Product Details

• Actors: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook
• Directors: Jack Smight
• Writers: Donald S. Sanford
• Producers: Walter Mirisch
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: March 1, 1992
• Run Time: 132 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (179 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300181472
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,637 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #7 in	Video > Military & War > War Epics
  #50 in	Video > Military & War > World War II

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Six months after the Japanese destroyed the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, the Americans discovered the Japanese were planning to seize the Naval base at Midway Island--a perfect staging point for invading Hawaii or the mainland. Outnumbered four to one, the Americans won a surprise victory and shattered the backbone of the Japanese Imperial Navy. This 1976 film feels more like a history lesson than a drama, but World War II buffs will appreciate the attention to historical fact (especially the way in which fate and a few bad decisions turned the tide), as well as the generous use of actual battle footage. The all-star cast includes Robert Mitchum, James Coburn, and Cliff Robertson in cameos and a whole slew of familiar TV faces in supporting roles. Hal Holbrook is fun as an oddball intelligence officer. --Geof Miller

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

225 of 228 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Midway - edited and no surround sound??????, January 9, 2005

By	Julian Janik (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Midway (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

I saw the movie play in a theatre and I was greatly impressed.
I still enjoy the movie BUT! at the same time I am disappointed.

When it was released first on VHS and now on DVD I was greatly disappointed to see how much film footage has been cut out from the original theatrical release.
In its original release MIDWAY ran for almost 2 hours 45 minutes.
On VHS and DVD it runs for 2 hours 10 minutes. What happened to all the othe extra scenes???
Where is the Battle of the Coral Sea which was shown in the original movie?

Furthermore they cut out the surround sound and made it Mono.
It is ridiculous that the have a Special Feature on Surround Sound, but the DVD was made in Mono sound.

And they call this DVD a Special Collector's Edition???
Come on Universal give us the full extended theatrical release along with 5.1 Surround Sound.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but missing a lot from original theatrical showing, September 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Midway (DVD)

This film is very close to what did take place in June of 42.The actors did a good job of telling the story.The dvd version left out all of the Coral Sea battle and Charlton Heston's Matt Garth love interest along with the meeting between the young Japanese pilot and admiral Nagomo about the war and how Japan might loose it.Why all of this could not have been included into this version of the movie I do not know.Overall the quality of the dvd was very good.The audio was very clear and the video sharp and clean.It seems as though they even managed to keep the low bass of the Sensearound audio track.I found this dvd video a lot better then my vhs copy in quality.Overall worth the price and worth seeing again.

41 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The battle that made everything else possible", August 11, 2004

By	Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: Midway (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

I have seen "Midway" countless times, and find it impressive for many reasons: The many scenes that contain original war footage, the fabulous cast, and the degree of historical accuracy, which is exceptional for a Hollywood epic.
Some of the WWII footage is riveting, and is edited to blend in well with the 1976 cinematography by Harry Stradling Jr., which is also marvelous; a good score by John Williams also adds to the atmosphere, though mostly we hear the sounds that would have been heard at the time...the roar of the sea, the wind, and the exploding bombs.

Many of the fascinating figures of history are represented well, and a few brilliantly, like Hal Holbrook as Commander Joseph Rochefort, the man who intercepted and broke the codes. Holbrook's portrayal is much like the real man, who working many times 20 hour shifts in a bunker, was a little scruffy, and had crucial information that was an essential part of the battle plans.
Henry Fonda is great as Admiral Chester Nimitz, and other big stars include Glenn Ford, Robert Mitchum, Toshiro Mifune, James Coburn, Cliff Robertson and Robert Wagner. I love the way the battle is planed like a chess game by both American and Japanese leaders, moving little "boats" around on a big map, each side trying to outwit the other. It also lays out the basics of the battle and makes it fairly understandable for the non-military person.

Charlton Heston is terrific as Captain Matthew Garth, the fictional character in the script, who has to deal with his son (Edward Albert), in love with a Japanese-American girl (Christina Kokubo), who has been interned with her parents. This little bit of "romance" I imagine was included in the film to round out the "human interest", and though I could have lived without this non-historical addition, it is peripheral to the action.

Admiral Nimitz said that the Battle of Midway was "The battle that made everything else possible", and this film is an excellent way to get a feel for the momentous events of that time, with its heroism, tragedy, extraordinary battle tactics, and men who changed the course of history.
Total running time is 132 minutes.