of impending danger. Aboard his flagship, Admiral Yamamoto informs his staff that their primary target – the American aircraft carriers – were not at Pearl Harbor, having departed days previously. Lamenting that the declaration of war arrived after the attack began, Yamamoto notes that nothing would infuriate the U.S. more and concludes: [[Isoroku Yamamoto's sleeping giant quote|"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."]]

==Cast==
''Note: Characters listed by rank in descending order''

=== Americans ===
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sticky-header"
|- "
! style="width:150px;"|Actor
! style="width:300px;"|Role
! style="width:650px;"|Notes
|-
|[[Joseph Cotten]]
|Secretary [[Henry L. Stimson|Henry Stimson]]
|[[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]]
|-
|[[George Macready]]
|Secretary [[Cordell Hull]]
|[[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]
|-
|[[Leon Ames (actor)|Leon Ames]]
|Secretary [[Frank Knox]]
|[[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]]
|-
|[[Meredith Weatherby]]
|Ambassador [[Joseph Grew]]
|US Ambassador to Japan
|-
|Harold Conway
|[[Eugene Dooman]]
|US Embassy counselor, Tokyo
|-
|[[Martin Balsam]]
|[[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]] [[Husband E. Kimmel]]
|[[Commander-in-Chief]], [[U.S. Pacific Fleet]]
|-
|[[Edward Andrews]]
|Admiral [[Harold Rainsford Stark]]
|[[Chief of Naval Operations]]
|-
|[[Bill Zuckert]]
|Admiral [[James O. Richardson]]
|Commander, [[United States Fleet]]
|-
|[[Keith Andes]]
|[[General (United States)|General]] [[George Marshall|George C. Marshall]]
|[[Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army]]
|-
|[[James Whitmore]]
|[[Vice Admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]] [[William Halsey Jr.|William F. Halsey]]
|Commander, Aircraft Battle Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet
|-
|[[Walter Reed (actor)|Walter Reed]]
|Vice Admiral [[William S. Pye]]
|Interim Commander, Aircraft Battle Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet
|-
|[[Edmon Ryan]]
|[[Rear Admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Patrick N. L. Bellinger|Patrick Bellinger]]
|Commander, [[Patrol Wing Two]]
|-
|[[Ken Lynch]]
|Rear Admiral [[John H. Newton]]
|Commander, {{USS|Lexington|CV-2|6}}
|-
|[[Jason Robards]]
|[[Major general (United States)|Major General]] [[Walter Short]]
|Commander-in-Chief, [[United States Army Pacific Command|U.S. Army Forces Hawaii]]
|-
|[[Larry Thor]]
|Major General [[Frederick Martin (general)|Frederick L. Martin]]
|Commander, [[Hawaiian Air Force]]
|-
|[[Harlan Warde]]
|[[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]] [[Leonard T. Gerow]]
|Commander, [[29th Infantry Division (United States)|29th Infantry Division]]
|-
|Edward Sheehan
|Brigadier General [[Howard C. Davidson]]
|Commander, 14th Pursuit Wing
|-
|[[Richard Erdman]]
|[[Colonel]] Edward F. French
|Chief, War Department Signal Center
|-
|[[Bill Edwards (actor)|Bill Edwards]]
|Colonel [[Kendall J. Fielder]]
|Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Hawaiian Department
|-
|[[Richard Anderson]]
|[[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]] John Earle
|Chief of Staff, [[14th Naval District]]
|-
|[[Walter Brooke]]
|Captain [[Theodore Stark Wilkinson|Theodore Wilkinson]]
|[[Office of Naval Intelligence|Director of Naval Intelligence]]
|-
|[[Karl Lukas]]
|Captain [[Harold C. Train]]
|Chief of Staff, [[Battle Force]], U.S. Pacific Fleet
|-
|[[Francis De Sales (actor)|Francis De Sales]]
|Captain [[Arthur H. McCollum]]
|Naval Intelligence officer
|-
|[[G. D. Spradlin|G.D. Spradlin]]
|[[Commander (United States)|Commander]] [[Maurice E. Curts]]
|Communications Officer, U.S. Pacific Fleet
|-
|[[Robert Shayne]]
|Commander [[William H. Buracker]]
|Operations Officer, Aircraft Battle Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet
|-
|[[E. G. Marshall|E.G. Marshall]]
|[[Lieutenant Colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Rufus S. Bratton]]
|Chief, Far Eastern Section, Military Intelligence Division, [[United States Department of War|War Department]]
|-
|[[Dick Fair]]
|Lieutenant Colonel Carrol A. Powell
|Radar officer
|-
|[[Wesley Addy]]
|[[Lieutenant Commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] Alwin Kramer
|Cryptographer, [[OP-20-G]]
|-
|[[Frank Aletter]]
|Lieutenant Commander Francis Thomas
|Command Duty Officer, {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|6}}
|-
|[[Jerry Fogel]]
|Lieutenant Commander [[William W. Outerbridge]]
|Commanding Officer, {{USS|Ward}}
|-
|[[Dick Cook]]
|Lieutenant Commander Logan C. Ramsey
|Operations Officer, [[Patrol Wing Two]]
|-
|[[Norman Alden]]
|[[Major (United States)|Major]] [[Truman H. Landon|Truman Landon]]
|Commanding Officer, [[38th Reconnaissance Squadron]]
|-
|Dave Donnelly
|Major [[Gordon Blake]]
|Hickam Field Operations Officer
|-
|[[Robert Karnes]]
|Major John H. Dillon
|Knox's aide
|-
|[[Neville Brand]]
|[[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] Harold Kaminski
|Duty Officer, 14th Naval District
|-
|[[Ron Masak]]
|Lieutenant Lawrence E. Ruff
|Communications Officer, USS ''Nevada''
|-
|Jerry Cox
|[[First lieutenant|1st Lieutenant]] [[Kermit Tyler]]
|Pilot, [[78th Pursuit Squadron]]
|-
|Rick Cooper
|[[Second Lieutenant (United States)|2nd Lieutenant]] [[George Welch (pilot)|George Welch]]
|Pilot, [[47th Pursuit Squadron]]
|-
|[[Carl Reindel]]
|2nd Lt. [[Kenneth M. Taylor|Kenneth Taylor]]
|Pilot, 47th Pursuit Squadron
|-
|David Westberg
|[[Ensign (rank)|Ensign]] Edgar M. Fair
|Officer, {{USS|California|BB-44|6}}
|-
|Elven Havard
|[[Messman|Messman 3rd Class]] [[Doris Miller]]
|Crew member, {{USS|West Virginia|BB-48|6}}
|-
|Bruce Wilson
|[[Private (rank)|Private]] Joseph Lockard
|Radarman at [[Opana Radar Site|Opana Point]]
|}

