The Longest Day

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Summary: The DVD version is a must-have
Review: More than ten years ago I purchased "The Longest Day" on video, and while I've always enjoyed the film (I've already reviewed the VHS version below), its full-frame formatting took away from the viewing experience. Now the DVD not only presents the film in its initial widescreen release format, but it also gives the viewer the chance to go back and find scenes with great ease. "The Longest Day" is one of those films that each time I view the credits, I find myself amazed at all the stars I actually missed. Now you can go back and find them. Plus, the DVD does contain the theatrical trailer, which includes a scene of the German military officials speaking in English (which of course doesn't happen in the subtitled German and French scenes) and only adds to the value of this DVD.

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Summary: My favorite war movie
Review: The Longest Day is my favorite war movie of all time. I remember first seeing it in a theater in Abilene, Tx with a couple of my aunts. The movie bored them to tears but I was just so excited to finally be able to see it. I still whistle the movie theme every once in a while. This, uncolorized, original version is the best.

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Summary: The Longest Day
Review: The Longest Day is a great synopsis of D-Day. Although I'm sure it has had some creative license taken, it gives people or kids who are not taught history in school a good look at what has been given for us. It also shows what working together can accomplish. It is one of my favorite WWII movies. As you have stated A Bridge to Far and also the bridge at Remagen are also good examples. More recent examples would be Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers (not yet on DVD).

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Summary: the greatest war movie of all time
Review: after seeing films like Full Metal Jacket this looks out of date. But when you listen to it no film comes closer to properly outlining the events of a good battle. With actors like Richard Burton, Paul Anka, Robert Mitchum, and John Wayne this movie was the best of it's day. Today it's got challenges from Saving Private Ryan, Full Meatl Jacket and Apocalypse Now but to me its still the greatest war movie of all time.

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Summary: The Longest Day is a film that should outlast all the rest!
Review: The Longest Day cannot be compared to any other war film. It is a classic that kids and grown-ups alike can sit together and watch. Saving Private Ryan was good, but cannot be put on the same shelf as The Longest Day. It is a movie that you can never get tired of.

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Summary: Great Film - Lost on Widescreen TVs
Review: This film of the D-Day landing is a superb rendering of the events of June 6th, 1944. Unfortunately, those of us who have widescreen TVs will be forced to watch it in 4:3 ratio (which means that the picture is tiny - in the centre of the screen). The reason for this is that fairly large amounts of the film are (rightly so) in German and French, consequently, any attempt to blow the image up causes the subtitles for those languages to dissapear off the screen.
If Fox had bothered to produce an anamorphic version of the film, then this would probably not be the case.
Incidentally, Fox in their great and utter wisdom, for the Australian (Region 4) release of this film, although producing an anamorphic version, decided not to have any subtitles at all!
Anyone watching this version for the first time must surely be totally mystified as to what was actually going on!

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Summary: Enough with the comparisons!
Review: These comments aren't so much about "The Longest Day" -- an incredible film, especially in light of its vintage -- but the inevitable comparisons with "Saving Private Ryan" ... TLD, with a few Hollywood touches thrown in for good measure, is an otherwise faithful depiction of one of this planet's most important events. SPR is a fictional (albeit viscerally gripping) piece that just *happens* to be set during that same invasion ... it could just as easily have been set during some other battle, or for that matter, some other *war* ... so please, enough with the comparisons!

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Summary: Legendary WWII Epic
Review: This movie is made better by countless cameos by big stars, it is amazing as an ensemble piece alone. Longest Day tells the story of D-Day. It is an engrossing epic that stands the test of time. It is over three hours, but I was never bored. This movie tells everything about that invasion: from the thoughts of the soldiers to the French Resistance and civilians, to the German high military circles. The one moment that sticks in my mind is when the invasion has come and the bombardment begins. An old French man jumps up and down and screams in his house because of his joy of being liberated, while his house is being destroyed. Kind of metaphoric, huh? We see John Wayne's paratroopers trying desperately to regroup, Sean Connery is involved in the invasion of Normandy, and also Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, etc. I think the producers of Pearl Harbor should look at this film before they make an ensemble piece again.

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Summary: Masterpiece
Review: This three hour black and white film is considered the greatest war film ever made, and made only 17 years after the end of World War II. It tells the story of the D-day invasion from both sides (Americans and Germans), as well as the French. This is the type of film you will watch several times again and again in order to pick up all the details.

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Summary: Forget Private Ryan; this is the one to watch!
Review: Saving Private Ryan is a wastly overated movie that potrays world war II as being a war between the US and the German Reich instead of being a world war as it really and truly was. This movie in question, The Longest Day VHS ~ Richard Burton, shows the war for war for what it really was; a cooperative effort amongst nations. In fact, an earlier reviewer was right, the d-day operation was headed by several nations, i.e.,USA, England, Free French Troups, Netherlands to mention a few. The fighting might not seem as intense or autentic as SPR; however the lack of blood and gore is definetely not a minus; in fact, I would say that it is a bonus when many modern movies show blood and gore just for the effect and forget to write a good script. The Longest Day has an aweseome cast, Sean Connery, Robert Mitchum et al, and a script that is second to none when it comes to war movies and the dialogue sounds very autentic and not phony like SPR.