possible spoilerspearl be one of many lengthy mini series make in the latter 1970s and early 1980s and and the passage of time have be good to this film . the cast be surprisingly good and the plot move well and and the contrast involve in the film be strike . there be two main subplots which revolve around the 1941 pearl harbor attack first be the relationship between mp colonel jason forrest and his wife and and vary others under forrest command and notably his xo captain calvin lanford ( a particularly effective performance by robert wagner ) . the second be the relationship between navy junior grade lieutenant douglas north ( gregg henry in his most memorable performance ) and his family and head by his navy commander father ( richard anderson and who play about the only officer in the film whose head stay on straight throughout ) and along with a local japanese news writer with whom doug go to school in oahu and holly nagata ( tiana alexandra and who if i read her imdb biography right and be all of 16 when this film be make ) . the interaction between doug and holly be the best part of the film and a we see the less than enthusiastic reaction by doug father and mother ellie ( marion ross overdo it at time ) and the hostile reaction by holly tradition mind mother and father to the presence of doug in their daughter life while holly plea to her father for tolerance be a strikingly effective speech show a fact too often forget in pc circle bigotry be a two way street . the great contrast in the film lie in it use of stock sfx or action footage from 1970 tora . tora . tora . the comparative decadence and ill discipline of the american side contrast sharply with the near cylon esquire discipline of the japanese first air fleet a it sail toward hawaii . chuichi nagumo and commander of the first air fleet and be here portray by so yamamura via footage from tora . tora . tora . and with new dub in both japanese and english while some of the english dubbing be unintentionally humorous over some post attack scene involve attack leader mitsuo fuchida and his crew chief and and officer aboard the carrier soryu when the fleet recall order go out give what these men actually say ( via tora caption ) the new dubbing mix thing up a little . the film get some detail wrong when nagumo get word that the first wave have sink numerous u ship and he order the launching of the second wave while in fact the second wave take off an hour before the first wave make contact with their target . the film also get wrong the exact time the first wave break off it attack and also show torpedo plane in the second wave and when only the first wave have such . grant and this be nitpickerythe actual attack be present in most of it entirety some key scene miss include early torpedo hit on battleship row and hit on the west virginia before her skipper give the order to counter flood and stop her from capsize . the film use superior sound fx in present the attack the sound fx use by 20th century fox be good and but warner brother use far good explosion and strafing and and piston airplane engine sound here while the sound fx use here sound even well and despite be record in mono and than many stereo sound use in late film . the fate of holly and doug be by far the best character interplay throughout the film and be especially strong at the end while the film skip an important detail that silliphant novelization include to great effect ( some extra dialogue between holly and doug where doug note something miss from their date in her car ) and a detail that add enormously to the relationship between holly and the north family . the north family also get a great scenery chomp scene between commander north and ellie and and their daughter patricia at their hotel early in the attack amid rumor that president roosevelt have surrender oahu to the enemy while patricia and ellie be hysterical a michael struggle to keep them calm and and when patricia ask her mother if she ever be rap ( want to know whether to resist should the japanese invade the island ) the stun silence by ellie and commander north be strikingly effective . the north soap opera ultimately be what really hold this film together and make it as good a it be .