"The Battle of Midway," directed by John Ford, provides a relatively brief account of the Japanese attack of American ships at Midway atoll. The film is comprised mostly of authentic footage from the battle, with dramatic narration by Henry Fonda. "Behind every cloud, there may be an enemy," he intones as American fighter pilots search the sky. The rest of the film mocks Emporer Tojo of Japan and portrays him as ruthless, bombing hospitals and churches as he tries to conquer the Pacific.Based on the some of the comments here, some modern viewers may be offended by what was meant to tell the story of the surprising victory that was the beginning of the end of the war. Propaganda? We were at war with an enemy who had cut a pretty wide swath.
You be the judge. In the moment, there is some amazing combat footage. And a great naval victory.
UPDATE: Oh, yeah, 73 years ago 4 to 7 June 1942.
Blasted Japanese are always missing their marks, should have used CGI.
ReplyDeleteI find the remarks of some of the reviewers rather humorous, especially regarding the "amateurish" nature of the filming. I'm left wondering how they would manage using cameras, without auto focus, that required frequent magazine changes and had to be wound periodically to function, in the midst of explosions, bullets and flying metal. Always easy to criticize from the comfort of one's easy chair.
My favorite sequence in this one, which has been cut into many documentaries and theatrical movies, is the mustachioed Marine machine gunner and his crew. They clearly take pride in their work and reflect the spirit of our people during the battle.
Shadow