 |   Format : Black & White, Widescreen, NTSC Publisher : 20th Century Fox Company : TCFHE List Price: Our Price: $11.15 You Save: $8.83 (45%) Used Price : $7.98 |
Description
This special collector's commemorative edition has been issued in honor of the June 6, 1944 Allied invasion of France, which marked the beginning of the end of Nazi domination over Europe. The attack involved 3,000,000 men, 11,000 planes and 4,000 ships, comprising the largest armada the world has ever seen.The Longest Day is a vivid, hour-by-hour recreation of this historic event. Featuring a stellar international cast, and told from the perspectives of both sides, it is a fascinating look at the massive preparations, mistakes, and random events that determined the outcome of one of the biggest battles in history. Winner of two 1962 Oscars® (Special Effects and Cinematography), The Longest Day ranks as one of Hollywood's truly great war films.
Amazon.com
The Longest Day is Hollywood's definitive D-day movie. More modern accounts such as Saving Private Ryan are more vividly realistic, but producer Darryl F. Zanuck's epic 1962 account is the only one to attempt the daunting task of covering that fateful day from all perspectives. From the German high command and front-line officers to the French Resistance and all the key Allied participants, the screenplay by Cornelius Ryan, based on his own authoritative book, is as factually accurate as possible. The endless parade of stars (John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, and Richard Burton, to name a few) makes for an uneasy mix of verisimilitude and Hollywood star-power, however, and the film falls a little flat for too much of its three-hour running time. But the set-piece battles are still spectacular, and if the landings on Omaha Beach lack the graphic gore of Private Ryan they nonetheless show the sheer scale and audacity of the invasion. --Mark WalkerSimilarProduct
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Customer reviews
Buy for the bonus disc, but... non-HDTV owners, Don't give up the 2000 version!!!! 
by .. Glenn M. Schoditsch (Richmond, Virginia USA)
Here we have the consummate of all war movies of the D-Day invasion of Normandy in WWII in a 2-disc release.
Disk 2 bonus features include - A Day To Remember; Longest Day: A Salute to Courage; Backstory - The Longest Day; D-Day Revisted; Richard Zannuck on The Longest Day and a Still Gallery, all well worth owning this release.
However, in 2000 when FOX released a new digital but non-anamorphic transfer, they wisely placed the German and French subtitles in the lower "black bar" area left vacant due to the letterbox format, making for a very pleasant viewing experience. In this release the subtitles are restored back onto the main body of the film. As the text is white and the film being B&W, this makes for a very fatiguing 3 hours of viewing. Sometimes the text just disappears in the white portions of the film.
***Mini update! As someone politely pointed out, with newer HI-DEF 16 x 9 widescreen TV's, the subtitle text would disappear with the non-anamorphic 2000 version. As HDTV has superb color and grayscale resolution, this is probably a moot point. As I and many are still waiting for HDTV prices to come down & the technology to go up, it may be advantageous to own both sets.
Otherwise a great movie portraying a fairly realistic look at that fateful day of June 6, 1944. Filmed appropriately in Black & White with complementing WWII stock footage. This is a film for the whole family as it truly does represent the carnage of war without the blood and gore that can disturb some viewers (like myself).
The story of D-Day, the invasion of Hitler's Fortress Europe, June 6, 1944, by .. Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota)
The first time I saw "The Longest Day" in a movie theater they got a couple of the reels mixed up. The only way I knew this was that every time a major figure shows up in the film we are told their name, rank and unit. This mistake did not hurt the film all that much because this sprawling story of the D-Day invasion sixty years ago today was so huge and complex that it had four directors: Ken Annakin (British scenes), Andrew Marton (American scenes) Bernhard Wicki (German scenes), and the uncredited Darryl F. Zanuck. Granted, the realism of the opening scenes of "Saving Private Ryan" make the storming of Omaha Beach in this 1962 film look like a walk on the beach in comparison, but "The Longest Day" remains along with "Battleground" one of the most realistic portrayals of what it was like for the infantry in World War II from what we will know have to call the old school Hollywood and which ended with "A Bridge Too Far" in 1977.
