jam5219 Reviews

The Longest Day (1962)

"We're on the eve of the greatest day in our nation's history"

[8/10 · 7 May 2002]

The "Longest Day" is a massive film of the greatest day of the war. The movie begins with the pre-invasion plans by the generals and the rest of the army. It shows many of the key officer's plans, complaints and excitement about the forthcoming invasion. From there the movie recounts the incidents from every aspect of D-Day: the citizens of Normandy, the Germans, the Paratroopers, the troops who landed on the beaches those troops who had to scale to verticle sea cliffs in order to even reach the enemy.

"The Longest Day" won two 1962 Oscars, one of which was for cinematography, and although it is 1962 black and white you can still appreciate the cinematography. One of my favorite scenes from the movie was when Major Pluskat (Hans Christian Blech) is looking out his dugout window and he ses that massive Allies armada appear on the horizon.

An amazing cast ensemble. How many other movies could boast a cast of over 40 international stars. When someone asks you who's in the movie you could go on for a couple minutes listing easily recognizable names. The leading names in the movie include war film legends John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Robert Mitchum. John Wayne leads the paratroopers while Fonda and Mitchum take the beaches. Allies and axis rivals Sean Connery and Gerte Frobe two years later will team up again as rivals only this time as James Bond and Goldfinger. None of these stands out above the rest they all did an excellent job.

This movie is very much worth the time to watch it.

The Civil War (1990– )

Great documentary by a great documentarian

[10/10 · 2 May 2002]

This is by far the best documentary I've ever seen. History is my favorite subject to study and I have seen a lot of documentaries and "The Civil War" by Ken Burns is by far my favorite.

The Civil War is my favorite subject in history to study and Ken Burns does and excellent job at spacing out the sequence of the war in this set, basically two videos per year of the war. Many people stereotypically think of documentaries as dull and boring, but Ken Burns definately does not let "The Civil War" fall into that stereotype. Thats why this documentary is not only good for learning but the soundtrack, the scenery and everything else put into it makes you really appreciate and get a feel for the Civil War era. As you watch through the videos from Fort Sumter through Antietam and Gettysburg and up to Appomattox, you can really get the fealing of how the actual Yankee and Rebel soldiers felt during these times. burns does not only focus on the battles which would stand out as the most interesting part of a war, but he gets into the personal lives of the soldiers, the soldiers' families, abolitionists and slaves.

David McCullough has a wonderful voice as the narrator and it was also nice to hear some familiar voices for some of the characters such as Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman, and Sam Waterston. The interviews by Edwin Bears, Shelby Foote and other historians were always nice to hear among the documentary.

Overall a very well done documentary on the Civil War. If you are interested in American history in general this and "The West" also by Ken Burns are an excellent choice to see.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

enough can't be said

[10/10 · 11 April 2002]

Enough good things can't be said about this movie. It is undoubtedly one of the best and most moving films ever made. No other racial injustice or discriminatory based movie can even compare with "To Kill a Mockingbird". This movie not only makes you sympathize with those who were being discriminated against, but also those who fought for those people. One of the most moving parts of the movie is when Atticus Finch is leaving the court room and Reverend Sykes tells Scout to "stand up your father is passing".

Gregory Peck has always been one of my favorite actors. This is definitely one of my favorite roles that he has ever played, and he does an excellent job at it. Mary Badham and Philip Alford are excellent as Jem and Scout. Mary Badham became the youngest girl to receive an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress for her role as Scout. Although it had a short time on screen, Robert Duvall's portrayal of "Boo" Radley was one of his very first roles on screen and what better movie than "To Kill a Mockingbird" to kick off your acting career.

A great movie of all times.