THE LONGEST DAY

THE LONGEST DAY is THE classic 1962 movie depicting the assault on Normandy on June 6, 1944 by American, British, French, and Canadian soldiers against the German military, with scenes switching back and forth between the German forces and the Allied forces. Based on the bestselling book by Cornelius Ryan and featuring an all-star cast, THE LONGEST DAY is a riveting, stirring war drama, a magnificent achievement and wonderful tribute to the Allied forces that landed in the countryside during the night and stormed the beaches that morning.

The movie opens on Sunday, June 4, in Occupied France. While a radio broadcasts coded messages to the French Resistance, German soldiers in a speeding jeep gun down a running man carrying a briefcase. The jeep jerks to a halt, a German officer jumps out and takes the briefcase from the dead man. He returns to the jeep, and the jeep speeds away.

Cut to a fat German soldier taking tins of coffee to German soldiers in bunkers guarding a beach. A man in a farmhouse scoffs at the fat man and the “Master Race.” In front of the nearby German headquarters, two Germans review their troops.

Cut again to a pretty Frenchwoman riding a bicycle and distracting some German soldiers away from a wagon carrying a load of hay hiding two downed Allied airman. In the French town of Sainte Mere-Eglise, German soldiers march two captured Resistance fighters to their execution while the Mayor watches. In the local chapel, the priest preaches that deliverance is coming.

Cut to Field Marshall Rommel complaining to some men that they’ve only placed four million mines and obstacles along the coast, but he wants six million such placements. When an officer says the men are exhausted already from setting up these mines and obstacles, Rommel replies, which would they rather be, exhausted or dead? Rommel ponders the coming Allied invasion, calling it a monster, “a coiled spring of men, ships and planes straining to be released.” Rommel says, when the invasion comes, he plans to stop them at the beaches. He predicts the first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive for both Germany and the Allies. “It will be the longest day, the longest day.”

Meanwhile, the Germans hear a message over the radio from the Allies to the Resistance. An officer says the message means that the Allied invasion is coming within 24 hours. He says when the second part of the message comes, it will mean the invasion has been launched.

However, back in England, a large rainstorm has hit. As a result, General Eisenhower has delayed the planned invasion for Monday, June 5. If the storm keeps up, the invasion may be delayed indefinitely. This doesn’t sit well with the officers leading the invasion forces and their men. They’re ready to go right now.

Among the first ones to go will be a parachute battalion from the 82nd Airborne, led by Lt. Colonel “Van” Vandervoort. Van has trained his men hard, because they’re assigned to parachute near Sainte Mere-Eglise, which sits on the main road into Normandy, a road that German reinforcements are sure to come. General John Gavin, the CO of the 82nd Airborne has given Van the job of leading the troops to take and hold Saine Mere-Eglise. However, if the paratrops land in the city, they’ll be like sitting ducks. If they land in a nearby swamp created by the Germans, they’ll never get to the town in time to stop any German reinforcements. Van wants to plan a better drop zone, but Gavin informs him that General Eisenhower has called a 9:30 meeting Monday night to decide whether to start the invasion around midnight. Van determines he and his men are ready now if Ike gives the word.

Sure enough, at the 9:30 meeting, the lead Allied meteorologist, Stagg, tells Eisenhower a brief lull in the storm is coming now. Though the conditions won’t be perfect, Eisenhower decides the invasion will start early Tuesday morning after midnight. Not only will Van’s team parachute toward Sainte Mere-Eglise, but a crack team of British troops flying quietly in gliders, led by Major John Howard, will also land in France to take and hold an important bridge the Allies must have to control Normandy.

The moment arrives. Colonel Van’s men parachute near Saint Mere-Eglise, but some of the men land in the town square and are cut to pieces and some of the men land too close to the swamp, five miles away from the town. However, Major Howard and his men fairly easily take the bridge, but now they must hold off German reinforcements trying to retake and destroy the bridge until the British forces from the beaches arrive the next morning to help.

The first landing on Normandy occurs at 6:32 on Omaha Beach. The movie shows other landings occurring, at Utah Beach, Sword Beach, Juno, and Pointe du Hoc, etc., until 7:11. However, as the invasion proceeds, the Allies are bogged down on Omaha Beach. If the soldiers can’t get off that beach, the invasion could collapse. Especially if the Germans bring in reinforcements, such as their Panzer tank divisions still waiting to get the go ahead from The Fuhrer.

THE LONGEST DAY is a riveting, stirring war drama with an all-star cast. John Wayne leads the cast as Lt. Col. Vandervoort. He takes advantage of his position by delivering some dramatic lines, including a heartbreaking line about dead paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne still hanging from trees and poles in the town square at Sainte Mere-Eglise. Robert Mitchum excels as Brigadier General Norman Cota, who leads his men to break through the German defensive lines at Omaha Beach in a long sequence that was also depicted in Steven Spielberg’s movie SAVING PRIVATE RYAN starring Tom Hanks and Tom Sizemore.

Other fine performances include Richard Todd as Major John Howard, Jeffrey Hunter as a soldier giving his life to break through the German lines at Omaha Beach, Robert Ryan as General Gavin, Peter Lawford as Lord Lavat, and Richard Burton and Richard Beymer as a wounded British pilot and a lost 82nd Airborne paratrooper sharing ironic moments at a farmhouse. The German cast playing high-ranking German officers is brilliant. Led by Curt Jürgens (aka Curt Jurgens in many Hollywood movies), the German standouts include Richard Münch, Wolfgang Preiss and Karl John, who add lots of personality to their scenes. Last but not least, Red Buttons and Sean Connery provide some comic relief. That said, Red Buttons is horrified as he helplessly watches his fellow paratroopers cut down by German soldiers.

THE LONGEST DAY is a magnificent achievement and wonderful tribute to the Allied forces that landed in the countryside during the night and stormed the beaches that morning. The movie is filled with thrilling, dramatic, fascinating, amusing, ironic, and tragic moments. There are multiple positive Christian references to God and faith, including a brief sermon by a French priest that deliverance is near. THE LONGEST DAY also has many uplifting, patriotic elements about service, fighting for liberty, trusting in God, and fellowship.

MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children because of war violence and 25 light obscenities and profanities.