The Longest Day (1962)

"John has a long mustache.", 21 June 2006

I've lost count of the number of times I've watched The Longest Day. In my opinion, it's one of the best, most enjoyable films I've ever seen and it rests firmly in my top 25. I look forward to revisiting it each chance I get.

What do I like about The Longest Day? Almost everything. I know the film has its share of detractors who complain about the film's length, the historical inaccuracies, the number of cameos, the "flag waving", or the lack of realistic bloodshed amongst other things. I don't have a problem with any of this. The film's length – not a problem. If anything, I always want more. The historical inaccuracies – not a problem. There's a whole page of goofs listed on IMDb. I'm not a historian and I'm not about to let the fact that someone was carrying the wrong sidearm get in the way of my enjoyment. The number of cameos – not a problem. The only cameo that I feel is unnecessary is the one of Rod Steiger. I enjoy all of the others. The "flag waving" – not a problem. The Allies, of which the U.S.A. was a part, should be proud of their victory in WWII. The lack of realistic bloodshed – not a problem. The carnage depicted in Saving Private Ryan may be missing, but the atmosphere and "feeling" are still there.

In short, it's damn near a perfect film as far as I'm concerned.

10/10