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.
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.