When visiting my mother's parents in Jackson, MI growing up, my choice of sleeping arrangement would usually fall into a guest bedroom in the back of the house, or the couch in the living room. Whilst the guest bed always left me with a more comfortable sleep, the couch was always the better choice. My Grandpa John was the epitome of a lot of things. Blue collar, hard working, gruff but lovable. But above all, he was a total night owl. During his retirement, he spent most of his nights with a model railroading club and didn't usually come home any earlier than 10 pm, after most of the house had gone to sleep. And even then, he would grab the remote, sit in his favorite chair, pop some popcorn, and relax in front of the TV until the wee hours of the morning.
I myself have always been a night owl so many of the nights that I came to visit, Grandpa and I would share the TV. But the best little TV get-togethers were when Grandpa decided to break out his WW2 VHS collection. We'd munch on popcorn, drink Diet A&W Root Beer (his soda of choice) and enjoy the old greats. "The Longest Day," a 2 hour and 45 minute history lesson of the invasion at Normandy in June of 1945, was my favorite. Its a movie I have incredibly fond memories of and now own on Blu-Ray just so when I do feel nostalgic about hanging out with Grandpa, I can get the full audio and visual glory of what I believe is the greatest war movie ever made, period.
"The Longest Day" is a two-part experience into the planning, the operation, and the immediate aftermath of D-Day, one of the bloodiest battles of WW2 and world history. The story is told from four different points of view: The British, The French, The German, and The American. And each point of view has several other points of view associated with it, from the lowest-ranking American grunt, to the British Commandos, to some of the highest echelons of the Third Reich. Politics, heartbreak, violence, loss, victory, humor, and suspense all play critical roles in this masterpiece of cinema.
I sometimes find myself imagining about when I have a grandson, and if he'll be interested in watching "Black Hawk Down" or "Behind Enemy Lines." The movies of my time that deal with Desert Storm or Somalia, or Bosnia, or Afghanistan or Iraq are hit or miss, as I'm sure the movies of Grandpa John's time were. He hated "Where Eagles Dare" but I still watch it, if only to remember the good times I had with him. I think he would have gotten a kick out of "Tears of The Sun" or "The Hurt Locker." Or at least he would have given them a chance to watch them with me. But I'll never stop loving those old war movies that he turned me onto as I was growing up, and I hope to someday share "Midway," "Tora Tora Tora," "Kelly's Heroes," and "The Longest Day" with my children and grandchildren.
rating: 8
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