Rating: 
Summary: "Run me up the hill son"
Review: Not only is this the greatest War Film ever made, it would also go close to being one of the best in any given category. You can simply forget any rumors that you've heard about this film being too 'Gung Ho', that is far from the truth as the documented accounts of the Normandy campaign, (Stephen E. Ambrose's are the best) will make you realize that D-DAY was crammed full of heroic feats not only created by fighting men but also by its leaders. 'The Longest Day' recreates many historical events and characters including Rommel, Von Rundsted and Eisenhower (and what a great resemblance too). The opening hour of the film allows the viewer to relive those crucial hours leading up to "the largest armada the world has ever seen" and possibly the greatest day in our modern history. The results will keep you glued to your seat as you will at times feel like a fly on the wall. The middle stages of the movie detail the strategies which then lead to the great battle scenes, which are neither gory nor totally accurate but are still able to successfully captivate the essence of war fare during the silver screen era. Perhaps Zanuck's greatest achievement in 'The Longest Day' was the way in which he wound down the film as the full irony and conclusions of D-DAY became apparent. "He's dead, I'm injured and your lost...I suppose it's always like that...war I mean" how could you put it better? The acting is second too none boasting an international cast, with John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and Henry Fonda in starring roles and that's just to name a few. Surprisingly enough, at no time does any actor dominate the screenplay or take away the performance of any colleague. That in it self was a masterful effort. Told from both the Allied and German perspectives, 'The longest Day' is based on the book by Cornelius Ryan and quite obviously gave director Steven Spielberg a window in which to create his own film 'Saving Private Ryan' (although these movies have very little in common). I could not urge you enough to buy a copy of this great film, I only wish I could see it on the big screen with the added bonus of dolby pro-logic digical sound. The dvd will be my next purchase.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest epics
Review: Great... Awesome.... All star cast....Do I need to say more?
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT WAR MOVIE
Review: One of the best in its genre this film well deserves the praise it gets. Supposedly authentic as far as the timeline of events goes. The lack of color helps and does not detract from it. Here are couple of mild criticisms though: Too many big name stars which detract from it as it becomes a game of spotting who's the next movie star that will come on. Typical of its era the film tends to glamorize the French a bit too much. France was, after all, the only captured nation that actively collaborated with the Nazis. The French resistance was really not very large and it was mainly communist waiting to take over ater the end of the war. Red Buttons just looks foolish in his scenes.
Rating:
Summary: THE best war movie ever made
Review: This is one of my favorites of all time. I never tire of it. It was the first DVD I bought when buying my player, replacing my well worn VHS tape. Many other reviewers have commented on it's content, so I will focus on the technical aspects instead. The digital remastering and sound track are outstanding for a movie of it's age. Letterbox format reveals many details that are missed on the standard screen VHS version. The Dolby surround isn't up to the standards of more recent productions like Private Ryan, but it does have an impressive impact that is lost on VHS Hi-Fi. All in all, a well done version of this masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Quintessential Classic War Movie
Review: The Longest Day is the epitomization of tbe classic war movie. The events it depicts are epic in scale, the cinematography is outstanding, and you sure see a lot of established stars popping up in minor roles throughout. As a telling of D-Day, it's intelligent and accessible. If you were riveted by Gordon Prange books as a ten-year-old, you'll immediately recognize and appreciate its tone. Many traits make this stand out. First of all, Longest Day had a massive budget for its day, and you really see the difference everywhere. There are some pan shots that just keep going, showing us an entire ongoing battle, in a way that no faked up, jittery-camera modern movie would ever attempt to do. Yes, there are lots of big stars, but the production values didn't stop there. Everything feels right, like it was done flawlessly at the height of this genre. Above and away from huge scale and famous stars, too, Longest Day genuinely respects its audience's intelligence. German officers speak in German, and the use of the subtitles show that sense of respect for the audience you sometimes see -- that's subtle, but it's there. German command officers aren't sitting around debating the romantic character of their allied opponents (refer to "Patton" for a totally ridiculous scene along these lines with respect to Sicily), they're doing what they can to plan and act intelligently. The hamstrung German response to the invasion is placed fully in the context of disrupted communications and tense relations with high command. If you look through all the customer reviews, you'll see that The Longest Day is constantly being compared to Saving Private Ryan. Fair enough. These are films of different sorts. Private Ryan is a very individual movie, and highly fictionalized, despite the justified praise for realism in its Omaha Beach opening. Longest Day explains the invasion far more completely; it isn't wanting to put you through the war personally. In the flurry of positive takes on Private Ryan, some great old movies got dismissed as being less emotionally complex than they are. For example: Recall the killing of Germans who came out of pillboxes once they'd run out of ammunition in Private Ryan? Well, Longest Day does include a moment exactly along those lines; the Germans come out holding their hands up, saying "Bitte, Bitte," and are killed by a GI who wonders what "Bitte Bitte" means. The subtitles don't translate: "Please, Please." This is a movie that relied on its audience to react to that appropriately, without having the emotions telegraphed. I personally found Private Ryan's version more exploitive in tone. A heck of a movie. Watch it in the letterboxes.
