This dramatic retelling of the December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor attack details the days that led up to that tragic moment in American history. As United States and Japanese relations strain over the U.S. embargo of raw materials, Japan plans the preemptive strike against the United States. Key American personnel ignored warnings of the possibility of Japanese aggression. The first part of the film divides scenes from both countries. Part two contains spectacular battle scenes of the bombing that destroyed the American naval base of operations in Hawaii. This 1970 film remains an insightful and well crafted World War II action drama that was the result of years of negotiations between the United States and Japan. The ensemble cast includes Martin Balsam, Jason Robards, Joseph Cotten, James Whitmore and Neville Brand, a U.S. Army veteran who was one of the most highly decorated American soldiers in World War II, fighting in the European Theater.