Product Details

• Actors: Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jon Voight
• Directors: Michael Bay
• Writers: Randall Wallace
• Producers: Barry H. Waldman, Bruce Hendricks, Chad Oman, Jennifer Klein, Jerry Bruckheimer
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Touchstone / Disney
• DVD Release Date: December 4, 2001
• Run Time: 183 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1,951 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CXTG
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,018 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #16 in	Movies & TV > Military & War > War Epics
  #20 in	Movies & TV > Military & War > World War II

• For more information about "Pearl Harbor (Two-Disc 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
To call Pearl Harbor a throwback to old-time war movies is something of an understatement. Director Michael Bay's epic take on the bombing that brought the United States into World War II hijacks every war movie situation and cliché (some affectionate, some stale) you've ever seen and gives them a shiny, glossy spin until the whole movie practically gleams. Planes glisten, water sparkles, trees beckon--and Bay's re-creation of the bombing itself, a 30-minute sequence that's tightly choreographed and amazingly photographed, sets the action movie bar up quite a few notches. And in updating the classic war film, Bay and screenwriter Randall Wallace (Braveheart) use that old plot standby, the love triangle--this time, it's between two pilots (Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett) and a nurse (Kate Beckinsale) who find themselves stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, during what they thought would be a nice, sunny tour of duty. Then, of course, history intervened.

For the first 90 minutes of the movie, Affleck and Beckinsale find a nice, appealing chemistry that plays on his strengths as a movie star and hers as a serious actress--he gives her glamour, she gives him smarts. Their truncated romance--the beginning of which is told in flashback so we can get right to the point where he has to leave her to go to England--works, thanks to their charm. They're no Kate and Leo from Titanic (a strategy the film strives hard toward), but they're pretty darn adorable in their own right. Hartnett, as the not entirely unwelcome third wheel, squints bravely but makes only a slight dent in the film. Everyone else in Pearl Harbor--from Cuba Gooding Jr.'s brave navy seaman to Jon Voight's able impersonation of FDR--is pretty much a glorified walk-on, taking a backseat to the pyrotechnics and action sequences that keep the three-hour film in fairly constant motion. But when that action does take hold, Pearl Harbor is quite a thrilling ride. --Mark Englehart

Product Description
History comes alive in the unforgettable epic motion picture PEARL HARBOR, the spectacular blockbuster brought to the screen by Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay. Astounding visual and audio effects put you at the center of the event that changed the world -- that early Sunday morning in paradise when warplanes screamed across the peaceful skies of Pearl Harbor and jolted America into World War II. This real-life tale of catastrophic defeat, heroic victory, and personal courage focuses on the war's devastating impact on two daring young pilots, Ben Affleck (ARMAGEDDON) and Josh Hartnet (BLACK HAWK DOWN), and a beautiful, dedicated nurse, Kate Beckinsale (SERENDIPITY). PEARL HARBOR is extraordinary moviemaking -- a breathtaking reenactment of the "date which will live in infamy" and a heartfelt tribute to the men and women who lived it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Historically accurate my ....., April 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Pearl Harbor (Two-Videotape Set) (60th Anniversay Commemorative Edition) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie should never have been made. It is an absolute travesty, and a slap across the face to every American who lived through the attack on Pearl Harbor. What makes it worse is knowing that the Pearl Harbor Historical Society (or Memorial, I'm not sure which it is) pointed out all the inaccuracies before the movie was completed (which were many and, in some instances, quite significant), and those responsible for making the movie refused to make a single change.
Good old Hollywood - never let the truth get in the way of making a buck.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars another attack on Pearl Harbor - well, on the movie, June 5, 2001

By	Madison Graves (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

In the opening of Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor", we find two boyhood friends, Rafe Mcawley and Danny Walker, at a farm. We learn that Danny's father is a broken war veteran turned abusive father. Rafe assumes the role as an older brother towards Danny, loyally looking out for him. The audience is then jetted into the future, months before the historical, ill-fated attack on the actual Pearl Harbor, where Danny (played by Josh Hartnett) and Rafe (played by Ben Affleck) - still best buds, but much older - are training. They are both excellent, daredevil pilots; however they are very different.... However, the two are very nice to look at on screen!... Beckinsale and Affleck have no chemistry, and I, personally, did not care about their relationship... Surprisingly, Hartnett and Beckinsale played off each other very naturally and I found myself laughing a little and feeling touched. Harnett was very compelling on screen, more so than Affleck (the supposed star) but perhaps I'm just being wooed by his good looks!

