The Longest Day (1962)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Directors:

Ken Annakin
Andrew Marton

Writers:

Cornelius Ryan (screenplay)
Cornelius Ryan (book)

Release Date:

4 October 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

42 STARS IN THE LONGEST DAY

Plot:

The events of D-Day, told on a grand scale from both the Allied and German points of view.

Plot Keywords:

Invasion | 1944 | D Day | Normandy | France

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 19

3:30 AM

AMC

Cast

Eddie Albert	...	Col. Thompson
Paul Anka	...	U.S. Army Ranger
Arletty	...	Madame Barrault
Jean-Louis Barrault	...	Father Louis Roulland
Richard Beymer	...	Schultz
Hans Christian Blech	...	Maj. Werner Pluskat
Bourvil	...	Mayor of Colleville
Richard Burton	...	Flight Officer David Campbell
Wolfgang Büttner	...	Maj. Gen. Dr. Hans Speidel
Red Buttons	...	Pvt. John Steele
Pauline Carton	...	Maid
Sean Connery	...	Pvt. Flanagan
Ray Danton	...	Capt. Frank
Irina Demick	...	Janine Boitard (as Irina Demich)
Fred Dur	...	U.S. Army Ranger major

Runtime:

178 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Australia:PG | South Korea:All | New Zealand:PG | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1962) | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:G | West Germany:12 (f) (bw)

Filming Locations:

Calvados, France

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In 1963, Black civil rights organization the NAACP accused Hollywood studios of racial discrimination. Using The Longest Day as an example, it said that there were some 1,700 black soldiers who took part in the actual landings, but this movie featured not a single black actor.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Shadow of the dolly against the smoke of battle during the invasion of Omaha Beach. The direction of the shadow and the geography of the beach indicate that this scene, while set at dawn, was filmed in the afternoon.

Quotes:

[Millen plays the bagpipes as British troops march toward the Germans]
Pvt. Clough: There it is, he's at it again! Have you ever heard such a racket in all your life?
Private Flanagan: Yeah, it takes an Irishman to play the pipes.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Miracle at St. Anna (2008)

Soundtrack:

Lambeth Walk

The last good WW2 film made by people "who were there"

This is perhaps one of the most ambitious, epic WW2 films to have been made; certainly it is the last of the classic B&W films made about the subject. Featuring an all-star cast (John Wayne, Richard Burton, Kurt Jurgens... even a cameo by Sean Connery!), it comprehensively details the build-up and execution of the Normandy landings in 1944, taking care to show how the event was perceived by Allied and Axis soldiers and commanders, as well as the Free French resistance. This is a film that takes great care in documenting the events of the day, without lapsing into sickly sentimentalism or getting distracted with fictional characters' personal lives (a failing of many WW2 movies since about 1970), or over-emphasising any one nation's importance in the operation (although, admittedly, Canadians may feel a little short-changed).

Classic moments abound, notably the landing at St.Mere-Eglise and the soldier who gets caught in the church steeple, the frustrations of the front-line German commanders and fighters, and the numerous cameos for film nerds to keep track of.

If you want a wartime romance, or an appearance by Matt Damon or Ben Affleck, or long, loving shots of the Stars & Stripes in slo-mo, or a gritty blood'n'guts fest, you'll be disappointed. This film has broader concerns, and was made with much more thoroughness. There is no agenda at work here, pro-war or anti-. It is solely concerned with documenting Operation "Overlord" for the film-going public, and succeeds brilliantly; a shame then, that it has not made the top 50 war films list.

A must-see for any fan of war films.