| The Battle of Midway | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | John Ford |
| Written by | Dudley Nichols James Kevin McGuinness |
| Produced by | John Ford |
| Narrated by | Donald Crisp Henry Fonda Jane Darwell |
| Cinematography | John Ford Jack MacKenzie Kenneth M. Pier |
| Edited by | John Ford Robert Parrish |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 18 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
The Battle of Midway is a 1942 Americanshortdocumentary film directed, co-edited and produced byJohn Ford. It is a montage of color footage of theBattle of Midway with voiceovers of narrators,Donald Crisp,Henry Fonda, andJane Darwell.
The 18-minute film was distributed by20th Century Fox, and earned one of four inaugural Academy Awards forBest Documentary in 1942.
A narrator (Donald Crisp) informs the audience whereMidway Island is and its strategic importance. About five minutes into the film the format changes somewhat, with more leisurely pictures of the G.I.s at work on the island, and then a female voiceover (byJane Darwell) is introduced. It portrays a middle aged woman fromSpringfield, Ohio, recognizing a boy from her home town. He isArmy Air Force pilot William E. "Junior" Kinney. Footage of the Kinney family back home is then introduced.
Abruptly the narrative (spoken byHenry Fonda) turns to the battle itself, with approximately five minutes dedicated to the defense of the island, the naval battle, and the immediate aftermath. A memorial service for those fallen during the battle follows, then PT boats sortieing for burials at sea.
Thisshort ends with a series of text posters displaying various estimated Japanese losses (of four aircraft carriers, damage to or sinking of 28 other warships, and 300 aircraft destroyed).
The final poster is struck through with a large “V” for victory slashed in vivid red paint with a wide paintbrush.
When the United States Navy sent former Oscar-winning Hollywood director CommanderJohn Ford toMidway Island in 1942, he was assigned to photograph both for the records and for Navy intelligence assessment the work of guerrillas, saboteurs, and resistance outfits.[1] He began by filming casual footage of the sailors and Marines on the base. Two days before the battle, he learned that the Japanese planned to attack the base and that it was preparing to defend itself.[2]
Handheld 16mm footage of the battle was initially captured by Ford and cameraman Joseph August from the base’s power plant, located on the highest point on the island. Ford had been sent there the night before by the base commander, and was roused from his bunk there by the sounds of the battle, and started filming.[3] Both men were wounded by enemy fire while filming the battle.[4] Jack Mackenzie Jr. and Kenneth Pier also assisted Ford in filming.[2]
Ford was worried that military censors would prevent the footage from being shown in public. After returning to Los Angeles, he gave the footage toRobert Parrish, who had worked with him onHow Green Was My Valley, to edit in secret. Ford spliced in footage ofJames Roosevelt, PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt's son and a Marine Corps officer; when the president saw the film in the White House, he toldWilliam Leahy: "I want every mother in America to see this film", thus protecting Ford from censorship.[2] Parrish wrote an in-depth account of the making ofThe Battle of Midway in his autobiography,Growing Up in Hollywood (1976).[4]
The film runs for 18 minutes, was distributed by20th Century Fox, and was one of four winners of the inaugural, 1942 Academy Award forBest Documentary.
Seeing men he had met and filmed die horrified Ford, who said, "I am really a coward" compared to those who fought.[a]
TheAcademy Film Archive preservedThe Battle of Midway in 2006.[5] The film is part of the Academy War Film Collection, one of the largest collections of World War II era short films held outside government archives.[6]
Informational notes
Citations
Media related toThe Battle of Midway (film) at Wikimedia Commons
The full text ofThe Battle of Midway at Wikisource