The Battle of Midway

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david f A passable war movie about the famous carrier battle in the Pacific. This was made as propaganda but there is some footage from the actual battle that is interesting to see. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Not as effective now as in 1942. 7/10 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. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review s r A short film about the battle of midway. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Director John Ford shot documentary footage of Midway battle. Watching the short documentary is very surreal...realizing that this is actual combat. The work stands as a time capsule and Ford himself was wounded during shooting. A look also at wartime propaganda and communications from the US side. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member This is only really interesting to a historian of film, or to fans of Ford. It's propaganda, with cheesy voice-overs by Hollywood actors adding humanity to the nameless American soldiers facing Japanese bombing runs during the battle. On a bird-related note, the Laysan Albatrosses breeding on the island are featured prominently. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Its your typical big budget war hero movie that showed the war in just enough of a rose tinted view to keep war great........ Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Battle of Midway

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