In SENSURROUND. One of the Most Spectacular Sea Clashes of All Time

Starring: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Glenn Ford, Hal Holbrook, Toshirô Mifune, Robert Mitchum, Cliff Robertson, Robert Wagner, Robert Webber, Ed Nelson, James Shigeta, Christina Kokubo

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"I can only tell you this Ray: You play it the way you feel it, not the way you think I'd play it. You go to sea, you find Nagumo, and chew his ass! Now, that's all there is to it." - Vice Adm. Bull Halsey Jr. to his replacement Rear Adm. Ray Spruance

Why watch this? It's a great film about World War II's most pivotal battle on the Pacific theater of operations.

Plot Summary: This epic covers the pivotal Battle of Midway during World War II, a dramatic confrontation in the Pacific Theater. The story unfolds from both American and Japanese perspectives, highlighting the strategic planning and execution of the battle, alongside the actions of key figures such as US Navy Admirals Chester Nimitz and Raymond Spruance, and Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. A fictional subplot explores the personal struggles of Captain Matt Garth, an American pilot whose son falls in love with a Japanese-American woman facing wartime internment.

Dad's Preview: With the success of Earthquake (1974), this Charlton Heston film also utilized a theater gimmick called Sensurround. When the loud airplane engines revved up or the bombs exploded, the theater literally shook. The battle in the Pacific against the Japanese came to a head with this epic event. The Japanese committed it's entire Navy, while the Americans frantically work to break the transmission code to learn the point of the Japanese attack. I found the film engrossing and fairly accurate historically, especially with regard to the final sea battle.

The Mirisch Corp.; Universal Pictures