HTF REVIEW: "Pearl Harbor" The Director's Cut (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[Mark E J]

One of the biggest insults of accuracy to this film
comes as the Japanese fly over the American island
in preparation to attack. Boy scouts tromp through
the mountains, a woman hangs up the wash, children
play little league baseball. This of course, is all
going on at 7:30am on a Sunday morning when the
attack began?!

The baseball game you see is not little league. No one is wearing uniforms and there are no coachs, parents, or adults of any kind. It is just a pickup game between friends. There were several baseball fields around around the Pearl Harbor military instilations that kids often played on.

In Walter Lord's book on Pearl Harbor Day of Infamy he discribes parents in the area frantic when the attack started because their kids had gone out to play early that Sunday before the attack began. Atleast some of these children were sure to be on one of the ball fields. This would also explain the tail gunner waving the kids away. The ball fields in the area were deliberatly target for bombing that day because the Japanese believed that the fields were covering ammo and fuel storages.

As for the woman hanging the laundry, well my grandmother always hung out her laundy in the morning.

I can't comment on the boy scouts.

 

[Jens Raethel]

The movie is kind of cheezy, but I must buy this one!

 

[TonyD]

maybe no one knows yet but i'll ask again...

i would like to know how the $10 coupon for owners of the first dvd, works. aparently you get a rebate of sorts. but do i need the reciept for the old dvd or just the proof of purchase?

 

[Calvin Watts III]

Ron-P,well said.
Ron the man ... excellent review. For the people who liked this movie (in a very guilty sort of way) this is a must buy.
Everyone has different tastes. Knock's Bay's films if you want, but his DVD releases are some of the best out there.
IMHO...
Calvin

 

[Jeff Whitford]

To me this movie was more like a throw back to the war movies made in the 40's and 50's with cutting edge special effects and was not supposed to be a documentary. I enjoyed it and bought the original SE with the National Geographic disc. Not sure if I want to spend another $30 bucks though.

 

[Randy A Salas]

I can't comment on the boy scouts.

The scouts (not sure if they're explicitly shown as being Boy Scouts) are shown taking a leak after waking up from a campout. Surely scouts camping out on a Saturday night would wake up the next morning? All three events claimed as being historically inaccurate--hanging laundry, playing baseball and camping at that time--can certainly be explained based on history and human nature. I always thought it was a cheap shot to indict the movie's accuracy based on these minor scenes (which are beautifully filmed). "One of the biggest insults of accuracy"? Hardly. FYI, Hawaii's sunrise that morning was at 6:56.

 

[Jorge Arturo]

Ron sorry to tell you this.

But i disagree with you, i loved this film.

I thought it was one of the best films of the year, but i didn´t found it to be as enjoyable as the other popcorn spectacles of Armageddon and The Rock.

But i watched movies to be entertained, not to think. (Weird that i loved K-Pax)
I would definetly pick this one up.

 

[GrantM]

quote:

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i would like to know how the $10 coupon for owners of the first dvd, works. aparently you get a rebate of sorts. but do i need the reciept for the old dvd or just the proof of purchase?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

this was answered in a post on DVDTalk. I think you need the VS receipt and Proof of purchase. The only thing you need from the original release is the proof of purchase tab.
But you might want to check that other thread just in case.

 

[Ron-P]

CostCo is listing it for $24.99 on their website. Include the $10 rebate and your at $14.99, a steal.
Peace Out~

 

[Mark Zimmer]

This is one I'll be picking up just for the supplements, which sound terrific. I'll rationalize it as the SE that should have been for Tora Tora Tora.

 

[Dean DeMass]

I just got mine today (thanks Walt) and the only thing you need from the 1st PH release is a photocopy of the backcover.

BTW, this has got to the coolest and most original packaging to date.

-Dean-

 

[BooneG]

Ron,

i have one question that might have been asked already(sorry):

You said in your review that the disks come in an envelope. Can you elaborate on this? I may have read your review wrong but I'm thinking that the disks are packaged the way the Evil Dead: Book of the dead edition came.

 

[Brett_B]

I think you need the VS receipt and Proof of purchase. The only thing you need from the original release is the proof of purchase tab.

...make it seem like you have to send something in to get the rebate.

 

[BooneG]

Brett,

I think what Dean is talking about is the fact that the original PH is not in a keep case. There is no plastic around the cover art. The bos IS the cover art. That being said if you take the PoP of the box you will ruin it. If all they need is a photocopy then that's good. I don't want to ruin a box so that I can get some money back. I plan on selling the old version and a lot of places won't take a damaged box.

 

[Jeremy Anderson]

I picked this one up Saturday (along with Orange County, thanks to my local Xxx-Xxxx) and I must say that I'm as impressed as Ron with the overall packaging and supplements. This is a DVD done right, despite how you feel about the movie itself. I was also pleased to see that all of the EE halos that I'd seen in the original release seemed to be non-existant in the director's cut. This is perhaps the most incredible transfer I've seen.
My only complaint would be the same problem I had with the original release: The animated menus on disc 2 should have been killed so that you can jump right back into the next part of the movie. I don't mind so much on discs 1, 3 and 4 because I actually really like what they've done with them. But disc 2 should have just had a quick screen for selecting the audio track and then gone straight to the movie.
For those who don't want to harm their original PH release for the rebate: The proof of purchase is on a paper insert inside the PH case. Otherwise, just photocopy the back of the box itself.
Now my big question: Since the rebate requires a cash register receipt "dated between July 2, 2002 and January 2, 2003", do you think they'll honor my June 14th receipt? I'm sure as hell gonna' find out!

 

[Shane Martin]

Why are we even discussing this movie? We should be discussing the DVD which is first rate.

 

[Jeremy Conrad]

The scouts (not sure if they're explicitly shown as being Boy Scouts) are shown taking a leak after waking up from a campout. Surely scouts camping out on a Saturday night would wake up the next morning? All three events claimed as being historically inaccurate--hanging laundry, playing baseball and camping at that time--can certainly be explained based on history and human nature. I always thought it was a cheap shot to indict the movie's accuracy based on these minor scenes (which are beautifully filmed). "One of the biggest insults of accuracy"? Hardly. FYI, Hawaii's sunrise that morning was at 6:56.

Bay actually addresses those issues in his track (which I really enjoyed), and says pretty much what you did there. All three events were things that were going on that morning.

 

[Derek Duncan]

A couple of silly questions, first how are the discs held, what kind of packaging, I see the envolope that you have to remove the seal, but how is it made behind it, is it like other discs holders in box sets. Second, is the intermission the same as on the other release, or an actual intermission with music and a title card, I am very curious. Thanks in advance.

Derek Duncan

 

[Duane Robinson]

Gettin it.

 

[Jeremy Conrad]

I see the envolope that you have to remove the seal, but how is it made behind it, is it like other discs holders in box sets. Second, is the intermission the same as on the other release, or an actual intermission with music and a title card, I am very curious.

The intermission is exactly the same as the first release, and the discs are held in separate sleeves.