©1976 Universal Pictures. All rights reserved.

Catalog Number 12-003
Format Standard Play CAV
MPAA Rating
Running Time 132 minutes
Release History

Standard Play Version

Mono
Pressing Location DiscoVision Carson
Label Color Blue
Retail Price $15.95
Issued August 1979
Side Frames Running Time
1 38,164 26min 30sec
2 37,752 26min 13sec
3 37,736 26min 12sec
4 38,720 26min 53sec
5 37,905 26min 19sec
190,277 132min 08sec
Dead Side Various
Ratings
Video Transfer
Audio Transfer
Replication
Packaging
Large Open-Top
Open-Top
Side-Open Sticker
Printed

Pressing Notes

The video transfer of Midway is actually quite nice. Of note is the opening credits footage which is way too red, causing the credits to be almost unreadable. The widescreen re-issue released in 1992 corrects this error. Otherwise, the colors are rich and vivid, but the reds are over-saturated. The images are sharp, clean and film-like. Of course, this is only true of the "new" footage. Archive footage which was used throughout is old and shows its age. Some separations have shrunk which causes images to shift color and position at random. This is not a fault of the DiscoVision transfer, but an error of the film.

On the audio front, DiscoVision elected not to transfer the Sensurround effects in this release. However, the disc contains wonderful full range audio with good low end for those explosions. I was take off guard during the aforementioned opening title sequence by the shaking I received due to the bomb explosions. Some feel the extended low frequency response of the disc is by mistake, characterizing it as "film bump" (over modulation of the optical track). I tend to discount this explanation since a optical distortion of this type would produce sounds other than a well defined rumble.

Disc replication is spotty depending on when the particular copy was made. Most of the earlier pressings are much better (as was typical), but side 2 had an extremely high defect rate and troubles with laser lock through the first 4,000 frames.

On the film front, it feels as though the film we are seeing is a last minute hatchet job trying to bring the film down to a marketable running time. Poorly mixed music and choppy edits during the last 45 minutes of the film seem to indicate a much longer version exists. The fake blood and cheesy acting, typical of Universal films of this scope during the 1970's, make this feel like an over long TV movie.

Known Dead Sides

Release History

Midway was finally re-issued after a long absence by MCA/Universal Home Video as a 3 sided CLV/CAV widescreen (2.35:1) release (Catalog #: 12003) in April 1992. It still doesn't have Sensurround, however the Sensurround track has been mixed into the mono track quite nicely and provides excellent low frequency response. This edition also corrects the color problems of the opening title sequence.

The initial DVD release of Midway (as licensed through Image Entertainment) had the same opening sequence color scheme of the DiscoVision transfer, with the wonderful colors of the Widescreen LaserDisc release. However, there are literally no low end frequencies on the DVD and as a result, the soundtrack suffers.

The Image Entertainment DVD was withdrawn at the end of Universal's contract and Universal then produced a brand new anamorphic transfer of Midway and released it on DVD in October 2001. This new edition is billed as a "Collector's Edition" and features a restored Sensurround soundtrack as a .1 LFE channel, the color corrected opening credits along with a handful of featurettes. Part of the bonus materials include some (but not all) of the footage shot specifically for the TV edit of the film.

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Updated: June 27, 2009
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