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Visitors at the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor often sense a feeling of deep sorrow, an almost instantaneous mourning for thousands of men who perished there on December 7, 1941. Now because of Randall Wallace and Michael Bay's film, Pearl Harbor, all people can come close to experiencing the destruction that swept through Battleship Row that day. Based upon the film's effective use of cinematography, careful attention to historical details, and action packed battle scenes, Pearl Harbor lives up to the audience's expectations.
Based upon the events surrounding the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor naval base on the morning of December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor tells the story of two childhood friends (Rafe and Danny), both U.S. Army pilots who fall in love with the same woman (Evelyn). The film can best be understood if viewed in three parts. The first part focuses on the love story between the three leads. The second part reveals the actual events that transpire before and during the Japenese attack.
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The third part involves the aftermath for the United States and the individuals involved in the love story.
Michael Bay's excellent camera work and skillful film editing in Pearl Harbor connects the viewer emotionally to the harsh reality before, during, and after the attack of Pearl Harbor. The blurred moments, juggled film stock, lenses, and color treatments create a collage of destruction and emotions. Bay helps the viewer sense the vulnerability of the American people before the attack with shots of Japanese fighter planes buzzing like swarming bees over the heads of kids playing baseball, moms hanging laundry, and sailors fishing from piers.
Blurred moments in the film reflect the stress, fear, and confusion portrayed at the hospital as Evelyn, an Army nurse, must perform triage on the hundreds of casualties that flood her hospital, using lipstick to mark those doomed to die on the front lawn. The horror of death registers when the sailors trapped inside the hull of the Arizona reach above the surface to touch the hands of men trying, in vain, to rescue them. Despair sinks in when President Roosevelt, upon receiving the news of the attack, drops the papers, and the camera follows them slowly to the floor.
By shedding light on historical incidents of which few people may not have been aware, Randall Wallace creates interest and draws the audience into the history of Pearl Harbor. Several times the movie cuts away to Japan showing Admiral Yamamoto and other Japanese officers at a fascinating battle planning session. Wallace provides the audiences with just enough factual information, like the wooden fins added to the torpedoes to allow them to work in the shallow waters of the harbor, to understand the Japanese techniques of surprise. At another point, the movie cuts to the U.S. Military Intelligences Office showing naval personnel working at breaking the Japanese code. Again, Wallace provides the audience the factual details about the United States method for interpreting information at the time. Wallace also spends time establishing the stories of some of the attack's memorable real-life heroes, including Dorie Miller, a ship's African American cook who commandeered a machinegun to down a Japanese plane; Earl Sistern, a mechanic who fired his shotgun into the sky; and Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, who led the first air raid on Japan after Pearl Harbor. The well-executed and convincing special effects in Pearl Harbor bring the battle scenes to life. For forty minutes, Michael Bay uses every tool possible in creating breathtaking war images like a point-of-view shot of a Japanese bomb hurling toward the deck of the USS Arizona and the starling shot of the battleship lifted out of the water and snapped in two by the explosion. At one-level the battle is incredibly exciting with bullets flying, bombs dropping, and airplanes zooming around smoke from burning ships. At another-level it perfectly captures the feelings of helplessness with scenes of sailors holding on to the side of the overturned USS Oklahoma. Unlike the movie, Saving Private Ryan, Michael Bay captures these horrific scenes without being overly violent. Instead, Bay relies on special effects, like shots looking underwater at kicking legs of dying men to capture the same meaning.
Reviewers of the Pearl Harbor argue its value on several counts. Some critics feel that the love story distracts from the actual historical event. While the film spent much time developing the characters in the love story through their eyes the audience develops a true emotional understanding of what it was like to live through Pearl Harbor. Other critics found the script to be simpleminded. Although some of the dialogue could be considered corny like, "You are so beautiful it hurts", the film balances these moments with humorous situations to create true emotion. Like the strong relationships in the love story, the dialogue connects the audience to the characters and makes the history of Pearl Harbor more personal and real.
Randall Wallace and Michael Bay's film, Pearl Harbor unquestionably earns moviegoers' attention for its unforgettable cinematography, historical value, and stunning special effects. Few films touch the audience in so many ways. Its emotional impact, informative nature and entertaining action offer an avenue for all audiences to relate to the events surrounding Pearl Harbor.æ
Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor: Overview and Discussion. (2024, Feb 14). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/arizona-memorial-in-pearl-harbor-overview-and-discussion-essay
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