The Battle of Midway (1942) User Reviews (20)

Not as effective now as in 1942

[grantss · 7/10 · 29 March 2018]

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 {Short} (John Ford, 1942) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 4 February 2014]

This Oscar-winning documentary – by one of the most revered American film-makers who would have celebrated his birthday on the day I watched this – is quite celebrated, having even been treated to a 2-page spread in the early 1980s British periodical "The Movies". However, the passage of time has not been at all kind to it: not only, at just 18 minutes, does it not dwell in sufficient detail on the famous conflict that purportedly changed the course of the Pacific War…but the whole is lent the director's typically homespun – read sappy – approach, which really dates it! The film obviously retains historical value for its rare colour footage of the battle (some of which was actually incorporated in the star-studded 1976 Hollywood rendition of these same events, MIDWAY!) and, for the record, Ford regulars Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell supply the intermittent narration.

Actual combat documentary during WW II

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 10 July 2018]

This documentary, "The Battle of Midway," is a short film shot during the actual combat on June 4, 1942. The Battle lasted from June 3 to June 7, but the air attack on Midway Island was on June 4. This shows the bombing of the U.S. airfield and positions on Midway. It also shows the defenders in action, and one Japanese plane trailing smoke after it was hit by ground fire.

What is most striking about this film is the concussion of the actual bombs, which have a horizontal spreading impact with huge destruction. What one sees in most movies in which battle scenes are staged, is ground explosions that blow up laterally and dissipate in the air with much less near damage.

Hollywood's John Ford was a Navy officer who directed this and other films for the Navy during WW II. Henry Fonda is the principal narrator. There isn't much by way of aerial combat or Japanese aircraft pictured here. Other Armed Forces photography would capture that. But this documentary earns its stars for the men who shot the film while under heavy enemy fire.

Ford WW2 short

[Michael_Elliott · 25 February 2008]

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.

War propaganda

[rbverhoef · 6/10 · 6 November 2006]

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.

Tojo Hits the Japs

[theforager · 6/10 · 9 July 2020]

A brief account of a battle. Its really interesting to see the first hand informatino of what happened at Midway Island. Japanese really got the hit and Tojo came out as the ultimate hero.

Its quite interesting but the music, may be at that time will be considered as thrilling, but now cartoons use it a lot. So background music should be updated as per current times.

If you want to see a better documentary about the battle, perhaps you'd be better off watching The History Channel.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 16 September 2015]

"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.

WW II propaganda ala John Ford. Great!

[pmcenea · 4/10 · 30 April 2003]

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.

Courageous filming of part of a key battle of WW II

[monticellomeadow · 8/10 · 14 August 2008]

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.

"There go the Marines!"

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 12 October 2020]

Having recently watched the 1976 and 2019 versions of "Midway", I was compelled to look up this historic film short made by director John Ford during the actual battle. It was even referenced in the more recent film, so I'm sure a lot more folks looked it up as I did. If you're reading this review around the time I posted it, you can easily catch it yourself as it's running on Netflix right now.

With all that said, I couldn't help feel somewhat disappointed when I saw the picture. Battle action consists of only about a third of the already minimal running time of eighteen minutes. There's some stateside coverage with narration by actor Henry Fonda, and some attention devoted to the rescue effort of surviving soldiers following the battle. Interspersed are incomplete clips of patriotic songs like the 'Marines Hymn', 'The Star Spangled Banner' and 'Yankee Doodle Dandy'. I don't like to use the term 'propaganda' for it's negative connotation, and I see nothing wrong with the placement of this newsreel style documentary in theaters during the war years. Back then, I'm sure the impact on viewers would have provided a tremendous morale boost, particularly with the numbers associated with the defeat of the Japanese Imperial Navy.

So from a historical perspective, this film short has value, but it doesn't offer anything in terms of battle strategy or who the principal players were. The actual fighting scenes carry emotional weight and will arouse one's patriotism for an all too brief moment. It's certainly worth your while and recommended, but of limited value except as a historical artifact.

Celebrated WWII short from the great John Ford

[rick_7 · 11 March 2011]

John Ford's celebrated 19-minute documentary about America's first major victory of World War Two earned him a shrapnel wound, a Purple Heart and an Oscar. The first 10 is impressive without being that interesting - hard-won battle footage that largely consists of some stuff setting on fire, the camera shaking, the film cutting, then something else setting on fire - though the raising of the flag is a lovely moment, narrator Irving Pichel intoning: "Yes, this really happened". The second half is more obviously Fordian, the elegiac tone reinforced by hymns, slanting shadows and Jane Darwell's frenzied, corny, but effective narration. Audiences wept and fainted during the passage where she urges ambulance-men to rush injured soldiers to a hospital. Ford would make his definitive statement on the war, and the nature of heroism, with 1945's They Were Expendable, but this short is well worth a look.

Battle documentary

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 6 March 2016]

"The Battle of Midway" is an 18-minute color documentary from almost 75 years ago. If you do the math, you will see that this was done during the days of World War II. So these were crucial days in terms of global politics. That's why it should not come as a surprise that this film features some of America's biggest stars in front of the camera and behind it, such as writer and director John Ford and Jane Darwell who won Academy Awards around that time and Henry Fonda as narrator. So yeah, what else can I say. Certainly underwhelming for me despite having quite an interest in World War II. This one is really more for those who love the battle scenes. Obviously, this one was really significant back when it came out as it won a documentary Oscar. Unfortunately, I cannot really recommend it despite that big honor.

