The Longest Day
original movie poster
Directed by	Ken Annakin (British exterior episodes) Andrew Marton (American exterior episodes) Bernhard Wicki (German episodes)
Produced by	Darryl F. Zanuck
Written by	Romain Gary James Jones David Pursall Cornelius Ryan Jack Seddon
Starring	John Wayne Henry Fonda Robert Mitchum Sean Connery Curd Jürgens Richard Burton Peter Lawford Rod Steiger
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	September 25, 1962
Running time	178 min.
Language	English German French
Budget	$10,000,000 US (est.)
IMDb profile

The Longest Day is a 3-hour-long 1962 war film with a very large cast, based on the 1959 book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, during World War II. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Ken Annakin (born August 10, 1914) is a British film director. ... Bernhard Wicki (28 October 1919 in St. ... Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902–December 22, 1979) was a producer, writer, actor and director who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors (the length of his career being rivalled only by that of Adolph Zukor). ... Romain Gary (May 8, 1914 – December 2, 1980) was a French novelist, film director, World War II pilot, and diplomat. ... James Jones (November 6, 1921 – May 9, 1977) is an American author most famous for his explorations of World War II and its aftermath. ... Cornelius Ryan (5 June 1920 – 23 November 1974) was an Irish-American journalist and author mainly known for his writings on popular military history, especially World War II. His two best-known books are The Longest Day (1959), which tells the story of the D-Day (day one of the... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), born Marion Robert Morrison[1] and later changed to Marion Michael Morrison, popularly known as the Duke, was an iconic, Academy Award winning, American film actor. ... Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was a highly acclaimed Academy Award-winning American film actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. ... Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American film actor and singer. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is an Academy Award-winning Scottish actor and producer who is best known as the first actor to portray James Bond on film. ... Jürgens in a scene from Der Kommissar (1973) Curd Jürgens (December 13, 1915 - June 18, 1982) was a German stage and motion-picture actor. ... Richard Burton CBE (November 10, 1925 – August 5, 1984) was a Welsh actor. ... The Rat Pack. ... Rod Steiger (April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002) was an American actor. ... Maurice Jarre (born in Lyon, France, September 13, 1924) is a French composer of film scores, noted for his use of the Ondes Martenot, and for the scores of many films including a series of David Lean films, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago (1965), Ryans Daughter (1970) and A... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the major American film studios. ... September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... The war film is a film genre that has to do with warfare, usually focusing on naval, air, or land battles, but sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training, or other related subjects. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Longest Day is a book by Cornelius Ryan published in 1959, telling the story of D-Day, the first day of the World War II invasion of Normandy. ... Cornelius Ryan (5 June 1920 – 23 November 1974) was an Irish-American journalist and author mainly known for his writings on popular military history, especially World War II. His two best-known books are The Longest Day (1959), which tells the story of the D-Day (day one of the... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (US 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 1 day remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Background

The movie was adapted by Romain Gary, James Jones, David Pursall, Cornelius Ryan and Jack Seddon from the Ryan book. It was directed by Ken Annakin (British exteriors), Andrew Marton (American exteriors), Gerd Oswald (parachute drop scene), Bernhard Wicki (German scenes) and Darryl F. Zanuck (uncredited). Romain Gary (May 8, 1914 – December 2, 1980) was a French novelist, film director, World War II pilot, and diplomat. ... James Jones (November 6, 1921 – May 9, 1977) is an American author most famous for his explorations of World War II and its aftermath. ... Cornelius Ryan (5 June 1920 – 23 November 1974) was an Irish-American journalist and author mainly known for his writings on popular military history, especially World War II. His two best-known books are The Longest Day (1959), which tells the story of the D-Day (day one of the... Ken Annakin (born August 10, 1914) is a British film director. ... Gerd Oswald (June 9, 1919–May 22, 1989), was a director of American films and television. ... Bernhard Wicki (28 October 1919 in St. ... Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902–December 22, 1979) was a producer, writer, actor and director who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors (the length of his career being rivalled only by that of Adolph Zukor). ...

Many of the military consultants and advisors who helped with the film's production were actual participants in the action on D-Day, and are portrayed in the film. The producers drew them from both sides. Among them are 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), The Earl of Lovat (who commanded the 1st Special Service Brigade), Philippe Kieffer (who led his men in the assault on Ouistreham), Pierre Koenig (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) and Lucie Rommel (widow of Erwin Rommel). Günther Blumentritt (February 10, 1897-October 12, 1967) was a German general. ... James Maurice Jumpin Jim Gavin (born as James Nally Ryan; March 22, 1907-February 23, 1990 rose to the rank of Lieutenant General in the United States Army. ... Frederick E. Morgan Sir Frederick Edgeworth Morgan (b. ... Badge of SHAEF Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (abbreviated as SHAEF) (acronym pronounced as shāf), was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in north west Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. General Dwight Eisenhower was in command of SHAEF throughout its existence. ... John Howard was an english major who led the occupation of the Pegasus over the river Orne. ... Pegasus Bridge before its replacement Pegasus was the name given to a bridge over the Caen canal, near the town of Ouistreham. ... Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, DSO, MC (9 July 1911 - 16 March 1995) was the 25th Chief of the Clan Fraser and a legendary British Commando during the Second World War. ... Philippe Kieffer Philippe Kieffer (24 October 1899–20 November 1962) , capitaine de frégate in the French Navy, was a French officer and political personality, and one of the greatest heroes of the Free French Forces. ... Ouistreham is a commune of the Calvados département, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... Marie Pierre Koenig (October 10, 1898 – September 2, 1970) was a French general. ... Free French Forces under review during the Battle of Normandy. ... Werner Pluskat, was a German Major, commander of the 352nd Artillery (Artillerie Abteilung) of the German 352nd Infantry Division during Allied invasion in Normandy 1944. ... Josef Pips Priller (27 July 1915 - 20 May 1961) was a Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. ... Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ) (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was one of the most distinguished German field marshals of World War II. He was the commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps and also became known by the nickname “The Desert Fox” (Wüstenfuchs,  ) for the skillful military campaigns he...

One thing that sets the film apart from most films set in the Second World War is that all characters speak in their own languages, with subtitles in English wherever the characters speak either French or German (however the trailer has the Germans delivering their lines in English). The usual Nazi stereotypes are avoided, and most German characters are portrayed as human beings. The words "Sieg, heil!", for instance, are not uttered even once in The Longest Day, although they are seen written on a bunker wall in Ouistreham. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Movie trailers are film advertisements for films that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema, on whose screen they are shown; they are commonly known as previews of coming attractions. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... In modern usage, a stereotype is a simplified mental picture of an individual or group of people who share a certain characteristic (or stereotypical) qualities. ... Adolf Hitler being saluted with the Nazi salute. ...

The film, one of the very few 1960's epics made in black and white, and features a large ensemble cast, including actors such as Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Red Buttons, Peter Lawford, Paul Anka, John Wayne, Rod Steiger, and Robert Wagner. Several of these actors played roles that were virtually cameo appearances. Richard Burton CBE (November 10, 1925 – August 5, 1984) was a Welsh actor. ... Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American film actor and singer. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is an Academy Award-winning Scottish actor and producer who is best known as the first actor to portray James Bond on film. ... Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was a highly acclaimed Academy Award-winning American film actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. ... Red Buttons (February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was the stage name of American comedian and actor Aaron Chwatt. ... The Rat Pack. ... Paul Anka is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor, (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa). ... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), born Marion Robert Morrison[1] and later changed to Marion Michael Morrison, popularly known as the Duke, was an iconic, Academy Award winning, American film actor. ... Rod Steiger (April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002) was an American actor. ... For other persons named Robert Wagner, see Robert Wagner (disambiguation). ... Since its first use in 1851, a cameo role or cameo appearance has been a brief appearance in a play (or later, a movie) that stands out against the general context for its éclat or dramatic punch. ...

Awards

It won Best Cinematography, Black-and-White and Best Effects, Special Effects, and was nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Film Editing and Best Picture at the 35th Academy Awards. The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ... The Academy Award for Visual Effects is an Oscar given to one film each year that shows highest achievement in visual effects. ... The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ... // The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which are voted on by others within the industry. ... The 35th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1962, were held on April 8, 1963 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. ...

Theme lyrics

The music is also the authorized march of Le Régiment de la Chaudière, the Canadian Parachute Centre, and the former Canadian Airborne Regiment of the Canadian Forces. The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa is considered amongst the greatest marches ever written. ... Le Régiment de la Chaudière is a reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces. ... The Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre is a Canadian Forces training facility located at CFB Trenton in Trenton, Ontario, Canada. ... The Canadian Airborne Regiment was a Canadian Forces formation created on April 8, 1968. ... The Canadian Forces (CF) (Fr: Forces canadiennes (FC)) are the combined branches of the military of Canada. ...

Casting

John Wayne as Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin H. Vandervoort a role he took in the last-minute.

• Sergeant Kaffeekanne's last name is from the German for "coffee pot", which he always carries.
• Bill Millin, the piper who accompanies Lord Lovat to Normandy with his bagpipes, played himself in the film. He used the same set of bagpipes he played on D-Day.
• In Sainte-Mère-Église, Private John Steele from the 82nd Airborne (played by Red Buttons) has been memorialized by the local population with a dummy hanging from a parachute from the church tower on which he accidentally landed.
• Richard Todd, who plays the Major John Howard leading the British Airborne assault on the Pegasus Bridge, took part in the real bridge assault on D-Day. Todd was offered the chance to play himself but thought the part would be too small, so he asked to play the part of his former commanding officer.
• Joseph Lowe landed on Omaha Beach and scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day. He repeated the climb for the cameras 17 years later.
• Curd Jürgens, who plays the German General Blumentritt who muses on the incompetence of his superiors, was actually imprisoned by the Nazis in his youth.
• As well as featuring 007 himself (Sean Connery), this film boasts two James Bond villains: Curd Jürgens played the lunatic industrialist Karl Stromberg in "The Spy Who Loved Me" while Gert Fröbe played Auric Goldfinger in Goldfinger.
• Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was considered for the role of himself in the film, and he indicated his willingness. However, it was decided that makeup artists couldn't make him appear young enough to play his WWII self.
• The role of the US Army's Fourth Division assistant division commander, 26th US President, Theodore Roosevelt's son, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr., was played by Henry Fonda.
• The role of Brigadier General Norman Cota, a cousin of Ted Roosevelt, and assistant Division commander of the US 29th Infantry Division was played by Robert Mitchum.
• The role of Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin H. Vandervoort was actively sought by Charlton Heston but the last-minute decision of John Wayne to take a role in the film prevented Heston from participating.
• While everyone else accepted ten thousand dollars as payment, John Wayne insisted on a quarter of a million to punish Zanuck for an earlier negative remark in the press about Wayne and his Alamo film. (Source: John Wayne's America: The Politics of Celebrity (1997), ISBN 0-684-80823-4.)
• Acclaimed British actor Christopher Lee auditioned for a role but was turned down as he did not look like a military man. However, he served in the RAF during World War II.

