Presented by Steve Schroeder, Executive Director of the Calgary International Film Festival

THE LONGEST DAY | 1962  | Dir. Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki | 178 min | G

The triumph and tragedy of the World War II heroes who stormed Normandy Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, are immortalized in this film. Seen through the eyes of Allied generals, foot soldiers, strategists and paratroopers, THE LONGEST DAY recounts the largest and greatest military mission of all time. In a battle that would change the course of history, 5,000 ships unloaded over 3 million men on the beaches of France, and the Allies gained a valuable foothold on enemy territory, at an incalculable cost. This massive production required five directors and featured an international cast of thousands, including John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, Eddie Albert, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Peter Lawford, Rod Steiger, Stuart Whitman, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Curt Jürgens and more.

THE LONGEST DAY is the first film in our Salon Cinema series, in which Calgary Cinematheque gathers some of Calgary’s brightest local luminaries in the film community to share and discuss their favourite movies.