THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hollywood's blockbuster movie about Pearl Harbor opens this weekend amid fears from Asian-American groups that the film could stir anti-Asian sentiment. A prominent Japanese- American says he thinks the movie makers did a good job. U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta says the movie heightens the passions of patriotism rather than instilling hatred of fear about Asian-Americans. Documentary filmmakers working without a Hollywood budget have unearthed some new footage of a critical moment in the attack on Pearl Harbor. CNN's Rusty Dornin has that story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While audiences across the country get the Hollywood version, an audience near San Francisco got a glimpse of the real thing. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then I said hey, buddy, this is the real McCoy. It's the Japs. DORNIN: "Pearl Harbor: The Real Story," a documentary, premiered this week. In the audience were 25 who can vouch for its voracity. JOHN RAUSCHKOLB, PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR: John Rauschkolb, USS West Virginia, the greatest battleship. MICHAEL STECZ, PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR: Michael Stecz, the USS Oklahoma BB37. DORNIN: The film, produced by a pair of California prison guards, Scott Freund and Tim Chabani (ph) takes the audience aboard the Japanese carriers pre-launch. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make final preparation for takeoff. DORNIN: Then shows 16 frames of film until now undiscovered in the National Archives. SCOTT FREUND, FILMMAKER: It's a film from a Japanese plane and it's just a few seconds after the Arizona's initial explosion. DORNIN: Also never seen before, a glimpse of the commander of the Japanese air force, Mitsuo Pacheta (ph). FREUND: And I thought oh my god, that's him. And I said I've never seen him on any motion film. DORNIN: The film highlights devastation on the other Hawaiian military bases. Carol Walker was at Wheeler Air Force Base. CARROLL WALKER, PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR: The first bomb fell approximately 50 feet from where I was standing. DORNIN: Michael Stecz was on the USS Oklahoma. STECZ: I had to go through this porthole because that's the only place I could escape. DORNIN: For Stecz, this film deserves the real credit. STECZ: You know, I think it gives a better story of the real thing that happened other than a romanticism. DORNIN: For John Rauschkolb, who was aboard the USS West Virginia, the film reopened wounds. RAUSCHKOLB: I didn't want to see it again. I lived it once. DORNIN: The filmmakers say they have no idea whether they will recoup the $50,000 cost. FREUND: It's not about money. It was about meeting these guys. It was the greatest honor in the world. DORNIN: Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco. (END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
|