What Happened to the Rest of the Movie?

[Warfare1]

I was hunting around looking to buy the movie "Midway" on DVD, when I came across this review:


"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?"


I never saw Midway in the theatres, so I can't confirm what this guy says.

So I put it to others on this forum: Did the theatrical release of Midway show the Coral Sea Battle? and was Midway originally 2 hr and 45 minutes long?

[Tankerace]

That guy has it all wrong.

As originally released, Midway did not have Coral Sea, the section on the Japanese pilot, and Captain Garth's wife/mistress. A year or two after its release, a new made for TV part was done for the movie, which added all those segments. As released , the Collector's Edition DVD (Click to view and/or order from DVDempire.com) does have the 2 hour and 45 minute movie (Original plus added stuff), whereas the standard Midway DVD found at most retailers only has the original 2 hour and 10 minute theatrical version.

I prefer the Made for TV parts, as it better sets up the battle. It was done, mainly in response to critics comments that the original theatrical release was rushed and didn't set up the battle too well.

[Warfare1]

I did a bit more hunting and came up with this about Midway:


A special television version runs four hours with commercials. It includes new scenes NOT shown on video or in the theatres. It includes new scenes with an additional cast NOT seen in the original version, Susan Sullivan, Richard Sanders, Noel Conlon, Don Dolan, Richard Sarradet, Alec Smight, Miiko Taka and William Wellman Jr.

The extended tv version includes a Charlton Heston-Susan Sullivan romance and the scenes of the Coral Sea battle is played out. At the end of the television extended version, Susan Sullivan and Christine Kukobo are both shown waiting at dockside.


What the...?

Now Midway was four hours long...

Where the heck is all that extra film footage? and why wasn't it added to the DVD (which is only 2 hr and 12 minutes long)...



[&:]

[Tankerace]

See my post above.

[Warfare1]

ORIGINAL: Tankerace

That guy has it all wrong.

As originally released, Midway did not have Coral Sea, the section on the Japanese pilot, and Captain Garth's wife/mistress. A year or two after its release, a new made for TV part was done for the movie, which added all those segments. As released , the Collector's Edition DVD (Click to view and/or order from DVDempire.com) does have the 2 hour and 45 minute movie (Original plus added stuff), whereas the standard Midway DVD found at most retailers only has the original 2 hour and 10 minute theatrical version.

I prefer the Made for TV parts, as it better sets up the battle. It was done, mainly in response to critics comments that the original theatrical release was rushed and didn't set up the battle too well.

Thanks for the clarification [:)]

I added my post above just when you added yours...

[Warfare1]

"The Collector's Edition DVD (Click to view and/or order from DVDempire.com) does have the 2 hour and 45 minute"

Nope - it is only 2 hr and 12 minutes...

So again, I ask - where is the DVD that contains all that extra footage?

[Tankerace]

Features in the DVD:

Original Featurette
Documentary Featuring New Interviews with Producer Walter Mirisch, Director Jack Smight, Editor Frank J. Urioste and Charlton Heston
Featurette on Composer John Williams
Featurette on Sensuround Sound
Production Photographs and Portraits with Score by John Williams
Additional Scenes Exclusively Shot for the Network Television Version
Theatrical Trailer
Production Notes
Cast and Filmmakers

[Tankerace]

Could be either or I guess.... That's wierd.

[Warfare1]

But the length of the film is stated to be 132 minutes.

Here is more extensive info and reviews at Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 9?v=glance

[Tankerace]

Hmm, it also says it contains the additional scenes...

Ooh, I think maybe, they are done as deleted scenes, in that you can view them, but they aren't included if you watch the movie from start to finish. If so, thats a bum job.

[freeboy]

I remeber the "origanal I saw.. prrobably not the theatre version.. back in the days of youth... and I do remember the Coral Sea stuff.. and I read somewhere it was lost.. glad it may be available again... some of this movie is ok, some is well.. less than it sould be...

[Tankerace]

The only thing I don't like is how they label EVERYTHING. I know general audiences are stupid, but come on.

[Warfare1]

ORIGINAL: Tankerace

Hmm, it also says it contains the additional scenes...

Ooh, I think maybe, they are done as deleted scenes, in that you can view them, but they aren't included if you watch the movie from start to finish. If so, thats a bum job.

I agree that is a bummer...

I wonder how much of that longer movie it does contain (as deleted scenes)...

After all, we are talking about almost 3 extra hours of movie...

