THE LONGEST DAY

THE LONGEST DAY - 1962

RATED - G

RATINGS - 199 Amazon (4.5/5), 193,480 Netflix (4/5), 13,712 IMDB (7.8/10).

STARRING - The list is too long. From Eddie Albert to John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, etc, there were over 40 international stars.

AWARDS - Two Academy Awards and five nominations including Best Picture. AFI Top 100 nominee for Best Thrills and Top Movies. 1963 Golden Globe nominee for Best Picture.

STORY - This is the definitive story of D-Day. It's almost beyond comprehension today to think of the scope of this mission which involved 11,000 planes, 4,000 ships and 3,000,000 men. The logistics of coordinating the attacks, keeping everyone supplied with fuel, ammunition, medical supplies, etc. is mind boggling. This film follows the day from start to finish from a number of different Allied assignments including the U.S., the English, the French and even the Irish contingent led by the ever present bagpipes. It also shows the day from the German side. You get the big picture that is not usually present in most war films. This was an incredible day in history. As big as it was, it was made up of individuals, all trying to fulfill their assignments. As we see, sometimes with humor, not all of them went well. Many ended tragically because of human error or weather conditions. There were also many, many heroes that day and we meet some of them. It was also a day that reminded us that 'war is hell'. There is no other way to describe war, even for the most noble causes-for those on the front lines, it is pure hell. We can all be grateful for the thousands of men from all countries who sacrificed their lives. One of the credits of the movie is that it is G rated and although there is plenty of war violence, it is not graphic. While some may say it is sanitized, and, therefore, not realistic, I think it allows for this film to be shown to a wide variety of audiences who will be able to better understand and appreciate the magnitude of this mission. There are plenty of graphic war films for those interested. This is a classic epic worthy of watching more than once. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 10/04/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB