The Longest Day (1962)

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

Directors:

Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton

Writers:

Cornelius Ryan (screenplay), Cornelius Ryan (book)

Stars:

John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Richard Burton

Won 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 6 nominations.

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	...	Pvt. Dutch Schultz
Hans Christian Blech	...	Maj. Werner Pluskat
Bourvil	...	Mayor of Colleville
Richard Burton	...	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

Storyline

Tells the story of the D-Day invasion of Normandy in WWII. There are dozens of characters, some seen only briefly, who together weave the story of five separate invasion points that made up the operation.

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Plot Keywords:

world war two | invasion | d day | normandy | allies | 

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Taglines:

42 STARS IN THE LONGEST DAY

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

4 October 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

El día más largo del siglo

Filming Locations:

Bénouville, Calvados, France

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$39,100,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$50,100,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Darryl F. Zanuck Productions,Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

178 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The highest-grossing black-and-white film until Schindler's List (1993).

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Goofs

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.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

There is a 20-second overture on a black screen, no 20th Century Fox logo (in spite of this being one of their most expensive productions), and a six-minute cold open before the title is displayed. Apart from the title, there are no credits at the beginning of the film. All cast and crew credits are at the end of the film.

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Connections

Referenced in The Fosters: The Longest Day (2014)

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Soundtracks

Don't Fence Me In
(uncredited)
Music by Cole Porter
Played on the radio when Gen. Cota is introduced

User Reviews

An Unforgettable Overview of an Epic Battle!

'The Longest Day' is perhaps the greatest dramatic record of one of the defining moments in world history. After the intimacy of 'Saving Private Ryan', many critics have accused it of being a 'sanitized' version of the Normandy Invasion, but it is a different kind of film, entirely! While Steven Speilberg's aim was to personalize the horror facing the first wave of troops to hit the beach, Producer Darryl F. Zanuck, a D-Day vet, himself, wanted to create a mosaic of the myriad of personalities, events, and experiences that shaped the day. It is a film that looks objectively at all the forces who fought this epic battle, wisely casting major stars of each country to portray actual and fictitious characters. This was a bold move at the time, as subtitles are used extensively, giving the film has a uniquely international flavor. This is not your usual war film with 'American actors doing funny accents'!

There are many standout performances; a few that deserve particular recognition are Richard Burton's war-weary RAF pilot, the last survivor of his original squadron; Dietmar Schönherr as one of the few remaining Luftwaffe pilots, faced with the impossible order of stopping the invasion with two airplanes; Jeffrey Hunter, a young sergeant who is 'Dear John'ed and faces the horrendous Omaha landing; a pre-James Bond Sean Connery as a cocky Irish infantryman; Red Buttons, as a paratrooper whose chute snags on a church tower, and is forced to view the carnage as Germans annihilate jumpers dropping into a French town square; and John Wayne (himself a war film icon), as Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Vandervoort, the Airborne commander, who impatiently waits for the 'Go' order, then breaks his ankle jumping into Normandy.

Filled with drama, humor, and pathos, 'The Longest Day' works on many levels, and is never dull! Over forty years after its initial release, it's semi-documentary style still seems as fresh and engrossing as ever, and works equally well viewed by itself, or paired with 'Saving Private Ryan'.

It should be an essential part of your film library!