Product Description

A contemporary look at the surprise raid that propelled America's entry into WWII. Includes never-before-seen images from inside the sunken USS Arizona and an undersea expedition by famed Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard. Pearl Harbor survivors share their painful and poignant stories and renowned historian Stephen Ambrose adds powerful historical perspective. Narrated by Tom Brokaw.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44810 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2001-11-06
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Amazon.com
The man who will always be known for finding the Titanic, Robert Ballard, contends that there's still a lot we don't know about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. And by going underwater he's determined to find out some of the lesser-known aspects of the Sunday morning when America was plunged into World War II. Everyone knows about the Japanese torpedo plane attacks, but Ballard, along with American and Japanese veterans, sought out the wreckage of a Japanese midget submarine that actually became the first casualty of the battle when it was sunk by an American destroyer an hour before the Japanese airplanes made their appearance. And while thousands pay their respects at the memorial built atop the wreckage of the sunken battleship Arizona, an elite team of divers from the National Park Service fear the old battlewagon is an "ecological time bomb" because of vast amounts of fuel oil still aboard. Diving robots equipped with cameras are used to assess the condition of the wreck, and sections of the ship not seen since the morning of the attack are viewed. This is a fascinating documentary that combines commentary by historians, including author Stephen Ambrose, with spectacular underwater photography. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

Another Excellent Video From National Geographic
This video does an excellent job of telling the story of the Pearl Harbor Attack by using actual footage as well as testimonials of survivors. Again, National Geographic has solicited the help of Dr. Robert Ballard in hopes of finding a sunken Japanese midget submarine which tried to enter the harbor during the attack. Dr. Ballard has been featrued in other National Geographic videos dealing with the search for the U.S.S. Yorktown, the German Battleship Bismarck, and the ships of Ironbottom Sound. I own all of these other videos and I particularly enjoy Ballard's approach to finding sunken ships, so I was anxious to see how he would do in his search for the Japanese submarine. Survivors of the U.S.S. Ward, an American destroyer on patrol on December 7, 1941, are interviewed in this video. Their ship was the actual one which fired on and sank the sub that Ballard is searching for. I have always enjoyed the way that National Geographic has blended together the actual war footage along with the stories of the survivors, and this video keeps up the tradition. Perhaps my favorite part of this video was seeing the first images taken from inside the U.S.S. Arizona. It was really someting special to see. I would highly recommend this video to anyone who enjoys underwater adventures as well as Pearl Harbor readers/viewers.

A excellent documentary on Pearl Harbor.
I viewed this documentary two nights ago and was deeply impressed by the work done here. Tom Brokaw does an excellent job of narrating. The search for one of the midget Japanese subs was a nice addition to this piece. Listening to the accounts of the survivors make this NG piece so poignant and heartfelt. Words simply cannot do justice to this superb documentary. I will be viewing this DVD again and again.

Breathtaking
Words cannot describe the emotional impact of seeing veterans of the Pearl Harbor attack tell their stories, of lost friends, of survival, of their families back home. Completely incredible video of the interior of Arizona. I consider myself a big, strong "he-man" who doesn't get emotional about such things as the endings of movies and television shows. But my wife and I found ourselves with tears in our eyes watching this tape, to the point of sobbing. This is much more than just a documentary. ... it's worth at least double the price. Buy this tape if you care anything at all about Pearl Harbor, World War II, history in general or if you're simply fascinated by ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.