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The Longest Day is a 3-hour-long 1962 war film with a very large cast, based on the 1959 book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, during World War II.
Background
The movie was adapted by Romain Gary, James Jones, David Pursall, Cornelius Ryan and Jack Seddon from the Ryan book. It was directed by Ken Annakin (British exteriors), Andrew Marton (American exteriors), Gerd Oswald (parachute drop scene), Bernhard Wicki (German scenes) and Darryl F. Zanuck (uncredited).
Many of the military consultants and advisors who helped with the film's production were actual participants in the action on D-Day, and are portrayed in the film. The producers drew them from both sides. Among them are Günther Blumentritt (a former German general), James M. Gavin (an American general), Philippe Kieffer (who led his men in the assault on Ouistreham), Max Pemsel (a German general), Werner Pluskat (the major who was the first German officer to see the invasion fleet), and Josef "Pips" Priller (the hot-headed pilot).
One thing that sets the film apart from most films set in the Second World War is that all characters speak in their own languages, with subtitles in English wherever the characters speak either French or German. The usual Nazi stereotypes are avoided, and most German characters are portrayed as human beings. The words "Sieg, heil!", for instance, are not uttered even once in The Longest Day, although they are seen written on a bunker wall in Ouistreham.
Cast and roles include
Awards
It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White and Best Effects, Special Effects, and was nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Film Editing and Best Picture.
Theme lyrics
Lyric of the theme from the film, the Longest Day written by Paul Anka:
- Many men came here as soldiers
- Many men will pass the way
- Many men will count the hours
- As they live the longest day
- Many men are tired and weary
- Many men are here to stay
- Many men won't see the sunset
- When it ends the longest day
- The longest day the longest day
- This will be the longest day
- Filled with hopes and filled with fears
- Filled with blood and sweat and tears
- Many men the mighty thousands
- Many men to victory
- Marching on right into battle
- In the longest day in history
The music is also the authorized march of Le Régiment de la Chaudière, the Canadian Parachute Centre, and the former Canadian Airborne Regiment of the Canadian Forces.
Trivia
- Sergeant Kaffeekanne's last name is from the German for "coffee pot", which he always carries.
- Bill Millin, the piper who accompanies Lord Lovat to Normandy with his bagpipes, played himself in the film.
- In Sainte-Mère-Église, Private John Steele from the 82nd Airborne (played by Red Buttons) has been memorialized by the local population with a dummy hanging from a parachute from the church tower on which he accidentally landed.
- Richard Todd, who plays the leader of the British Airborne unit that lands at Pegasus Bridge, took part in the real bridge assault on D-Day.
- Curd Jürgens, who plays the German General Blumentritt who muses on the incompetence of his superiors, was actually imprisoned by the Nazis in his youth.
- As well as featuring 007 himself (Sean Connery), this film boasts two James Bond villains: Curd Jürgens played the lunatic industrialist Stromberg in "The Spy Who Loved Me" while Gert Fröbe played Auric Goldfinger in "Goldfinger".
- Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was considered for the role of himself in the film, and he indicated his willingness. However, it was decided that makeup artists couldn't make him appear young enough to play his WWII self.
- 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.
- The role of Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin H. Vandervoort was actively sought by Charlton Heston but the last-minute decision of John Wayne to take a role in the film prevented Heston from participating.
- The footage used to depict the Allied invasion force shows Douglas AD Skyraider attack planes flying over the ships. However, the Skyraider did not begin flight testing until 1945.
- The Rupert paradummies used in the film were far more elaborate and lifelike than those actually used for the decoy parachute drop (Operation Titanic) which were actually just canvass or burlap sacks filled with sand. In the real operation six Special Air Service soldiers jumped with the dummies and played recordings of loud battle noises to distract the Germans.
- Acclaimed British actor Christopher Lee auditioned for a role but was turned down as he did not look like a military man. However, he served in the RAF during World War II.
- At $10,000,000, this film was the most expensive black-and-white film made until 1993, when Schindler's List was released. (Source: Turner Classic Movies).
See also
External link
1962 films | World War II films | Best Picture Academy Award nominees | Military marches
El dia més llarg | Der längste Tag | Le Jour le plus long | 지상 최대의 작전 | Il giorno più lungo | היום הארוך ביותר | A leghosszabb nap | The Longest Day | 史上最大の作戦 | Самый длинный день (фильм) | Atlantin valli murtuu | Den längsta dagen (film)
"The Longest Day (film)"