Dad's Movies: "The Longest Day" (1962)

Yes, friends, I did sit through this epic:  The Longest Day (1962)

This is one of those somewhat (well maybe less so today) well known movies I had been meaning to get to for years. I would see it pop up here and there, either on a video rental shelf or a Netflix screen and think that yes, I should watch this sometime. Sometime...  That time finally happened and I am glad I waited to catch it on Blu Ray. This film benefits a lot from a larger/clearer image and good sound. I can't imagine sitting through the whole thing on VHS/analog television. It's a 3 hour long, wide screen black and white movie that is part subtitled.

Let's talk about the subtitles. This has to be one of the earlier American movies that had extended sequences where there are foreign languages being spoken, certainly one of the first WW2 movies to show Germans actually speaking German. As entertaining as it can be for Nazis to be portrayed by charming English actors, this does give the movie a more realistic feel for sure (also in this case, French!).

The film does in some ways try to really document the whole D Day event. There is lots of detail given about the planning and execution of the attacks and the enemy is much more fleshed out than I'm used to seeing in generally one-sided American or British WW2 movies. The black and white cinematography helps here as well.

Where the movie fails in the Realism Department is the massive use of international star actors. Go look at the cast list for this movie; it's quite astounding and in some ways makes the movie worth watching to see so many stars (some of them European) in one sitting. Where else can you see both John Wayne and Gert Fröbe (aka Goldfinger)?! Some of the cast is fine but can be distracting to see so many famous faces. It frequently took me out of the story and counteracts the "just the facts" nature that the (three) directors were, I believe going for. 

I think the root of the issue here is that the film is at odds with what it's trying to accomplish. If they really wanted a star-filled spectacle, then the overall production needed to reflect that. If it's supposed to be the definitive Hollywood account of D Day, then ditch most of the stunt casting and focus on the details of the events and a few key characters. I really have no idea why they aren't calling me for movie production advice!

So, if you appreciate the history angle and the novelty of seeing all of them thar stars, check this one out for sure-I found it best to watch over 2 nights.