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	...	Self
James Roosevelt	...	Self - 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

aircraft carrier | dive bomber | naval battle | battle | year 1942 | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | Short | War

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Footage of James Roosevelt, not taken by John Ford's crew, was added after the rest of the editing had been finished.

---

Quotes

Narrator: Say, is that one of them Flying Fortresses?

---

Connections

Edited into They Filmed the War in Color (2000)

---

Soundtracks

America, My Country Tis of Thee
(1832) (uncredited)
Music by Lowell Mason, based on the Music by Henry Carey from "God Save the King" (1744)
Words by Samuel F. Smith
Played in the score and later 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.

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