Thursday, April 21, 2016

The Longest Movie

A pleasant childhood memory of mine is seeing The Longest Day for the first time in the fall of 1982. The movie came on at 2 PM, I think, by the time it was over the sun was down. My sister was there with me, doing homework. Every time I see the movie, the score, and its feel, which I describe as 1962 black and white brings me back to that pleasant time.

I just re-watched the Longest Day for the first time in many years. Maybe its me, maybe I've changed, but doesn't this movie suck?

I mean, it long alright. The movie spends too much time trying to be cute. The scenes with Sean Connery are un-watchable, most of the Brit scenes are, sorry fellas, a combination of English-cute and the emerging British Cool of he 1960s.

Why is Richard Burton even in the film? His scenes ad nothing.

John Wayne mostly scowls.

Honestly, the best scenes and the most sympathetic characters are the Germans trying to make sense of what is going on. I always felt for Plutskat. The bastards, it seems, killed his dog. The poor thing.

Maybe it is me. Maybe I've changed I hope I have. Maybe watching an old fashioned war movie on the heels of seeing 'The Pacific' is a bad idea.

I dunno, I recently saw A Bridge too Far for the first time in a decade and thought it was better than ever.

Sorry, but The Longest Day is critically flawed.

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