Even-handed documentary-style tale recounting of the most famous U.S. naval battle of all time, a turning point in the struggle for control of the Pacific in 1942. Both sides make mistakes, luck and judgement play an equal part.
I’d always assumed Midway was some abstract geographical position without any idea of its strategic importance – did the name mean it was halfway between the U.S. (or Hawaii) and Japan? But here I learned it was an actual island that the Japs planned to invade and the Americans intended to stop them. In some senses, it was bait, a way to draw the U.S. Navy out of Pearl Harbor. But the bait ran both ways. If the Yanks could coax the enemy out into the Pacific, they had a chance of gaining an advantage, even though the Americans were inferior in shipping tonnage.
The Japs have been stung into action by the audacious American bombing of Tokyo. Admiral Yamamoto (Toshiro Mifune) uses the perceived threat of further attacks to gain official approval for his plan to invade Midway.
This is strictly a male show. However, in a bid to lower the testosterone levels a romantic subplot is inserted. The aviator son, Lt Thomas Garth (Eddie Albert), of top aide and former pilot Captain Matthew Garth (Charlton Heston) has an American-born lover Haruko (Christina Kobuko) of Japanese descent who’s being investigated for espionage and subsequently interned. On intervening, the father digs up a hodgepodge of racism – from both sides, Haruko’s parents against her forming a relationship with a non-Japanese. But the plan backfires causing a breakdown between father and son.
But that’s very much on the fringes and although it raises interesting cultural aspects, the movie concentrates mostly on the nuts-and-bolts of heading into a major engagement.
American intelligence, headed by Commander Joe Rochefort (Hal Holbrook), gets wind of the planned attack. But the clues are scant – the old trope of increased radio traffic not enough to convince – and while the audience knows the Japs are on the move with a mighty naval force including four top-class airplane carriers, the Americans remain ignorant almost until it’s too late.
Luckily, Admiral Nimitz (Henry Fonda), heading up the American naval contingent, is keen to inflict a blow on the enemy, even though he’s limited to two carriers and another just out of the repair yard. Each side relies on spotter planes to detect the enemy. But the Japanese, by imposing radio silence, shoot themselves in the foot, unable to switch tactics until too late. The hunch plays an important part.
There’s rarely much opportunity for individual heroics on a ship under fire, beyond rescuing someone. The fighter pilots are a better bet, especially since some of their forays are nearly suicidal given the firepower they attract. Matt Garth, who for most of the picture is an upscale backroom boy, is called into action with unexpected results.
Most battle films tend to concentrate on the heroics often at the expense of understanding in any detail what’s going on. Thankfully, this is different. We are kept informed of every change in the conflict. And whereas you might think that dull, in fact I wouldargue that it adds substantially to the tension, and the fact that the only one of the commanders who looks as if he could throw a punch (Robert Mitchum) in the manner of John Wayne is confined to his bed thus forcing the movie to concentrate as much on brain as brawn.
Audiences at the time welcomed all the talking and this was a substantial hit. Snippets of old war footage were carefully sewn into the lining of the action, bringing the kind of authenticity that moviemakers reckoned moviegoers craved. For me, there was more than enough going on already.
Nimitz’s decision to go for broke rather than dive for cover results in victory but he’s no gung-ho commander, rather presented as a thoughtful but determined individual. The lack of backstage effort especially in the communications department was partly to blame for the humiliation of Pearl Harbor but here these guys share the glory.
Boasting the kind of all-star cast that used to be the hallmark of the 1960s roadshow, this has a bunch of top-notch actors, albeit most just flit in and out of the picture. Charlton Heston (Planet of the Apes, 1968) effortlessly shoulders the main burden with Henry Fonda (Once Upon a Time in the West, 1969) the fulcrum of all decision-making. Robert Mitchum (The Way West, 1967) , James Coburn (Our Man Flint, 1966), Glenn Ford (Rage, 1966), Cliff Robertson (The Devil’s Brigade, 1968) and Toshiro Mifune (Red Sun, 1971) all feature.
Jack Smight (Harper / The Moving Target, 1966) directs from a script by Donald S Sanford (Mosquito Squadron, 1969).
Thoroughly engrossing.
- I’m doing a Behind the Scenes tomorrow.
