The Battle of Midway (1942)

The Japanese attack on Midway in June 1942, filmed as it happened.

Director:

John Ford (as Lt. Cmdr. John Ford U.S.N.R.)

Writers:

John Ford, Dudley Nichols

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, Logan Ramsey

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Henry Fonda	...	Narrator (voice)
Jane Darwell	...	Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Logan Ramsey	...	Himself
James Roosevelt	...	Himself - US Army Major (as Major Roosevelt)

Storyline

On June 4-6, 1942, a large Japanese force attempted to capture Midway Island in the North Pacific, but was defeated by U.S. forces with a loss ratio of 4:1 in favor of the Americans. On hand was a crew of naval photographers directed by John Ford; their documentary footage was edited together with narration by Hollywood actors. The film covers the attack on Midway, some limited aerial footage, the search for survivors, and aftermath of the battle.

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Plot Keywords:

midway | battle | year 1942 | propaganda | battle of midway | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Short | War

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Batalha de Midway

Filming Locations:

Midway Islands

Company Credits

Production Co:

United States Navy

Technical Specs

Runtime:

18 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the shots of American soldiers displayed during the battle are from footage of the Torpedo Squadron 8 taken in the previous days. All 15 of its planes were shot down and most of its men died during the battle.

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Quotes

Narrator: Why that's young Will Kenny. He's from my hometown - Springfield, Ohio. He's not going to fly that great big bomber?
Narrator: Why yes, ma'am. That's his job. He's a skipper.

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Connections

Featured in And the Oscar Goes To... (2014)

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Soundtracks

Onward Christian Soldiers
(1871) (uncredited)
Music from "St. Gertrude" by Arthur Sullivan (1871)
Hymn by Sabine Baring-Gould (1865)
Sung by an offscreen chorus

User Reviews

This is the real thing here-not a re-enactment

This incredible compilation of footage won an Academy Award. It was shot by a crew of war cameramen that included John Ford, who I understand actually took some of the footage himself! While watching this, remember that you generally can effectively aim either a camera or a weapon at any one time, but not both and, as a cameraman has his eye to the lense while shooting, that means that he's exposed to all of the nasty stuff flying all around him with little or no cover! That's called "grace under pressure". They got an Oscar and deserved a medal! Highly recommended.