The Longest Day
"Send them to hell", said John Wayne, as Colonel Benjamin Vanderboort, and so begins the day that brought an end to WW2.
And what better day to watch this star-studded film about the D-Day Landings than on the 60th Anniversary of that day? It is far more interesting than the dull news offerings 'recreating' that day, though I agree they have their place, lest we
"Send them to hell", said John Wayne, as Colonel Benjamin Vanderboort, and so begins the day that brought an end to WW2.
And what better day to watch this star-studded film about the D-Day Landings than on the 60th Anniversary of that day? It is far more interesting than the dull news offerings 'recreating' that day, though I agree they have their place, lest we forget. You know the story. Allied forces land on the Normandy beaches, therefore 'beginning the end'of WW2.
Filmed in B&W, giving it an authentic feel, the film painstakenly recreates the 'longest day' leading up to the D-Day landings on 6th June 1944. Major stars take what are essentially bit-part roles, each representing a 'type' of soldier, sailor or airmen who took part on that courageous day. We have American machismo in the bodies of John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, sheer British pluck represented by Richard Todd, Richard Burton and Sean Connery (with possibly the worst Irish accent ever), French determination (no big names that I know of), and German ineptitude - apart from the ever excellent Curt Jurgens who does his usual turn as the sensible German officer trying persuade his superiors to wake Hitler up and warn him of the impending invasion.
The characters are a little 'thin', with only a short time given to establishing their personalities, such as Richard Beymar (formerly Tony in West Side Story) as the gambling soldier who thinks his luck at craps means he's going to die during the invasion; or Richard Burton as the British air force officer who is the 'last of the few' - the men who won the Battle of Britain five years before D-Day took place, and is therefore awaiting his own demise. But the fact that the characters are thin allows director Darryl F Zanuck to emphasise that the D-Day landings weren't just the work of one or two men, or even just of one country, but the culmination of intense planning involving several different countries, forces and agencies.
Though in black and white, the film is clear, without the shadowing that mars many B&W films. There are subtitles in English for the hard of hearing, and these actually afforded my husband and I a laugh. As with most American made films, the Brits were either of the 'lor luv a duck' or 'I say old chap' type. It's my guess that the subtitlers were American, as when one lower classed Brit says 'Stone the crows', it comes up on the subtitles as 'stuff a grouse' (which is of course, a well known English phrase ... not).
There is much to enjoy in this film. The tribute to the men who really did land in Normandy, the great attention to detail, and the chance to star spot.
Extras include;
8 Reproductions of the original Lobby Cards
12 Page Commemorative Booklet
Collectible Senitype®: Exclusive Limited Edition image from movie with 35mm film frame.
Original US Cinema Reproduction Poster (One Sheet) - In-pack offer
DVD Disc 1 Content:
The Longest Day Feature
DVD Disc 2 Contents:
'Hollywood Backstories - The Longest Day' Documentary (25 mins)
'D-Day Revisited' - Documentary (52 mins)
Finally, because this is such an epic film, full of stars of the past and present, it would be remiss not to list them here, since they are what makes this film:
Eddie Albert .... Col. Thompson
Paul Anka .... U.S. Army Ranger
Arletty .... Madame Barrault
Jean-Louis Barrault .... Father Louis Roulland
Richard Beymer .... Pvt. Dutch Schultz
Hans Christian Blech .... Maj. Werner Pluskat
Bourvil .... Mayor of Colleville
Richard Burton .... RAF Flying 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
Fabian .... U.S. Army Ranger
Mel Ferrer .... Maj. Gen. Robert Haines
Henry Fonda .... Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
Steve Forrest .... Capt. Harding
Gert Fröbe .... Sgt. Kaffekanne
Leo Genn .... Brig. Gen. Edwin P. Parker Jr.
John Gregson .... British Padre
Paul Hartmann .... Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt
Peter Helm .... Young GI
Werner Hinz .... Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Donald Houston .... RAF pilot at flight base
Jeffrey Hunter .... Sgt. (later Lt.) John H. Fuller (as Jeff Hunter)
Curd Jürgens .... Maj. Gen. Gunther Blumentritt (as Curt Jürgens)
Alexander Knox .... Maj. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith
Peter Lawford .... Lord Lovat
Fernand Ledoux .... Louis
Christian Marquand .... Cmdr. Philippe Kieffer (commando leader)
Dewey Martin .... Pvt. Wilder
Roddy McDowall .... Pvt. Morris
Michael Medwin .... Pvt. Watney
Sal Mineo .... Pvt. Martini
Robert Mitchum .... Brig. Gen. Norman Cota
Kenneth More .... Capt. Colin Maud
Richard Münch .... Gen. Erich Marcks
Edmond O'Brien .... Gen. Raymond D. Barton
Leslie Phillips .... Royal Air Force officer
Wolfgang Preiss .... Maj. Gen. Max Pemsel
Ron Randell .... Joe Williams
Madeleine Renaud .... Mother Superior
Georges Rivière .... Sgt. Guy de Montlaur (as Georges Riviere)
Norman Rossington .... Pvt. Clough (double act with Sean Connery)
Robert Ryan .... Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin
Tommy Sands .... U.S. Army Ranger
George Segal .... Commando #1 up cliff
Jean Servais .... RAdm. Janjard
Rod Steiger .... Destroyer commander
Richard Todd .... Maj. John Howard
Tom Tryon .... Lt. Wilson
Peter van Eyck .... Lt. Col. Ocker
Robert Wagner .... U.S. Army Ranger
Richard Wattis .... British soldier
Stuart Whitman .... Lt. Sheen
Georges Wilson .... Alexandre Renaud
John Wayne .... Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort
This page has been read:
2957
times