STACK #183 Jan 2020

CINEMA FEATURE

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BATTLE STATIONS

US and Japanese forces clash in the Pacific in Roland Emmerich'sWorldWar II epic, Midway . Words Gill Pringle S ix months after movie starring Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson, Dennis Quaid and Luke Evans. “I think Midway was been any more different than in this, and yet I immediately thought of him to play Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. They are both Texans and share a certain can-do attitude,” says the director.

Japan’s brutal attack on US forces at Pearl Harbor came the decisive naval battle of Midway, inflicting devastating and irreparable damage to the Japanese fleet and swiftly restoring US morale. Although Midway is lesser known than Pearl Harbor, naval historians deem this battle in

In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, Nimitz was given the tough job of Commander in Chief of Pacific Areas; Harrelson warming to the task of portraying this larger-than-life hero who became a major player in US WWII history with countless public works named after him.

one of the most interesting battles that ever happened.

It's a very complex story and that’s why we had to include some of the Pearl Harbor story to show how Midway served as a comeback for the Americans. It's

“I researched as much as I could about him,” says Harrelson who actually requested permission from the US Navy to spend a night on board an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, as well as visiting the National Museum of the Pacific War located in Fredericksburg, Texas, Nimitz’s boyhood home. “Even though the US Navy had intel in order to prepare for this battle at Midway, I believe we still would have lost that battle if it

Roland Emmerich

Politicians start wars, but

always a great story to tell when the underdog succeeds.” about underdogs when Harrelson saunters into the room like a shaven-

the Pacific as one of the most consequential naval engagements in world history, altering the course of World War II. With countless films made about Pearl Harbor, it's surprising that only one major film has been made about Midway – Jack Smight’s widely forgotten 1976 drama starring Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda and James Coburn. Enter German director Roland Emmerich, no stranger to cinematic spectacles, having helmed historical epic The Patriot and sci-fi blockbuster Independence Day . “That first Midway movie was not very good,” Emmerich tells STACK when we meet with him at the Hawaiian premiere of his own Midway

never fight them. It’s the common soldier

Emmerich is in full flow

who ultimately pays the price.

headed god, all bare feet and island vibe having just flown in from the neighbouring island of Maui where he has lived for almost 20 years. The two men first met when Emmerich cast Harrelson in his apocalyptic drama 2012 . “Woody’s character in 2012 couldn’t have

weren’t for the arrogance on the Japanese side. The Japanese were so strong at that time and so dominant at sea, I guess they just thought they were unbeatable – until Midway,” he adds.

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JANUARY 2020

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