DESTINATION TOKYO (DVD) DVD

Destination Tokyo
Though its purely propagandastic aspects are never far from surface, Destination Tokyo must rank as one of the most intelligent and objective of wartime thrillers. Cary Grant is a tower of strength as Captain Cassidy, skipper of an American submarine bound for Tokyo harbor. Its mission: to allow a Navy meterologist to survey Japanese weather conditions, in preparation for a major Allied assault. Many of the individual incidents in Delmar Daves' script are based on fact, notably an episode in which a pharmacist's mate is called upon to perform an emergency appendectomy. Admittedly, some of the secondary characters are WWII stereotypes, but they're never played that way. Particularly good isDane Clark, in his first important screen role; also registering well as a radio man is John Forsythe, in his first screen role ever. From the sub's embarkation in San Francisco to its climactic retreat from Japan, there's not a single solitary dull moment in the 135 minutes of Destination Tokyo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Cary Grant as Capt. Cassidy John Garfield as Wolf Alan Hale as Cookie Dane Clark as Tin Can John Ridgely as Reserve Officer Raymond Warner Anderson as Executive William Prince as Pills Robert Hutton as Tommy Adams, "The Kid" Peter Whitney as Dakota Tom Tully as Mike Faye Emerson as Mrs. Cassidy Warren Douglas as Diving Officer John Forsythe as Sparks John Alvin as Sound Man Bill Kennedy as Torpedo Officer William Challee as Quartermaster Whit Bissell as Yo Yo John Whitney as Commanding Officer George Lloyd as Chief of Boat Maurice Murphy as Toscanini

Crew Leo K. Kuter - Art Director Delmer Daves - Director Christian Nyby - Editor William Lava - Composer (Music Score) Franz Waxman - Composer (Music Score) Leo F. Forbstein - Musical Direction/Supervision Perc Westmore - Makeup Bert Glennon - Cinematographer Jerry Wald - Producer Walter F. Tilford - Set Designer Willard Van Enger - Special Effects Richard Van Enger - Special Effects Lawrence W. Butler - Special Effects Robert B. Lee - Sound/Sound Designer Albert Maltz - Screenwriter Steve Fisher - Screenwriter Delmer Daves - Screenwriter Steve Fisher - Book Author

Destination Tokyo
Although modern audiences may find many of the situations in Destination Tokyo rather clichéd, it's still a gripping submarine thriller. Tokyo is also a bit long, but the problem isn't that sections of the film drag; it's that it feels like the creators tried to get too much into the story. This isn't such a problem in the first half, where director Delmer Daves and writers Steve Fisher and Alfred Maltz spend time letting the audience get to know the large cast of characters and learn about life aboard a submarine. (Of course, this being Hollywood, the submarine is glamorized in terms of space, equipment, etc.) It does become a problem in the latter half of the film -- the "meat" of the picture -- when there are too many action sequences one right after the other. There are other glitches as well, such as the fact that some of the characters are a bit clichéd and that some of the timeline is seriously askew (although the latter will probably be recognized only be avid war historians). Many will find fault with the propagandistic aspects of the film, particularly a lengthy "letter home" sequence (which is apparently often deleted from many prints). Fortunately, Tokyo's cast helps to overcome these flaws, especially Cary Grant, who is aces as the man who holds both the submarine and the film together. He gets excellent support from John Garfield, Dane Clark, Alan Hale and Robert Hutton. And even with its faults, Tokyo manages to keep the viewer involved and engaged, even if he already knows the outcome. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
 

Steve Fisher: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Original Story (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc Wartime short: "Gem of the Ocean" Cary Grant trailer gallery Subtitles: English, Français, and Español DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 135 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Credits [1:17] 2. Copperfin's Orders [3:49] 3. Words From the Skipper [4:00] 4. Doll on a Sub [3:04] 5. Merry Christmas [5:43] 6. Just a Gag [2:29] 7. Just a Bird [4:40] 8. Destination Tokyo [4:40] 9. Wolf's Naval Maneuver [3:44] 10. Seeing Is Believing [4:08] 11. Rendezvous [4:21] 12. Enemy Air Attack [3:30] 13. Enemy Knife Attack [3:00] 14. Defusing the Bomb [4:14] 15. Love on Record [2:25] 16. Remembering the Dead [5:22] 17. Behind the Names [3:38] 18. Approaching Japan [2:48] 19. Hitching a Ride [2:42] 20. Through the Net [5:20] 21. Three on a Mission [3:14] 22. Cover of Night [5:39] 23. Tokyo Rose's Version [3:30] 24. His Biggest Kick [3:13] 25. Case of Appendicitis [3:19] 26. The Operation [4:13] 27. Contacting the Hornet [5:01] 28. Narrow Escape [4:03] 29. Taking to the Sky [3:47] 30. Torpedoes Away [4:50] 31. Sting From Our Tail [2:52] 32. Depth Charges [1:56] 33. Without Letup [4:24] 34. Down for the Deep Six [4:41] 35. That Lucky [2:12]