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Overview
User Rating:
Directors:
Writers:
Cornelius Ryan (screenplay)
Cornelius Ryan (book)
more
Release Date:
4 October 1962 (USA) more
Tagline:
42 STARS IN THE LONGEST DAY more
Plot:
The events of D-Day, told on a grand scale from both the Allied and German points of view. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(13 articles)
Veteran’s Day: Movies Veterans Love
(From Screen Rant. 11 November 2009, 3:45 AM, PST)
Interview: Director John Woo on His ‘Red Cliff’ Premiere at the 2009 Chicago International Film Festival
(From HollywoodChicago.com. 13 October 2009, 3:55 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
The last good WW2 film made by people "who were there" more (155 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
178 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
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:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
During the filming of the landings at Omaha Beach, the American soldiers appearing as extras didn't want to jump off the landing craft into the water because they thought it would be too cold. Robert Mitchum, who played General Norm Cota, finally got disgusted with them and jumped in first, at which point the soldiers had no choice but to follow his example. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: When the ships are about to begin bombarding the beaches you see a group of planes fly by the camera these are Douglas Sky Raiders which did not see service until the late 1940s. more
Quotes:
Brigadier General Norman Cota: I don't have to tell you the story. You all know it. Only two kinds of people are gonna stay on this beach: those that are already dead and those that are gonna die. Now get off your butts. You guys are the Fighting 29th. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Home Improvement: The Longest Day (#5.22)" (1996) more
Soundtrack:
Lambeth Walk more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (155 total)
Message Boards
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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.