The Longest Day (1962)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

A Disappointing Continuation

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This movie is one of the finest war movies that I've ever seen and unlike most movies that i've seen about the D-Day invasion this one goes into much more detail despite some inaccuracies that frustrated the real people even General Eisenhower walked out of this movie when it was being shown in theaters due to inaccuracies. Operation Overlord is frequently associated with Eisenhower as he was the architect of the invasion and during that time he sent fake intelligence to the Germans to trick them about the invasion. The movie also talks about the American soldiers behind the scenes such as Col. Benjamin Vandervoort (John Wayne), Brig. Gen. Norman Cota (Robert Mitchum), Brig. Gen. James m. Gavin (Robert Ryan), Col. Thompson (Eddie Albert), as well as the son of Theodore Roosevelt (Henry Fonda) who was a Brigadier General. The film also tells its story from the British and German perspective with precision and marvelous detail and perfectionism thanks to the direction by Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, and Berhnard Wicki who directed one of each of the episodes of this movie on such an excellent level. The performances are also excellent and impressive with actors from different parts of the world, and an excellent supporting cast including Richard Burton as British flying officer David Campbell, and along with Mitchum, Fonda, Ryan, and Albert, there is also people like Red Buttons, Roddy McDowall, Jeffery Hunter, Paul Anka, and especially a young Sean Connery who doesn't have that many scenes but makes it count with the amount of screen time he has. Feature films aren't known for accuracy when they're telling real life stories but documentaries are the only ones that are which doesn't bring this movie down one bit. The writing is superb, the performances are top notch,and every person involved made it into a masterpiece that ranks among the best military movies ever made such as "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), "The Great Escape" (1963), "Platoon" (1986), "The Deer Hunter" (1978), "Where Eagles Dare" (1968), as well as many others. This is an essential movie that is required viewing for history students who are studying World War II in their respective classes, and it is one of the most patriotic movies i've ever seen, as well as being one of 1962's finest films.

This movie does a great job of bringing such a massive logistical operation down to the individual level in several of the major components - paratroopers, infantry storming ashore, naval personnel on the ships, the generals trying to plan it all, etc etc.Some have criticized it for not being explicit enough in the violence and others who say that it tried to do too much at once. I'd like to point out that this movie was released in 1962. That was only 18 years after the actual invasion. Hence, the audience knew the horrors of war - they'd lived thru it. If they didn't actually serve in combat, they sure knew men who did, maybe even knew one or two who died in combat. Hence, they didn't need to be shown all the gore that was shown in "Saving Private Ryan" cause they knew it far too well.As far as the scope of the movie, one must realize the depth of the operation the movie tried to overview. To do that, the movie had to be long. To give each component of that massive scope a human element, yet provide insight into what it was like for the individuals involved, the movie had to be long and it had to involve numerous subplots to even come close to being representative.And, here we are 73 years on from the actual event the movie portrays and this great flick STILL draws a great following. I'd say all of that makes it a 10/10.

A film about just one day, but an important day. The film gives sometimes brilliant, sometimes anecdotal accounts of the 6th of June 1944.Thanks to the personal focuses, involving many personal stories, forgotten details, important decisions, and many other insights, the film manages to fascinate.The film is epic in its scale, with a lot of scenes in which many resources were invested. It is not epic in the sense of heroism, and that's a good thing. All levels of command are portrayed, each one with their own tough decisions to be made.Another bonus is the absence of moral judgment, thanks to the often-lacking German points of view in WWII films. The inclusion of the French resistance is also noteworthy.Acting is great, and history-lovers will have a great evening watching this film. I wish I could say this was the day that decided WWII, but I'd rather refer to the more recent film 'The Imitation Game'.

The epic war movie to end all epic war movies, The Longest Day is producer Darryl F. Zanuck's salute to those involved in the Invasion of Normandy. It's a riveting film that recreates the events leading up to D-Day for the Americans, the British, the French, and the Germans. It's told in great detail with more historical accuracy than is usual for a movie based on real people and events (then or now). It helps that it was filmed on location in many of the real places and used military consultants, both Allied and Axis, who had actually been involved in D-Day. The cast features many big names such as John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, and so many others it'd take the whole review just to list them. I can honestly say that, despite the huge cast, every actor involved does solid work. No one was phoning it in or hamming it up in this one. The special effects and beautiful black & white cinematography both deservedly won Oscars. It's a remarkable film that holds up very well after all these years and stands as the premier war movie of its kind. One of the last great WWII movies made by people who lived through it, the greatest generation.