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For those who really like the WW II movies just letting you know that at 2.00 P.M. EST and 11.00 PST it's on the AMC channel. It's one of the my all time favorate movies of the Allies invading Europe. I like that the Germans speak german and French speak their language as it makes it more realistic.
Its a good movie and certainly ambitious. But it hardly shows the reall horror of being struck by a bullet. A lot of the characters (Peter Lawford, Robert Mitchum) are portrayed as gung ho, men of steel and no fear. While there was great leadership that day, methinks they would have shown at least a bit of fear.
But having said that, its a lot of fun to watch. Any movie that features such a diverse cast (Paul Anka is in it!!!!!) is going to be fun. Sean Connery is pretty funny. And who the hell was the British officer who brought his ugly mutt ashore? Was that true? And why was Lawford's character wearing a bright white turtleneck? No redcoats available?
... Any movie that features such a diverse cast (Paul Anka is in it!!!!!) is going to be fun...
It seems to have every male movie actor of the day in the cast. Look here for an incredible list. I note that a large number of the actors are uncredited, especially those that played major officers. There must be a story there. When this film was made, the memory of the war was still fresh in the relatively young men who made this movie.
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And who the hell was the British officer who brought his ugly mutt ashore?
Colin Maud was a Royal Navy captain who captained HMS Icarus and acted as Juno beach master at the D-day landings in World War II. In the movie The Longest Day he was played by Kenneth More, complete with bulldog.
I love this film, as my Dad was part of the invasion, and wouldn't talk about it much. Gives me a little insight into him. He would not let me have a bb gun when I was a kid - he didn't like guns.
I have this movie in my collection and watch it once in awhile. The last time was after I had just read Steven Ambrose's D Day: June 6, 1944. The movie was faithful to the events, characters and stories as portrayed in Ambrose book, which is believed to be a very accurate description of the day. Historian Ambrose credits Cornelius Ryan and his book The Longest Day (on which the movie is based) as a valuable source. Ryan also wrote the screenplay.
Last edited by quiet walker; 05-27-2008 at 12:45 PM..
Reason: typo
6/3, I don't speak German either, but I think "gummi puppen" means rubber puppet- like a marionette. The British dropped exploding rubber dummies as a diversion before the real paratroopers jumped.
6/3, I don't speak German either, but I think "gummi puppen" means rubber puppet- like a marionette. The British dropped exploding rubber dummies as a diversion before the real paratroopers jumped.
Correct. Just as Gummi Bears or Gummibaren means Rubber Bears.
Try to look at The Longest Day in the context of the history of film making. Two things you need to keep in mind, Moth. As quiet walker correctly noted, when the film was made, the memory was still fresh in the mind of those who lived it. They did not need to be shown or reminded the horror of war as, say Saving Private Ryan did.
Saving Private Ryan could never have been made when The Longest Day was. True, the beach scenes were far more accurate, but they would never have recieved approval from censors.
Besides, graphic violence isn't always more effective. Why do you think the shower scenes in Psycho work so well? We never see Tony Perkins actually stab Janet Leigh- our imaginations do the dirty work for us, making the movie far more terrorizing.
6/3, I don't speak German either, but I think "gummi puppen" means rubber puppet- like a marionette. The British dropped exploding rubber dummies as a diversion before the real paratroopers jumped.
It's on commercial break so i'm checking in. Thanks for the correction on that. That's right as they were dropping Dummy Paratroopers. The best part is coming up next where the awesome naval bombardment firepower of the German Coastal defenses.
Try to look at The Longest Day in the context of the history of film making. Two things you need to keep in mind, Moth. As quiet walker correctly noted, when the film was made, the memory was still fresh in the mind of those who lived it. They did not need to be shown or reminded the horror of war as, say Saving Private Ryan did.
I think not. The vast majority of people going to see The Longest Day never were anywhere close to Omaha Beach, let alone World War II. So how exactly did they live it?
Now you raise an interesting point about graphical depictions and censorship. Fair up to a point. However, Paths of Glory did a pretty good job depicting the fear and horror of battle without showing actual blood and guts. Even All Quiet on the Western Front, made decades before TLD, accomplishes that. The Longest Day, in direct contrast, portrays it almost like a game- macho guys lighting up cigars while Jerry shoots at them, soldiers playing bagpipes, wisecracks, etc. So yes, the times were more restrictive, but not nearly as much as you might think.
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