From the sounds of the reviews on Amazon, no one there mentioned too much about that... [&:]

[Warfare1]

First, I had no idea that there was a longer verion of Midway.

Second, as it turns out the longer version of Midway had the Battle of the Coral Sea in it (which is an extra 30 minutes). Here is what one reviewer has to say about this extended version of Midway (and what those extra deleted scenes are):


Having read that the "Collectors' Edition" DVD would include footage omitted from the theatrical release, I assumed that Universal Studios had finally awoken, smelled the coffee, and included the 30 minutes or so of footage of the Battle of the Coral Sea that one can see when one watches the television version of this film. No such luck. Instead, the studio compounds the mistake it made when it included the goofy and anachronistic "son's fiance" sub-plot by adding not the Coral Sea footage, but two utterly goofy and superfluous domestic scenes with C. Heston and his wife before he leaves for work. Who does Universal thinks watches this type of movie, anyway? If Universal wants to tap into the latent market for DVDs of this film (and in its full version, sans fiance, this IS a good film), they should do the obvious: 1) include in its entirety all the missing footage of the Battle of the Coral Sea (an important context for what follows), and 2) relegate to the status of out-takes all the scenes involving the son's fiance -- they don't ring true in the context of the film, and most people who like the rest of the movie delete them out of hand. There IS a market for a true "collectors' edition" of this film -- but this isn't it! Bring on the Coral Sea footage, drop the silly "son's fiance" subplot, and give us the DVD that many of us can't wait to buy but can only find at present on TV! Until the studio gets the message, I'd hold off on buying this release and stick to watching the complete film whenever it comes on TV.


Another review:


I bought this DVD in the (vain) hope it contained the entire 2:45 minute movie not just the stupid love scenes (which I really don't care for.) The long version (rarely seen on TV) of Midway with more detail (among the missing scenes: the death of VT-3, the massacre of VMF-221 and the battle of Coral Sea) is (I think anyway) actually a better movie than the theatre original which is on this DVD.

Upon further reflection I should add the following. As it was pointed out, many of the additional scenes were shot for TV and not part of the original movie. However, if they could jam in those love (useless) scenes, why couldn't they stick in the combat (good) scenes that everyone else (myself included) wanted?

[freeboy]

I guess we are back to my hearing those coral Sea scenes , now say that three times, where lost.. too bad

[Warfare1]

ORIGINAL: freeboy

I guess we are back to my hearing those coral Sea scenes , now say that three times, where lost.. too bad

Hmmmm...

Well, I have a feeling there is more to the story than "Oops! We lost all the great naval combat footage, but fortunately, we saved all the extra dum love interest stuff..." [8|]

Were people carelesly tossing around the reel that had the combat footage, and suddenly it was stolen by a runaway dog?

Meanwhile, the love interest footage was safely placed under lock and key and guarded by armed soldiers?

In the entire world, does that mean there was only ONE copy of the longer film in existence?

And if so, how did the extra love stuff survive, while the extra combat footage got "lost"?

[&:]

[showboat1]

ORIGINAL: Tankerace

The only thing I don't like is how they label EVERYTHING. I know general audiences are stupid, but come on.

Ever notice that they have the Hiryu being attacked on June 6th? That really irked me when I was about 7 and realized the mistake.

Also, isn't this a movie that just cries out to be remade? I wish someone would try it again, but they would probably just screw it up like they did Pearl Harbor with sappy love stories and too many inaccuracies to list in this forum.

[freeboy]

I origonally saw this way back in the late 70's or early 80s that in editing the "cut "film was not kept... those where the day before digital and would not be the first instance of good film left on the cutting room floor

[Warfare1]

ORIGINAL: freeboy

I origonally saw this way back in the late 70's or early 80s that in editing the "cut "film was not kept... those where the day before digital and would not be the first instance of good film left on the cutting room floor

Sorry, but this doesn't make any sense either from a film maker's, editor's, or viewer's point of view....

From what I understand, there are several cut versions of the movie Midway. One of the few stations that still shows the full version (with the 30 minutes of Coral Sea Battle) is TNT.

[freeboy]

ok, I hope you are correct.. If only a few our one master is made, thousands of hours of scenes in some movie making endevours are cut to the "floor" what does not make sense? that Hollywood would do something stupid like cut out the best part of the movie.. I am looking forwrd to the next time tnt shows this film, and doesn't TNT parent own a lot of old films?