Pearl Harbor: The Survivor's Story is a fine example of what documentary should do: reveal history without sacrificing the people who lived it.
This documentary reaches the viewer with an empathy seldom evoked in small projects. Wendy Metzler gives the viewer the time to connect with each survivor's story. The production is not overt or trying to distort any facts. It simply tells each survivor's first hand accounts of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and with these accounts, the documentary weaves a sometimes tragic emotional blanket that is compelling and fascinating.
With a capable eye for detail, the director hones in what makes the event unforgettable for the witnesses in the film. For some survivors, it is the frenzy of surprise. For others, the loss of friends and brothers-in-arms. Metzler doesn't put us right in the survivors' faces, however. She seems to let the survivor find the core of the memory themselves, and when they reach it, the camera doesn't seem so confrontational for the survivors or us. Metzler's approach produces strong empathy by allowing the viewer to share the moment rather than be forced into it.
Although the documentary has a very patriotic score and excellent use of footage from Pearl Harbor, these become a background, a stage for the survivors. The able camera work never overtakes the words from the survivors. Rather it reveals and reminds us of the more emotionally ambiguous details for the viewer, such as the locations and the time line of what happened on the day that will live in infamy.
I have never been to Pearl Harbor, nor visited any memorial, but I feel like I was there with the survivors as they honored the lives given that day. It is a moving and revealing testament to the power of memory and connection in our lives. Something many of us may take for granted, but thankfully, this documentary has not.
Hopefully, Pearl Harbor: The Survivors' Story will survive as one of the better and truly engaging documentaries about this event. It brings us to the soul of history without manipulation or shock. It brings it to us with heart.
This documentary reaches the viewer with an empathy seldom evoked in small projects. Wendy Metzler gives the viewer the time to connect with each survivor's story. The production is not overt or trying to distort any facts. It simply tells each survivor's first hand accounts of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and with these accounts, the documentary weaves a sometimes tragic emotional blanket that is compelling and fascinating.
With a capable eye for detail, the director hones in what makes the event unforgettable for the witnesses in the film. For some survivors, it is the frenzy of surprise. For others, the loss of friends and brothers-in-arms. Metzler doesn't put us right in the survivors' faces, however. She seems to let the survivor find the core of the memory themselves, and when they reach it, the camera doesn't seem so confrontational for the survivors or us. Metzler's approach produces strong empathy by allowing the viewer to share the moment rather than be forced into it.
Although the documentary has a very patriotic score and excellent use of footage from Pearl Harbor, these become a background, a stage for the survivors. The able camera work never overtakes the words from the survivors. Rather it reveals and reminds us of the more emotionally ambiguous details for the viewer, such as the locations and the time line of what happened on the day that will live in infamy.
I have never been to Pearl Harbor, nor visited any memorial, but I feel like I was there with the survivors as they honored the lives given that day. It is a moving and revealing testament to the power of memory and connection in our lives. Something many of us may take for granted, but thankfully, this documentary has not.
Hopefully, Pearl Harbor: The Survivors' Story will survive as one of the better and truly engaging documentaries about this event. It brings us to the soul of history without manipulation or shock. It brings it to us with heart.