The Longest Day

This is probably a brand new video but I'll never know, because down this webpage in tiny print it states it's only for use in the Australian region (AUS and NZ)! My wife never saw this, as it's not included in its general description, which is all most of us ever read other than these reviews. I had to return it and start my search over for a US regional version. For those not aware of this, videos are produced for one of the ten different global regions), based on different languages AND different video setting specific to only one or more regions. US users can play videos produced for any of three of the regions: 0, 1, and ALL. Search "DVD Region Code" to learn more. BTW, this disclaimer (AUS region only, as part of the larger Region 4) needs to be at the beginning of the product's general description!

The Longest Day centers around the Allied invasion of Normandy. Not only is this a particularly good movie with fantastic actors, it's also very poignant as I write this review on the Friday before Memorial Day. Many thousands of lives were lost in taking the beach and thousands more by then end of war in Europe.The Longest Day is one of those movies that's just too good not to be watched not just a few times but MANY times. While certainly Hollywood and definitely long and in glorious Black and White (and all shades of gray in between), if there was one movie that best depicts the invasion, this is it.

Darryl Zanuck spent vast sums of money to re-create D-Day, and did a fairly formidable job of accurately depicting what John Wayne calls "the most crucial day of our times."Millions of people have seen this flick since 1962, so there probably isn't too much to add -- it makes excellent use of its vast array of stars, many of them still familiar today, to tie together the vast threads of the invasion into a reasonably coherent mass, tightly focusing on June 6, 1944. The star of the movie is not any one actor, even Mr. Wayne: it's the day itself, and the hordes of men and women who fight, endure, survive, or are killed during it.There are weaknesses and annoyances...John Wayne at age 56 plays a man who was 26...the gore of the day is not re-created at all, because of the movie censorship of the times...except for a pair of paratroopers, the Canadians, who provided an entire division to the invasion, are invisible, while the French, who only provided a battalion and some Resistance fighters, have vast screen time...the British seem to provide mostly comic relief (most of the British actors were comedians, as it happens)...Jim Gavin, as played by Robert Ryan, is far too old for his role (he was 36)...and the map of Normandy behind him is one that was made AFTER the battle, and shows the various arrows that resulted after the briefing Gavin gives...the real Rangers who stormed Pointe de Hoe or Pointe du Hoc (I call it Point Ad Hoc) found the guns some distance away, as they were being brought up to be installed...the American paratroopers jumped from American C-47 Dakotas into Normandy, not British Stirlings.But for the layman, who is learning about D-Day for the first time, this is a good place to start. It captures many of the realities of the battle, such as the famous glider assault on Pegasus Bridge, the struggle to clear Omaha Beach, the paratroopers in the swamps, and the stunning indecision with which the Germans faced the invasion. That alone should shock most casual students of World War II or movie fans, who are probably used to seeing hawk-faced German officers figure out brilliant moves that annihilate the incompetent (usually British) forces with great speed. In fact, the Germans faced the Normandy invasion with incredible levels of incompetence and indecision, with numerous key German officers (like Rommel) far away from their posts, and others reluctant to make a decision or even wake the Fuehrer.The fact of the matter on D-Day was that ample bravery, determination, and courage was shown on both sides, but the Allies had more of it. Cornelius Ryan's closing lines in the book upon which this movie is based are absolutely borne out: "From this day, the Third Reich had less than one year to live."The DVD pack also has commentary by a historian on the film and the war, who notes important points about how the film conveys the battle, the British director of the film, who reminisces about his work, and a second DVD with a History Channel documentary comparing the movie with the reality -- real Rangers and paratroopers compare their experiences with those of the film. Mr. Zanuck himself narrates a 1968 documentary about the Normandy battlefields as they appeared at that time -- the tourist industry for those sites was just building up.Because of the weaknesses of the film on the reality of death and dying on D-Day (Spielberg does it better in "Saving Private Ryan") and the slighting to the British and Canadians, I can't give this film five stars. But it remains a classic World War II film, and a must-have for your movie library.

If you like this wonderful cast you will like this movie, period. I'll assume you've already seen this classic and that's why you're buying it. The best thing about buying this Blu-ray is that it comes with the DVD. How smart is that? If they all included a DVD I bet they would sell a lot more Blu-rays.Lets face it, DVD's are so much more practical, you can play them on almost anything. Though I have a Blu-ray deck the Br disk will never get used in all likelihood. Why bother? This is a 1960's B&W movie with all the grainy goodness you're learned to love . Sit back and enjoy this epic !

I returned to "The Longest Day" after many, many years following a brief revival of interest in WW2 Airborne Operations as I had memories of that ex-Para Richard Todd cast as Major John Howard at Pegasus Bridge. I had completely forgotten how very USA-centric the film was - I guess if you pay the bill, you get to write the script? But this is almost on the scale of "Operation Burma" or "U-571" - with the exception of a glorious airborne tracking shot over "Sword Beach" and about 10 minutes covering Pegasus Bridge, the 80,000+ British and Commonwealth troops get barely a mention. Even the 209 Free (sic) French Paratroops and Commandos get more screen time. The other equally annoying aspect is the significant percentage of the film devoted to pointless cameos to massage the egos of the many "star names". Curious how this would be repeated in the film version of Ryan's other celebrated book "A Bridge Too Far" (and not just James Caan!!!!). "The Longest Day" is very much of its time and it's just Hollywood make-believe NOT a documentary (unless you're American).

Probably one of the best war films ever. Having the warring sides speaking in their own languages adds a touch of authenticity and the movie stands in stark contrast to modern films where no-one seems to speak for more than 15 seconds. It tells the story well and, having visited the Normandy beaches, it is not a romanticized version by any means. Standing on the Pointe du Hoc and looking down those sheer cliffs that the Rangers had to climb bought home the heroism of those troops and served to underline how much we have devalued the word 'hero' by applying it to any overpaid, narcissistic, illustrated sportsman who is only good at doing something completely pointless.The documentary contained in the DVD is excellent and the intercutting of scenes from the movie with film of the actual locations makes for interesting viewing. It would be interesting to do an updated version. I was highly amused to see the mannequin dressed as a paratrooper hanging from the spire of the church of Sainte-Mere-Eglise which immediately brought that famous scene from the movie to mind. The all-star cast which is a who's who of Hollywood of the time is great as you try to remember their names, especially seeing a pre-Bond Sean Connery in what must have been one of his first roles. The more I watch this film, the more I like it. I'd recommend it to any war film buff and anyone interested in the history of WW2.

A classic film that is a bit beautified, but shows the scale of the D-Day invasion! The Steelbook is a really nice collectors item! Very smart, the artwork is really fantastic, and the quality of the blu-ray is brilliant! If you already love the film, get the Steelbook, as it is a very nice collectors item, and with superb quality!

This 2-disc Cinema Classics version of this DVD - which you will need a multi-region DVD player to play because it is Region 1 (i.e. American), - has the best set of extras for this excellent war film, including a 50-min documentary about the D-Day landing itself plus other behind-the-scenes featurettes.

I have seen this film countless times growing up in the late 50's and 60's although not an entirely accurate account. Because the British took part in a major way not just a few minor actions. However this is a very good copy the sound and picture quality is very good.