Based on Cornelius Ryan's celebrated book of the same title, "The Longest Day" is almost three hours long and has one of the largest all star casts every assembled (42 international stars according to the poster), albeit with big names like John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchem, Richard Burton, and Rod Steiger playing supporting roles because, to tell the truth, there is nothing else to play in this film. If you are telling the story of D-Day, no single figure is going to emerge as the star, which is the point (Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, played by an uncredited Henry Grace, has one scene). Sean Connery was about to become famous as James Bond in "Dr. No," and familiar faces include Red Buttons, Curt Jürgens, Edmond O'Brien, Kenneth More, Robert Ryan, Robert Wagner, Eddie Albert, Roddy McDowell, Peter Lawford, George Segal, Gert Fröbe, and Jeffrey Hunter. The idea of throwing in teen idols like Paul Anka, Fabian, Sal Mineo and Tommy Sands makes sense because a generation earlier they would have been storming the beaches of Normandy. However, you might have a hard time picking up the likes of Richard Dawson and Bernard Fox in the crowd. Several minor players in the film were involved in D-Day, and the piper playing as Lord Lovat's commandos storm ashore is the man himself, Bill Millin. The key thing is that the story being told is so big that it gobbles up all the stars.
The film shows events on both sides of the English Channel both before and during D-Day. On the side of the Allies there is the bad weather, troops tired from being on constant alert for several days, and the sheer size and importance of what is about to happen. Meanwhile the Germans are confident the Allies will attack at Calais and certainly wait for better weather, which explains why the key commanders are away from the front. One of the strengths of this film is that it also tells the story from the German's side. Not only do we get necessary exposition and explication concerning German troop movements before and during June 6, 1944, but there is also the human element of Maj. Werner Pluskat (Hans Christian Blech), the guy sitting on the Atlantic Wall who looks out one morning and suddenly sees the Allied invasion fleet when the fog lifts and we hear the "da da da daaah" of Beethoven's 5th (it is also Morse Code for "V," used to denote "Victory" by the Allies). It is Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (Werner Hinz) himself who calls the coming battle "the longest day." There are also the efforts of the French Resistance ("Wounds my heart with a monotonous languor") and French troops in helping to free their own country as well as the British efforts, so this is not just the Americans versus the Germans.
There are several sequences that stand out, most notably the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne landing directly into Ste. Mère-Eglise and being butchered by German troops. The shots of a a terrified and helpless Red Buttons stuck on a church steeple are probably the most memorable in the film, as is the reaction of John Wayne's colonel when he sees the carnage and orders the bodies be cut down. The assault on the cliffs at Omaha also stands out, with Mitchem sending a series of men off to their deaths trying to blow a hole open to get the troops off the beach. Again, there is not the bloody carnage of Spielerg's "Saving Private Ryan," but the scene still retains an emotional power even by contemporary war movie standards.
"The Longest Day" was the most expensive black & white film ever made until "Schindler's List" in 1993 and in both instances not using color works; after all, our "memory" of World War II is based on black & white images. The DVD has some solid extras, with "Hollywood Backstory: The Longest Day" providing a 25-minute documentary on the making of the film, focusing primarily on Zanuck and a 50-minute documentary on "D-Day Revisited," while offers the rather strange sight of Zanuck telling strangers about D-Day and providing historical commentary mixed with clips from the film. In addition to the trailer for "The Longest Day" you get those for "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (certainly a comparable film), "Patton," and "The Thin Red Line."
Certainly "The Longest Day" is one of the best World War II films, even if we now have to talk about it as representing the old school of that genre. At some point, given the success of "Saving Private Ryan" and the early chapters of "Band of Brothers," I would expect that someone is going to again try and do the macro view of D-Day. But clearly the next time around it is going to take a mini-series or limited series format to come up with something grander than this 1962 film.
One of the Best WWII Movies Ever by .. Paul Wilson (Modesto, CA United States)
The Longest Day has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it as a kid in the late 70's. It led me into an interest in the Invasion of Normandy. Since then I have read a dozen books on the subject including Ryan's book The Longest Day as well as Ambrose's D-Day: The Sixth of June. This movie is a far superior "historical document" than Saving Private Ryan. Although I agree that comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges I still can't help doing it. TLD is an ensemble cast movie that seeks to teach the viewer about D-Day itself. The actors play real people (generals mostly) who have an impact on the battle. SPR is concerned with a fictional group of rangers looking for an equally fictional Private Ryan. There isn't much history to be gleaned from that movie. While I admit that SPR presents a more grusomely bloody (and accurate) view of the battle on the Normany beaches themselves, it is not concerned with telling the story of D-Day. I have a feeling that the majority of the people who saw SPR in theaters were unfamiliar with the historical events surrounding this great battle. It is unlikely that their knowledge of D-Day was increased as a result of seeing SPR. If you have seen SPR but not TLD, do yourself a favor and watch TLD. It will at least give you context for what you saw in Spielberg's movie.
