Re-igniting images
By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
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The power of the visual news media was housed in movie theaters across the U.S. in the 1940s. During this heyday of the Hollywood studios, millions of Americans relied on these movie lead-ins to experience the powerful scenes behind newspaper headlines.
Newsreels were never more powerful and galvanizing than in the weeks and months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Images of burning U.S. battleships horrified moviegoers, inflaming passions with dramatic narratives of deceit and treachery at the hands of a foreign enemy.
On the Japanese side, media also fanned the flames.
Objective coverage was rarely the primary goal on either side.
The newsreel reports are back in the public eye as part of "A Nation Remembers," the Pearl Harbor 65th Anniversary commemoration. The History Channel, the National Park Service and the Arizona Memorial Museum Association are sponsoring a free documentary night focused on the subject, Sunday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Much of the footage from the feature presentation, "How They Reported It: The Japanese and American Newsreel Media," has not been seen since the days and weeks after the Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor attack.
The event also will include two panel discussions.
"How They Reported It: Contrasting Headlines of December 7th, 1941 & September 11th, 2001," features news reporters and news media experts.
"A New Beginning: The Pearl Harbor Historic Sites" includes a special screening of a new film by the Pearl Harbor Memorial Museum and Visitor Center. It features representatives from the USS Bowfin Submarine & Museum, the USS Missouri Battleship Memorial and the Pacific Aviation Museum.
"The American side obviously emphasized the idea of a sneak attack, the loss of men and ships, and the 'infamy' theme," said Daniel Martinez, chief historian at the USS Arizona Memorial.
"The Japanese had a different take," Martinez said. "The discussion of the necessity to go to war was not in it."
Instead, Martinez said, Japanese newsreels portrayed images and themes of victorious Japanese forces overcoming American and British "giants."
The American newsreels didn't appear immediately. The U.S. government collaborated with Movietone News to produce reports that served as carefully crafted propaganda aimed at preparing U.S. audiences for war.
The newsreels started running in early 1942, followed later that year by propaganda films directed by cinema titans like Frank Capra and John Ford.
Key to explaining how the United States could have suffered such a blow was the notion of the sneak attack, Martinez said, "the idea that they didn't play by the rules."
The images of Battleship Row and all the damaged ships, together with inflammatory rhetoric, helped to create public consensus of the need and justification to go to war with Japan.
Just as in Japan, the same type of effort helped convince a nation that victory against the Allied powers was not just achievable, but predestined.
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| ANNIVERSARY SCHEDULE
A week of events is planned for the 65th anniversary of the Dec. 7 attack on Pearl Harbor. The memorial ceremony commemorating the anniversary will feature a keynote address on Dec. 7 from Tom Brokaw at Naval Station Pearl Harbor's Kilo Pier, which looks out to the USS Arizona Memorial. This year's theme is "A Nation Remembers," and the following events are planned: ANNIVERSARY SYMPOSIUM Saturday-Tuesday, Hilton Hawaiian Village A gathering of Pearl Harbor historians, authors and survivors and Japanese aviation veterans to recount the events that led America into World War II. Hosted by the National Park Service and the Arizona Memorial Museum Association, the Pearl Harbor 65th Anniversary Symposium will include panels, lectures, receptions and bus tours throughout O'ahu. For information or to register: www.arizonamemorial.org, (888) 485-1941 HISTORY CHANNEL DOCUMENTARY NIGHT 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Tapa Ballroom The public is invited to a free showing of rare Japanese and American newsreel footage from 1941 reports on the attack. "How They Reported It: The Japanese and American Newsreel Media" will also feature two panel discussions: "How They Reported It: Contrasting Headlines of December 7th, 1941 & September 11th, 2001," featuring media experts and reporters; and "A New Beginning: The Pearl Harbor Historic Sites," featuring representatives from USS Bowfin Submarine & Museum, USS Missouri Battleship Memorial, Pacific Aviation Museum, and a special film from the new Pearl Harbor Memorial Museum and