The Longest Day
Cinema Classics Collection
The triumph and tragedy of the World War II heroes who stormed Normandy Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, are immortalized in this 1962 Oscar winner for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) and Best Special Effects.
Seen through the eyes of Allied generals, foot soldiers, strategists and paratroopers, The Longest Day recounts the largest and greatest military mission of all time. In a battle that would change the course of history, 5,000 ships unloaded over 3 million men on the beaches of France, and the Allies gained a valuable foothold on enemy territory, at an incalculable cost. This massive production required five directors and featured an international cast of thousands, including John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Eddie Albert, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Peter Lawford, Rod Steiger, Stuart Whitman, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Curt Jürgens and more!
Member Reviews
Truly Great - Worth the Three Hours of Your LIfe - PrinceofIdleness
This movie follows that pattern of so many war movies - A Bridge Too Far; The Thin Red Line - in that it provides snap shots and telling moments of the enormity of war. It's as good as if not better than these other movies because of the strength of the writing primarily (the sets are terrible, the special effects obvious, the cinematography awful) and the earnestness of the performances. The performers are a crazy pastiche of seasoned veterans - Henry Fonda, John Wayne - and dilletante dabblers - Fabian, Paul Anka - but the stories and characterizations are crisp, compelling, believable. And, maybe because the horror of war was still real for the people directing and making the film, they didn't feel the need - as Spielberg did, say, in Saving Private Ryan - to make the film a horror to watch. There's still lots of violent and wrenching scenes, but they are less visceral somehow. Good movie! Even if you were born fifty years after the end of the war, you should watch this.Thanks for Leaving Canada Out - MovieProf
I have to laugh when producers amass great fortunes to spend on strong actors, superb special effects, and brilliant location shooting, then produce a dud. While "The Longest Day" isn't a dud--it is highly entertaining--it nonetheless invokes one of the worst injustices in celluloid history as far as I'm concerned.
How could a film so encompassing on the D-Day landings leave out Canada's controbution? I'm not talking about a few hundred Canadian medics or something like that: of the five beaches stormed that historic day, two were British, two American, and one Canadian. Why make a film that discusses the invasion of only four of the five beaches? Is this film telling us that Canada's contribution to the landings should be considered insignificant? I find this curious omission not only misleading and wrong, but offensive as well. The 20 000 or so mainly Canadian (and some British units) who stormed Juno Beach deserve their credit just as much as those who stomred Sword, Gold, Omaha, and Utah Beaches as well.
The detail that went into the making of this film is impressive: the number of actual participants who helped out add to its authenticity. The cast is impressive and too full of great actors to name. The fact that the French and Germans speak in their native languages is also a plus.
So, why, then ignore the obvious contribution by the Canadians?
Apparently the film is based on Cornelius Ryan's book. I haven't bothered to read it, but if Ryan left out Canada too, then shame on him also.Detailed And Historically Pretty Accurate - revsdd
How much you like this movie will depend to what extent you like the genre. If war movies are it for you, then this account of D-Day - the Allied invasion of Normandy (seen from both the Allied and German perspectives) - has to be one of the best war movies ever made. It's realistic and completely believable in every way. If you like the historical epic genre, you'll appreciate this. There was great attention paid to details in putting this together, and as far as I can see it was pretty accurate in those details as well. If you aren't into either of those genres, then this probably wouldn't be of any interest to you.
"The Longest Day" features a stand-out cast (figures such as John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Roddy McDowall, Paul Anka, Richard Burton, Red Buttons, - even a young Sean Connery) and the German characters actually speak German (with English sub-titles) which I appreciate, as it does add another heir of authenticity to the story. It's pretty long at almost three hours (and I have to confess that my attention wandered from time to time) but those with an interest in this era of history will want to watch it and will appreciate it.
Member Reviews
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Truly Great - Worth the Three Hours of Your LIfe - PrinceofIdleness
This movie follows that pattern of so many war movies - A Bridge Too Far; The Thin Red Line - in that it provides snap shots and telling moments of the enormity of war. It's as good as if not better than these other movies because of the strength of the writing ...Thanks for Leaving Canada Out - MovieProf
I have to laugh when producers amass great fortunes to spend on strong actors, superb special effects, and brilliant location shooting, then produce a dud. While "The Longest Day" isn't a dud--it is highly entertaining--it nonetheless invokes one of the worst ...Detailed And Historically Pretty Accurate - revsdd
How much you like this movie will depend to what extent you like the genre. If war movies are it for you, then this account of D-Day - the Allied invasion of Normandy (seen from both the Allied and German perspectives) - has to be one of the best war movies ...