The Magnificent 60s 
Some info:
The following written statement appears in the opening credits: “This is the way it was—The story of the battle that was the turning point of the war in the Pacific, told wherever possible with actual film shot during combat. It exemplifies the combination of planning, courage, error and pure chance by which great events are often decided.”
The following written statement appears in the closing credits: “The annals of war at sea present no more intense, heart-shaking shock than this battle, in which the qualities of the United States Navy and Air Force and the American Race shone forth in splendour. The bravery and self-devotion of the American airmen and sailors and the nerve and skill of their leaders was the foundation of it all. – Winston Churchill.”
Actor Larry Pennell is credited as “Ken Pennell” in the opening credits and is not listed in the end credits.
According to a 14 Apr 1975 Box, article, Jack Smight replaced John Guillermin as director.
A 27 May 1975 HR news item stated that location photography concluded over the 24-25 May 1975 weekend, near Pensacola, FL. Shooting at Universal studios in Los Angeles, CA, started on 27 May 1975.
An item in the 28 May 1975 DV stated that the U.S. Navy asked for and recieved a few script changes based on issues of historical accuracy.
The 25 Jun 1975 LAHExam stated that two survivors of the Battle of Midway were used as consultants: Richard Best, Com. USN Ret.; and Joseph Rochefort, Capt. USN Ret. Also, George Gay, the only survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8, was not an official consultant but did visit the set. However, none of the men are credited onscreen. In his feature film debut, Kevin Dobson portrayed “Ensign Gary Gay.”
A 2 Jun 1975 HR news item stated that Miami Dolphin’s fullback Larry Csonka was signed to make his feature debut in Midway. Although Csonka does not appear in the credits, he plays “Lt. Delany,” the engineering officer aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown.
A 3 Jul 1975 Rafu Shimpo article stated that Toshiro Mifune sent his script to Minoru Glenda, a Japanese air operations officer at the battle of Midway, and to Admiral Yamamoto’s son, so that they could attest to its historical accuracy. The article went on to say that Mifune was scheduled to play the part of “Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto” in the film Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970. see entry), but withdrew when director Akira Kurosawa left the project. At the time of the Battle of Midway, 4-7 June 1942, Mifune was in Manchuria studying to be a pilot.
According to the 9 Jul 1975 Var, principal photography was scheduled to end around 20 Jul 1975. Filming at sea took three weeks, which included lensing on the U.S.S. Lexington, the last World War II ship in service. The article also stated that this was the first film Toshiro Mifune made in Hollywood, CA., while Robert Mitchum was offered various roles, but turned them down because they took up too much of his time. Mitchum settled on playing “Admiral William F. Halsey,” which only required one day to shoot.
According to a 9 Aug 1976 Box news item, Universal paid to cut the hair and to shave the modern crew members of the U.S.S. Lexington to conform to World War II Navy regulations.
As stated in a news item in 11 Aug 1975 Box, Henry Fonda read that his character “Admiral Chester W. Nimitz” was missing a finger from an accident. Fonda consciously folded back his finger throughout his performance. Fonda served indirectly under Nimitz when he was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and when he was assigned as an aide to Adm. John Hoover.
Per a 23 Jun 1976 DV article, Midway grossed $4,356,666 during its three-day opening weekend in 311 theaters in the U.S. and twenty-four in Canada.
The film was promoted with a U.S. Navy recruitment drive where fifty enlistees were sworn in at the Redstone Theater in Woburn, MA, according to a 23 Aug 1976 issue of Boxoffice Showmandiser. Additionally, 125 National Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) cadets from Woburn High School attended a special screening.
A 1 Sep 1976 Var article stated that Charlton Heston, who owned a percentage of the film, toured Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines and Australia and Japan where the film grossed $1 million in its first weekend. Heston believed $5.5 million had been spent on advertising and publicity for the film.
A 7 Apr 1992 DV news item stated that Midway had earned over $60,000,000 in film rentals. It also said that the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS ) broadcasted the film 2 Jun 1992 for the 50th anniversary of the battle.
According to various modern sources, the Sensurround process was only used in three other films: Earthquake, (1974, see entry), Rollercoaster (1977, see entry), and the theatrical release of Battlestar Galactica (1979, see entry).
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Thanks again, i’ve got a Behind the Scenes tomorrow.
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