This is the real thing here-not a re-enactment

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 11 October 2001]

This incredible compilation of footage won an Academy Award. It was shot by a crew of war cameramen that included John Ford, who I understand actually took some of the footage himself! While watching this, remember that you generally can effectively aim either a camera or a weapon at any one time, but not both and, as a cameraman has his eye to the lense while shooting, that means that he's exposed to all of the nasty stuff flying all around him with little or no cover! That's called "grace under pressure". They got an Oscar and deserved a medal! Highly recommended.

Visuals were historic.

[riddhimaakaritu · 4/10 · 25 September 2019]

Visuals were historic. Literally. But narration and other technicalities didn't do justice to it.

War in the Pacific

[nickenchuggets · 9/10 · 27 July 2022]

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.

Actual short documentary of Midway

[blitzebill · 10/10 · 5 February 2018]

This brief film using real footage about the Battle of Midway is significant for several reasons.

The most important is that it shared an important battlefield of WW II (in color no less) with the general American public, who relied on every scrap of news they could get. Radio, newspapers and news reels were the most popular, so seeing this short in their neighborhood theater was just as important.

Second, if you want to generate enlistment in your military forces, sure this type of film might accomplish that. And to boot, show some pride in your country's war accomplishments against a vicious enemy.

Third, take note that the cameramen risked their lives as much as the soldiers, sailors and airmen, and deserve as much credit. Director John Ford was injured while recording with his camera.

This may not be a polished Hollywood filmmaking result, but it was never intended to be.

A review of reviews

[TearAlongTheDottedLion · 10/10 · 14 November 2013]

I happened to watch this amazing piece of history again the other night, (I'd already seen it several times before over my 60 years), and went online looking for added information. That is how I came upon the previous IMDb reviews. The first thing to catch my eye was the 6.4 rating. Are you serious? Some of the most amazing documentary war footage ever shot, and by a legend of the film industry who almost paid for it with his life, and that only rates a 6.4? I then discovered that the score was over burdened by one reviewer who said "I enjoyed it very much!" and then went on to give it a 4! Not only that but he double posted further hurting it's rating by giving it 8 out of a possible 20 points. He said many good things about the film , (the exception being the misuse of one word I will get into in a minute), leaving me shocked that he would only rate it a 4. This films importance and greatness isn't in it's entertainment value, or it's cinematography as art, but in it's raw presentation of history as it was taking place. There is a much deeper story behind it all as this was a turning point in the war with Japan and the most significant events of that day took place over a wide expanse of ocean and not just on the deck of this one ship. This short film let's us feel the emotion as Mr Ford looked death in the face and continued filming.

What I take the utmost exception to in several of the reviews is the misuse of the word "propaganda." That word is bandied about now days by people who have not taken the time to learn it's true definition. The Websters definition strongly implies a sinister nature to the word and it is something used to deceive and not simply influence. There is absolutely nothing deceptive about this film. It is straight forward fact from the raw footage to the inspirational narration. I find this part of the last review especially inaccurate, "Everything, including its Oscar win, seems to be there for propaganda purposes." This reviewer uses the tainted modern day definition of the word used by professors to make students think that they need to be ashamed of our country and it's history. To them everything that influences or motivates people would be labeled "propaganda," which only serves to lessen the diabolical intent of true propagandists like Hitler who through lies and deceit sought to misguide millions into following an evil path!

legendary John Ford

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 24 June 2019]

It's 18 minutes and in color. Legendary director John Ford was on Midway filming for the military when the base was attacked by the Japanese. It starts with a peaceful portrait of a Pacific island. The action happens in two stages. First there is the attack on the island itself and then second is the aircraft carriers. There are some iconic scenes especially in the island attack. He does return to the anti-aircraft position one too many times. I don't know that guy's name but he and his moustache has plenty of screen time. There is one emotional scene of the flag raising. It is expert filmmaking squeezing every ounce of patriotism from the audience. There are a few oddities. Ford is using God Save the King as the closing theme which is certainly odd. Claiming that the Japanese is liberating birds is a little silly for the seriousness of the subject matter. Overall, this is a film of pure propaganda value and great action news filmmaking.

Incredible

[gsbuie · 10/10 · 7 December 2019]

There is one reason why I find this film incredible and deserving of a 10 is the fact that the footage of the battle is real. How Ford was able to use so many cameras in different places is beyond me. I feel all 5 directors, Ford, Huston, Capra, Wyler and Stevens captured the facts of war flawlessly given the circumstances. Five Came Back is a fantastic series on this subject.

A lot of folks think that "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" . . .

[tadpole-596-918256 · 9/10 · 8 February 2018]

. . . were pivotal in allowing America to defeat her sneak attackers and triumph with a resounding victory in World War Two, but THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY proves that these successful nuclear bombings were merely the icing on the U.S. cupcakes. When Midway turned the tide on the Pacific Theater, future President Harry "I pushed the button" Truman was selling hats or something, and A-Bombs were not yet even a gleam in his eye. However, as the Japanese aircraft carriers that had blind-sided Pearl Harbor began littering the seabed around Midway, Japanese Prime Minister Tojo told the Emperor that he could already feel a hangman's noose tightening around his neck. How could he expect anything else, as THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY shows Japan always going out of its way to bomb U.S. hospitals and churches? But the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" blares as this war crimes carnage is documented during the final portion of THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY to remind viewers that God was on America's side.