The West Side of the Kingdom
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From Zeroes to Heroes
By Rick West

The past few weeks have been big ones for The Walt Disney Company; at least, for the movie end of things. Both Pearl Harbor and Atlantis are now being shown on the silver screen; both are getting mixed reviews by critics and audiences alike (though, who really cares what critics have to say these days). I’d like to take my little corner of LaughingPlace.com this month to share my thoughts with you about these two films which I liked very much. There - the verdict is already known. What else could I possibly say to make you want to read further? I have family that lived through the attack on Pearl Harbor and a friend of mine wrote Atlantis. My thoughts this month are personal, which I would like to share with anyone interested…

Pearl Harbor has been dismissed by many critics and viewers alike as a very spectacular special effects movie muddied and bogged down by a poorly-written love story.

I would like to say that unlike others, I do not find it easy to compare Pearl Harbor with Titanic, which many have. I understand the reasons: both films are based on true, tragic events; both films use heavy-duty special effects and digital magic to wow crowds; both films are directed by big-time action film directors known for over-the-top experiences; both films have love stories thrown in for good measure and both films are very long in running time.

Personally, I don’t like comparing movies unless they are sequels. I thought Pearl Harbor was well written and well acted. A lot of people have belly ached about the stars of Pearl Harbor; I can think of a lot of people who would have done a lot worse. I felt that Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale all delivered fine performances; judging by the reaction of the sold-out audience I was in on opening night, most everyone else felt the same way. The characters in the film were just as dimensional as they needed to be; the real "star" of this film was the attack sequence itself. I mean, who didn’t go to see the movie because of the curiosity to see the dreaded dark hour that the Japanese struck us here on our own turf?

The film moves along at a very decent clip; there is a story to tell and it takes time to do that. Never once did I find myself looking at my watch or shifting in the seat as I tried to sit patiently through the movie. I sat entertained, awed by the spectacle of the attack and taken in to the lives of the three main characters depicted in the film.

As a 31 year-old, I felt very awkward going in to see Pearl Harbor without knowing much about the event that changed America forever. You see, in school, I was never taught about the attack on Pearl Harbor, let alone the following Doolittle Raid. Perhaps it was where I went to school (El Centro, California, for the record), but I never was taught one thing about what happened that day or the events that led up to it or immediately afterward. Obviously, as a grown man, I know what happened on that day of infamy; but I didn’t really know. Does that make sense? I blame my teachers to a certain extent, but as an adult that spends a lot of time reading and writing, I blame myself most of all for not teaching myself.

So, while Pearl Harbor was a quick history lesson (Hollywood 101 style), I wanted to learn more after seeing it. I didn’t have to look very far for some non-Hollywood answers.

My step-grandmother, Florence "Pinkie" West, grew up on the island of Oahu, approximately 35 miles from Pearl Harbor. Her home was on a beach, right next to her grandfather’s home. His name was Eli Helmick. Eli was a Major General in World War I. A retired military man, he proudly flew the American flag on a large pole between the two houses.

On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, Pinkie was in her bedroom and her father was outside, visiting with her grandfather. That is when they saw the first wave of Japanese planes fly in low over the coast, across Oahu toward the sleeping base of Pearl Harbor. As depicted in the film, the planes came in low, fast and were terrifying to witness.

Shortly thereafter, the deep concussion of explosions could be heard from my grandmother’s home; word spread rapidly that the base was under a major attack. As the thunder rose in the distance, my grandmother’s father entered her room and asked if she wanted him to read the Sunday funnies to her on her bed. While too young to understand what was going on, Pinkie knew that something was wrong; her dad looked concerned and never read to her in the bedroom. The ceremonial reading of the comics took place each Sunday in the kitchen.