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 172 × 225 pixelsFull resolution (172 × 225 pixel, file size: 16 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)screenshot The Longest Day source: [1] This image is a screenshot from a copyrighted film, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by the... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 172 × 225 pixelsFull resolution (172 × 225 pixel, file size: 16 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)screenshot The Longest Day source: [1] This image is a screenshot from a copyrighted film, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by the... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), born Marion Robert Morrison[1] and later changed to Marion Michael Morrison, popularly known as the Duke, was an iconic, Academy Award winning, American film actor. ... Benjamin Hayes Vandy Vandervoort (* 3rd March 1917 in Gasport, New York; † 22nd November 1990) was an American soldier with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, who fought in the Second World War. ... Lord Lovat at Newhaven after returning from the Dieppe Raid, August 1942. ... A piper playing the Great Highland Bagpipe. ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... Sainte-Mère-Église is a small town and commune of the Manche département, in the Cotentin Peninsula near the coast of Normandy, France. ... Private John Steele was the American paratrooper made famous in the movie, The Longest Day who landed in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the first village in Normandy liberated by the Americans on D-Day, June 6, 1944. ... Red Buttons (February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was the stage name of American comedian and actor Aaron Chwatt. ... Richard Todd (born June 11, 1919) is a British actor. ... John Howard was an english major who led the occupation of the Pegasus over the river Orne. ... Pegasus Bridge before its replacement Pegasus was the name given to a bridge over the Caen canal, near the town of Ouistreham. ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Omar Bradley Norman Cota Clarence R. Huebner U.S. 1st Infantry Division U.S. 29th Infantry Division Dietrich Kraiss German 352nd Infantry Division Strength 34,000  ? Casualties 3,000 1,200 The build-up of Omaha Beach: reinforcements of men and equipment moving inland. ... Pointe du Hocs location Preinvasion bombing of Pointe du Hoc by 9th Air Force bombers. ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... Jürgens in a scene from Der Kommissar (1973) Curd Jürgens (December 13, 1915 - June 18, 1982) was a German stage and motion-picture actor. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is an Academy Award-winning Scottish actor and producer who is best known as the first actor to portray James Bond on film. ... Flemings commissioned image of James Bond to aid the Daily Express comic strip artists. ... Karl Stromberg is a fictional character in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. ... The Spy Who Loved Me is the tenth film in the EON Productions James Bond series and the third to star Roger Moore as British Secret Service agent, Commander James Bond. ... Gert Fröbe playing Auric Goldfinger The title of this article contains the character ö. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Gert Froebe. ... Auric Goldfinger is a fictional character in the James Bond film and novel Goldfinger. ... For the villain in this film, see Auric Goldfinger. ... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower, born David Dwight Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 - March 28, 1969) was an American soldier and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953-1961). ... Patch of the United States Army Fourth Infantry Division (Mechanized). ... Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, Jr. ... Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... Norman Daniel Dutch Cota (May 30, 1893, Chelsea, Massachusetts - October 4, 1971, Wichita, Kansas) was a U.S. General during World War II. // Brigadier General Cota was assistant Division commander of the US 29th Infantry Division at Omaha Beach during the Battle of Normandy. ... The US 29th Infantry Division was a United States infantry division that existed during World War I and World War II. 29th Infantry Division Symbol Nicknamed Blue and Gray, the divisions motto is 29 Lets Go, taken from General Eisenhowers inspiring speech to the troops preparing for... Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American film actor and singer. ... Benjamin Hayes Vandy Vandervoort (* 3rd March 1917 in Gasport, New York; † 22nd November 1990) was an American soldier with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, who fought in the Second World War. ... Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter on October 4, 1924) is an iconic Academy Award-winning American film actor, best known for playing larger-than-life heroic roles such as Moses in The Ten Commandments and Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur. ... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), born Marion Robert Morrison[1] and later changed to Marion Michael Morrison, popularly known as the Duke, was an iconic, Academy Award winning, American film actor. ... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), born Marion Robert Morrison[1] and later changed to Marion Michael Morrison, popularly known as the Duke, was an iconic, Academy Award winning, American film actor. ... John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), born Marion Robert Morrison[1] and later changed to Marion Michael Morrison, popularly known as the Duke, was an iconic, Academy Award winning, American film actor. ... Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE (born May 27, 1922 in Belgravia, London) is a legendary and prolific English actor known for his versatility, his professional longevity, and his distinctive basso delivery. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Filming

• During the filming of the landings at Omaha Beach, the American soldiers appearing as extras didn't want to jump off the landing craft into the water because they thought it would be too cold. Robert Mitchum, who played General Norman Cota, finally got disgusted with them and jumped in first, at which point the soldiers had no choice but to follow his example.
• The Rupert paradummies used in the film were far more elaborate and lifelike than those actually used for the decoy parachute drop (Operation Titanic) which were actually just canvas or burlap sacks filled with sand. In the real operation six Special Air Service soldiers jumped with the dummies and played recordings of loud battle noises to distract the Germans.
• At $10,000,000, this film was the most expensive black-and-white film made until 1993, when Schindler's List was released. (Source: Turner Classic Movies).

Norman Daniel Dutch Cota (May 30, 1893, Chelsea, Massachusetts - October 4, 1971, Wichita, Kansas) was a U.S. General during World War II. // Brigadier General Cota was assistant Division commander of the US 29th Infantry Division at Omaha Beach during the Battle of Normandy. ... British Rupert at Merville D-Day Bunker Museum - France The Paradummy is a device first used in the Second World War that, used with other artificial paratrooper units, is meant to cause an invasion by air to appear larger than it actually is. ... The Paradummy is a device first used in the Second World War that, used with other artificial paratrooper units, is meant to cause an invasion by air to appear larger than it actually is. ... The Paradummy is a device first used in the Second World War that, used with other artificial paratrooper units, is meant to cause an invasion by air to appear larger than it actually is. ... The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces unit of the British Army, and arguably the most well trained special forces unit in current existence. ... Black-and-white or black and white) can refer to a general term used in photography, film, and other media (see black-and-white). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a cable television channel featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and Warner Bros. ...

See also

• The Longest Day: Other uses
• Authorized marches of the Canadian Forces

The Longest Day has many meanings: The Longest Day (book) published in 1959 by Cornelius Ryan The Longest Day (movie) is a 1962 war film based on Ryans book The Longest Day (game) is a 1980 wargame by Avalon Hill This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which... The following is a list of the authorized marches for various organizations of the Canadian Forces. ...

External links

• The Longest Day at the Internet Movie Database

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

DVD Reviews

• Review by Glenn Erickson at DVD Savant a part of DVD Talk