Tora! Tora! Tora!

A true-to-fact depiction of the events that led up to the United States' involvement in World War II, Tora! Tora! Tora! tells the story of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor from both U.S. and Japanese perspectives. Based on the book by Gordon W. Prange and also The Broken Seal by Ladislas Farago, the movie was a collaborative effort between American and Japanese filmmakers that won an Academy Award® for visual effects. The Blu-ray™ book edition includes the extended "Japanese Cut" containing 10 minutes of previously unreleased footage and rare photos from the Fox Archives. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary by Director Richard Fleischer and Japanese Film Historian Stuart Galbraith IV, the Day Of Infany documentary (HD 20:02), the featurette History vs. Hollywood—A Giant Awakes (HD 90:16), an AMC Backstory (HD 22:06), a behind-the-scenes gallery, a production gallery, Fox Movietones (HD 39:45), the original theatrical trailer, D-BOX® Motion Code™, and a 24-page commemorative booklet.

The historic film was previously reviewed in Issues 35 and 50. The Issue 35 2.35:1 THX® digitally mastered, anamorphically enhanced DVD, viewed in component video, exhibited a solid transfer, with images that were generally sharp, though, sometimes softly focused. Though the picture had a dated appearance, colors were rich and fully saturated. Contrast and shadow delineation were nicely rendered.
The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD reviewed in Issue 50 exhibited the same THX® quality-assured picture as reviewed in issue 35. For the film's age, the picture was clean, with sharp and detailed images. Colors, however, were a bit dated, but exhibited full saturation and good balance. Blacks were deep and solid. Edge enhancement was noticed throughout, but there was no distracting pixelization. The source was clean, with few artifacts and minimal film grain. The Blu-ray Disc™ 2.35:1 1080p AVC release benefits from a comprehensive frame-by-frame restoration, which compared to the previous DVD releases, is a striking improvement in picture quality. Any previous film scratches and impurities, as well as compression artifacts, have been eliminated. The remastered source is pristine throughout. Edge enhancement is absent as well. Still, the filmic grain is preserved. The color density is dramatically improved, compared to the generally faded Eastman Color 35 mm picture. Hues are fully saturated and appear rich and warm, as well as vibrant. Fleshtones are naturally rendered. Contrast is well balanced with deep, solid blacks and revealing shadow delineation. There is no question that this is the finest presentation of this classic film. (Gary Reber)

The DVD's' 4.1-channel remastered Dolby® Digital soundtrack was a fine effort to restore the nuances in the original sound production. The fidelity, however, was dated, as expected, but the audio in general was remarkably clean without excessive distortion or background noise. The directional dialogue sounded like a studio ADR production. The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is a remastering effort that subtly enhances the previous Dolby Digital 4.1 mix from the DVD (available in the options menu). This is a more energized soundtrack, which sounds far more dynamic, especially during the climactic air attack. Dynamically, the mix exhibits a strong bass presence, to enhance primary effects, especially during battle scenes. The surround channels are subtle in presence, though, at times effective. Jerry Goldsmith's orchestral score still sounds dated, with unnatural fidelity and compression attributes. Dialogue is intelligible but at times wanting in spatial integration. Overall, this is a dramatic enhancement that instills new life to the storytelling. (Gary Reber)