Ike: Countdown to D-Day (2004)

A dramatization of the 90 days leading up to Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, and how General Dwight Eisenhower, against all odds, brilliantly orchestrated the most important military maneuver in modern history.

Director:

Robert Harmon

Writer:

Lionel Chetwynd

Stars:

Tom Selleck, James Remar, Timothy Bottoms

Nominated for 6 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Selleck	...	Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
James Remar	...	Gen. Omar Bradley
Timothy Bottoms	...	Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith
Ian Mune	...	Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Bruce Phillips	...	Gen. Bernard Law Montgomery
John Bach	...	Air Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Nick Blake	...	Air Marshal Arthur W. Tedder
Kevin J. Wilson	...	RAdm. Bert Ramsay
Gerald McRaney	...	Gen. George S. Patton
Christopher James Baker	...	Group Cpt. Major James Stagg (as Christopher Baker)
George Shevtsov	...	General Charles DeGaulle
Gregor McLennan	...	Captain Chapman
Paul Gittins	...	Major General Henry Miller
Bruce Hopkins	...	U.S. Colonel at Savoy
Catherine Boniface	...	Woman at Savoy

Storyline

This is the story of the senior-level preparations for the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 from the time of Dwight D. Eisenhower's appointment as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, to the establishment of the beachhead in Normandy. The film recounts many of the trials and tribulation Ike had to face, not the least of which were the many prima donnas surrounding him (Patton, Montgomery and especially de Gaulle) and the need for tact and diplomacy to bring all sides together for what would be the largest amphibious assault ever attempted.

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Plot Keywords:

invasion | operation overlord | general | allies | preparation | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is a rare occurrence in which both Tom Selleck and Gerald McRaney appear without their trademark mustaches, in order to play two well-known real-life historical figures who did not have mustaches.

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Goofs

When Churchill and Eisenhower are discussing the fake army in Norfolk Churchill says that there is nowhere in the UK more than 150 Miles from the sea. The correct figure is closer to 50 Miles.

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Quotes

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower: Of course Overlord did not fail. How could it? With so many fine young men and women from all corners of the earth, all determined to do their best to free a world gone half mad.

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Connections

Features Cover Girl (1944)

User Reviews

A Good Performance by Tom Selleck in a Tough Role

Dwight D. Eisenhower was the perfect choice for Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces that stormed French beaches on the one D-Day that indelibly evokes 6 June 1944. Having successfully commanded the forces that invaded North Africa and subsequently Sicily, Eisenhower was the right man at the right time, the indispensable molder of a coalition with perhaps too many headstrong generals and admirals. All these senior officers had combat command experience-Eisenhower never left the United States during World War I. He was a remarkably competent staff officer whose abilities were noted by, probably, the shrewdest judge of Army men in America, George Marshall. And Marshall elevated his protege from lieutenant colonel to General of the Army in a very short period.

The problem with portraying Eisenhower in the tense and confusing period before the actual invasion is that never-ending talk, not action - briefings, meetings, staff reports - were the basis for the Supreme Commander's decision to launch the invasion or postpone it. Weather issues were critical but The Weather Channel has much more excitement every night than that found in the calm, Scottish-accented reports RAF Group Captain Stagg, Eisenhower's meteorologist, delivered several times a day.

"Ike: Countdown to D-Day" has no battle sequences nor does it explore the emotional territory of the fighting men who would begin what Eisenhower termed "The Great Crusade," the title of his postwar bestselling memoir.

Tom Selleck, in an outstanding performance, captures the nuances of a general with high ideals and a simple but consummate love of his country. British generals and some American ones, including Patton, decried Eisenhower's lack of battlefield command experience and even his ability to grasp complex tactical situations. They were, to a certain degree, correct but what they missed was that his job was not to micro-manage combat but to hold together men of extreme temperaments and often mutual dislikes against the forces that might pull them apart and damage the coalition effort.

Selleck's Eisenhower is quiet, thoughtful and fully engaged in being an ALLIED leader and his gifts in that capacity are well reflected by this actor. Yes, some incidents are perhaps subject to challenge by the historically knowledgeable (including me) but in the main this is as accurate a movie dramatization of D-Day planning and decision-making as we're likely to get.

While Eisenhower's driver and confidant, Kay Summersby, an attractive Englishwoman in uniform, is present kudos go to the writers and director for not hyping up the film with an unnecessary romantic digression into the general's alleged extramarital affair with the winsome chauffeur.

This film might bore some but it's a fairly good capture of the tensions and issues preceding the issuance of one of the most momentous orders in the history of warfare: "Let's go!," Eisenhower simple command that translated years of preparation into a massive assault that presaged the liberation of Europe.

9/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ike: Thunder in June

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Airport, Ardmore, Auckland, New Zealand

Company Credits

Production Co:

A+E Networks, Lionel Chetwynd Productions, Stephanie Germain Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9