Tora Tora Tora

[The Driver]

Just to be clear on the subtitles (from the disc info not my testing of the disc on a player):



So, it looks like there are different results depending on which title is chosen or runs first. I got the impression the player was taking a lot of time determining my setup (the longest ever Blu-ray to load for me hands down too).

And I don't see how the extended cut is "10 minutes longer" as this is not evidenced by my image although they may have some sort of strange branching.

I'm gonna try and make time this week to watch the film and see then if there's anything odd with the subtitles. I think I'll be watching the better known version too.

[manicsounds]

US cut: 2 hours 25 minutes
Japan cut: 2 hours 28 minutes

It may be 3 minutes longer, but there are about 10 minutes of footage never before seen outside Japan, but in the Japanese cut there are a few minutes of the Hollywood scenes cut out....

[The Driver]

Originally Posted by manicsounds

It may be 3 minutes longer, but there are about 10 minutes of footage never before seen outside Japan, but in the Japanese cut there are a few minutes of the Hollywood scenes cut out....

Thanks for that!

Re-arranged my morning to watch this -the things I do for Blu-ray.com!

Watched the extended version and thought it was brilliant. Everything was set as default (ie untouched) and there were no problems with the subtitles. I see people mention the subs fall out of the image but you soon forget about that when the film gets into gear (and there's nothing technically wrong/annoying with that anyway as it's a 2.35:1 approx image). The image transfer is fantastic. I may have seen bits and pieces of this film but the Blu-ray is a whole new experience.

Anyway, this makes the POS Buckenheimer-Bay comedy Pearl Harbor look even more of an abomination. Tora! Tora! Tora! is a great movie because it's well made and it's simply a better film onscreen. No CGI either and they didn't need it because some of the destruction is quite amazing.

Hopefully the special features will be worth my time and I hope they really delve into the making of the movie and touch on the differences of perspective.


I like the UK artwork as it fits in nice with the Steelbook DVD:


I've not seen Battle of Midway and will try still try to avoid it as it looks very poor with that 'big' cast. I think Tora! Tora! Tora! works partly because of the lack of big names.

I don't know what's really different with the Japan cut but if it offers up a fresh perspective it's no bad thing in a film about man's hobby of making war.

[slick1ru2]

So they meant the subtitles were in the frame and below it, because of the letterbox? I can live with that.

[Nighteyes]

Originally Posted by The Driver

I've not seen Battle of Midway and will try still try to avoid it as it looks very poor with that 'big' cast. I think Tora! Tora! Tora! works partly because of the lack of big names.

Not to mention that starting with Midway, the Japanese (or any foreigners, for that matter) suddenly started speaking excellent English.

Midway is not a bad movie as such, still it doesn't hold a candle to Tora! Tora! Tora! They even cannibalized TTT footage for Midway, like the shot of the crash-landing B-17.

[slick1ru2]

Midway is a mixed bag. I enjoy it though much more then not, flaws and all. I saw both it and Tora! Tora! Tora! as a kid, in the theater. Midway had the added bonus of Cerwin Vega's Sensurround giving it an added dimension. To me these big war movies of the 70s are as much nostalgia as a movie experience. Especially now that my father, who took me to them, passed 3 years ago Thursday.

Also Midway is not out on BD. It has been out on premium cable in HD, and looks pretty good, not just thrown in the scanner or upresolution so it might be on the way. But its on DVD and while not as pure as Tora! Tora! Tora! as for history, it does have it moments. And another movie I just recently found that deals with Pearl Harbor that I found interesting is In Harm's Way. If you see that coming up on TV, might want to check it out. Not just a pure action flick, it has some things going on that did happen at the time but were not in any movies.

Back to Tora! Tora! Tora!, I am supposed to get it the 25th. And by not checking out in dollars, letting the CC (Capital One) do the exchange rate, it was a dollar cheaper.

[The Driver]

France cover:


Didn't like that thinking it was a Photoshop revisionist horror but it looks like it's actually off an old poster.


