THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO: When War Was Swell

THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (Blu-ray)

1944 / 138 min

Warner Archive Collection

Available at MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws

It goes without saying that American war pictures were once a lot different. They were generally optimistic, bursting with patriotism and unblemished by anything resembling the cynicism or introspection that would soon creep its way into the genre. To coin a cliche, they don’t make them like they used to. But when it comes to war movies, they really can’t make them like they used to.

I state the obvious more as a reminder to myself than anything else. Revisiting a World War II epic from the ‘40s with any sense of revisionism is to do that film a great disservice, especially if it’s a good one. At the time Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo was released, Americans were still reeling from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and hadn’t yet ended the argument with a couple of nukes. Viewed in that context, the film is not-only an exciting, heroic depiction of the air attack on Japanese cities, it even manages to be somewhat cathartic.

Based on the book by Captain Ted Lawson (a pilot who took part in the Doolittle Raid), the film works best when focusing on the particulars of the mission…planning, preparation, the attack itself and the aftermath. These sequences look, sound and feel authentic, boosted by excellent aerial photography and special effects (both of which won Oscars that year). Even today, those aspects of the film hold up quite well. In fact, some scenes would be repurposed for Midway, 22 years later).

"And here, gentlemen, is my ex-wife's house. Bomb that first."

Less interesting are the characters themselves, all of whom are depicted as stoic, fearless and salivating over the chance to stick it to the “Japs” (their words, not mine). Elsewhere, frequent scenes of Lawson (Van Johnson) and bubbly wife Ellen (Phyllis Thaxter) chirping sweet nothings tend to drag things down, and it doesn’t help that neither actor has ever been particularly dynamic. But worst of all is John R. Reilly as brash yokel “Shorty,” whose performance is obnoxious and cringeworthy. I’m kinda surprised nobody behind the camera suggested 86ing all of his scenes.

On the other hand, you’ve got Robert Mitchum in an early role, and though he doesn’t have a ton of screen time, anyone could see he was destined to be a star (one of the greatest of the era, in my opinion). Then there’s the great Spencer Tracy as Lt. Colonel Doolittle himself, the mission’s mastermind. His role largely consists of motivating the troops, but he does it with such earnestness that I felt compelled to bomb Tokyo, too.

Emblematic of Hollywood war movies of the era, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is arguably one of the better ones, especially its technical aspects. Sure, it’s thematically archaic - as it should be - but I doubt anyone today watches these things expecting enlightenment on the human condition. As a gung-ho retelling of a historic military mission, made while World War II was still raging, it’s the movie we needed at the time. 

With Warner Archive recently getting into the 4K business, I would’ve thought a 4K UHD release of this one would’ve been a no-brainer, especially since it’s still held in pretty high regard by classic war movie fans. That being said, this Blu-ray disc features a solid video transfer and comes with a handful of bonus features from the era (though nothing but the trailer is actually related to the film itself).

EXTRA KIBBLES

MGM SHORTS - Ode to Victory and A Lady Fights Back.

TOM AND JERRY CARTOON - Mouse Trouble

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