Steven Spielberg, historian Stephen E. Ambrose, and director James Moll bring us a film with firsthand accounts chronicling the unforgettable events in the Pacific Theater of World War II. From the bombing of Pearl Harbor through the American occupation of Japan in 1945, this powerful documentary depicts the strength and courage of America's youth, while examining how these brave men and women dealt with being thrust into this tremendously brutal chapter of world history.
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Reviews
An Exercise In Nonsense
It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
When Spielberg puts his name on something it is going to be well done. That is the case here this is a well-produced well written documentary. Being nicely produced is essential when you consider the audience this doc is trying to reach (post baby boomers who would have trouble naming the principal combatants of WW2). My point is for those who have a solid understanding of the events surrounding WW2 there is nothing new here we have seen it all before.The doc albeit well done is a 90 minute overview of WW2 which ain't much when you consider that WW2 last close to a decade and cost up to 100 million lives and came within a few bucks of bankrupting our country. More so the doc focuses on the pacific theater and ignores the events in Europe and China (that is a serious failure if you are looking for a WW2 overview). Finally the doc makes a very strong effort to explore from all perspectives the use of the atomic bomb on Japan (something I do not disagree with).For me the 90 minutes spent watching this was fruitless yet there are millions who would learn much by watching it. If I were a history teacher I would make sure my students saw it!
Price for Peace is an incredibly accurate documentary on the fight between America and Japan during World War II. The movie features commentary from the actual surviving soldiers from both the American and Japanese forces. The film includes each sides personal feelings about World War II thorough the different stages beginning with the Attack on Pearl Harbor all the way up to Americas occupation of Japan and even looking back which becomes its own debate on whether the Americans should have dropped the Atomic bomb to end the war at all. While most of the movie is war based the determination of the American citizens to win the war is also shown through vivid pictures and videos taken at the time. By not only showing what was happening on the battlefield Price for Peace really captures what America as a country went through during World War II in order for there to be peace in the future. The different strategies used during the war are also well documented through multiple interviews and rare footage of different war strategies like Island hopping, Kamikazes, Japanese night attacks, and even the dropping of the atomic bomb are thoroughly explained from both a Japanese and American perspective. Through these interviews the real terrifying nature of war itself is brought out. The videos shown that were taken during the war of the American soldiers in battle and the different interviews that were taken for the movie are the two elements of Price for Peace that make it such a good documentary. The videos shown directly relate to what each interviewer is talking about so that the audience can better understand how fighting in the war felt for both the American and Japanese soldiers. The way each interviewers view of the war is different with some people strongly agreeing and others strongly disagreeing about the decisions made during the war transforms the film from a seemingly one sided patriotic American war documentary into a well rounded film that allows its viewers to ask themselves if the American intentions where plausible given the events taking place compared to that of the Japanese and whether the atomic bomb should have been dropped on Japan or not. From an educational standpoint I enjoyed Price for Peace because I was able to see the actual videos of the events I have learned about in school like the Japanese Kamikaze plains flying into American warships. As for most of the information I was already familiar with but because of the many interviews especially from the Japanese survivors I was given a better feel of what fighting in the war would have been like. Overall Price for Peace is an amazing documentary that highlights the troubles millions of soldiers went through during the war for their country and reminds us why we are so proud to be American.
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