History YMMV / TheLongestDay

* WTHCastingAgency: Creator/JohnWayne, age 54, was '''twice''' the age of Benjamin Vandervoort during D-Day, age 27; Wayne was even ten years older than the real Vandervoort.

* WTHCastingAgency: Creator/JohnWayne, age 54, was '''twice''' the age of Benjamin Vandervoort during D-Day, age 27; Wayne was older than even the real Vandervoort was at the time of production.

* EarWorm: The ending/credits theme. "Many men came here as soldiers / Many men will pass this way..."

* WTHCastingAgency: Creator/JohnWayne, age 54, was '''twice''' the age of Benjamin Vandervoort during D-Day, age 27.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: When the [[LaResistance Resistance fighter]] played by Creator/{{Bourvil}} hears the code words he's been waiting for on the radio, he excitedly rushes out to perform his assigned task. His apparently perplexed mother stares after him, then digs the radio out from where he hid it and switches it back on. Confused parent wondering what has made her son go off the deep end, or [[BadassGrandpa a fellow member of the resistance]] waiting for her own coded message?

* EarWorm: the ending/credits theme.

** Not only is Creator/SeanConnery present the same year he would [[Film/DrNo debut]] as James Bond, but two future Bond villains appear as well. "Sergeant Coffepot" is played by Gert Frobe, who two years later would play the eponymous Film/{{Goldfinger}}, while Creator/CurdJurgens (Maj. Gen. Gunther Blumentritt) would later play [[Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe Karl Stromberg]].

** Not only is Creator/SeanConnery present the same year he would [[Film/DrNo debut]] as James Bond, but two future Bond villains appear as well. "Sergeant Coffepot" is played by Gert Frobe, who two years later would play the eponymous Film/{{Goldfinger}}, while Curd Jurgens (Maj. Gen. Gunther Blumentritt) would later play [[Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe Karl Stromberg]].

* EnsembleDarkhorse: British Captain Colin Maud (Kenneth More), in charge of getting the troops moving on Juno Beach. He's the one who gives the stalled tank a good bash. Maud was on set as an advisor and loaned the shillelagh he had that day to More.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Not only is Creator/SeanConnery present the same year he would [[Film/DrNo debut]] as James Bond, but two future Bond villains appear as well. "Sergeant Coffepot" is played by Gert Frobe, who two years later would play the eponymous Film/{{Goldfinger}}, while Curd Jurgens (Maj. Gen. Gunther Blumentritt) would later play [[Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe Karl Stromberg]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: Not only is Creator/SeanConnery present the same year he would [[Film/DrNo debut]] as James Bond, but two future Bond villains appear as well. "Sergeant Coffepot" is played by Gert Frobe, who two years later would play the eponymous Film/{{Goldfinger}}, while Curd Jurgens (Erwin Rommel) would later play [[Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe Karl Stromberg]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: Not only is Creator/SeanConnery present the same year he would [[Film/DrNo debut]] as James Bond, but two future Bond villains appear as well. "Sergeant Coffepot" is played by Gert Frobe, who two years later would play the eponymous Film/Goldfinger, while Curd Jurgens (Erwin Rommel) would later play [[Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe Karl Stromberg]].

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: When a [[LaResistance Resistance fighter]] hears the code words he's been waiting for on the radio, he excitedly rushes out to perform his assigned task. His apparently perplexed mother stares after him, then digs the radio out from where he hid it and switches it back on. Confused parent wondering what has made her son go off the deep end, or [[BadassGrandpa a fellow member of the resistance]] waiting for her own coded message?

* WTHCastingAgency: John Wayne, age 54, was '''twice''' the age of Benjamin Vandervoort during D-Day, age 27.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation - When a [[LaResistance Resistance fighter]] hears the code words he's been waiting for on the radio, he excitedly rushes out to perform his assigned task. His apparently perplexed mother stares after him, then digs the radio out from where he hid it and switches it back on. Confused parent wondering what has made her son go off the deep end, or [[BadassGrandpa a fellow member of the resistance]] waiting for her own coded message?
* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail - First, the original producer couldn't get the budget he wanted. Then, Darryl F. Zanuck met reluctancy by his son Richard ("No one cares about World War II anymore!") and the studio he founded, Fox - who eventually decided ''Film/{{Cleopatra}}'' was [[TroubledProduction screwing them enough]] and thus they could take a chance on Zanuck's project. It was a big hit, offsetting some of the ''Cleopatra'' losses.
* EarWorm - the ending/credits theme.
* EnsembleDarkhorse - British Captain Colin Maud (Kenneth More), in charge of getting the troops moving on Juno Beach. He's the one who gives the stalled tank a good bash. Maud was on set as an advisor and loaned the shillelagh he had that day to More.
* PacingProblems - For starters, [[ItGetsBetter it takes 45 minutes to get out of military planning into the actual invasion]]. And then the battles frequently break rhythm by cutting back to officers talking, making the 3 hour duration not easy to endure.
* MisaimedFandom - According to producer Daryl F. Zanuck, the film was supposed to be an anti-war film (which can already seen by the fact, that he engaged Austrian-Swiss Bernhard Wicki, maker of ''Die Brücke'' as a director). Instead, the film seemed to encourage many American youths into enlisting to go to Vietnam.
* WTHCastingAgency - John Wayne, age 54, was '''twice''' the age of Benjamin Vandervoort during D-Day, age 27.

* ForegoneConclusion \ ItWasHisSled - Anyone with a passing remembrance of world history knows the Allies secure their foothold in Western Europe on June 6 1944. And will go on to win the war.

* ItWasHisSled - Anyone with a passing remembrance of world history knows the Allies secure their foothold in Western Europe on June 6 1944. And will go on to win the war.
* MisaimedFandom - According to producer Daryl F. Zanuk, the film was supposed to be an anti-war film (which can already seen by the fact, that he engaged Austrian-Swiss Bernhard Wicki, maker of ''Die Brücke'' as a director). Instead, the film seemed to encourage many American youths into enlisting to go to Vietnam.

* MisaimedFandom - According to producer Daryl F. Zanuk, the film was supposed to be an anti-war film (which can already seen by the fact, that he engaged Austrian-Swiss Bernhard Wicki, maker of ''[=~Die Brücke~=]'' as a director). Instead, the film seemed to encourage many American youths into enlisting to go to Vietnam.