Historical Accuracy in "Midway"

Paper Summary:

This paper introduces and analyzes the film "Midway" directed by Jack Smight. Specifically, it discusses the film and its depiction of the historical battle of Midway. The paper points out that "Midway" is a historical film that uses archival footage to make the action seem more realistic. The paper claims that the historical perspective of this film is overall very accurate, but that there are some lapses in truth. It argues that Hollywood melodrama makes some of the information in the film questionable at best. The paper concludes that, to watch the film for entertainment makes sense, but to base historical fact on the film will only disappoint and misinform the viewer.

From the Paper:

"The film shows how military choices and tactics led up to the battle, and how, for the first time, the battle was essentially fought from the air, with the two navies never actually seeing each other. For this reason, the battle is extremely historic, and that is one of the reasons the filmmakers chose to create the film. In addition, it seems in the 70s that there was considerable anti-war sentiment after the war in Vietnam and college unrest, and several WWII films were created during this time, such as "Tora, Tora, Tora!" (1970) which tells the story of the Pearl Harbor attacks from the Japanese point of view, and "Patton" (1970), which tells the story of the life of General George Patton. It seems that Hollywood was attempting to create more patriotism in America by reminding Americans of the great victories during World War II, and this film fits into that category quite nicely."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Editors. "Battle of Midway." Naval Historical Center. 2001. 7 Nov. 2007. <http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/midway/midway.htm>
• Editors. "Goofs." Internet Movie Database. 2007. 7 Nov. 2007. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074899/goofs>
• Midway. Dir. Jack Smight. Perf. Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, Glenn Ford, Robert Mitchum, Edward Albert. Universal Pictures, 1976.
• Toppan, Andrew. "Japanese Aircraft Carriers." World Aircraft Carriers. 2000. 7 Nov. 2007. <http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/ijn_cv.htm>

More papers on Historical Accuracy in "Midway":

• Film Review # 69747 : "Historical Accuracy in Film"
• Film Review # 149528 : "Historical Accuracy of Movie "Valkyrie"
• Analytical Essay # 144500 : "Historical Accuracy and Satire in "A Modest Proposal"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: