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The Longest Day (1962) I managed to fit a showing of this film in yesterday when there was a break in the 70th Anniversary D-Day coverage. This is an epic reconstruction of the events of Operation Overlord featuring an all star cast. In recent years films like 'Saving Private Ryan' and the series 'Band Of Brothers' have had scenes of the landings at Normandy and 'Saving Private Ryan' in particular is noted for it's graphic realism of the Omaha Beach landings. 'The Longest Day' is not just the beach landings but covers many aspects of the lead up to the invasion. This film also covers the various Allied forces and resistance involved. Of note is the brilliant British glider assault on the Orne river bridges on the night before the invasion. Fact based and featuring scenes like this are not seen in any other screen adaptation so this movie remains the definitive version of the events of June 6th 1944. |
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Nice reviews Dave. Is Strangler of the Swamp available for a reasonable price anywhere? I really want a copy. I too am a fan of The Longest Day, but didn't watch it this year as i went with Saving Private Ryan. (1998). The opening half hour is rightly lauded but i also like the final battle in the town. Again lasting around half an hour it's a superb bit of film making. However it's the sequence prior to the action i really rate. Hanks, Damon and co are sat around, basically killing time before the Germans move in. Suddenly there's a low rumble and metallic grind in a rear speaker, then nothing, the same happens in the other speaker, all this happens minutes before we see anything, getting louder all the time, amid the reactions of the suddenly panicking Allied soldiers. The sound of two Tiger tanks rumbling into battle together with a Panzer division. Tanks are featured in a lot of war films, but none do it as well as this, the sound sparking a real sense of fear and horror, long before the enemy is in range. Terrific stuff. |
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My major problem with Saving Private Ryan is the lull between the first and final battles when, and this is possibly intentional to reflect the monotony of war, it becomes very dull. Of the two Second World War films released that year, The Thin Red Line is superior in just about every respect.
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That'll be the genius sound design work of Gary Rydstrom then
__________________ If I'm curt with you it's because time is a factor. I think fast, I talk fast and I need you guys to act fast if you wanna get out of this. So, pretty please... with sugar on top. Clean the ****ing car! |
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I've never liked the Thin Red Line either, but I have only seen it a couple of times, unlike Saving Private Ryan, that I've seen many times since it's 1998 cinema release
__________________ If I'm curt with you it's because time is a factor. I think fast, I talk fast and I need you guys to act fast if you wanna get out of this. So, pretty please... with sugar on top. Clean the ****ing car! |
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When you compare the series The Pacific to Band of Brothers, then The Pacific comes across as very dull. Must be the difference between the two conflicts. |
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