The Battle of Midway (1942)

A documentary short, directed by John Ford. Covers the Battle of Midway, one of the most decisive battles of WW2. Taking place near the island of Midway in the central Pacific in June 1942, the battle turned the tide of the Pacific Theatre. Ford uses actual footage from the battle and the aftermath, with narration by Henry Fonda.During WW2 the US used its mighty film industry to its advantage, producing high-quality news reels. documentaries and propaganda films. For this they enlisted some of the foremost directors of the age: Frank Capra, William Wyler, John Huston, John Sturges and John Ford, among others. Here, John Ford (or should I say, Lt. Commander John Ford, USNR) does his bit. He does fairly well, capturing some great footage of the battle. It is more the editing and over-the-top, hammy added-on dialogue that weaken the film, and only when viewed with a 21st century lens. Propaganda films never have the same impact when viewed outside of wartime.The movie went on to win the Best Documentary Oscar in 1943.

"The Battle of Midway" is an important historical film. Imagine...film crews were on the island when it was attacked and soon after rushed this short into theaters to celebrate this HUGE American victory. So, from a historical viewpoint it is an important film. BUT, and there is a but here, seen today the film isn't the wonderful film it was proclaimed to be when it was given an Oscar in 1943. I really think the Oscar purely came because of patriotism--Hollywood's attempt to bolster the war effort by heaping praise and awards on films that drummed up love of country and the war. Seen today, the color print is very faded and scratchy but more importantly the narrative sucks. The film was shot with color but was silent--and all sound effects and narration were added later-- and some of the voiceovers were terrible. The bottom line is that if you want to see a historical document-- see this. If you want to see a good film that explains the battle well, don't! There are much better documentaries on the battle.

This short piece of film shows parts of, as the title already tells us, of the battle of Midway, and some moments after it. The director is John Ford and what he creates with this short documentary is pure Hollywood war propaganda. There is a storyline that even includes the women at home waiting for the fighters. During some scenes a dialogue between Jane Darwell and the great Henry Fonda is heard on the background.The images of the battle, shot in color, have historic value and are pretty exciting. The heroic tone is easy to understand, although now it is easy to see past that. Everything, including its Oscar win, seems to be there for propaganda purposes, making the people at home feel good enough about the war that is going on. In the end 'The Battle of Midway' is an interesting little film, but not that much more.

The first 9 minutes of this documentary of the battle of Midway was divoted to the fighting by the US ground troops on Midway. This was actually a minor part of the battle, but provided great footage for the film. The overall effect was very stirring, especially the biplay between Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell. This must have been very comforting to the folks at home when shown in the theaters. I enjoyed it very much.