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[[File: John Wayne in The Longest Day trailer.jpg|200px|thumb|left|John Wayne in a scene from the Longest Day (1962)]]''The Longest Day'' is a 1962 war movie based on the book of Cornelius Ryan of the same name. The movie is filmed in a docudrama style and narrates the key events of the first day of the D-Day Landings on June 6th, 1944. These landings were the largest amphibious operation in history when some 100,000 Allied troops landed on the coasts of Normandy in German-occupied France. D-Day was one of the most important events in the Second World War, as it was the beginning of the liberation of Nazi-occupied western Europe. The movie concentrates on the drama of the vital first day when there was a real risk that the Germans could have driven the invasion force back into the sea.

''The Longest Day '' was directed by several directors who each directed a scene in a specific country or language. For example, there was a director for the scenes on Britain and a director for the scenes involving the Nazi German military, filmed in German. The movie was overseen by the influential Hollywood producer Darryl F . Zanuck and he was very committed to historical accuracy. He demanded that much of the dialogue be taken from the diaries and reports of those who had fought at D-Day and hired former Allied and German commanders to provide technical advice.

However, how historically accurate was the movie? The script was written by Cornelius Ryan and he was assisted by a team of writers . <ref> Solomon, Aubrey, Twentieth Century Fox: a corporate and financial History (Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989). p. 253</ref>. ''The Longest Day '' was a true Hollywood blockbuster with lavish scenes and great effects. It had also an all-star cast that included Kenneth Moore, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Sean Connery and many more. Several of the stars were veterans of the war including Rod Steiger and Henry Fonda, who won a bronze star during the Allied invasion of Europe.<ref> Solomon, p. 253</ref>. [[File: John Wayne in The Longest Day trailer.jpg|200px|thumb|left|John Wayne in a scene from the Longest Day (1962)]]