This year marks the 79th anniversary of the D-Day invasion that began the liberation of Western Europe.
The Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, have been the subject of numerous films, as well as highly acclaimed mini-series. Yet for all the attempts, there are only a few that really measured up. Here is a quick round-up of the movies and shows to catch, and those that could be skipped this year.
D-Day the Sixth of June (1956)
Made just 12 years after the actual invasion, this was the first cinematic account of the D-Day invasion, but it is far from the best or even the grandest. In fact, while it has D-Day in the name, it is really more of a love story than a war film. It isn’t helped by the fact that D-Day the Sixth of June was filmed nowhere near Normandy Beach; the movie makers instead used Long Beach, Calif., as a not exactly fitting stand-in. The landing sequences were filmed at Point Dume with only a few dozen extras and just two LCVP “Higgins Boats” being used in the actual D-Day sequences. The uniforms and equipment are also lacking, and the effects aren’t all that special.
Action: There is more drama than action, so if you’re looking for the invasion heroes, they’re not really here.
The typical small arms of
