The Longest Day vs Saving Private Ryan. Which do you prefer?

[the ringo kid]

Realism aside, which movie about D Day or had SOMETHING to do with D-Day, do you prefer? For me its The Longest Day hands down. SPR was good for what it was but I still prefer TLD as best. Not only being in B&W, but had original participants from each side as military Advisors, but better casts as well.

 

[Arik]

Saving Private Ryan. I liked the realistic action. I can't say anything about acting since I only saw Longest Day once and all those actors are before my time

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[bamabiker]

I watched The Longest Day a long time ago on TV. It was good.
I saw Saving Private Ryan at the theater. Came out with tears in my eyes.
Have watched SPR several times since.

 

[petepeterson]

SPR. More time spent on fewer characters. An interesting moral dilemma built into the script.

And it confirms what everyone already suspected- that a 1911 can blow up a tank!

I could've done with less violence, but I also understand the attempt at realism.

 

[bigwheelzip]

To me it's apple vs. oranges. TLD is big picture strategic and SPR is ground level tactical. I think they compliment each other in developing a clear picture of events.
SPR is more disturbing.
TLD vs Patton is a close match.
TLD wins for plot.
Patton wins the overall, on George C. Scott's phenomenal acting skill alone.

 

[MCorps0311]

I never had to land on a beach,but watching Saving Private Ryan,just looked so real. I don't think i've ever seen The Longest Day.If I have i've forgotten it. I forget lots of things these days.

 

[eb07]

Saving Private Ryan.

 

[Rpg]

I saw both in the theatre when they came out. Sorta dates me I guess.

I prefer TLD.

 

[Watchdog]

Saving Private Ryan is the better film, hands down. It has a more personal focus, rather than trying to show the entire big picture in one huge epic film. It's an epic in its own way, of course, but it's more of a film that the ordinary G.I. can relate to.

The sixties were still Hollywood's time for making epic films, films on a grand scale, and that's what The Longest Day is. It's Big Hollywood Studio Film Making in its heyday, but that wasn't always a good thing. The black and white photography does work in its favor, in my opinion. In the end, though, for me it's basically a good attempt that sort of turns into another big box office vehicle for the big movie stars of that period.

The Longest Day earned a lot of money (for back then) and it earned its accolades, but it looks somewhat dated to me now.

 

[Grayfox]

I watched The Longest Day on TCM just last weekend. Still a classic.
Different movies with different stories.
TLD focused on just how complicated, hectic and confusing D-Day was for both sides. Multiple stories woven together to give an overall picture of the event.
Saving Private Ryan was more focused on one small group with a specific mission.
Both are great movies.

 

[M1A]

Other than having the invasion scenes, it's apples and oranges comparison.
SPR has a fantastic landing sequence. After that it is a typical war movie, with the typical characters, albeit well acted with some memorable lines.
LD has a landing sequence good for it's time, but not anywhere near that of SPR. Lots of star power with OK acting, and some typical soldier types.
However, The Longest Day references actual events, even though it is more Hollywood than documentary. Maj. John Howard's glider attack and "Hold until relieved" at Pegasus Bridge comes to mind.
I do like both movies.

 

[mg357]

The longest Day and Saving Private Ryan are both good movie's and I have watched them both. But I prefer The Longest Day.

 

[muddocktor]

I go along with bigwheelzip and Grayfox. You can't directly compare the 2 movies as they cover different aspects of D-Day. TLD is more a "big picture" type of movie that is trying to encompass the whole D-Day invasion and just how big a project the invasion really was. They not only cover the actual invasion, but also the para and glider drops, the Underground's saboteur efforts and German reactions to the invasion all in one movie. SPR is more a narrower focus at company then squad level of the same time frame. They do cover quite a few of the same events happening, but from a different and more personal perspective. You also have to factor in the different time frames the 2 movies were made and the societal mores that were acceptable at the time of TLD versus SPR. They just didn't make movies with the amount of blood and gore in SPR back in the 60's when TLD was made. Also, TLD only covers around the first day of the invasion. SPR covers D-Day and a few weeks after D-Day.

Both are great movies and in my opinion complement each other in covering the D-Day invasion.

 

[fordson]

SPR by a narrow margin. LD was good at the historical level, while SPR was at the squad/personal level. However, LD did have a number of veterans in its ranks of actors, albeit some twenty plus years older than the actual participants at the time. I read someplace that Richard Todd, who played Maj. John Howard (Pegasus Bridge), was a young Capt with the 5th Bridage, 1st Paras who reinforced Howard's unit later that morning. I find that interesting that an actor played the part of the CO to whom he was attached.

 

[hoosierone]

Private Ryan was a very well crafted film. Though I have never been in a combat situation, this film seemed very realistic.

Longest Day was fine, couple of hokey Hollywood cliches aside.

 

[Absalom]

Impossible to compare. TLD was a grand spectacle, and having four directors of different nationalities involved in the battle direct famous actors of that nationality playing their respective parts, in their respective native language subtitled, was a great piece of movie-making, and an epic attempt to tell the whole story of D-Day, like Cornelius Ryan's book. Very authentic as an attempt to tell history.

SPR is a personal war story on a completely different level. Fantastic story, but it doesn't tell the story of D-Day, it uses D-Day to tell its story.

 

[pharmer]

TLD is big picture strategic and SPR is ground level tactical.

This^^^^. Longest Day gave a great explanation. In Private Ryan, when the gate dropped on the Higgins boat, I wanted to grab my stuff and run. Joe

 

[fdw]

Saving Private Ryan,

The knife to the heart in the hand to hand near the end of the movie was pretty gut wrenching...

you could almost feel the life going out of him...brutality at it's best

 

[shouldazagged]

I'm very glad my father never saw "Saving Private Ryan". He hit Omaha Beach in the first wave, unarmed, as a 33-year-old, terribly nearsighted war correspondent. He would never talk about it.

The opening sequence would have been very rough on him, I think.

 

[Targets Guy]

SPR.

The Longest Day is okay but I am not a fan of a large number of big name stars playing roles. For example John Wayne was way too old for his part.

If I could only watch one of them again it would be SPR.