The Longest Day (1962)

VHS CASE/SIDE

Length of film: 178 Minutes

Rated: PG

Genre: Action, History, Drama

Director: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Gerd Oswald, Bernhard Wicki, Darryl F. Zanuck

Starring: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda, Eddie Albert, Paul Anka, Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Sean Connery

IMDB Rank: 7.7 /10

Part 1 Time: 108 Minutes

Part 2 Time:  70 Minutes

Where does the first part end? Col. Josef ‘Pips’ Priller (Heinz Reincke) and Sgt. Bernhard Bergsdorf (Hartmut Reck) are given commands over the phone from Gen. Hans von Salmuth (Ernst Schröder), who is ordering them to fly the two Luftwaffe planes to Normandy.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: “Nobody else left, I don’t think we’re coming back,” Col. Josef ‘Pips’ Priller responds to Sgt. Bernhard Bergsdorf.

First line of dialogue on the second part: The subtitle ‘Omaha Beach 06:32 hours’ is displayed on the screen. The first line of dialogue is stated a minute later with an unidentified Allied officer shouting “Move out! Second boat! move out! Keep moving!

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Minimal/ Somewhat, it is now the early hours of the morning the Allies begin to storm the beaches of Normandy. The Germans seem to be unprepared for the attack as much of their heavy artillery and the Luftwaffe are not ready to defend the area.

Which part is better? Shot in docudrama style the film shows the major events of the June 6, 1945 Normandy landings. The first part opens in the days leading up to D-Day showing both the preparation of allies (United States, Great Britain, French Resistance) and the lack thereof of the Germans. Here the allies send in airborne troops in the night to take key locations prior to the Normandy landings. Part two, provides non-stop action as the Normandy landings take place showing the five beach battles (Utah, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword). Part two is given the advantage as it not only shows the horrors of war, but also the battle that significantly turned the tide of the war into the allies favour.

Academy Awards: 1963- Best Cinematography Black and White (Winner), Best Visual Effects- Special Effects (Winner), Best Picture (Nominated), Best Film Editing (Nominated), Best Art Direction- Set Decoration Black and White (Nominated)

Other Awards: 1963 Golden Globes- Best Cinematography Black and White (Winner), Best Drama Picture (Nominated)