Rating:
Summary: Nazis take a holiday!
Review: The best film version of the invasion of Normandy on the 6th of June to date, including Saving Private Ryan, both for its unbelievably huge cast, including John Wayne, Sean Connery and hosts of other familiar faces and names, and its fantastic story told by hundreds of soldiers on both sides of the war. It also shows how much fate and plain luck was on the side of the Allies during the invasion. German generals all scattered around the country-side, buying shoes for their wives, while "5000 ships that the Allies didn't even have" waited in the channel. If you love war movies, if you love action, if you love a good story, if you love great acting, YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE!
Rating:
Summary: Best D-Day coverage-watch it if you saw Saving Private Ryan
Review: You watched Private Ryan? Good. Its an excellent movie, showing D-Day at a more intimate level, from the view of the simple soldier. Now you need to see the bigger picture and this movie, with an incredible cast of famous actors, gives a great overview over the whole operations around D-Day: all the beaches, the airborne troups, the situation in the German bunkers, everything is covered in this movie. Of course, it lacks the crude realism of Saving Private Ryan, but if you saw the movie, you really know a lot more on what happened on this day. One thing is extremely important to me. The landing in the Normandy was a joing operation of free nations from the world. Many many countries were involved, the USA, the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, the free French Troups, etc... This was the crusade of the free democratic nations against the German ennemy. Unfortunately when you watch Saving Private Ryan only, it looks like this is just a war USA vs. Germany...
Rating:
Summary: Next Stop....Normandy!
Review: After viewing this film time and time again one never forgets the fealing of what it must have been like to be a part of that event. Sure it wasn't as realistic as "Saving Private Ryan" in the tone of violence. But in great detail, the film is just unbeatable! It was smart to show this story from the American, German, English, Canadian, and French point of view! Also to show great battles like the climb up "Pointe Du Hoc" and the battle at "Pegasus Bridge" was just down right smart! It showed in great detail the Airborne invasion, the Troop's coming inland and the Airplanes that got involved! This is one of the greatest films that ever came out and everyone should know about D-Day! Not to often do films come close to the book, this one does! Even if the script was by the same person who wrote the book. Great special effects and cinematography! Should have won Best Picture! Grade:A-
Rating: 
Summary: Stop comparing to "Saving Private Ryan"
Review: Comparing this film to "Saving Private Ryan" is ridiculous. It's like comparing "Gone With the Wind" to "Glory." Just because they both cover the same time period, they tell very different stories. "The Longest Day" lets you see the events leading up to this momentous day from all perspectives. You see the Nazi blunders, the arrogance of the German soldiers afraid to awaken Hitler, and so on. You see the French resistance at work and the role they played in setting up the stage. One of the best parts about watching this film is when you watch the closing credits roll and realize how many top-notch stars from each of the countries involved you missed. The only beef I have with this film is the hair styles of every single character are more representative of the early 1960s than 1944. If you can put that aside, watching this film is almost like you were a fly on the wall on those key hours of June 5 and 6, 1944. So you don't see someone's brains being blown out...so what? The standards of the early 1960s were different than they were today. Had they made it today there would have been as many "realistic" or "gory" scenes as "Saving Private Ryan." Still the film was realistic enough for actual D-Day vets to leave the theaters in tears when it was first released. Enjoy this film on its own merits and you'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: The best ever
Review: I've seen this movie so many times I lost count, but it still captivates me. You can smell the fear, the tension, relief, all the emotions are there. It's the best movie of it's kind, no movie ever surpassed it and never will.
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