Longest Day, The (1962)

The epic story of D-Day, June 6, 1944, a retelling of the Normandy invasion (France) by the Allies (e.g. troops from the United States and Great Britain, among others) during World War II from across the English Channel, detailing various assaults and the American, British, French, and German perspectives (e.g. the Nazi thinking that Calais would be invaded). This essential war drama was directed by Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, and Bernhard Wicki; it features a screenplay by Cornelius Ryan that was based on writing by Romain Gary, James Jones, David Pursall, and Jack Seddon. The film was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, it won Academy Awards for its B&W Cinematography and Special Effects; it also received Oscar nominations for its B&W Art Direction-Set Decoration and Samuel Beetley’s Editing (his first). The first hour of the film is the set-up and background information (e.g. the Allies waiting, trying to decide whether to go during imperfect weather conditions while the Germans try to guess if and where the invasion will take place), the second details the overnight clandestine activities (including a diversion using miniature dummy paratroopers that explode upon landing, dubbed Rupert), and the third begins with the various beach assaults. The all-star cast includes (among others), alphabetically:

Eddie Albert as Colonel Thompson (whose troops are pinned down on Omaha Beach), Paul Anka and Fabian as U.S. Army Rangers, Richard Beymer (who wins a lot of money gambling, receives a "Dear John" envelope containing beads, and ends up asking "I wonder who won" in the end while with), Richard Burton as Flight Officer David Campbell (whose leg gets injured), Red Buttons as Private John Steele (a paratrooper whose parachute gets snagged on a church with bells), Sean Connery as Pvt. Flanagan (who comments on the Britisher's use of bagpipes), Mel Ferrer as Major General Robert Haines (a behind-the-lines officer who tracks the progress or lack thereof), Henry Fonda as Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (who, despite his pedigree and arthritis that requires him to use a cane, goes ashore with his men, though a couple of miles too far North), Steve Forrest as Captain Harding (a paratrooper officer in John Wayne's unit), Gert Fröbe as Sergeant Kaffekanne, Jeffrey Hunter as Sergeant John H. Fuller, Curt Jürgens as Major General Gunther Blumentritt (who's frustrated that Adolf Hitler's aide won't wake him to allow Panzer tanks in reserve to move up), Peter Lawford as Lord Lovat (the British secret service commander whose unit must relieve glider units that took a bridge during the night), Roddy McDowall as Pvt. Morris (who went ashore an infantry man on a landing vehicle and took out an enemy machine-gunner), Sal Mineo as Pvt. Martini (a paratrooper who misreads a clicker signal), Robert Mitchum as Brig. Gen. Norman Cota (whose efforts and inspiration finally enabled a breakthrough at Omaha Beach), Kenneth More as Capt. Colin Maud, Edmond O'Brien as Gen. Raymond D. Barton (who hesitates sending Roosevelt Jr. ashore), Robert Ryan as Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin (who gives John Wayne's unit a challenging mission), Tommy Sands and George Segal as U.S. Army Rangers, Rod Steiger as a Destroyer Commander (who appears very briefly, saying a few patriotic words), Richard Todd as Maj. John Howard, Tom Tryon as Lieutenant Wilson, Peter Van Eyck as Lt. Col. Ocker, Robert Wagner as a U.S. Army Ranger (whose unit much climb a fortified cliff in order to knock out a fortified artillery bunker), Stuart Whitman as Lt. Sheen (also a paratrooper under Wayne's command), and John Wayne as Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort (the paratrooper's commander who shatters his leg upon landing and commandeers a wagon for transportation).

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