MMG - Rate this movie.... The Longest Day

[Scott Rose]

Today's movie is The Longest Day. Please vote in the poll and reply to this threads with your thoughts about the movie. What you loved... or hated about it. Thanks.

[Jerry O'Neill]

It's a great effort about a grand undertaking, but after reading several subsequent D-Day narratives I think some of the real drama was missing. How important Wally Parr's Piat shot to the Panzer tank was at Pegasus Bridge and several other incidents are very dramatic and really quite pivotal.
Jerry

[SaxMan]

4 Stars. I think it captured the essence of Cornelius Ryan's books, which had every human element from tragic to comic, from the Generals to the grunts.

While this and "A Bridge Too Far" went on to become epic war movies, was there ever any attempt to make "The Last Battle" into a movie? Of Cornelius Ryan's books, I found "The Last Battle" to be the most enjoyable read.

[Jarink1]

Too big of a bite to chew in one movie.

I think it could have been better done with a 'no name' cast (like "Band of Brothers") since all too often the film feels the need to give one of the big names the spotlight for several minutes for a monologue. It also would have helped impart the idea that virtually none of the front line commanders, heroes or average Joe's were known to the public. Admittedly, such a cast would probably not have been possible when the film was made.

[Canso42]

Is this a rating of just a war movie overall or from the aviation viewpoint? The only aviation part I really remember is Jose Ferrer playing Pips Priller when he and wingman Heinz Wodarczyk made their one strafe of the beach.

[Mudge]

I agree with the, "too many big names" in the movie. It IMHO detracted from the actual story. Which, of course, was "Hollywooded" up to the point that, if you didn't know the actual story, you'd have never learned it from the movie. Out of that humongous cast of "stars" there were only about 10-12 "actors". The rest were just there because of name recognition. I mean...Paul Anka, Tommy Sands, Fabian? REALLY? Of course you had the "Duke" doing what he always did...Be the "Duke" with a different character name.

Is this a rating of just a war movie overall or from the aviation viewpoint? The only aviation part I really remember is Jose Ferrer playing Pips Priller when he and wingman Heinz Wodarczyk made their one strafe of the beach.

The only aviation I remember was the C-47s hauling the paratroopers and 4 Skyraiders doing a flyover during the landings. (I thought it was really unusual how they were able to get those A-1 prototypes back in '44. )

FYI...Jose Ferrer wasn't in the movie. His son, Mel, played Gen. Haines. The guy who played "Pips" Priller was the German actor, Heinz Reinke.

Mudge the moviegoer

[Jiggersfromsphilly]

For the time and location It holds up pretty well. It was designed to play to the masses and not the military specialists. I like how they draped a parachute over the Monument at the edge of the square in St Mere Eglise. John Steele didn't land on the church spire as shown with Red Buttons but on the other side of the church.
The Barn was set on fire by incendiary AA fire. Bill Guarnere E 506th 1010st AB, landed in the SW corner of the square about 15 minutes before the 505th, 82nd heavy weapons platoon of the 505th jumped into it.
By then they were slaughtered by the alerted troops.

I like it and can understand the weaknesses of the film ,but who tells a better overall story?

[old iron]

What I remember best is the satisfaction of the exhausted and shell-shocked British officer - who came down if I remember on a glider - after having fullfilled his orders: "hold until releaved"

[Jiggersfromsphilly]

What I remember best is the satisfaction of the exhausted and shell-shocked British officer - who came down if I remember on a glider - after having fullfilled his orders: "hold until releaved"

Major John Howard at Pegasus Bridge.

Played by Michael Todd who was a member of the 6th British Paras and met the real Col. Howard at Pegusus bridge during D-Day

[Mudge]

What I remember best is the satisfaction of the exhausted and shell-shocked British officer - who came down if I remember on a glider - after having fullfilled his orders: "hold until releaved"

Major John Howard at Pegasus Bridge.

Played by Michael Todd who was a member of the 6th British Paras and met the real Col. Howard at Pegusus bridge during D-Day

I had to laugh at Henry Fonda playing Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. Not exactly "type casting". TR was never that tall or that thin on his best day.

Mrs. Mudge and I visited Pegasus Bridge on our last tour. It's a drawbridge. A couple in our group went across and suddenly, the bridge went up. We had to wait about 15 minutes for the bridge to come back down so we could "carry on".

