5 War Movies That Real Veterans Hated (And 5 They Approve Of)
4. The Longest Day
Plenty of war films can pride themselves on a cast of A-list actors and stars, but few have featured real veterans in leading roles. 1962s The Longest Day, however, has as many ex-military personnel among its ranks as it does John Waynes, Henry Fondas and Richard Burtons.
Such was the accuracy of the film, which recounted in epic detail the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944, that countless veterans were more than keen to step in front of the camera to relive their experiences.
Richard Todd, a parachutist during the war who took part in the capture of Pegasus Bridge during the invasion, was even offered the role of himself, but instead chose to play Major John Howard, the man in charge of the operation. The beret he wears on screen is the same one he had worn 18 years prior. Similarly, Joseph Lowe scaled the same cliffs in the Pointe-Du-Hoc scene that he had climbed as a 22 year old private in the Second Ranger Battalion.
Luckily, the grenades being thrown over the cliff top at him by German soldiers werent real the second time round.
But despite being regarded as a mostly historically accurate account of the invasion, the films authenticity still wasnt enough to satisfy every veteran of the war. Dwight D. Eisenhower (former US president) walked out after only a few minutes, apparently frustrated by inaccuracies. Also disgruntled by the film was Christopher Lee, who was refused a part because he "didnt look like a military man". Strange, given that he had previously served in the RAF.