thumb|[[Stuart Whitman ]]
thumb|[[Richard Burton ]]
The Longest Day is a 1962 American-British epic war film based on Cornelius Ryan's 1959 non-fiction book of the same name about the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century-Fox, and is directed by Ken Annakin (British and French exteriors), Andrew Marton (American exteriors), and Bernhard Wicki (German scenes). The screenplay was written by Ryan, with additional material written by Romain Gary, James Jones, David Pursall and Jack Seddon.
The film features a large international ensemble cast that includes John Wayne, Kenneth More, Richard Todd, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Steve Forrest, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Red Buttons, Peter Lawford, Eddie Albert, Jeffrey Hunter, Stuart Whitman, Tom Tryon, Rod Steiger, Leo Genn, Gert Fröbe, Irina Demick, Bourvil, Curd Jürgens, George Segal, Robert Wagner, Paul Anka and Arletty. Many of these actors played roles that were essentially cameo appearances. Several cast members had seen action as servicemen during the war, including Albert, Fonda, Genn, More, Steiger and Todd, the latter having been among the first British officers to land in Normandy in Operation Overlord and participate in the assault on Pegasus Bridge.
The filmmakers employed several actual Allied and Axis D-Day participants as consultants, many of whom had their roles re-enacted in the film. These included Günther Blumentritt (a former German general), James M. Gavin (an American general), Frederick Morgan (Deputy Chief of Staff at SHAEF), John Howard (who led the airborne assault on the Pegasus Bridge), Lord Lovat (who commanded the 1st Special Service Brigade), Philippe Kieffer (who led his men in the assault on Ouistreham), Marie-Pierre Kœnig (who commanded the Free French Forces in the invasion), Max Pemsel (a German general), Werner Pluskat (the major who was the first German officer to see the invasion fleet), Josef "Pips" Priller (the hot-headed pilot who was one of the few Luftwaffe pilots to strafe the beaches) and Lucie Rommel (widow of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel).
The Longest Day premiered in France on September 25, 1962, and in the United States on October 4. It received acclaim from critics and was a significant commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing black-and-white movie at the time. At the 35th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, and won awards for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) and Best Special Effects.
Plot
Shot in a docudrama style (with captions identifying the different participants), the film opens in the days leading up to D-Day, depicting events on both sides of the English Channel. There is disagreement within the German High Command as to where the Allies will land and how the Wehrmacht should respond, but the threat is not perceived to be imminent, given the stormy weather. On June 5, 1944, not wanting to keep his forces waiting any longer, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of SHAEF, makes the decision to go ahead with plans to invade France through Normandy the following day after receiving a somewhat hopeful weather report.
In the early hours of June 6, Allied airborne troops are sent in to take key locations, and the French Resistance reacts to the news that the invasion has started. British troops arrive in gliders to secure Pegasus Bridge, American paratroopers land scattered around Sainte-Mère-Église to defend a road that will be a vital artery for the invasion, and French Resistance and SOE agents conduct infiltration and sabotage work. There is uncertainty among German commanders about whether these events are a feint to distract from Allied crossings at the Strait of Dover (see Operation Fortitude), where the senior German staff had always assumed the invasion would begin.
As day breaks, Allied forces land on several beaches in Normandy and attempt to push inland, having particular trouble at Omaha Beach. Two lone Luftwaffe pilots strafe the beaches before flying away. The U.S. Provisional Ranger Group conducts an assault on the artillery at Pointe du Hoc, only to discover the guns have been moved. Free French Forces destroy a German stronghold in Ouistreham. After blowing through a concrete barrier, the American troops on Omaha Beach are able to begin their advance and join the rest of the Allied troops on the march to retake France and, eventually, conquer Germany.
Cast
Note: Characters listed in order of rank.
American
{|style="width:70%; min-width: 22em" class="wikitable"
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! style="width:175px"| Actor
!Role
!Notes
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|Henry Grace<br>(dubbed by Allen Swift)
|Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
|Supreme Commander, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF)
|-
|Alexander Knox
|Lieutenant Gen. Walter Bedell Smith
|Chief of Staff, SHAEF
|-
|Arthur Hill
|Lieutenant Gen. Omar N. Bradley
|Commander, 1st Army
|-
|John Meillon
|Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk
|Commander, Western Naval Task Force, U.S. 8th Fleet
|-
|Mel Ferrer
|Major Gen. Robert Haines
|Assistant Commander, SHAEF
|-
|Edmond O'Brien
|Major Gen. Raymond O. Barton
|Commander, 4th Infantry Division
|-
|Henry Fonda
|Brigadier Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
|Assistant Commander, 4th Infantry Division
|-
|Robert Mitchum
|Brigadier Gen. Norman Cota
|Assistant Commander, 29th Infantry Division
|-
|Robert Ryan
|Brigadier Gen. James M. Gavin
|Assistant Commander, 82nd Airborne Division
|-
|John Crawford
|Col. Eugene M. Caffey
|Commander, 1st Engineer Special Brigade
|-
|Eddie Albert
|Col. Lloyd Thompson
|Aide-de-camp to Cota, 29th Infantry Division
|-
|John Wayne
|Lieutenant Col. Benjamin H. Vandervoort
|CO, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
|-
|Bill Nagy
|Maj. Lance
|XO, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
|-
|Fred Dur
|Maj. Stoltz
|XO, 2nd Ranger Battalion
|-
|Rod Steiger
|Lieutenant Cmdr. Joseph Witherow Jr.