"Jiggers" The other side of the church is not visible to the tourists unless they make an effort to go there. Even if they do walk around back there's nothing there that tells the "real" story.
FYI...for those of you who might have never been, there's a hotel in St. Mere Eglise named after John Steele.

Mudge the traveler

[Jiggersfromsphilly]

What I remember best is the satisfaction of the exhausted and shell-shocked British officer - who came down if I remember on a glider - after having fullfilled his orders: "hold until releaved"

Major John Howard at Pegasus Bridge.

Played by Michael Todd who was a member of the 6th British Paras and met the real Col. Howard at Pegusus bridge during D-Day

I had to laugh at Henry Fonda playing Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. Not exactly "type casting". TR was never that tall or that thin on his best day.

Mrs. Mudge and I visited Pegasus Bridge on our last tour. It's a drawbridge. A couple in our group went across and suddenly, the bridge went up. We had to wait about 15 minutes for the bridge to come back down so we could "carry on".

"Jiggers" The other side of the church is not visible to the tourists unless they make an effort to go there. Even if they do walk around back there's nothing there that tells the "real" story.
FYI...for those of you who might have never been, there's a hotel in St. Mere Eglise named after John Steele.

Mudge the traveler

LOL !




Apparently the tourism bureau decided that the corner spire was the most visible so they place the replica there .

Another note, Wally Parr's Piat shot was not a a panzer, but a French captured & Heer recycled Renault tank.


.

[SPANNERmkV]

I just saw it again and enjoyed it thoroughly for the somewhat sanitized, definitely romanticized version early 1960s cinema would have allowed. (It t'weren't no Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers...)

Sean Connery asking, "Have you ever heard such bloody awful screeching?... An "Irishman" playing the pipes!"
That and "Come along Winston" with the beachmaster dragging his bulldog.

Correctly noted that all the cameos became a distraction- Robt. Mitchum and Red Buttons stuck in my mind from having seen it as a kid.

But for taking such a "big bite" I think it relayed a sense of how epic the undertaking was.
I'd watch it again tonight if it were playing.

SPANNER the nostalgic

PS- the actual table mock-ups the glider and paras studied for Pegasus are in the Airborne room at Duxford's Air and Space. AS IF you needed another reason to go there!

[Canso42]

Thanks for the correction Mudge. It's been a few decades since I've seen it.

Spanner, I'm with you. Know anybody who's got it on video? Just watch a good war movie for it's own sake.


"Me Scottish Grandpa always said, '..anything mechanical wha' does na' work, give it a good BASH!"'

[The Inspector]

Since when did minor items like attention to details ever stop Darryl F. Zanuk from spending every dime in the budget? The movie is coming up on 50 years old, I remember seeing it in the theatre, but those watching it today wouldn't know 95% of the actors who were in it especially Tommy Sands who was famous for about 22 minutes as Mr. Nancy Sinatra or teen heart throb singer Dion, Paul Anka wrote the theme music for Carsons "Tonight Show' and retired.

[Jiggersfromsphilly]

I just saw it again and enjoyed it thoroughly for the somewhat sanitized, definitely romanticized version early 1960s cinema would have allowed. (It t'weren't no Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers...)

Sean Connery asking, "Have you ever heard such bloody awful screeching?... An "Irishman" playing the pipes!"
That and "Come along Winston" with the beachmaster dragging his bulldog.

Correctly noted that all the cameos became a distraction- Robt. Mitchum and Red Buttons stuck in my mind from having seen it as a kid.

But for taking such a "big bite" I think it relayed a sense of how epic the undertaking was.
I'd watch it again tonight if it were playing.

SPANNER the nostalgic

PS- the actual table mock-ups the glider and paras studied for Pegasus are in the Airborne room at Duxford's Air and Space. AS IF you needed another reason to go there!

The actual quote from the movie was,

Pvt. Clough( Norman Rossinton) " There it is, he's at it again! Have you ever heard such a racket in all your life?
Private Flanagan ( Sean Connery) " Yeah, it takes an Irishman to play the pipes. "


By the way Bill Million who played the "Pipes in the Movie , was portraying himself on DDay

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituar ... illin.html