=== Japanese ===
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sticky-header"
|- 
! style="width:150px;"|Actor
! style="width:300px;"|Role
! style="width:650px;"|Notes
|-
|[[Koreya Senda]]
|[[Fumimaro Konoe]]
|[[Prime Minister of Japan]]
|-
|[[Hiroshi Akutagawa]]
|[[Koichi Kido|Marquis Koichi Kido]]
|[[Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan|Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal]]
|-
|[[Kazuo Kitamura]]
|[[Shigenori Tōgō]]
|[[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Foreign Minister]]
|-
|[[So Yamamura|Sō Yamamura]]
|[[Naval ranks of the Japanese Empire during World War II|Admiral]] [[Isoroku Yamamoto]]
|[[Commander-in-Chief]], [[Combined Fleet]]
|-
|Bontaro Miyake
|Admiral [[Koshirō Oikawa]]
|Minister of the Navy
|-
|Asao Uchida
|[[Army ranks of the Japanese Empire during World War II|General]] [[Hideki Tojo]]
|[[Ministry of War of Japan|Minister of War]]
|-
|[[Eijirō Tōno]]
|[[Vice Admiral]] [[Chūichi Nagumo]]
|Commander-in-Chief, 1st Air Fleet
|-
|Junya Usami
|Vice Admiral [[Zengo Yoshida]]
|[[Ministry of the Navy of Japan|Minister of the Navy]]
|-
|[[Susumu Fujita]]
|[[Rear Admiral]] [[Tamon Yamaguchi]]
|Commander, [[Second Carrier Division]]
|-
|Ichiro Reuzaki
|Rear Admiral [[Ryūnosuke Kusaka]]
|Chief of Staff, 1st Air Fleet
|-
|Kan Nihonyanagi
|Rear Admiral [[Chūichi Hara]]
|Commander, [[5th Carrier Division]]
|-
|[[Tōru Abe]]
|Rear Admiral [[Takijirō Ōnishi]]
|Chief of Staff, [[11th Air Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|11th Air Fleet]]
|-
|Shunichi Nakamura
|[[Naval ranks of the Japanese Empire during World War II|Captain]] Kameto "Gandhi" Kuroshima
|Senior Staff Officer, Combined Fleet
|-
|[[Tatsuya Mihashi]]
|[[Naval ranks of the Japanese Empire during World War II|Commander]] [[Minoru Genda]]
|Air Staff, [[1st Air Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy|1st Air Fleet]]
|-
|[[Takahiro Tamura]]
|[[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Mitsuo Fuchida]]
|[[Commander, Air Group]], {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}}
|-
|Toshio Hosokawa
|Lieutenant Commander [[Shigeharu Murata]]
|Commander, 1st Torpedo Attack Unit, ''Akagi''
|-
|[[Hisashi Igawa]]
|Lieutenant Mitsuo Matsuzaki
|Fuchida's pilot
|-
|[[Hideo Murota]]
|Lieutenant Zenji Abe
|Pilot, Air Group, ''Akagi''
|-
|[[Shōgo Shimada (actor)|Shōgo Shimada]] {{small|(dubbed by [[Paul Frees]])}}
|Ambassador [[Kichisaburō Nomura|Kichisaburo Nomura]]
|[[Japanese Ambassador to the United States]]
|-
|Hisao Toake
|[[Saburō Kurusu]]
|Diplomat
|}

=== Civilians ===
{{sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sticky-header"
|- "
! style="width:150px;"|Actor
! style="width:300px;"|Role
! style="width:650px;"|Notes
|-
|[[Leora Dana]]
|Ileana Kramer
|Lt. Cdr. Kramer's wife
|-
|[[June Dayton]]
|Ray Cave
|Secretary
|-
|[[Akira Kume]]
|Katsuzo Okumura
|Japanese embassy secretary
|-
|[[Jeff Donnell]]
|[[Cornelia Clark Fort|Cornelia Fort]]
|Civilian flying instructor
|-
|[[Henry Z Jones, Jr.|Hank Jones]]
|Davey
|Civilian student pilot
|-
|[[Andrew Hughes (actor)|Andrew Hughes]]
|Minister [[Joachim von Ribbentrop]]
|[[Nazi Germany|German]] [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]]
|-
|[[Kiyoshi Atsumi]]
|Japanese messman
|
|}