The film picks up, and Bay did an incredible job at depicting the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Doolittle brigade. The special effects are dazzling and they will blow you away! Jon Voight portrayed Franklin Roosevelt and he had his character down to a T! Cuba Gooding Jr. also gave a great performance as an actual cook aboard one of the ships during the attack. However, his story was overshadowed and deserved much more time and development. Alec Baldwin delivered a laughable performance as an actual general, Doolittle, who led men to revenge on the Japanese attack. Dan Ackroyd also made, I guess what you would call a cameo, and he was great!!! But again, he was barely in the movie. Although the relationship between Rafe and Danny was pretty captivating, the romance (even for me, a girl) bored me to death. Affleck did what he could with his unbelievable lines, but Hartnett was very believable, he made me cry! Beckinsale was nothing amazing, but she did surprise me towards the middle of the movie - her character becoming more realistic and heroic. The supporting roles (the other nurses and men, etc) are your classic personalities and they added little to the movie

I hungered for character development, the politics of this time period and symbolism. Bay could not handle all the different levels that are vital to a movie. "Pearl Harbor" could have been a really amazing, great movie - but it lacked originality and patience. Bay was so anxious to tackle the action of the movie (which he did wonderfully), that he overlooked and hurriedly rushed through all the other GREAT stories! Also, "Pearl Harbor" is basically just a combination of other war movies...

Although "Pearl Harbor" bombed in my opinion, the romantic bliss of the beginning does provide a clear contrast and foreshadowing of the horror to come. And, the film is very effective and I feel, although it is more Hollywood, than history, it did give justice to those who actually experienced the attack. This movie is no masterpiece, that's for sure, and it won't get an academy award - unless it wins for something like sound or effects - but I have to recommend it. It really is pretty thrilling and entertaining, and it does move you! Hans Zimmer's score will form a lump in your throat! "Pearl Harbor" is a crowd pleaser, and I doubt many adults and teens won't like it... certainly one to see at the theatre. But, as a critic, I can't fall for the charismatic Josh (even though he did a great job and this should be a step up in his career) and it just disappoints me that Bay directed this film. If Spielberg had done it, it would have probably been up for 'Best Picture' or something... it really could have been great... oh well. But, despite MY attack on "Pearl Harbor" - go see it - it's worth it. No matter what the critics say, you are probably planning to see it - or have already seen it, any way.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Remember Pearl Harbor...But Forget This Movie, February 28, 2004

By	The JuRK (Our Vast, Cultural Desert) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Pearl Harbor - The Director's Cut (Four-Disc Vista Series) (DVD)

Disney looked at TITANIC and figured out a formula. Set a love story against the backdrop of an epic catastrophe and make a mountain of money. Unfortunately, the formula produced PEARL HARBOR.

The love story is beyond lame. The fly boy characters are leftover caricatures from TOP GUN. The beautiful nurse they fight over looks beautiful (and she is) but the script gives her nothing else to do. Ben Affleck looks at least ten years older than Josh Hartnett. The scene where a riled FDR rallies his war cabinet by rising from his wheelchair is bizarre and laughable. Casting Hollywood super-lib Alec Baldwin as WWII Jimmy Doolittle is insulting and borderline sacrilegious. The ending is ridiculous.
The 40-minute battle scene in middle of this mess is impressive but the rest is hackneyed and unbelievable. I'd heard that Disney, trying to cover all the bases, released a version to the Japanese that ended after the devastating attack--so they wouldn't be insulted if we reminded them we ultimately won WWII. No kidding. Every scene, every lame line appears crafted to make a buck.
....

The sad part is: the Vets deserved better.