MovieChat Forums > The Manxman (1929) Discussion > Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

posted 16 years ago by sean_blinco
6 replies | jump to latest

I was just reading up about this movie on a review site, and reading the plot outline, it kind of sounds like this storyline was used as half of the story for pearl harbor. Two best friends, one falls in love, has to go away, the other friend has to "take care of her while the other is away", illegitimate child is born (or pregnancy in pearl harbor), friend comes back, blah blah blah. Now I haven't seen the movie yet, I'm making my way through those cheap Hitchcock DVD sets you can get with all of his movies up till 1940 and it's next on my list, but can anyone verify if it's anything like this?

[–] pywalkye2 16 years ago

Yes the plot is quite similar, aside of the facts of Pearl. And I really don't know if they took it from Hitch...That is something interesting to confirm.

[–] pywalkye2 16 years ago

BTW, there is another Manxman dated 1916. I'm trying to look for it. The plot is the same as this and Hitchcock just made a remake of it.

[–] KenanP 15 years ago

It's not really a remake, both movies were based on the novel The Manxman (1894) by Sir Hall Caine, which in turn is based on a poem called Enoch Arden (1864) by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
There were also several movies based on the poem before Hitch made his version.

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Oh you mad cuz I'm stylin on you

[–] byor 9 years ago

Yes, quite similar indeed!

[–] KlutzyGirl 14 years ago

This is one of the main plots of fiction, period. Been used in many, MANY books, movies, plays, etc. A pretty common plot in real life, too, unfortunately!

[–] starrynight05 9 years ago

The similarity to "Pearl Harbor" was the first thing that came to my mind as well. Michael Bay kind of seems like a ripoff artist to me. He doesn't seem to have anything original in him. The best example is "Armageddon", which was a disgusting, blatant ripoff of Fritz Lang's "Woman in the Moon". Of course, there's nothing wrong with updating/remaking films, but the difference between a remake and a ripoff is simple: credit. Thea von Harbou and Fritz Lang should have been given writing credits for "Armageddon" -- the plots of the two films are that similar -- and they weren't given any credit at all that I know of. That's not acceptable. That's what makes a film a ripoff, and not a remake or an homage. And "Armageddon" was a disgusting ripoff. With "The Manxman", the similarities aren't quite as bad. But they're enough that I'd be surprised if Bay or the writers of "Pearl Harbor" hadn't seen the film, or read the source material.