==Production==
[[File:Mitsubishi A6M Zero Replica.jpg|thumb|The [[North American T-6 Texan]] stood in for the [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]] as there were no airworthy types at that time. Only Zeros from the carrier ''Akagi'' were depicted, identifiable by the single red band on the rear fuselage.]]
[[File:Aichi D3A Replica Airshow.jpg|thumb|[[Aichi D3A]] replica at the Geneseo Airshow. In 1968 a [[Vultee BT-13 Valiant]] (N56867) was converted to a Val replica for use in the filming of the movie ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'', flown as Val "AI-244" from the carrier ''Akagi''.]]
[[File:Japanese Kate (2783320658).jpg|thumb|[[Nakajima B5N]] replica modified from a T-6 for the movie ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'']]
[[File:P-40 movie prop at Wheeler.jpg|thumb|A number of [[Curtiss P-40 Warhawk]] [[mockup]]s were blown up during filming. This example, which was spared destruction, is currently on display at [[Wheeler Army Airfield]], with markings identical to those of 2nd Lt [[George Welch (pilot)|George Welch]].<ref name="Historic P-40 aircraft returns to 'action' near Kawamura Gate">Doane, Loran. [https://www.army.mil/article/9898/Historic_P_40_aircraft_returns_to___039_action__039__near_Kawamura_Gate/ "Historic P-40 aircraft returns to 'action' near Kawamura Gate."] ''United States Arm'', June 12, 2008. Retrieved: March 22, 2013.</ref>]]
[[File:USS Nevada (replica).jpg|thumb|Replica models like this {{frac|1|15}} scale {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|6}} were used for the overhead shots of [[Battleship Row]]. The model survives today in [[Los Angeles]] and often appears at local parades.<ref name="Room in San Pedro? Veterans seek home for USS Nevada model">{{citation|title = Room in San Pedro? Veterans seek home for USS Nevada model|url = http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20160124/room-in-san-pedro-veterans-seek-home-for-uss-nevada-model|publisher = The Daily Breeze|date = 24 Jan 2016|access-date = 3 Apr 2016}}</ref>]]
Veteran [[20th Century Studios|20th Century-Fox]] executive [[Darryl F. Zanuck]], who had earlier produced ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'' (1962), wanted to create an epic that depicted what "really happened on [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|December 7, 1941]]", with a "revisionist's approach". He believed that the commanders in Hawaii, General [[Walter Short]] and Admiral [[Husband E. Kimmel]], though scapegoated for decades, provided adequate defensive measures for the apparent threats, including relocation of the fighter aircraft at [[Pearl Harbor]] to the middle of the base, in response to fears of sabotage from local Japanese. Despite a breakthrough in intelligence, they had received limited warning of the increasing risk of aerial attack.<ref name="Parish p. 411" /> Recognizing that a balanced and objective recounting was necessary, Zanuck developed an American-Japanese co-production, allowing for "a point of view from both nations".<ref name="Orriss pp. 194–195" /> He was helped out by his son, [[Richard D. Zanuck]], who was chief executive at Fox during this time.

Production on ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' took three years to plan and prepare for the eight months of [[principal photography]].<ref name="Orriss pp. 194–195">[[#refOrriss1984|Orriss 1984]], pp. 194–195.</ref> The film was created in two separate productions, one based in the United States, directed by [[Richard Fleischer]], and one based in Japan.<ref name="Galbraith p. 156" /> The Japanese side was initially to be directed by [[Akira Kurosawa]], who worked on script development and [[pre-production]] for two years. However, after two weeks of shooting, he was replaced by [[Toshio Masuda (director)|Toshio Masuda]] and [[Kinji Fukasaku]], who directed the Japanese sections.<ref name="Galbraith p. 156">[[#refGalbraith2002|Galbraith 2002]], p. 156.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Friis |first=Christian |date=November 5, 2002 |title="Tora! Tora! Tora!” Twentieth Century Fox, 1970” |url=https://www.angelfire.com/film/pearlharbormovies/tora.html |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=www.angelfire.com}}</ref> [[Toshiro Mifune]] reportedly had been scheduled to play [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] but withdrew when Kurosawa left the project.

Richard Fleischer said of Akira Kurosawa's role in the project:
{{blockquote|Well, I always thought that even though Kurosawa was a genius at film-making and indeed he was, I sincerely believe that he was miscast for this film, this was not his type of film to make, he never made anything like it and it just wasn't his style. I felt he was not only uncomfortable directing this kind of movie but also he wasn't used to having somebody tell him how he should make his film. He always had complete autonomy, and nobody would dare make a suggestion to Kurosawa about the budget, or shooting schedule, or anything like that. And then here he was, with Darryl Zanuck on his back and Richard Zanuck on him and [[Elmo Williams]] and the production managers, and it was all stuff that he never had run into before, because he was always untouchable. I think he was getting more and more nervous and more insecure about how he was going to work on this film. And of course, the press got a hold of a lot of this unrest on the set and they made a lot out of that in Japan, and it was more pressure on him, and he wasn't used to that kind of pressure.<ref>Galbraith, Stewart. "[[Stuart Galbraith IV]] interview of Richard Fleischer." ''Tora! Tora! Tora! DVD commentary.'' Los Angeles: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Inc., 2001, Time stamp: 26:17–27:47.</ref>}}

Larry Forrester and frequent Kurosawa collaborators [[Hideo Oguni]] and [[Ryūzō Kikushima]] wrote the screenplay, based on the books ''The Broken Seal'' by [[Ladislas Farago]] and ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' by [[Gordon Prange]] of [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]], who served as a technical consultant. Numerous technical advisors on both sides, some of whom had participated in the battle and/or planning, were crucial in maintaining the accuracy of the film. [[Minoru Genda]], the man who largely planned and led the attack on Pearl Harbor, was an uncredited technical advisor for the film.<ref name="Parish p. 411">[[#refParish1990|Parish 1990]], p. 411.</ref>

Four cinematographers were involved in the main photography: [[Charles F. Wheeler]], [[Shinsaku Himeda]], [[Masamichi Satoh]], and [[Osamu Furuya]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=DVD Playback: 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' |url=http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/March2012/DVDPlayback/page3.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528051202/http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/March2012/DVDPlayback/page3.php |archive-date=2013-05-28 |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=ASC Magazine}}</ref> They were jointly nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography]]. A number of well-known cameramen also worked on the [[second unit]]s without credit, including [[Thomas Del Ruth]] and Rexford Metz.<ref name=":2" /> The second unit doing miniature photography was directed by [[Ray Kellogg (director)|Ray Kellogg]], while the second unit doing aerial sequences was directed by Robert Enrietto.