The Longest Day is epic storytelling at its best. If SPR has a cast of dozens, TLD has a cast of thousands. In addition, the movie is very accurate as far as Hollywood movies go. I should also mention that TLD has excellent acting, cinematography, and directing. Do yourself a favor and watch this one in a letterbox presentation.
Which is the better movie? I personally believe The Longest Day to be better although Saving Private Ryan is still good in its own right.
Other great epic war movies with ensemble casts that attempt to present the historical "big picture" include Tora! Tora! Tora!, A Bridge Too Far, and Gettysburg. The Longest Day is my favorite although Gettysburg presents strong competition. Great biopic epics include Patton and Lawrence of Arabia.
Perhaps the ultimate movie would be a version of The Longest Day with Saving Private Ryan's gory realism. Sadly, such a movie will probably never be made. Still, The Longest Day stands on its own just fine without it.
John Has A Long Moustache by .. ()
This is truly the best war movie of all time. Nothing compares, and nothing ever will. This excellent film shows the entire D-Day invasion, from all sides. This movie shows everything. ALL the beaches are covered, as well as 'lesser known' but equally important battles like the landing on Pointe Du Hoc, the battle at the Orne River Bridge (Pegasus Bridge), and a lot about the paratroops that landed. Who needs gory violence. Most people don't know anything about D-Day but after watching something like Saving Private Ryan they'll think D-Day was a bunch of soldiers getting blown apart on a beach. Unlike SPR, this movie shows, in detail, all the events from the commanders' point of view. Very good adaption of the Cornelius Ryan book. If your someone who has just watched Saving Private Ryan, and wants to know what the hell D-Day was really all about, than watch this. Very educational.
Best D-Day movie (Even better than Saving Private Ryan) by .. (Rancho Cucamonga, CA USA)
If The Longest Day isn't the best depiction of D-Day, at least it is the most comprehensive. It shows not just the landings on Omaha, Utah, Gold, Sword and Juno beaches, but also the airborne landings made by the 82 and 101 Airborne Divisions, Glider assualts, The participation of the french underground and the actions of the german forces. It has great cinematography (Which is probably why it won an oscar for Black & White Cinematography). The musical score (Especially the theme played during the credits) is very good. It is also very accurate. For example, if you think the people depicted in the movie aren't real, Most of them were interviewed for the book by Cornelius Ryan and, if you look at the end credits, you will see some served as technical advisors It is also nice that people speak their native language, not just all English. Besides, subtitles are better than dubbing.
But it is in the action and acting departments that TLD succeeds. Sure you can tell that the AA Gunfire used against the planes are just pyrotechnics and that the planes themselves are models, but the action scenes for the D-Day landings and for the combat that takes place in the towns between French and German forces is spectacular. As for stars, a total of 42 of them make appearances, if only briefly. They include John Wayne, a colonel in the 82nd Airborne who fights despite a broken ankle, Henry Fonda as General Theodore Roosevelt Junior, Richard Burton as an RAF officer, Robert Mitchum as General Norman Cota, Red Buttons as the private who gets caught up on a Church during an air drop, Robert Wagner as an Army Ranger and Sean Connery as french Private Flanagan. Some complain about The Longest Day's lack of bloody violence and how it does not show how awful D-Day was. This movie came out in 1962. At this time, censors were not so leant on movies like they are today. Also, it was felt that audiences would not want to see violence similar to what happened on D-Day. And it was not yet possible to recreate that kind of gore (Unless you really had the actors get killed).
Thus, The Longest Day does not show the horror of D-Day but instead shows how D-Day happened and the blunders made by both sides. Saving Private Ryan shows the horror of D-Day but not how it happened and none of the planning that went into it. So If I were to choose, I would take the epicness of The Longest Day.