The Battle of Midway (film)

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For films with similar titles, see Battle of Midway (disambiguation).
The Battle of Midway
20th Century Fox
Release date
September 14, 1942
Running time
18 minutes
CountryUSA
LanguageEnglish
Full film

The Battle of Midway is a 1942 American

short documentary film directed by John Ford. It is a montage of color footage of the Battle of Midway with voice overs of various narrators, including Johnny Governali, Donald Crisp, Henry Fonda, and Jane Darwell
.

Plot

The film begins with a male narrator (Donald Crisp) explaining where Midway Island is and its strategic importance. About five minutes into the film the format changes somewhat, with more leisurely pictures of the G.I.s at work on the island, and then a female voice over. The female voice over (Jane Darwell) takes the personality of a middle aged woman from Springfield, Ohio, who is a mother-type figure pointing out how she recognizes a boy from her home town. The boy is Army Air Force pilot William E. "Junior" Kinney. Then stock footage of the Kinney family back home is introduced.

Abruptly the narrative (spoken by Henry Fonda) turns to the battle itself with approximately five minutes dedicated to the defense of the island, the naval battle, and the aftermath. At the end the various known Japanese losses are shown (four aircraft carriers, as well as battleships, aircraft, and men) and then brushed over with red or black paint.

Production notes

Stone inscription for The Battle of Midway at Ford's statue in Portland, Maine.

When the United States Navy sent director

Midway Island in 1942, he believed that the military wanted him to make a documentary on life at a small, isolated military base, and filmed casual footage of the sailors and Marines there working and having fun. Two days before the battle, he learned that the Japanese planned to attack the base and that it was preparing to defend itself.[1] Ford's handheld, 16mm footage of the battle was captured totally impromptu. He had been in transit on the island, roused from his bunk by the sounds of the battle, and started filming.[2] Ford was wounded by enemy fire while filming the battle.[3] Acclaimed as a hero when he returned home because of the footage and the minor wound, Ford decades later incorrectly claimed to Peter Bogdanovich that he was the only cameraman; however, Jack Mackenzie Jr. and Kenneth Pier assisted Ford in filming.[1]

Ford was worried that military censors would prevent the footage from being shown in public. After returning to Los Angeles, he gave the footage to

Best Documentary
.

Seeing men he had met and filmed die horrified Ford, who said, "I am really a coward" compared to those who fought. He had spent time with

home projectors and sent copies to the men's families.[1]

Cast

Archive

The Academy Film Archive preserved The Battle of Midway in 2006.[4] The film is part of the Academy War Film Collection, one of the largest collections of World War II era short films held outside government archives.[5]

Gallery

  • USAAF B-17E taking off
    USAAF B-17E taking off
  • A PT boat off Sand Island
    A PT boat off Sand Island
  • An SB2U-3 of VMSB-241 taking off
    An SB2U-3 of VMSB-241 taking off
  • Marines firing a machine gun
    Marines firing a machine gun
  • Japanese planes under fire
    Japanese planes under fire
  • Seaplane hangar on Sand Island burning
    Seaplane hangar on Sand Island burning
  • Bomb damage after the raid
    Bomb damage after the raid

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Harris, Mark (2014-02-28). "In the Line of Fire". Entertainment Weekly. p. 78.
  2. OCLC 436284884
    . See the interview of Henry Fonda.
  3. ^
    OCLC 1659633
    .
  4. ^ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
  5. ^ "Academy War Film Collection". Academy Film Archive.

External links

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