245 Midway

[MichaelB]

MIDWAY
(Jack Smight, 1976)
Release date: 18 October 2021
Limited Edition Blu-ray

Recreating the famous sea battle between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy, Midway finds director Jack Smight (Airport 1975) confidently handling epic battle scenes and a stellar cast which includes Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Mitchum, and Robert Wagner. Midway is presented here with a wealth of extras.

Pre-order here


INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES


• High Definition remaster
• Original mono and 2.1 Sensurround audio tracks
• Alternative two-part TV version (101 mins and 92 mins): the rarely seen extended TV cut, containing unique scenes, reframed to 4:3 and presented in Standard Definition, as originally broadcast
• Audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin (2021)
• The Guardian Interview with Robert Wagner (1983, 71 mins): archival audio recording of the film and TV star in conversation with Joan Bakewell at the National Film Theatre, London
• They Were There! (1976, 7 mins): Charlton Heston presents this archival documentary featuring interviews with three combatants who survived the battle
• The Making of ‘Midway’ (2001, 39 mins): documentary looking at the film’s production
• Sensurround: The Sounds of ‘Midway’ (2001, 5 mins): a look at the film’s use of the Sensurround audio system
• Super 8 version: original cut-down home-cinema presentation
• The Battle of Midway (1942, 18 mins): award-winning documentary directed by John Ford relaying the battle with footage shot by Navy cameramen
• Original theatrical trailer
• TV spots
• Radio spots
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with an essay by Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall, archival articles on the film and the events that inspired its screenplay, an overview of critical responses, and film credits
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies

#PHILTD245
BBFC cert: PG
REGION B
EAN: 5060697921793

[Calvin]

I've never seen the featured film, but I am particularly pleased to see Indicator not only including Ford's The Battle of 'Midway' but also a Tag Gallagher video essay to accompany it! I've really enjoyed Indicator's curation of wartime short films - the ones on the Noir sets were terrific - and had been hoping that Ford's (and also William Wyler's) contributions would show up at some point.

...Now which film is Indicator going to release that Ford's Sex Hygiene would pair well with as an extra?

[domino harvey]

My write up from the War List

Midway (Jack Smight 1976) I've pretty well had my fill of polite post-war WWII pics like this, though my unwatched bushels are filled with plenty more regardless. Featuring Charlton Heston and a bunch of "names" who don't do much, including Henry Fonda, who was in the similarly pointless Battle of the Bulge, all maneuvering around the story of the Battle of Midway, told respectfully and, especially in the case of the Japanese, without anything approaching flavor. The film's gimmick is that it incorporates as much actual footage of Midway into the action, but this only proves a distraction, especially on Blu-ray where the disconnect between sources becomes stronger than ever.

[MichaelB]

Final specs (updated on 16 September):

[MichaelB]

Unfortunately, owing to a last-minute request from Universal, ‘The Score of Midway’ will now not be included for legal reasons.

[swo17]

Just so long as you don't lose the Ford film!

[bearcuborg]

Oh wow, just saw the Tag addition, I guess I’ll get a movie I don’t plan to watch for a supplemental video!

[swo17]

I'll say this--I checked them all out from the library, and of all the Dad movies Indicator's releasing this month, I liked this one the most

[kuzine]

Oh wow, just saw the Tag addition, I guess I’ll get a movie I don’t plan to watch for a supplemental video!

But it's not mentioned in the Final Specs pasted above? (Unless I somehow missed it)

[Calvin]

Oh wow, just saw the Tag addition, I guess I’ll get a movie I don’t plan to watch for a supplemental video!

Same here. I've not got much interest in the main feature but it might be a nice supplement to the star attraction - the Ford! It would have been nice to get the other short Ford filmed in/about Midway, Torpedo Squadron, on disc but there's an HD transfer of it on the US National Archives YouTube channel to watch after the Indicator release.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Oh wow, just saw the Tag addition, I guess I’ll get a movie I don’t plan to watch for a supplemental video!

But it's not mentioned in the Final Specs pasted above? (Unless I somehow missed it)

And it's been removed from the specs in the OP and on the Powerhouse website, so it sure seems like it's been dropped.

[MichaelB]

CineSavant.