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He retraced one of the biggest events in history: “The longest day” has recreated the landing with such a realism that we believed that it was turned in Normandy, but it was actually filmed in a slightly more Mediterranean France …
Around June 6 each year, commemorative date of the Allied landing of 1944, we cannot help talking about the classic the longest day. This emblematic film has greatly marked collective memory by highlighting one of the greatest military operations in history.
Shortly before the offensive of June 6, 1944 begins, German general Erwin Rommel, head of the B -army group based in Normandy, wrote to his wife: “The allies must land, it is a fact. But the 24 hours preceding the invasion will be essential. For us, as for the Allies, it will be the longest day …“This sentence, entering the story with a great“ H ”, gave its title to the film released in 1962.
Inspired by Cornelius Ryan's successful book, the film recreated with ambition the landing and the battle of Normandy. However, it is not free from historical inaccuracies. This does not prevent The longest day To impress, notably thanks to its exceptional cast, a real parade of international stars: John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Richard Burton, Robert Ryan, Peter Lawford, and on the French side, Bourvil and Christian Marquand.
Normandy in Corsica
And contrary to what one might think, the shooting did not take place on the beaches of Normandy. The famous landing scene in Omaha Beach, for example, was shot … in Corsica! Other scenes, especially indoors, were carried out in Boulogne-Billancourt. Despite these geographic freedoms, the film remains a reference in terms of international co-production.
With an impressive budget of $ 10 million – a record for a black and white film at the time – The longest day was also one of the first Hollywood feature films on the Second World War to respect the original languages of the characters, thus bringing an unprecedented realism for the time.
In addition, it has a particular structure, since it was led by several directors: Andrew Marton for American scenes, Ken Annakin for the British aspect, Bernhard Wicki for the German passages, and Elmo Williams for the coordination of battle scenes. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck has himself filming certain sequences.
A first in big fanfare
The first of the film in France took place in September 1962 at the Palais de Chaillot, in Paris, in a solemn atmosphere, under the patronage of the French government and General de Gaulle. The event was even accompanied by Edith Piaf, who interpreted the song of the film as well as the Marseillaise at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
The public was not mistaken: the film totaled nearly 12 million admissions in France. Since then, he has kept a place of choice in the hearts of spectators and remains a must of television programming each year as June 6 approaches.
The longest day is to be reviewed in VOD.
