222 LONGEST DAY, THE
mediate between the two throughout the script development pro cess (Zanuck also
brought in other writers to help: David Pursall, Jack Seddon, James Jones, and
Romain Gary). During pre- production, producer Frank McCarthy (Patton), who had
worked for the U.S. War Department during World War II, arranged for military
collaboration with the governments of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and
the United States. With eight major battle scenes planned, Zanuck deci ded to hire
multiple directors— Germany’s Gerd Oswald and Bernhard Wicki (Die Brücke),
Britain’s Ken Annakin, and the American Andrew “Bandy” Marton—to head their
own film units and shoot si mul ta neously. Zanuck coordinated their efforts and also
did some directing in his own right. The intent all along was to have a big star-
studded cast. Zanuck was able to sign a wide swathe of mostly A- list talent: John
Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Robert Ryan, Rod Steiger, Richard Todd,
Richard Burton, Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Paul Anka, Sal Mineo, Roddy
McDowall, Stuart Whitman, Eddie Albert, Edmond O’Brien, Red Buttons, Peter
Lawford, and Sean Connery. All the major stars were paid $25,000 except John
Wayne, who insisted on $250,000, to punish producer Zanuck for referring to him
as “poor John Wayne” in reference to Wayne’s prob lems with his pet proj ect, The
Alamo (1960), which flopped. Zanuck hired more than 2,000 real soldiers for the
film as extras.Production
Filming of The Longest Day took place over a nine- month period (August 1961–16
June 1962). The film was shot at several French locations, including the Île de Ré,
Saleccia beach in Saint- Florent, Haute- Corse, Port- en- Bessin- Huppain (filling in
for Ouistreham), Les Studios de Boulogne in Boulogne- Billancourt in Paris and the
actual locations of Pegasus Bridge near Bénouville, Calvados, Sainte- Mère- Église,
and Pointe du Hoc. The U.S. Sixth Fleet provided extensive support to the pro-
duction, making available many amphibious landing ships and craft for scenes
filmed in Corsica. The USS Spring field and USS Little Rock, both World War II light
cruisers (though updated as guided missile cruisers), were used in the shore bom-
bardment scenes.Plot Summary
Ryan’s book is divided into three parts: The Wait, The Night, and The Day. The
film follows the same format, devoting about an hour to each section. It also adds
a prologue that features Field Marshall Erwin Rommel (Werner Hinz) briefing sub-
ordinates. Rommel expresses his intent to defeat the coming invasion on the
beaches and declares, “For the Allies, as well as Germany,” that day “ will be the
longest day!” The film proper begins with German intelligence intercepting a coded
message that seems to indicate the invasion is now imminent, but the High Com-
mand refuses to put troops on alert. Rommel discusses the stormy weather with
an aide and expects it to last another week. In England on 5 June, vari ous vignettes
show invasion troops moving from staging points or whiling away the time on land
and at sea, gambling or complaining about the food, the bad weather, and the seem-
ingly endless waiting for the appointed hour as the weather has forced repeated