Noted composer [[Jerry Goldsmith]] composed the film score and [[Robert McCall (artist)|Robert McCall]] painted several scenes for various posters of the film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hanson |first=David |title=Tora! Tora! Tora! - The making of the movie - Artwork |url=http://www.daveswarbirds.com/tora/artwork.htm |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=www.daveswarbirds.com}}</ref>

The carrier entering Pearl Harbor towards the end of the film was in fact the {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}} {{USS|Kearsarge|CV-33|6}}, returning to port. The "Japanese" aircraft carrier was the anti-submarine carrier {{USS|Yorktown|CVS-10|6}}, fitted with a false bow to disguise the catapults. The Japanese [[A6M Zero]] fighters and the somewhat longer "Kate" torpedo bombers or "Val" dive bombers were heavily modified [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] Harvard ([[T-6 Texan]]) and [[BT-13 Valiant]] pilot training aircraft. The large fleet of Japanese aircraft was created by [[Lynn Garrison]], a well-known aerial action coordinator, who produced a number of conversions. Garrison and Jack Canary coordinated the actual engineering work at facilities in the Los Angeles area. These aircraft still make appearances at air shows.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tora! Tora! Tora! – Airshow and Pyro Team |url=https://toratoratora.com/ |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=Tora! Tora! Tora! |language=en-US}}</ref>

For the parallel filming in Japan, full-scale mock-ups of the Japanese battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Nagato||2}} and aircraft carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}} were built from the waterline up on shore, with about {{convert|90|ft|m}} of their bows extending out over the ocean on stilts. These were used for much of the Japanese scenes on ship's decks. The one error introduced, however, was that the model ''Akagi''{{'}}s bridge was built on the starboard side instead of the port side. Only two Japanese carriers were built in this fashion, with bridges on the port side: ''Akagi'' and {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hiryū||2}}. This was done because it was known that for the launching scenes filmed in the US, a US carrier would be used, and the islands of US carriers were always on the starboard side. A few of the modified aircraft were also converted in Japan for the flight scenes filmed there.

In preparation for filming, ''Yorktown'' was berthed at [[Naval Air Station North Island|NAS North Island]] in [[San Diego]] to load all the aircraft, maintenance, and film crew prior to sailing to Hawaii. The night before filming the "Japanese" take-off scenes, she sailed to a spot a few miles west of San Diego, and at dawn the film crew filmed the launches of all the aircraft. Since these "Japanese" aircraft were not actual carrier-based aircraft, they did not have [[arresting gear]] with which to land back on the carrier and so continued on to land at North Island Naval Air Station. ''Yorktown'' sailed back to North Island and re-loaded the aircraft. She then sailed to Hawaii, where the aircraft were off-loaded and used to film the attack scenes in and around Pearl Harbor. Aircraft Specialties of [[Mesa, Arizona]] performed maintenance on the aircraft while in Hawaii.{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}}<!-- The whole paragraph -->

The actual crash landing of a [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] during filming, a result of a jammed landing gear, was used in the final cut.<ref>http://ww2f.com/threads/about-tora-tora-tora.16059/. Retrieved February 6, 2019. B-17G-110-VE, 44-85840, c/n 8749, the B-17 in question, was a converted water bomber that crashed fighting a forest fire in Nevada three years later.</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=September 2025}} The film crew received word that one of the B-17s could not lower its starboard landing gear, so they quickly set up to film the "single gear" landing. The aircraft stayed aloft to use up as much fuel as possible prior to landing, which gave the film crew some time to prepare. After viewing the "single gear" landing footage, they decided to include it in the movie. In the sequence depicting the crash, only the final crash was actual footage. For the scenes leading up to the crash, they manually retracted the starboard landing gear on a functioning B-17 and filmed the scenes of its final approach. After touching down on one wheel, the pilot simply applied power and took off again. The B-17 that actually landed with one gear up sustained only minor damage to the starboard wing and propellers and was repaired and returned to service. A total of five Boeing B-17s were obtained for filming. Other U.S. aircraft included the [[Consolidated PBY Catalina]] and, especially, the [[Curtiss P-40 Warhawk]] (two flyable examples were used). Predominantly, P-40 fighter aircraft were used to depict the U.S. defenders with a full-scale P-40 used as a template for fiberglass replicas (some with working engines and props) that were strafed and blown up during filming.<ref>[[#refHathaway1969|Hathaway 1969]], p. 52.</ref> Fleischer also said a scene involving a P-40 model crashing into the middle of a line of P-40s was unintended, as it was supposed to crash at the end of the line. The stuntmen involved in the scene were actually running for their lives.<ref name="O'Hara p. 23">[[#refO'Hara1969|O'Hara 1969]], p. 23.</ref> The B-17 crash along with several other scenes were reused in the 1976 film ''[[Midway (1976 film)|Midway]]''.

With over 30 aircraft in the air, the flying scenes were complex to shoot, comparable to the 1969 film ''[[Battle of Britain (film)|Battle of Britain]]'' where large formations of period-specific aircraft were filmed in staged aerial battles.<ref>Orris 1984, pp. 196–197.</ref> The 2001 film ''[[Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'' would use some of the same modified aircraft.<ref>Orriss 2014, p. 234.</ref>

=== Casting ===
The film was deliberately cast with actors who were not true box-office stars, including many Japanese amateurs, in order to place the emphasis on the story rather than the actors who were in it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steffen |first=James |title=Tora! Tora! Tora! |url=http://prod.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/93648/tora-tora-tora |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=Turner Classic Movies |language=en}}</ref>

Several members of the cast had themselves served in [[World War II]].
{| class="wikitable"
|- "
!Actor
!Service
!Notes
|-
|[[Martin Balsam]]
|[[United States Army Air Forces|Army Air Forces]]
|[[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24]] radio operator
|-
|[[James Whitmore]]
|[[United States Marine Corps Reserve|Marine Corps]]
|Lieutenant
|-
|[[Jason Robards]]
|[[United States Navy|Navy]] 
|{{USS|Northampton|CA-26|6}} and {{USS|Nashville|CL-43|6}}
|-
|[[Wesley Addy]]
|[[United States Army|Army]]
|
|-
|[[Norman Alden]]
|Army
|
|-
|[[Frank Aletter]]
|Army
|
|-
|[[Richard Anderson]]
|Army
|
|-
|[[Keith Andes]]
|Army Air Forces
|
|-
|[[Edward Andrews]]
|Army
|Captain, awarded [[Bronze Star Medal]]
|-
|[[Neville Brand]]
|Army
|Earned a [[Purple Heart]] and [[Silver Star]]
|-
|[[Walter Brooke]]
|Army
|
|-
|[[Paul Frees]]
|Army
|Wounded in combat on [[Normandy landings|D-Day]]
|-
|[[G. D. Spradlin]]
|Army Air Forces
|
|-
|[[Arthur Tovey]]
|Army
|
|-
|[[Harlan Warde]]
|Army
|[[United States Army Special Forces|Special Forces]]
|-
|[[Bill Zuckert]]
|Navy
|[[Seabee|Construction Battalion ("Seabees")]]
|}

