An American war film; A story about the events which occured during 6 June 1944 in Normandy, France, the huge task of preparing for D-Day. This film, a grand scale semi-fictionalized documentary of the greatest ever amphibious operation, Operation Neptune, does justice to the military undertaking with its scale and production. As an aside, as well as conveying the logistics needed for this incredible invasion, it takes meticulous care in showing the horror of the events. The composite picture of D-Day from multiple national viewpoints brings an authenticity. The power of the story carries through to the end of its long running time, avoiding gung ho and keeping occasional melodrama to a low ebb. However, it falls a little short of being resonant in the dramatic tension and dialogue was sparse which thwarted the promise of one great performance. This gave rise to the unfortunate impression that several marquee players were rolled out in a star identity parade.
Review of The Longest Day