Visitor Center. For information: www.arizonamemorial.org or (888) 485-1941 GALA FUNDRAISER DINNER 6 p.m. Tuesday, Hilton Hawaiian Village A black-tie dinner dance with Pearl Harbor survivors, featuring live band music and entertainment from the 1940s. Tickets start at $250, with proceeds benefiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund, which is leading the charge to replace the USS Arizona Memorial Museum and Visitors Center. For information: (866) DEC-1941 (332-1941), www.pearlharbormemorial.com HISTORIC BOAT TOURS Dec. 6, USS Arizona Memorial Museum & Visitors Center The National Park Service is offering two special Historic Pearl Harbor Boat Tours on Dec. 6, at the USS Arizona Memorial Visitors Center. The free one-hour boat tours will be narrated by National Park Service rangers and will take visitors around historic Ford Island. Seating is limited; no reservations will be accepted. Instead, tickets will be distributed on Dec. 6, beginning at 7:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. For information: National Park Service at (808) 422-2771 UNVEILING OF USS ARIZONA SCALE MODEL 4:30 p.m. Dec. 6, USS Arizona Memorial Museum and Visitors Center Thanks to the Starr Foundation, a new and more accurate USS Arizona battleship scale model has been built to replace the existing model in the USS Arizona Memorial Museum Visitors Center. Eight USS Arizona survivor veterans will assist with the official unveiling, to be followed by a Hawaiian blessing and reception. For information: (866) DEC-1941 (332-1941), www.pearlharbormemorial.com ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION 7:40 a.m. Dec. 7, Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Kilo Pier; live broadcast at USS Arizona Memorial Visitors Center Former "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw will be the keynote speaker. Highlights include music by the Pacific Fleet Band, a Hawaiian blessing, a rifle salute by members of the Marine Corps, wreath presentations, echo taps and recognition of the men and women who survived Dec. 7, 1941, and those who died. At 7:55 a.m., the moment the Japanese attack began 65 years ago, a moment of silence will be observed. A U.S. Navy ship will render honors to the USS Arizona. Hawai'i Air National Guard F-15s will fly in a missing-man formation. The commemoration is free, and some seats are open to the public. Due to security measures at Pearl Harbor, only invited guests will be allowed on base in their vehicles. Other people wishing to attend must board Navy boats departing from the USS Arizona Memorial Visitors Center. Seats for the general public on the boats and at the commemoration are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The first Navy boat for the public will leave the Visitors Center at 5:45 a.m., and the last boat will depart at 6:30 a.m. Parking for the general public is available at the USS Arizona Memorial Visitors Center. PACIFIC AVIATION MUSEUM GRAND OPENING 11:30 a.m. Dec. 7, Ford Island The museum opening will take place following the Navy and National Park Service ceremony. The public is invited to the ceremony featuring guest speakers Chuck Yeager and Wally Schirra. The museum occupies the WWII hangars and control tower on Ford Island that still bear the scars as our Nation's first aviation battlefield. The Museum is a private nonprofit organization. For information: (808) 690-0169, www.pacificaviationmuseum.org USS OKLAHOMA MEMORIAL GROUNDBREAKING 12:30 p.m. Dec. 7, Ford Island The USS Oklahoma Memorial groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor following the museum's opening. The battleship Oklahoma was berthed along Ford Island on Dec. 7, 1941, and suffered the second greatest loss of life during the attack. For information: Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Community Relations Manager, (808) 473-8000, ext. 2579 USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL PUBLIC TOURS The National Park Service public tours to the USS Arizona Memorial will operate on a special schedule Dec. 7. The first tour will begin at 10:45 a.m. with the last beginning at 2:30 p.m. Ticket distribution will begin at 7:30 a.m. For information: (808) 422-2771, www.nps.gov/usar/index.htm For information on the Pearl Harbor Day 65th Anniversary Commemoration, see www.nps.gov/usar or call the National Park Service at (808) 422-2771. ALSO: Pearl Harbor Survivors Project Web Site Sponsored by the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund, this online community allows visitors to share the stories, photos and letters passed down by survivors. Go to www.pearlharborstories.org or call (866) PHSTORY (747-8679). — Advertiser staff |
Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.