Some crew members also served in the war.
{| class="wikitable"
|- "
!Crew member
!Credited as
!Service
!Notes
|-
|Richard Fleischer
|Director / Producer
|Army
|
|-
|Darryl F. Zanuck
|Executive producer
|Army
|Colonel, [[United States Army Signal Corps|Army Signal Corps]]. Also served in [[World War I]].
|-
|Charles F. Wheeler
|Cinematographer
|Navy
|[[War photography|Combat photographer]]
|-
|Gordon W. Prange
|Author / Technical consultant
|Navy
|Chief Historian in General [[Douglas MacArthur]]'s staff
|}

Some cast members served before or after World War II.
{| class="wikitable"
|- "
!Actor
!Service
!Engagements
!Notes
|-
|[[Leon Ames]]
|Army / [[United States Army Air Service|Army Air Service]]
|[[World War I]]
|Field artillery and later in the flying corps
|-
|[[Ron Masak]]
|Army
|
|
|-
|[[Jamie Farr]] <small>(uncredited voice acting)</small>
|Army
|[[Korean War]]
|[[American Forces Network#History|Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS)]] 
|}

==Historical accuracy==
[[File:USS Yorktown (CVS-10) during filming of Tora Tora Tora movie 1968.jpeg|thumb|{{USS|Yorktown|CVS-10|6}} during the filming of ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'', 1968.]]
''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' is regarded highly by Pearl Harbor historians and survivors for its accuracy.

Parts of the film showing the takeoff of the Japanese aircraft utilize an {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}, ''Yorktown'', which was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] in 1943 and modernized after the war to have a very slightly angled [[flight deck]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patriots Point - Explore Museum - USS YORKTOWN CV-10 |url=https://www.patriotspoint.org/explore_museum/uss_yorktown/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413061433/https://www.patriotspoint.org/explore_museum/uss_yorktown/ |archive-date=2016-04-13 |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=www.patriotspoint.org}}</ref> The ship was leased by the film producers, who needed an aircraft carrier for the film, and as ''Yorktown'' was scheduled to be decommissioned in 1970, the Navy made her available. She was used largely in the takeoff sequence of the Japanese attack aircraft. The sequence shows interchanging shots of models of the Japanese aircraft carriers and ''Yorktown''. She does not look like any of the Japanese carriers involved in the attack, due to her large [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]] island and her angled landing deck. The Japanese carriers had small bridge islands, and it wasn't until after the war that angled flight decks were developed.<ref>[[Thomas C. Hone|Hone, Thomas C.]], [[Norman Friedman]] and Mark D. Mandeles. [http://www.usnwc.edu/Publications/Naval-War-College-Press/Newport-Papers/Documents/37.pdf ''Innovation in Carrier Aviation: Newport Paper 37.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130331112420/http://www.usnwc.edu/Publications/Naval-War-College-Press/Newport-Papers/Documents/37.pdf|date=2013-03-31}} Newport, Rhode Island: Naval War College Press: 2011. {{ISBN|978-1-884733-85-7}}</ref> In addition, during the scene in which Admiral Halsey is watching bombing practice, an aircraft carrier with the hull number 14 is shown. Admiral Halsey was on {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|6}}, not the ''Essex''-class carrier {{USS|Ticonderoga|CV-14|6}}, which would not be commissioned until 1944. This is understandable, however, as ''Enterprise'' and all six of the Japanese carriers from the attack had been scrapped or sunk.

In ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'', an error involves the model of {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi}}. In the film, ''Akagi''{{'}}s bridge island is positioned on the [[Port and starboard|starboard]] side of the ship, which is typical on most aircraft carriers. However, ''Akagi'' was an exception; her bridge island was on the [[Port and starboard|port]] side of the ship. Despite this, the bridge section appeared accurately as a mirrored version of ''Akagi''{{'}}s real port-side bridge.<ref name="Orriss p. 196">[[#refOrriss1984|Orriss 1984]], p. 196.</ref> Secondly, all the Japanese aircraft in the footage bear the markings of ''Akagi''{{'}}s aircraft (a single vertical red stripe following the red sun symbol of Japan), even though five other aircraft carriers participated, each having its own markings. In addition, the markings do not display the aircraft's identification numbers as was the case in the actual battle. The white surround on the [[roundel]] on the Japanese aircraft was only used from 1942 onwards. Prior to this, the roundel was red only.<ref name="Robertson pp. 160–161">[[#refRobertson1961|Robertson 1961]], pp. 160–161.</ref>

{{USS|Ward|DD-139}} was an old "4-piper" [[destroyer]] commissioned in 1918; the ship used in the movie, {{USS|Finch|DE-328}}, which portrays ''Ward'', looked far different from the original destroyer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tora! Tora! Tora! Chapter 9 |url=http://www.usssavagededer386.org/ToraToraTora.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605000043/http://www.usssavagededer386.org/ToraToraTora.html |archive-date=2013-06-05 |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=www.usssavagededer386.org}}</ref> In addition, in the movie, she fired two shots from her #1 [[gun turret]]. In reality, ''Ward'' fired the first shot from the #1 {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on|0}} un-turreted gunmount and the second shot from the #3 wing mount.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Storch |first=Paul S. |title=Conservation Treatment of the USS Ward forward gun: Minnesota State Capital Mall |url=http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/conservation/reports/ward_gun.pdf |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227112555/http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/conservation/reports/ward_gun.pdf |archive-date=February 27, 2012 |website=Minnesota Historical Society}}</ref> The attack on the midget submarine by USS ''Ward'' was previously mentioned in the film ''[[In Harm's Way]]''.

A full-scale set was built representing the [[stern]] section of a U.S. Navy [[Standard-type battleship]] showing two aft gun turrets each with three gun barrels. It was used to portray both {{USS|Arizona|BB-39|6}} and {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|6}} and other battleships. It was correct for USS ''Arizona'' but incorrect for USS ''Nevada'', which had lower triple and upper twin gun turrets. The {{frac|1|15}} scale model of USS ''Nevada'' used to portray the whole ship in wide shots displayed the fore and aft turrets accurately in a 3-2-2-3 arrangement. A  [[lattice mast]] (or cage mast) section representing a {{sclass|Tennessee|battleship|0}} or {{sclass|Colorado|battleship|0}} battleship was built on the ground behind the full-scale stern set to give the appearance that the set was on [[Battleship Row]]. The USS ''Arizona''/USS ''Nevada'' stern section set was used for the explosion that destroyed USS ''Arizona'', although the explosion took place in the forward #2 [[Magazine (artillery)#Naval magazine|magazine]] and ''Arizona''{{'}}s stern section remained essentially intact.

