After debut of the latest 20th Century Fox feature
REPORTER: any regrets about your masterpiece, Mr Ford?
FORD: I ran out of film before the Japs ran out of men to put on the Beach. Goddammit, four more reels! just four more!
LOL
Looking into it, I'm kind of stunned that Ford was able to edit his Midway footage and get the film short into theaters on September 14. That's, like, 3 months. Apparently it took a personal intervention from Roosevelt. "I want every mother in America to see this film."
But if he's got footage of Ichiki's troops storming the beach, and being repulsed, that's going to be far more dramatic to show to American audiences. This could even make Midway operate as a net morale boost. No one is going to see a pair of Yorktowns sink, but they'll be able to see a Japanese invasion smashed to pulp.