Longest Day, the: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Eddie Albert, Paul Anka, Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Richard Beymer, Hans Christian Blech, Bourvil, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, Darryl F. Zanuck, Ken Annakin, Cornelius Ryan, David Pursall, Jack Seddon, James Jones: Amazon.ca: Video

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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 Walker

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Customer Reviews

65 Reviews

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (65 customer reviews)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Canada's Participation Almost Completely Ignored, July 23 2003

By

Allan W. Goodall (Monroe, LA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Longest Day (DVD)

Yes, this is one of the finest war movies ever made. However, I have to shake my head at those who talk of the film's accuracy when the Canadian participation is almost completely ignored. Virtually no mention is made of Juno beach. The film certainly doesn't mention that Juno was the second bloodiest Normandy beach, behind only Omaha. In spite of that, the Canadians succeeded at their objectives better than any of the other participants in the landings. Stephen Ambrose dedicates a chapter of his book _D-Day_ to the Canadians. Surely this film could have at least _mentioned_ them.

A complete view of D-Day, showing participation by all forces, is long overdue. This film comes close, but it is still short of the mark.

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars for being a great film, 1 Star for accuracy, Jun 1 2004

By

Andrew Dobrenis (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Longest Day (Widescreen) (DVD)

There has been so much written here that I won't go into details. Suffice it to say that this is a great war movie illustrating the logistical nightmare that D-Day was. BUT, overlooking the third key allied participant, Canada, who had their own seperate beachhead cannot be forgiven. Considering how long this film is, surely something could have been worked in on behalf of a country who was in the war from the start, and whose efforts at Dieppe (in northern France) helped provide valuable lessons that Allied commanders used in preparing for D-Day. 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed on Juno beach that day, along with 450 who parachuted in the previous evening. The Canadian navy was there as well including 10,000 sailors. Surely some mention of all this could have been made!

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5.0 out of 5 stars wartime classic, Mar 1 2012

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malachy54 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Longest Day (DVD)

Highlights the most dramatic events of these crucial 24 hours with the correct blend of reality, propaganda, and human frailties.

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