D-Day on Film: The Longest Day vs. Saving Private Ryan

The Historical Context of the D-Day Invasion

Hollywood's depictions and interpretations of the events that transpired on D-Day have long captured the attention of audiences worldwide. Though Hollywood depictions of the events that occurred prior to, during, and after the invasion of Normandy may vary, they still aim to convey a similar message: that the evil forces of the world will be overthrown and the world will be a much safer place. The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan both aim to present the events leading up to the invasion of Normandy on D-Day in an artistic and creative fashion while attempting to maintain an air of realism. The approaches taken to depict the invasion of Normandy in each film represent a positive contribution to the combat film genre. Though creative licenses were taken in each, the manner in which the events were presented was appropriate for the time in which each film was released. Aside from their dramatic subtexts, both films successfully provide effective cinematic portrayals of war that were fitting for their respective eras.

On June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along France's heavily guarded coastline with the goal of fighting Nazi troops on the beaches of Normandy.¹ One of the targeted beaches featured in both films was Omaha. Omaha Beach was the intended landing point for the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions of the United States Armed Forces. Because Omaha Beach was the only location where vehicles could be driven off the beach, Captain Scott-Bowden had warned General Bradley about its potential as a formidable place of attack.²

Nazi Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, assessing the vulnerability of the beach, ordered the construction of what would be considered the "most fearsome" underwater obstacles. These obstacles included staked mines, hedgehogs made out of steel girders, and "Belgian Gates."³ The attack on Omaha Beach was to be undertaken through a variety of tactical approaches, preceded by "massive aerial and naval bombardment."⁴ Military commanders believed that such bombardment would achieve tactical surprise and overwhelm Nazi defenders. Contrary to their expectations, this approach did little to help. En route to their beach landing, Scott-Bowden and his crew were informed that 329 heavy American bombers were coming in from behind them. Unfortunately, the bombs were being dropped well beyond the top of the ridge and were not impacting their desired targets. Anthony Beevor notes in D-Day: The Battle for Normandy that in the "thirty minutes preceding H-Hour, the Liberators and Fortresses of the Eighth Air Force dropped 13,000 bombs, but none fell on Omaha Beach."⁵

The Longest Day: Authenticity, Allegory, and Self-Censorship

Though the invasion of Normandy was ultimately considered successful and allowed more than 100,000 troops to gain entry into Europe in their quest to defeat Hitler and his regime, more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded by the end of June 6, 1944.⁶

The events leading up to the invasion of Normandy provide the backdrop for The Longest Day.⁷ The film's narrative is presented from three distinct perspectives, each directed by a different individual. It presents the preparations and considerations undertaken by both Allied and Axis forces. Ken Annakin and Andrew Marton directed the British and French vignettes and exteriors and the American vignette and exteriors, respectively, while Bernhard Wicki directed the German vignettes. The film opens with depictions of Allied preparations, including tactical plans and communications with the French Liberation Army. The Allied forces and their commanders are depicted as strong-willed, intelligent, and cunning men, while the Axis forces and commanders are, at times, portrayed as bumbling fools.

In order to achieve a level of authenticity, producer Darryl Zanuck employed several D-Day veterans from both sides of the war to consult on the film's technical and narrative aspects. He also drew upon NATO resources and a roster of well-known actors to tell the story.⁸ NATO resources incorporated into the film included ships, planes, trucks, and tanks. The French government and armed forces lent Zanuck 2,000 French soldiers — a remarkably self-sacrificial gesture, given that France was embroiled in the conflict in Algeria at the time.⁹ Zanuck also received support from the United States Pentagon. The availability of men and authentic military resources helped give The Longest Day a documentary feel.

Beyond its historical subject matter, The Longest Day carried an allegorical undertone representative of contemporary world issues. In 1962, the United States was on the verge of deepening Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union, and the film helped to demonstrate the value of unity in defeating a common enemy.¹⁰

The Longest Day was subject to heavy criticism after its 1962 release, primarily for failing to depict the heavy casualties and massacres witnessed during the invasion of Normandy. Combat film has been regarded as a visual document that gives the viewer a "powerful sense of immediacy and connection to the past."¹¹ It has been suggested that combat actuality films are more valuable to historians than first-hand written accounts, as filmed events are presented without bias and offer an unmediated view of the past.¹² Combat as depicted in feature films allows an audience to "indulge in the horrors and excitement of war voyeuristically" and to make a conscious distinction between the horrors depicted and those that actually occurred.¹³ Toby Haggith contends that "feature films give the impression that soldiers are constantly in combat" and do not provide insight into soldiers' lives when they are not fighting.¹⁴ Though it could be argued that both films offer some insight into events before and after the invasion, the primary purpose of each is to show the many aspects of war — whether the preparation required to launch a full-scale invasion, or the risks endured during a search-and-rescue mission.

Saving Private Ryan: Realism and the Search-and-Rescue Narrative

Like many films of its era, The Longest Day was subjected to self-censorship and did not depict the true horrors of war. This self-censorship was not limited to Hollywood: there is evidence that documentaries filmed on the beaches of Normandy during the invasion were also self-censored by those filming the events. A reviewer for Time wrote that "Zanuck shamelessly sugars his bullets — men die by thousands, but not one living wound, not one believable drop of blood is seen on the screen."¹⁵

Unlike The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan freely depicted the horrors of war. The film's first 26 minutes are considered some of the most memorable scenes in Hollywood history, vividly and violently depicting the horror encountered by soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. The film follows Captain John H. Miller and his crew on their quest to find Private James Francis Ryan and ensure his safety. Under normal circumstances, the life of one soldier would not justify risking the lives of seven men; however, Ryan is the last surviving male in his family, as all of his brothers who enlisted were killed in action.¹⁶

The film's narrative draws inspiration from two real-life stories: the four sons of Agnes Allison who were killed during the American Civil War, and the Niland brothers who fought in World War II.¹⁷ Under the War Department's sole-survivor policy — implemented after the five Sullivan brothers were killed while serving on the same ship — all possible efforts were to be made to ensure the safe return of any remaining survivors within a family.¹⁸

Saving Private Ryan picks up, in a sense, where The Longest Day left off. Whereas The Longest Day depicts the events leading up to the invasion and climaxes during the relatively "bloodless" storming of the beaches, Saving Private Ryan begins in medias res, as soldiers are being transported to the shores of Omaha Beach. Much like The Longest Day, it drew large audiences and became a major success, despite the fact that traditional combat films were thought to have run their course.¹⁹