# Longest Day, The (1962)

### reviewed by
Brian Koller

    The Longest Day (1962)

    Grade: 82

Although Vietnam War movies have been more popular since the late 1970s, for three decades it seemed that the stream of World War II movies from Hollywood would never run dry. These films were very different from their later, more disillusioned counterparts: the U.S. were the good guys, fighting the evil Nazis and despotic Japanese.

The films about WWII began even as the war was still in progress, as Hollywood promoted the war effort by portraying the simple G.I. as a hero, risking life and limb for American Liberty. This idealization succeeded because it was in fact correct: there was no war that justified American intervention more then WWII. While the theme of most war movies should be to condemn the useless slaughter, with WWII the themes of good versus evil actually seem valid.

"The Longest Day" was a mammoth project dramatizing D-day, the Allied invasion of France. It was nearly three hours in length and with an enormous ensemble cast, all playing supporting roles. The production was very conscientious about realism: the actors were always of the same nationality as their characters, and spoke in their native languages, leading to a lot of subtitles translating French and German dialogue. The American role in the invasion is not exaggerated, and the German soldiers and officers are not portrayed as brutal stereotypes.

The truth is, a great invasion makes for great drama, and with the attention to detail and production values of "The Longest Day", the film couldn't miss. Complaints that I have about the film are minor: strafing planes don't bother to make a second pass, it is implied that the Germans lost the war because unstable Hitler wouldn't release the Panzer tanks, and attempts at comic relief generally fall flat.

The cast is so enormous that it is difficult to remember who is what. But it is fun playing "name the actor": heavyweights John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Rod Steiger and Henry Fonda are easily spotted, as are middleweights such as Eddie Albert, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowell, Peter Lawford, George Segal and Jeffrey Hunter. For some reason, a number of U.S. pop singers and teen idols were cast: Paul Anka, Fabian, Tommy Sands, and Sal Mineo.

John Wayne and Henry Fonda would later have key roles in bloated war movies that were not successful, ("The Green Berets" and "Midway" respectively) demonstrating that the drama of war does not always come across on film.

kollers@shell.mpsi.net http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html

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