Today in Movies

December 7th (1943)

"Docudrama" about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 and its results, the recovering of the ships, the improving of defense in Hawaii and the US efforts to beat back the Japanese reinforcements. This film exists in two versions. This longer, unreleased cut (which is rarely screened) brackets this material fictional sequences. The introductory sequence shows Uncle Sam on vacation in Hawaii on December 6th. A character embodying the Voice of Responsibility warns him that ignoring Japanese immigrant Fifth Column activity will lead to disaster. The concluding sequence the ghost of a serviceman killed in the attack discussing how the US will beat the Japanese with the ghost of a Revolutionary War soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

Events

Directed by John Ford, Gregg Toland

Starring Walter Huston, Harry Davenport, Dana Andrews, Paul Hurst