MY DVD Collection - 09 Feb 2007

(Der längste Tag [de])

USA 1962
d: Ken Annakin (British exterior episodes), Andrew Marton (American exterior episodes), Bernhard Wicki (German episodes), Gerd Oswald, Darryl F. Zanuck (uncredited)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Region 0 de)

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Three main directors (plus Darryl Zanuck and Gerd Oswald filling in), five writers (including Romain Gary and James Jones), a block-buster source novel by Cornelius Ryan, and one of the biggest all-star casts of all time (many of them with damn all to do) make this one of the last true war epics. High on noise, spectacle and heroism as the Allies invade Normandy, generally strong on performances and humour, but still over-long and laden with the usual national stereotypes.
— GA, Time Out Film Guide
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One of the most ambitious war films ever undertaken, this star-studded depiction of the D-Day invasion was long the pet project of Fox Studios boss Darryl Zanuck, who spared no expense in bringing THE LONGEST DAY breathtaking scope and authenticity, going so far as to insist that the shooting be done only in weather conditions that matched those of the actual event. Based on Cornelius Ryan's compilation of interviews with D-Day survivors, the film is presented in three segments, the first detailing the Allied preparation for the invasion and the wait for the weather to break; the second re-creating the movement of the massive armada across the English Channel and the preliminary, behind-the-lines sallies of paratroops and glider-transported commandos; and the last depicting the assaults on the Normandy beaches. Intercut with the portrayal of the Allied side of the momentous invasion is the German (subtitled) response, including the report to headquarters of the first German officer to spot the armada: "Those thousands of ships you say the Allies don't have--well, they have them!" The work of three credited directors (reportedly, Zanuck helmed all the American and British interiors himself) and no less than eight cameramen, THE LONGEST DAY is visually stunning--its extraordinary camera movement and Cinemascope photography brilliantly augmenting the meticulously reenacted battle scenes. The only thing bigger than the film's scope are its stars, including John Wayne (who received $250,000 for four days' work) as Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort of the 82nd Paratroop Division; Henry Fonda as Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.; Robert Mitchum as Brig. Gen. Norman Cota, who finally moves his hard-pressed men off bloody Omaha Beach, where they are being slaughtered by German crossfire; Red Buttons as a paratrooper; Rod Steiger as the captain of one of the armada ships; Peter Lawford as the flamboyant commando leader Lord Lovat (who was present at the shoot); Richard Burton as a wounded pilot; and Curt Jurgens as German general Blumentritt. Made for $10 million, this magnificent film was the most expensive black-and-white production to its date.
— TV MovieGuide
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The driving force behind the blockbuster project was legendary producer Daryl F. Zanuck, who brought in three directors (Andrew Marton, Ken Annakin and Bernhard Wicki) and four crack French cinematographers (Henri Persin, Walter Wottitz, Pierre Levent and Jean Bourgoin) to tackle various segments of the production. (Although uncredited, Zanuck himself helmed some scenes shot in the U.S.) This team effort surely helped to lend each of the picture's primary venues (including gritty beachheads, opulent German headquarters, and war-torn French villages) their own distinct photographic style. Filmed at 31 separate locations, much of the film's action was staged on actual D-Day battlefields, including the beaches of Normandy and the seaside town of Ste. Mère Eglise. (It's reported that the production was so authentic that emotionally scarred locals threw stones at the unfortunate actors dressed in German uniforms.) More filming was done in Corsica, while stage work was completed at the Studio Boulogne in Paris. An army of extras was led into battle by a stellar array of Hollywood heroes, including John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Robert Ryan and Eddie Albert. Interestingly, some of the supporting players were real-life veterans of the Normandy invasion, including Lt. Richard Todd (who participated in the British 6th Airborne's glider assault on the Orne River Bridge) and Pvt. Joseph Lowe (who landed on Omaha Beach with the 5th Ranger Battalion and heroically scaled the treacherous hundred-foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc).
— Cinematographer magazine, August 1998