Ike: Countdown to D-Day (2004) (TV)

Director:

Robert Harmon

Writer (WGA):

Lionel Chetwynd (written by)

Release Date:

31 May 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

Plot:

IKE: COUNTDOWN TO D-DAY depicts the tense 90 days leading up to the D-Day invasion and how Dwight Eisenhower, against all odds, brilliantly orchestrated the most important military maneuver in modern history.

Plot Keywords:

Corporal | Sergeant | Lieutenant General | Major | Air Marshal

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Tom Selleck	...	Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
James Remar	...	Gen. Omar Bradley
Timothy Bottoms	...	Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith
Gerald McRaney	...	Lt. Gen. George S. Patton
Ian Mune	...	Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Bruce Phillips	...	Gen. Bernard Law Montgomery
John Bach	...	Air Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Nick Blake	...	Air Marshal Arthur W. Tedder
Kevin J. Wilson	...	RAdm. Bert Ramsay
Christopher Baker	...	Group Capt. Maj. James Stagg
George Shevtsov	...	Gen. Charles DeGaulle
Gregor McLennan	...	Capt. Chapman
Paul Gittins	...	Maj. Gen. Henry Miller
Craig Hall	...	Cpl. William Hayes
Stephen Brunton	...	Cpl. William Younger

Also Known As:

Ike: Thunder in June (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language.

Runtime:

120 min (including commercials) | Brazil:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Australia:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Airport, Airfield Road, Ardmore, Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Film Factory New Zealand Limited

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Laurence Olivier's film of _Chronicle History or King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France, The (1944)_ is screened within this film in the spring of 1944, despite the fact that Olivier's film was not completed by that time and was not released in the UK until six months after the period depicted in this film.

Quotes:

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower: Of course Overlord did not fail. How could it? With some many fine young men and women from all corners of the earth all determined to do their best to free a world gone half mad.

Movie Connections:

Features Cover Girl (1944)

Superb - true war drama without combat

I would really recommend seeing the DVD due to the excellent commentary by Selleck, the writer and director.

Argument about the Second World War - what went wrong, what went right, why things were done - and of course about the historical accuracy of any depiction in film - is one of those great indulgences of mankind.

But I think this movie very faithful to history - and those who say that a single particular meeting with Churchill at which Y was decided did not occur, because instead there were a dozen meetings in which Y was gradually decided -- or that there were also A, B and C people at other meetings - are simply not dealing with every movie's need to compress a true story.

I think this movie (though it does acknowledge that there was some condensing of character and incident) is truly excellent.

There is a maturity about the playing (and Selleck is really superb - a tribute to the seriousness with which he took the task of playing a hero who had an obviously immense impact on history) and sober approach to the issues -- that make it very moving.

The movie does a wonderful job at showing Ike grappling with:

a) the difficulties of others' personalities (DeGaulle, Patton, Miller, Montgomery),

b) the tactical decisions (how near to the landing do you have the paratroops drop - and do you change your mind as you learn of German troop movements? The need for a full or half moon as well as good weather; the likelihood of further delay to see if things improve -causing a loss of German surprise about place of invasion).

It's just superb in every way - it will make you wish this were part of a 12 or 14 hour series about Eisenhower in wartime.

Selleck (with his Midwestern accent and - for this movie - very deliberate in movement and speech - makes a superb Eisenhower).