STACK #183 Jan 2020

FEATURE CINEMA

THEATRE OF WAR The WWII crucible of military conflict is hell, there is no doubt. It also results in some of the finest drama on screen.

his seat-of-the-pants dive-bombing turning the tide of the war. “You see several versions of Best throughout the story," says Skrein. "Firstly, there’s the cocky guy who turns off his plane’s engine to prove to himself he knew how to land without it. And then, after Pearl Harbor, you see

Dennis Quaid as AdmiralWilliam "Bull" Halsey

the relentless Best, who’s on a one-man mission to win the war. In the space of a few months, he loses some pilot friends, which begins a dark night of the soul for Best and we see him at his absolute lowest.” An ardent history buff, Quaid was keen to get in on the action, portraying Admiral William “Bull” Halsey, commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise, an aircraft carrier stationed at Pearl Harbor. Dealing with the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack and encroachment of the Japanese in the Pacific, he’s faced with the challenge of the US forces being outnumbered by Japan. “My dad was in WWII, in the Merchant marines, in the Atlantic,” Quaid tells us. “The father of my friend T Bone

Admittedly, Harrelson’s signing on for Midway was a bonus for casting. “We were able to go out to a bunch of actors and tell themWoody was on board,” says Emmerich, who cast Dennis Quaid as Admiral William Halsey; Patrick Wilson as naval Lieutenant Commander Edwin Layton; Luke Evans as Lieutenant Commander Wade McClusky; and Aaron Eckhart as Army bomber squadron leader Jimmy Doolittle. With Ed Skrein and Mandy Moore as Navy flyboy Dick Best and his wife, even Nick Jonas wanted in on the action, portraying Naval radioman Bruno Gaido – a courageous young chap forced to bail from his plane and winding up on the deck of a Japanese destroyer. The pop star also felt a connection to the character through his own family. “A really important moment for me was when I put the uniform on,” Jonas says. “I Emmerich’s Midway is almost sympathetic to the Japanese. “It was important to not present the Japanese solely as bad guys, because they were not bad guys. Yes, they had a lot of hubris and were arrogant but they are also great, honorable people – such as when Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi (Tadanobu Asano) went down with his carrier. So they were heroes, too. “I also think that what this tells the audience is that, in war, there are no winners or losers. There’s only losers because people lose their lives. We could have made this into another huge cheering scene but we didn’t want to do that because when you read about these pilots, they lost their friends,” says the director who was so keen to embody the various forms of heroism displayed by all these men that he actually sent out his script, asking the actors which character they saw themselves as. Daredevil navy flyboy Dick Best – portrayed by Ed Skrein – is really the unsung hero of Midway , thought back to pictures of my grandfather who served in the military, and immediately sent my grandmother a picture of me in costume.” Unlike most US depictions of WWII,

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN Winner of five Academy Awards, including Stephen Spielberg for Best Director and Janusz Kaminski for Best Cinematography. Their collaboration in depicting the Allied invasion of Normandy is a towering cinematic achievement.

Burnett was on the enterprise with Admiral Halsey from Pearl Harbor all the way through to the end of the war, so there’s a real personal connection to Midway for me.” Portraying Halsey as a stubborn man, he says,

DUNKIRK Rather than the expansive devastation of military conflict, director Christopher Nolan focuses on three distinctive vignettes – an intimate approach where each individual counts, raising the stakes. Winner of three Oscars.

I think Midway was one of the most

interesting battles that ever happened

“Halsey was no fan of the Army brass and was known for taking matters into his own hands. He had his own brash style but his connection with his men made him a great leader, particularly of so many inexperienced young men, some of whom were little more than boys. They looked at Halsey as a father figure who was going to get them through this.” Quaid believes the story holds relevance today about sacrificing for the greater good. “Everybody abroad and at home gave so much,” he says. “You couldn’t get a rubber tire for your bicycle or buy gas because it was all going to the war effort. Everybody pitched in for something bigger than themselves. It’s a lesson for all of us about uniting in spite of our differences.” Emmerich hopes that Midway is more than a history lesson. “These young pilots sacrificed their lives so future generations would live with freedom and democracy,” he says. “Politicians start wars, but never fight them. It’s the common soldier who ultimately pays the price.”

BAND OF BROTHERS This remarkable HBO series follows one group of soldiers from their first days of training through to the end of WWII. A deserving Golden Globe and Emmy winner for Best Miniseries.

THE PIANIST The Holocaust as perceived through the eyes of a hapless musician living through WWII in the ruins of Warsaw. Winner of three Oscars including Best Actor in a Leading Role for Adrien Brody.

Midway is in cinemas January 30

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