|Commander, USS Satterlee
|-
|Steve Forrest
|Capt. Harding
|XO, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
|-
|Ray Danton
|Capt. Frank
|XO, 29th Infantry Division
|-
|Stuart Whitman
|Lt. Sheen
|Paratrooper, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
|-
|Tom Tryon
|Lt. Wilson
|Paratrooper, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
|-
|Gary Collins
|Ensign Sheeran
|Bridge officer, USS Satterlee
|-
| Jeff Hunter
|Sgt. John H. Fuller (later field promoted to Lieutenant)
|Combat engineer, 299th Engineer Combat Battalion
|-
|Tony Mordente
| Wyman
|Cook, 82nd Airborne Division
|-
|Bob Steele
|Corporal Alexander
|Paratrooper, 82nd Airborne Division
|-
|Richard Beymer
|Pvt. Arthur 'Dutch' Schultz
|Paratrooper, 82nd Airborne Division
|-
|Red Buttons
|Pvt. John Steele
|Paratrooper, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
|-
|Sal Mineo
|Pvt. Martini
|Paratrooper, 82nd Airborne Division
|-
|Roddy McDowall
|Pvt. Morris
|Infantryman, 4th Infantry Division
|-
|George Segal
|Pvt. Wohl
|Infantryman, 2nd Ranger Battalion
|-
|Robert Wagner
|Pvt. Keller
|Infantryman, 2nd Ranger Battalion
|-
|Paul Anka
|Pvt. Lowell
|Infantryman, 2nd Ranger Battalion
|-
|Mark Damon
|Pvt. Harris
|Infantryman, 29th Infantry Division
|-
|Peter Helm
|Young Pvt. who loses his rifle
|Infantryman, 29th Infantry Division
|-
|Fabian
|Pvt. Forte
|Infantryman, 2nd Ranger Battalion
|-
|Tommy Sands
|Pvt. Hunt
|Infantryman, 2nd Ranger Battalion
|-
|Joseph Lowe
|Ranger Pvt.
|Sgt. Joseph T. Lowe of the 505th Infantry Battle Group was a 22-year-old PFC with the Fifth Ranger Battalion on the day
|-
|Mickey Knox
|Airman Louis
|Downed airman with damaged eye
|-
|Ron Randell
|Joe Williams
|War correspondent
|}
British
{|style="width:70%; min-width: 22em" class="wikitable"
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! style="width:175px"| Actor
!Role
!Notes
|-
|Trevor Reid
|Gen. Sir Bernard Montgomery
|Commander-in-Chief, Allied Ground Forces
|-
|John Robinson
|Adm. Sir Bertram Ramsay
|Commander-in-Chief, Allied Naval Forces
|-
|Simon Lack
|Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory
|Commander-in-Chief, Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF)
|-
|Louis Mounier
|Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder
|Deputy Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces
|-
|Walter Horsbrugh
|Rear-Adm. George Creasy
|Chief of Staff to Admiral Ramsay
|-
|Leo Genn
|Major-Gen. Hollander
|XO, SHAEF
|-
|Peter Lawford
|Brig. Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat
|Commander, 1st Special Service Brigade
|-
|Patrick Barr
|Group Capt. J. M. Stagg
|Meteorologist
|-
|Kenneth More
|Acting Capt. Colin Maud
|Beachmaster, Juno Beach, Royal Navy
|-
|Richard Todd
|Maj. John Howard
|OC, "D" Company, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
|-
|Howard Marion-Crawford
|Maj. John Jacob-Vaughan
|Medical Officer, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
|-
|Richard Wattis
|Maj. Whaley
|6th Airborne Division
|-
|Jack Hedley
|Capt. Knowles
|6th Airborne Division briefing officer
|-
|Leslie Phillips
|Flight Lt. Owens
|RAF officer with French Resistance
|-
|Lyndon Brook
|Lt. Ian Walsh
|"D" Company, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
|-
|Patrick Jordan
|Lt. Richard Todd
|7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion
|-
|Richard Burton
|Flying Officer David Campbell
|Fighter pilot, Royal Air Force