Pearl Harbour

Now available as a popular series of video games !!!

 

On behalf of producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Michael Bay, and Disney Pictures, Executive Producer Jim Van Wyck delivered the initial script - originally titled Tennessee - on 7 October 1999 to Phil Strub, special assistant for audio visual in the Defense Department's public affairs office. Van Wyck wrote that the film "manifests Americans' desire to make a difference in the war, the violation and the end of American innocence as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the heroism, pride, and volunteer spirit of the Doolittle raid."

In his preliminary request for assistance, the producer asked permission "to try to recreate Battleship Row, using ships from the Reserve Fleet at Pearl Harbor. We would like your assistance in moving and anchoring approximately eight ships - first to an area where we could construct set pieces on board and do refurbishment and then to specific placement in Battleship Row for filming." The company also wanted to film on board the newly arrived battleship Missouri (BB-63).

From the beginning, the services and particularly the Navy had problems with the historical accuracy of the script. The Navy noted that Admiral Husband Kimmel was not on the golf course when the attack on Pearl Harbor began. And it pointed out the absurdity of Hartnett's comment that the Japanese attack had started World War II. It also found the hero's death scene "overdone," saying that he is near death after the crash landing, gets beaten by a Japanese soldier, and is then shot, but does not die until he designates Affleck's parenthood. The Navy's reviewer then noted that Hartnett then dies, "I think."

Disney Pictures, which was bankrolling the film, submitted the final draft of the script, retitled Pearl Harbor, to Strub and the services on 22 December 1999. On 10 January, Strub advised Bruckheimer that while the Pentagon had "concerns regarding some of the military depictions, we don't believe that any will be impossible to resolve." Among other problems, Strub cited the portrayal of the Navy nurses as "anachronistic and also a bit crude, fixated on how their breasts will appear." He also noted that contrary to the script's portrayal, the Army always expected Doolittle to lead the mission. Nevertheless, he indicated that the military was determining the feasibility of providing the amount of assistance that the company had requested.

On his part, Bay said, "There are people who will come out and say this is not right, that is not right. But if you were to do the accurate movie of Pearl Harbor, it would take nine hours." He also acknowledges that people might have problems with some of the dramatic license in the film, such as placing the battleships 50 yards apart instead of being tied up together.

To ensure that the filmmakers got it right enough to obtain cooperation, the new head of production at Disney, Bruce Hendricks, Bruckheimer, and Bay visited then-Secretary of Defense William Cohen on 20 January 2000. After the meeting, Hendricks wrote Cohen, assuring him Pearl Harbor "will be a project that we can all be proud of and in some small way pay honor to the service men and women who sacrificed so much during World War II." He added that, without military assistance, the studio would not be able "to make a film of this magnitude and bring to it the authenticity and realism it deserves." Likewise, Bruckheimer wrote to Cohen: "As you may have gathered, we are candidly passionate about our project, Pearl Harbor. We would be honored and extremely grateful for any guidance and support you could offer us."

In turn, on 15 February 2000, Strub advised Bruckheimer that the Pentagon had approved military assistance in Hawaii, on board the aircraft carrier Constellation (CVA-64), and at mainland locations. The agreement to cooperate did not end negotiations to correct historical inaccuracies in the script, however. Jack Greene, the Pentagon's designated historical advisor, observed later that efforts to make changes created "a massive amount of work."

 

Lawrence Suid writes frequently on Hollywood's portrayal of military and naval history. He is the author of Sailing on the Silver Screen (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1996).