The film has a Japanese [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero|Zero]] fighter being damaged by U.S. Navy CPO [[John William Finn]] at Naval Air Station at [[Kāneʻohe Bay]] and then deliberately crashing into a hangar. This is actually a composite of three incidents during the [[Pearl Harbor attack]]: in the first wave, a Japanese Zero crashed into [[Fort Kamehameha]]'s ordnance building; in the second wave, a Japanese Zero deliberately crashed into a hillside after Finn shot and damaged the aircraft; also during the second wave, a damaged Japanese aircraft crashed into the [[seaplane tender]] {{USS|Curtiss|AV-4|6}}.<ref>[[#refCarnes1996|Carnes 1996]], pp. 228–231.</ref>

During a number of shots of the attack squadrons traversing across Oahu, a white cross can be seen standing on one of the mountainsides. The cross was actually erected after the attack as a memorial to the victims.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Introduction to Central Oahu |url=http://hawaiiforvisitors.com/oahu/attractions/central-oahu-introduction.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216062816/http://hawaiiforvisitors.com/oahu/attractions/central-oahu-introduction.htm |archive-date=2011-12-16 |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=hawaiiforvisitors.com}}</ref>

The film also featured [[Mitsuo Fuchida]] ([[Takahiro Tamura]]) and Minoru Genda ([[Tatsuya Mihashi]]) asking Admiral [[Chūichi Nagumo]] ([[Eijirō Tōno]]) for a third strike, but like many of Fuchida's post war claims this has been called into question. Genda denied making such a request and he and Admiral [[Ryūnosuke Kusaka]] both denied that Fuchida did.

In the final scene, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ([[So Yamamura|Sō Yamamura]]) says: [[Isoroku Yamamoto's sleeping giant quote|"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant"]]. An abridged version of this quotation is featured in the 2001 film ''Pearl Harbor''. The 2019 film ''Midway'' also features Yamamoto ([[Etsushi Toyokawa]]) speaking aloud the "sleeping giant" quote. Although the quotation may well have encapsulated many of his real feelings about the attack, there is no printed evidence to prove Yamamoto made this statement or wrote it down.<ref>{{cite book |last=Safire |first=William |author-link=William Safire |title=Safire's Political Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0195343342 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c4UoX6-Sv1AC&pg=PA666 |page=666}}</ref> Director Richard Fleischer stated that while Yamamoto may never have said those words, the film's producer, [[Elmo Williams]], had found the line written in Yamamoto's diary. Williams, in turn, has stated that Larry Forrester, the screenwriter, found a 1943 letter from Yamamoto to the Admiralty in [[Tokyo]] containing the quotation. However, Forrester cannot produce the letter, nor can anyone else, American or Japanese, recall it or find it.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9PfdQod8HTw | title=History Buffs: Tora! Tora! Tora! | website=[[YouTube]] | date=21 June 2017 }}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=September 2025}}

==Release==
The film had its world premiere on September 23, 1970, in New York, Tokyo, [[Honolulu]] and [[Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Tora! Tora! Tora! (advertisement)|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=September 23, 1970|page=19}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
At the time of its initial release, ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' was thought to be a box office disappointment in North America,<ref>[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-74440066/flop-flop-flop-box.html "Flop! Flop! Flop! (Box office receipts of war film 'Tora! Tora! Tora!')."] ''Variety.'' Retrieved: February 12, 2012.</ref> despite its domestic box office of $29,548,291 making it the [[1970 in film|ninth-highest-grossing film of 1970]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tora, Tora, Tora - Box Office Data, DVD Sales, Movie News, Cast Information |url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1970/00260.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203181055/http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1970/00260.php |archive-date=2014-02-03 |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=The Numbers}}</ref> It was a major hit in Japan, and over the years, home media releases provided a larger overall profit.<ref name="Parish p. 412">[[#refParish1990|Parish 1990]], p. 412.</ref><ref>[http://www.dvdmoviecentral.com/ReviewsText/tora_tora_tora.htm "Tora! Tora! Tora!"] ''dvdmoviecentral.com.'' Retrieved: February 12, 2012.</ref> The film had earned {{¥|194.22 million}} in Japanese [[distributor rentals]] by 1971, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1971 in Japan.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=キネマ旬報ベスト・テン85回全史 1924-2011 |magazine=[[Kinema Junpo|Kinema Junpo Mook]] |date=May 2012 |publisher=Kinema Junposha |isbn=978-4873767550 |page=285}}</ref>

According to Fox records, the film required {{US$|37.15 million|long=no}} in rentals to break even, and had done so by December 11, 1970.<ref name="Fox">{{cite book|page=[https://archive.org/details/foxthatgotawayt00silv/page/329 329]|title=The Fox that got away : the last days of the Zanuck dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox|url=https://archive.org/details/foxthatgotawayt00silv|url-access=registration|last=Silverman|first=Stephen M|year=1988|publisher=L. Stuart|isbn=9780818404856}}</ref>

===Critical response===
[[File:Tora Fire Break 08.JPG|thumb|The [[Commemorative Air Force]]'s [[Gulf Coast Wing]]'s Tora! Tora! Tora! team still fly the movie's aircraft simulating the attack at airshows.]]

