The Longest Day

This is an old fashion war movie. It looks at the invasion of Normandy from the build up to the events of D-day. It's got big stars, big scale and some big action. It was a big hit despite some discrepancies. It's a Hollywood extravaganza, not a documentary. They got John Wayne to put the big name on the headline. But they also got pre-Bond Sean Connery. The German side of the story is also well represented. The action is big. Without CG, the grand scale on the beach of the actual day is more hinted at than actually achieved on the screen. For example 'Saving Private Ryan' provides a much more visceral experience for the landing. The attack on the casino in Ouistreham looks great. Who can forget the nuns? It's really a triumph of old school filmmaking. As a complete D-day extravaganza, there really isn't a rival. It's been exceed on the actual landing depiction. And there are some notable historical errors. However it is still a landmark movie in Hollywood history.

True, the first half an hour of Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" is truly mesmerizing but then it degenerates into a soap opera of sorts and all the angst and horror of war evaporates until the truly sentimental finale. "The Longest Day" doesn't depend on special effects but on the minute by minute horror of its moment. It's also, if I'm permitted to say it, a lot of fun to watch. Strangely enough the all star cast is not distracting at all. It was much more in "Saving Private Ryan" with a cast of up and comings headed by Tom Hanks himself. In "The Longest Day" there are real moments, film, cinematic moments that are intimately connected with the profoundest sense of drama: The clicking of the rifle. Richard Burton, Richard Beymer and the boots of the dead German. Red Buttons hanging from the Cathedral. Paul Anka, Fabian, Robert Wagner, the landing in Normandy. This film remains one of the best, from every angle, films of its kind.