New MIDWAY movie totally leaves out US fighters!

[Griff Murphey]

Yes we had only SBD Dauntlesses and TBD Devastators. I guess the Hollywood and Peking movie moguls thought a third aircraft type on our side would be too hard for the average moviegoer to follow. The US aircraft are also at the beginning of the war not carrying the center red dot insignia. I think it was painted out at the time Midway was fought. (Funnily enough Doolittle’s Raiders are correctly marked).

It has good cgi but I am awed by their failure to hire one or two military history goons who might have a passing acquaintance with the subject matter.

Also I doubt zeroes (oddly the Japanese have those) flew strafing right between battleships moored alongside each other at Pearl Harbor.

Aggghhh😜! Decent movie but coulda been great. They should have hired one of us!!!

[Roadkingtrax]

B-25s are not the correct configuration.

Thought I caught a story that the Chinese financiers of the movie were the reason for the Doolittle Chinese rescuer scenes.

Looked like a stinker 6 months ago.

[togor]

Sounds like it's time to pull out Tora! Tora! Tora! again.

[lyman]

sounds like I'll wait till this one hits cable or nextflix

[Griff Murphey]

I can forgive not having an early enough B-25 but then if the objective was to show the battles leading up to Midway from the standpoint of our naval aviation why include the Doolittle Raid at all?
I’d have rather seen a least a quick nod to the F-4-F pilots. The comment made by one of the navy pilots on seeing the B-25s on Hornet was rather ridiculous: “What are Army planes doing on a Navy carrier?!” More like “What are twin engine B-25s doing on a carrier?!?”

[Art]

B-25s are not the correct configuration.

Thought I caught a story that the Chinese financiers of the movie were the reason for the Doolittle Chinese rescuer scenes.

Looked like a stinker 6 months ago.

The WWII movie "30 Seconds over Tokyo" deals with the Chinese salvation of the American crews in detail, in fact it's the whole second half of the movie. Ted Lawson credited his own survival and the survival of his badly wounded crewmembers primarily to the Chinese. The vengeance of the Japanese visited on the Chinese after the raid for these acts of kindness to the American pilots was swift and awful. At least 100,000 Chinese were killed in the aftermath of the attack, some sources list it as high as 200,000.

If you get a chance to watch the movie it is superb. It's a propaganda film to be sure, the men long for mom's apple pie, the women are tearful and cheerful at the same time but the details of the planning and execution of the raid is almost 100% accurate with some parts modified or left out for security reasons (no radar antennae on the Hornet for instance.) Van Johnson and Phyllis Thaxter are excellent as the Lawsons. A very young Robert Mitchum turns in a fine performance in a supporting role. The movie was nominated for two academy awards and deserved them, winning for best special effects.

Modern war movies thanks to computer animation and the use of actual period weapons or replicas of them are generally more accurate than previous ones, though we have to remember they are still movies after all.

Griff, the Doolittle raid is included in an earlier (and not terribly good) Midway movie with Charlton Heston. The reason given for it's inclusion is usually (besides being a good story in itself) is that it motivated the Japanese to speed up the Midway attack, to its detriment. I realize that that is somewhat debatable.

[free1954]

sounds like I'll wait till this one hits cable or nextflix

despite the shortcomings, it was worth seeing on the big screen. the special affects were great. while I was watching those computer animated ships I thought it would be great to see them do a movie about the battle of jutland.

[Art]

…….. I thought it would be great to see them do a movie about the battle of jutland.

I have thought the same thing, perhaps with emphasis on the captain and crew of the battlecruiser Seydlitz; an incredible survival story.

[M1Tommy]

I have thought the same thing, perhaps with emphasis on the captain and crew of the battlecruiser Seydlitz; an incredible survival story.

I'd love to see the battle of Jutland as a 5-6 or more part miniseries, 2 hours each.
The tale of the Seydlitz would be worthy of an entire episode, IMHO.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf is another tale that would make a great series, with the Battle off Samar worthy of 2 episodes.

All my babbling aside, I plan to go see "Midway", this coming Friday. I know there will be inaccuracies but will try to not dwell on them.
Hey, they can't all be "Battle of the Bulge" or "Top Gun"! <grin>

Tommy

[lyman]

there is a guy that sets up at the Nation's Gunshow in Northern Va,
he has a large walk thru booth area set up with mostly war movies on DVD, and several TV's playing movies as well, (volume turned down thankfully)


he has a pile of movies on various battles etc, a good portion of them are Euro made (with overdubs and/or subtitles)

I'll look and see what type of naval stuff he has in a couple weeks when I am there