Public Servant Lifestyle

Veterans have voted The Longest Day the best war film ever made.

The 1962 classic The Longest Day has been voted the best war film by British veterans, according to a new nationwide survey Forces Reunited.

Based on the book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan, The Longest Day charts the 'D-Day' invasion of Normandy by allied forces in June of 1944. The ensemble cast of the epic three-hour picture included Richard Burton (Where Eagles Dare, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Cleopatra, The Wild Geese), John Wayne (Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers, The Green Berets), Sean Connery (You Only Live Twice, The Offence, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Man Who Would Be King) and Richard Todd (The Dam Busters, D-Day the Sixth of June, The Hasty Heart).

To celebrate 'War Stories', a season of over forty of the best war films ever made, Sky Movies Classics commissioned Forces Reunited to survey their subscribers to pick the best war feature film that reflected their own experience.

Veteran Players

One of the British leads in The Longest Day, Richard Todd, himself served in the British 6th Airborne Division during the Second World War. He was one of the first British soldiers to land in Normandy on D-Day and served under Major John Howard - the man who led the famous airborne assault on Pegasus Bridge during the early hours of the invasion, who he actually plays in the film. On hearing the results of the poll he said: "What sets The Longest Day apart from so many popular and successful war films is that it is grounded on fact. It has the honesty and attention to detail that is often missing from the extravagant, special effects ridden war films of today."

The top ten war films as voted for by veterans were:

1. The Longest Day (1962)
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
3. A Bridge Too Far (1977)
4. The Dam Busters (1955)
5. The Cruel Sea (1953)
6. The Battle of Britain (1969)
7. Schindler’s List (1993)
8. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
9. The Great Escape (1963)
10. Das Boot (1981)

Imperial War Museum Historian, Terry Charman, echoes this sentiment: “I’m not at all surprised that The Longest Day is the top choice for veterans as it is as near to authentic as a war film can get with its powerful depiction of real-life events and cleverly-crafted documentary style. It provides a balanced view of the conflict, showcasing the battles from the point of view of both the Allied and German forces, and not many films can boast to be written (Cornelius Ryan) and star (Richard Todd) war veterans with first-hand experience. For these reasons this film will always stand the test of time and this survey highlights that fact.”

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies and Box Office - who commissioned the poll - commented: “The films in the Top Ten are compelling, stories about real heroes, told honestly. Films like Saving Private Ryan and others that can be seen in our War Stories season, resonate because they are some of the most celebrated and realistic war depictions ever committed to celluloid.”

Forces Reunited

The Forces Reunited website was founded in 2001 by Dominic Hayhoe - who is now the MD - an ex-Army Veteran who served with the Army Catering Corps between 1986 and 1991.

It was designed to enable as many Forces Veterans as possible to reunite with each other. The idea came about when Dominic's Father express an interest in contacting some of his old forces friends as he had reached retirement age and had time on his hands.

The site has grown at an incredible rate over the last five years and now is the largest UK Forces Veterans Community on the web - with 352,181 registered members, creating two million page impressions a month and over 200,000 unique visitors every single month.

Supporters include their patron Falklands War veteran Simon Weston, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help, the British Forces Foundation and The Duke of Westminster.

For more information visit the website: www.forcesreunited.org.uk

PSP Ltd is not reponsible for the contents of external websites.

More information available in Professional Groups, Film, Africa