On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds a 57% rating based on 30 reviews. The site's consensus states: "''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' is scrupulously accurate and lays out of the tragedy of Pearl Harbor with intricate detail, but the film's clinical approach to the sound and fury signifies little feeling."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Tora! Tora! Tora! {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tora_tora_tora |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=www.rottentomatoes.com |language=en}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] it has a score of 46% based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=Tora! Tora! Tora! |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/tora!-tora!-tora! |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=2021-01-01}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] gave the film one star and felt that ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' was "one of the deadest, dullest blockbusters ever made" and suffered from not having "some characters to identify with." In addition, he criticized the film for poor acting and special effects in his 1970 review.<ref>[[Roger Ebert|Ebert, Roger]]. [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19701012/REVIEWS/10120301/1023 "Tora! Tora! Tora! (review)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311201839/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19701012%2FREVIEWS%2F10120301%2F1023 |date=2013-03-11 }} ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', October 12, 1970. Retrieved: April 1, 2008.</ref> [[Vincent Canby]], reviewer for '' [[The New York Times]]'', was similarly unimpressed, noting the film was "nothing less than a $25-million irrelevancy."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |date=1970-10-04 |title=Tora‐ble, Tora‐ble, Tora‐ble (Published 1970) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/10/04/archives/torable-torable-torable-torable-torable-torable.html |access-date=2025-09-22 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' also found the film to be boring; however, the magazine praised the film's action sequences and production values.<ref>Variety staff. [https://archive.today/20130205110549/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117795808.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 "Excerpt from the 1970 ''Variety'' review."] ''Variety'', January 1, 1970. Retrieved: April 1, 2008.</ref> [[Charles Champlin]] in his review for the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' on September 23, 1970, considered the movie's chief virtues as a "spectacular", and the careful recreation of a historical event.<ref name="Orriss p. 200">[[#refOrriss1984|Orriss 1984]], p. 200.</ref>

Despite the initial negative reviews, the film was critically acclaimed for its vivid action scenes and found favor with aviation aficionados.<ref name="Aviation Great films" /> However, even the team of Jack Hardwick and Ed Schnepf, who had been involved in research on aviation films, relegated ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' to the "also-ran" status due to its slow-moving plotline.<ref name="Aviation Great films">[[#refHardwickSchnepf1989|Hardwick and Schnepf 1989]], p. 62.</ref>

Several later films and TV series relating to World War II in the Pacific have used footage from ''Tora! Tora! Tora!''. These productions include the films ''[[Midway (1976 film)|Midway]]'' (1976; in the ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' DVD commentary, Fleischer expressed anger that [[Universal Pictures|Universal]] used the footage), ''[[All This and World War II]]'' (film 1976), [[Pearl (miniseries)|''Pearl'']] (TV mini-series 1978), ''[[From Here to Eternity (miniseries)|From Here to Eternity]]'' (TV mini-series 1979), ''[[The Final Countdown (film)|The Final Countdown]]'' (1980), and ''[[Australia (2008 film)|Australia]]'' (2008) as well as the ''[[Magnum, P. I.]]'' television series episode titled "Lest We Forget" (first airdate February 12, 1981).<ref>[[#refDolan1985|Dolan 1985]], p. 87.</ref>

In 1994, a survey at the [[USS Arizona Memorial|USS ''Arizona'' Memorial]] in Honolulu determined that for Americans the film was the most common source of popular knowledge about the Pearl Harbor attack.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |title=Binational Pearl Harbor? Tora! Tora! Tora! and the Fate of (Trans)national Memory |url=http://www.japanfocus.org/-Marie-Thorsten/3462 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111130035/http://www.japanfocus.org/-Marie-Thorsten/3462#sthash.AtsvQ531.dpuf |archive-date=January 11, 2011 |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=JapanFocus}}</ref>

Clark Collis of ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' gave the film three out of five stars, writing that the film "is high on historical veracity but low on drama".<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/tora-tora-tora-review/ | title= Tora! Tora! Tora! Review| date= 3 March 2006}}</ref> In 2016, ''[[Cinema Retro]]'' released a special issue dedicated to ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' which detailed the Blu-ray release of the film. Stating that the film "has only grown in stature over the decades", it praises the attack sequences, calling them "quite spectacular", and commends the portrayal of the Japanese as "anything but ethnic stereotypes, which adds immensely to the impact of their side of the story". It also praises the "innovative, pulse-pounding" soundtrack.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/6444-REVIEW-TORA!-TORA!-TORA!-1970-SPECIAL-EDITION-ON-BLU-RAY.html |title=REVIEW: "TORA! TORA! TORA!" (1970) ... Cinema Retro |date=7 December 2021 |website=Cinemaretro.com |access-date=20 May 2024}}</ref> Reviewers called the film as being "meticulous"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bernardelli |first=James |title=Review: Tora! Tora! Tora! |url=http://www.reelviews.net/movies/t/tora.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012010331/http://www.reelviews.net/movies/t/tora.html |archive-date=2007-10-12 |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=www.reelviews.net}}</ref> in its approach to dissecting the situation leading up to the attack. A reviewer called ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' a fine documentary-style film about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The usage of both American and Japanese filmmakers provides an unbiased film and unique viewing experience, and is uncommon in the genre.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Suarez|first=Greg|date=April 23, 2001|title=DVD Review - Tora! Tora! Tora!|url=http://archive.thedigitalbits.com/reviews/toratoratora.html|access-date=December 2, 2024|website=thedigitalbits.com}}</ref> A 2018 article described the film as doing "a most memorable job in portraying the whole Pearl Harbor experience".<ref>https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/mori-arinori-and-japanese-education-1847-1889/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120023523/https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/mori-arinori-and-japanese-education-1847-1889/ |date=2024-01-20 }}.</ref>

In 2025, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' listed ''Tora! Tora! Tora!'' as having the best stunts of 1970.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Doherty |first=Thomas |date=June 7, 2025 |title=The Best Stunts of All Time, Over Nearly 100 Years of the Oscars |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/best-stunts-all-time-movies-oscars-stunt-design-100-years/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250720043450/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/best-stunts-all-time-movies-oscars-stunt-design-100-years/ |archive-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref>