Watched all the special features and they seem to mirror all the old ones from former DVD SEs. New to me though so worth a watch. I think what they've done with the subtitles is very good because you can see the old school method -of dumping the titles completely in the frame -not pretty- in clips on the special features. Very cluttered.

That 90min making of was enjoyable (narated by the Bandit no less!) and was well balanced and seemed accurate -part of the reason the producers seemed to think the film wasn't a massive hit in the USA on release. Maybe Vietnam, changing styles, citizen uprising and people just not interested could be the real reason. I think the film is also very respectful of the content which may also not have chimed well with US audiences at that time. I dunno.

The film stands up very well and I have tended to avoid films like this for decades because I don't like "War Films" as they are usually dumb and date very badly. Films about war I like (Apocalpse Now, The Deer Hunter, Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima/Flags of Our Fathers & Paths of Glory just a few examples). I think Tora! Tora! Tora! bridges both of these things and it squeezes -just- under the radar as a film about war.

Having watched that documentary on the disc my next thing to watch -seeing it has the same producers- is The Longest Day as it looks like it is also respectful of the story -but saying that it has John Wayne in it and that's someone I don't like as an actor. It also has other 'stars' I would normally avoid in a film of this type but if a Hollywood legend and star like Kirk Douglas can be in the greatest film (Paths of Glory) ever made about war -then there's some hope.

I had to go to the toilet twice during Tora! Tora! Tora! and I see they put an cinema intermission in there which was badly mis-timed. Thank f*** for home cinema and 'pause'.

[BluVinyl]

Although Tora! Tora! Tora! is the better movie, Midway has the better ending. I think I'll wait to see if we get a US release this year, but if not I'll get the UK at some point. I still have some new BDs to watch and I started to watch again some of the first ones I bought. Still thank you Driver for the info.

[slick1ru2]

Originally Posted by BluVinyl

Although Tora! Tora! Tora! is the better movie, Midway has the better ending. I think I'll wait to see if we get a US release this year, but if not I'll get the UK at some point. I still have some new BDs to watch and I started to watch again some of the first ones I bought. Still thank you Driver for the info.

True, the ending of Midway stands out. Along with the courage of Navy pilots and the whole chess match aspect of the battle.

[xradman]

Listing on Amazon.co.uk for this has (US Import) on it. Is this still the one with the extended Japanese cut?

Amazon.co.uk listing for Tora Tora Tora

[slick1ru2]

Originally Posted by xradman

Listing on Amazon.co.uk for this has (US Import) on it. Is this still the one with the extended Japanese cut?

Amazon.co.uk listing for Tora Tora Tora

Since it hasn't been released in the U.S. who knows? Weird. I'm still waiting on my copy from the UK.

[The Driver]

Wasn't there a few weeks back.

Just an entry or field data error. Amazon's been adding more and more info like "region free" but they also have been removing stuff which I hope is an error because it's annoying to have less data.

[Loris]

I wonder why it takes so much time to release it in the U.S. and Canada. There is so much garbage being released.

[The Driver]

Price has dropped to £8.99 at Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0039WHKD6/

If people want it that much it's there for the taking.

Use your Amazon.com or .ca login. Simple. Not sure why people come to this part of Blu-ray.com to moan. Moan in your own section.

[Loris]

Thank you for the free advice.

[CinemaScope]

A great price, but I always found it a bit of a drag to watch, I wish Fox had released The Sand Pebbles in the UK instead (along with the isolated score).

[rickah88]

Just so I understand correctly, the US had to endure this horrible attack then take desicive action against it....AND WE DON'T EVEN GET THIS ON BLU-RAY???
Oh the humanity!

[Arkadin]

there are a lot of bds listed on amazon.uk that say "US import" that aren't.
it's a real mess sometimes.

[lkmg]

I have this on dvd. Should I upgrade to blu? Decision...,

[Iain-]

Does the Japanese Cut have BD-J resume function enabled on BD, or is this one of the early BD that will only start at the beginning of disk every time?