La bataille de Midway

Battle of Midway, The (1942)

*** (out of 4)

Henry Fonda and Donald Crisp add narration to the battle scenes shot by John Ford where the director was even wounded by enemy fire. There's really no story being told in this documentary but instead we just see a part of history in beautiful Technicolor. God knows everyone has seen countless war films but there's something unique seeing real ones here. They certainly look a lot different than what we've seen in countless fake movies.

Ford's World War 2 shorts are out there in various forms ranging from public domain companies to the Ford at Fox set. Quality various but the version in the Fox set is the best.

There have been many battles in the Second World War that played a part in deciding who the victors of the conflict were going to be, and one of these engagements is known as the Battle of Midway. Like any good ww2 film, this short combines good narration with impressive archive footage that was taken while the battle was ongoing. If that weren't enough, John Ford, one of the greatest geniuses in cinema history, directed this. The film starts with the narrator, Donald Crisp, telling the audience where Midway Island is located and why it holds such significance to the United States military. The film then goes on to show footage of the event that has often been cited as one of the most successful military engagements ever. At Midway, Japanese forces took 20 times the amount of casualties the Americans did, and american carrier aircraft managed to sink all 4 of the aircraft carriers responsible for attacking Pearl Harbor half a year earlier. This all took place only in June 1942, but even just 6 months into America's involvement in the war, they dealt a blow to japan from which they never really recovered. The footage of this event that Ford captured is remarkable because he was so close to the action. Many marines and other servicemen were killed on the island as japanese planes attacked from every conceivable angle, but Ford kept filming. You can see proof of this at one part where the camera gets knocked over by some kind of explosion. Aside from the exciting footage of combat and naval warfare, there isn't too much else to this short. It deserves praise because John Ford risked dying in action in order to record most of it, but at the same time, it's been eclipsed by a lot of other world war 2 related films that also showcase footage of this battle. What makes this one stand out after so many decades is the fact that its director was actually there in the midst of it, something that no modern documentary can boast. Because of this (and the huge interest I have in ww2 things) I have to consider Battle of Midway as one of the most iconic and well made second world war films. It goes without saying that this won an Oscar as well.

This is a great, short (less than 20 minutes)film of one part of the key battle of the war in the Pacific. Keep it mind, the Battle of Midway was fought in early June, 1942. The darkest days of the Pacific War for America. Pearl Harbor, the Phillipines, Bataan, Corregidor, Wake Island; all American defeats. It is, indeed, a "propaganda" film. Or, at least it was turned into one after John Ford shot it. But the film of the combat itself is no propaganda piece. It took a lot of courage for Ford to stick his cameras out and film while hundreds of Japanese planes struck the island. Many Marines died in the bombing. Ford could easily have been killed. Of necessity, Ford could only film the land portion of the battle, which was an attempt by Japanese naval forces to reduce the island's defenses and then conduct a landing, possibly eventually putting Hawaii in jeopardy with a new, forward Japanese base on Midway. The major part of the battle was a naval battle between carrier forces. An "incredible victory" in the title of the Walter Lord book. Four Japanese aircraft carriers, miles from the filming on Midway itself, were sunk. It was the begging of the end of Japan. The stiff resistance put up by the Marines on Midway, captured by Ford, forced decisions by the Japanese High Command that ultimately led to the sinking of their carriers. Historically interesting film.

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 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.