Description
The Longest Day
An all-star international cast re-tells the events of the Allied Landings in Normandy in 1944. Events are seen from various points of view, including the Germans’, in an epic and spectacular style. Along with the 43 international stars, the film used 23,000 Allied troops and despite costing over $10 million to make, it has now become one of the most successful films of its genre. John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and Henry Fonda head the cast.
The Desert Rats
Richard Burton stars in this exciting story of the stubborn, courageous men who held Rommel at bay in North Africa despite bring hopelessly outnumbered. The year is 1941, and Rommel has the British in full retreat. All that stands between him and the Suez Canal is the fortress of Tobruk, manned by a small army of Australian troops who are ordered to hold this vital position at any cost. Many of the men are green recruits, and it falls to Capt. MacRoberts (Burton) to whip them into shape. A bold tactician who realises they will soon be overwhelmed if they do not take the offensive, MacRoberts leads countless daredevil raids that keep the superior enemy off-balance and earn his men the famous nickname they “won with blood and bore with pride.” Directed by Robert Wise and co-starring James Mason in a reprise performance as Field Marshall Rommel (whom he first played in The Desert Fox), this stirring blend of action and history pays tribute to the heroic men known in the annals of war as The Desert Rats.
Sink the Bismarck!
It’s spring 1941, and Great Britain is the only country in Europe yet to be defeated by the Nazi army, but all of that could change soon. The Nazis have launched their juggernaut battleship, the Bismarck, to close off British supply lines and ultimately invade England. A counterstrike is ordered, and with an arsenal of ships at their command, Royal intelligence officers Jonathan Shepard (Kenneth More) and Anne Davis (Dana Wynter) fight desperately to destroy the Bismarck.
Twelve O’ Clock High
Colonel Keith Davenport (Gary Merrill) is more of a friend than a commander to his men, a US bomber crew stationed in wartime Britain. After a series of dangerous missions, the pilots are living on their nerves and when Davenport is replaced by the callous General Savage (Gregory Peck), the latter’s attempts to whip the crew into shape result in a deluge of requests for transfers. However, young Lieutenent Bishop (Robert Patten) rallies his fellow pilots, and soon they and Savage begin to develop a mutual respect.
A Farewell to Arms
A big budget remake of the 1932 original based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway. Rock Hudson stars as the American ambulance driver who falls in love with his nurse (Jennifer Jones) after being wounded in World War I, and deserts his post in order to be with her.
