A Genre In Retrospect: The War Film - Part 3

When talking about granular war epics, that explosively Star some of the greatest actors of all time, it’s hard for the first one that comes to mind not be ‘The Longest Day’ (1962). This is the ultimate war film from the early 1960’s. With just enough time passing from the actual war, we get a depiction of the most complex and surreal conflicts in human history. There is plenty of intensity in this depiction of the Normandy landing, while also having such a great cast help carry much of the film. These types of movies are iconic for a reason, and though I’m sure most would find this boring today, I assure you, it’s anything but that. 

There have been a whole slew of “men on a mission” films to have come out since the Second World War ended. Even to this day, the subgenre still flourishes. Some of the classics include ‘The Guns Of Navarone’ (1961), ‘The Dirty Dozen’ (1967), and ‘Where Eagles Dare’ (1968). These films scale up to an epic proportion with a group of typically high scale movie stars all coming together to help win a war. Sometimes but not always are they spy movies, but ‘The Longest Day’ (1962) is just a straight forward battle film. The D-Day landing is the back drop for this films mission, and how it’s played out on screen helps catapult the story forward into an epic telling of history.  

As war films have gone on, there is a building of intensity each director tries to add. Back in the 1960’s, this was the level that was highest reached. Now when we look back, we see, in a different rendering of the Normandy landing, Steven Spielberg’s ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998) puts this film to shame on its intensity. That does not discredit the scale and productivity of the action in this film. For the 1960’s, this is some heavy duty stuff, we just get spoiled with the contemporaneous style of action. ‘The Longest Day’ (1962) has a good number of intense moments, and really hammers home the idea of large scale battle sequences. 

Like many other World War II films, ‘The Longest Day’ (1962) is grounded in a historical event that the whole world saw. Of course, The Normandy landing is perhaps the most famous battle during the war, so there are plenty of tellings from it. This depiction spans the prep work from both the Americans and the Germans, and it delves into the battle itself. The fall out and everything in between are all looked at quite carefully. I cannot speak for the accuracy of the entire film, but I know most Hollywood movies need to embellish a bit to sell a good film. Whether the movie is accurate or not, it is still an entertaining voyage through one of the most impactful moments in human history. 

Whoa… now you want to talk about an “ensemble” cast? ‘The Longest Day’ (1962) puts every other ensemble to shame. For starters, John Wayne leads the pack of classical actors, but the follow ups are even more impressive. Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda, Sean Connery, Robert Mitchum, Richard Beymer, Gert Fröbe, Jeffery Hunter, Curd Jürgens, Peter Lawford, Roddy McDowall, George Segal, Rod Steiger, Robert Wagner, and so many more. Half of these actors are just rangers in the background, but the cast is still massive. If the actors weren’t someone in 1962, they would become someone sooner or later. This is the definition of an ultimate ensemble, and all other films could only dream. 

‘The Longest Day’ (1962) has gone down as perhaps the most iconic war film ever out to screen. When watching it, you can absolutely understand why. The scale of the entire film is massive, and has an epic tone to the entire story. The ensemble cast is nonstop, and continues to grow as you watch. This historical picture just shows the resolution of the American military from a different time, and it explores the complex and detailed battles that were faced. This is an important film for many to watch, while also just being a fun war epic as well.