=== Awards and nominations ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ceremony
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="5" |[[43rd Academy Awards]]
|[[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
|[[Charles F. Wheeler]], [[Shinsaku Himeda]], [[Osamu Furuya]] and [[Masamichi Satoh]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
|[[James E. Newcom]], [[Pembroke J. Herring]] and [[Inoue Chikaya]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]]
|Art Direction: [[Jack Martin Smith]], [[Yoshirō Muraki]], [[Richard Day (art director)|Richard Day]] and [[Taizô Kawashima]]<br>Set Decoration: [[Walter M. Scott]], [[Norman Rockett]] and [[Carl Biddiscombe]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Special Visual Effects]]
|[[L. B. Abbott]] and [[A. D. Flowers]]<ref name="Orriss p. 200" />
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing|Best Sound]]
|[[Murray Spivack]] and [[Herman Lewis]]<ref name="NY Times">Canby, Vincent. [https://archive.today/20130130062318/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/50467/Tora-Tora-Tora-/awards "Tora! Tora! Tora!"] ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 24, 1970. Retrieved: March 11, 2009.</ref>
|{{nom}}
|-
|1971 [[American Cinema Editors|American Cinema Editors Awards]]
|[[American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic|Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic]]
|James E. Newcom, Pembroke J. Herring, Inoue Chikaya
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |1971 [[Laurel Awards]]
| colspan="2" |Best Picture
|{{partial|8th place}}
|-
|Best Cinematographer
|Charles F. Wheeler, Shinsaku Himeda, Osamu Furuya, Masamichi Satoh
|{{partial|4th place}}
|-
|[[National Board of Review Awards 1970]]
| colspan="2" |[[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
|{{partial|10th place}}
|}

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1970]]
* [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]]
* [[Pearl Harbor (film)|''Pearl Harbor'' (film)]]
* [[List of historical drama films]]
* [[List of historical drama films of Asia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin}}
* <cite id=refAgawa2000>Agawa, Hiroyuki. ''The Reluctant Admiral: Yamamoto and the Imperial Navy''. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2000. {{ISBN|4-7700-2539-4}}.</cite>
* <cite id=refDolan1985>Dolan, Edward F. Jr. ''Hollywood Goes to War''. London: Bison Books, 1985. {{ISBN|0-86124-229-7}}.</cite>
* <cite id=refGalbraith>Galbraith, Stuart, IV. ''The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune.'' New York: Faber & Faber, Inc., 2002. {{ISBN|0-571-19982-8}}.</cite>
* <cite id=refHardwickSchnepf1989>Hardwick, Jack and Ed Schnepf. "A Viewer's Guide to Aviation Movies." ''The Making of the Great Aviation Films''. General Aviation Series, Volume 2, 1989.</cite>
* <cite id=refHathaway1969>Hathaway, John. "Tora! Tora! Tora!" ''Flying Review'', Vol. 25, No. 3, July 1969.</cite>
* <cite id=refO'Hara1969>O'Hara, Bob. "Tora Tora Tora: A great historical flying film." ''Air Classics,'' Volume 6, No. 1, October 1969.</cite>
* <cite id=Caenes1996>Carnes, Mark C. "Tora! Tora! Tora!" ''Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies''. New York: Holt, 1996. {{ISBN|978-0-8050-3760-9}}.</cite>
* <cite id=refOrriss1984>Orriss, Bruce. ''When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II''. Hawthorn, California: Aero Associates Inc., 2014, first edition 1984. {{ISBN|978-0-692-02985-5}}.</cite>
* <cite id=Parish1990>Parish, James Robert. ''The Great Combat Pictures: Twentieth-Century Warfare on the Screen.'' Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press, 1990. {{ISBN|978-0-8108-2315-0}}.</cite>
* <cite id=Prange1963>[[Gordon Prange|Prange, Gordon]]. "Tora! Tora! Tora!" ''Reader's Digest'', November 1963 and December 1963.</cite>
* <cite id=Robertson1961>Robertson, Bruce. ''Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 1907–1954''. London: Harleyford Publications, 1961. {{ISBN|978-0-8168-6355-6}}.</cite>
* <cite id=ShinsatoUrabe2011>Shinsato, Douglas and Tadanori Urabe. ''For That One Day: The Memoirs of Mitsuo Fuchida, Commander of the Attack on Pearl Harbor.'' Kamuela, Hawaii: eXperience, inc., 2011. {{ISBN|978-0-9846745-0-3}}.</cite>
* Thorsten, Marie and Geoffrey White. [http://www.japanfocus.org/ "Binational Pearl Harbor?: Tora! Tora! Tora! and the Fate of (Trans)national Memory."] ''The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus'', December 27, 2010. 
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0066473|title=Tora! Tora! Tora!}}
* {{tcmdb title|93648|Tora! Tora! Tora!}}
* {{AFI film|id=23496|title=Tora! Tora! Tora!}}
* [https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/tora-tora-tora ''Tora! Tora! Tora!''] at [http://preview.reelviews.net/archives.html Reelviews.net] (James Berardinelli)

{{Richard Fleischer}}
{{Toshio Masuda}}
{{Kinji Fukasaku}}
{{Pearl Harbor attack}}
{{Darryl F. Zanuck}}
{{Academy Award Best Visual Effects}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1970 films]]
[[Category:1970 war films]]
[[Category:American war epic films]]
[[Category:Japanese war epic films]]
[[Category:English-language Japanese films]]
[[Category:1970s Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:Epic films based on actual events]]
[[Category:World War II aviation films]]
[[Category:Pacific War films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Kinji Fukasaku]]
[[Category:Films directed by Richard Fleischer]]
[[Category:Films set in 1939]]
[[Category:Films set in 1940]]
[[Category:Films set in 1941]]
[[Category:Films set in Tokyo]]
[[Category:Films set in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Films shot in Honolulu]]
[[Category:Films that won the Best Visual Effects Academy Award]]
[[Category:Pearl Harbor films]]
[[Category:Seafaring films based on actual events]]
[[Category:World War II films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Films about the United States Navy in World War II]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:Toei Company films]]
[[Category:Films about the United States Army Air Forces]]
[[Category:American docudrama films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Hideo Oguni]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Ryuzo Kikushima]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Akira Kurosawa]]
[[Category:Seafaring films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Masayuki Takagi]]
[[Category:Historical epic films]]
[[Category:American epic films]]
[[Category:American multilingual films]]
[[Category:Japanese multilingual films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Isoroku Yamamoto]]
[[Category:Japan in non-Japanese culture]]
[[Category:American World War II films]]
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[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:1970s Japanese films]]
[[Category:Japanese-language war films]]
[[Category:Japanese-language American films]]