Although the title promises epic large-scale combat heroism, the Twentieth Century Fox release "D-Day: The Sixth of June," with Robert Taylor, Richard Todd, and Edmond O'Brien, delivers more soap opera bubbles than battlefield bravado. This traditional World War II battlefront melodrama accords its superior officers with respect and honor. Indeed, "D-Day" focuses primarily on officers above the rank of lieutenant; no enlisted men appear in prominent roles. Cigar-chomping sergeants do not flesh out of the cast. Unfortunately, "Harvey" director Henry Koster and scenarists Ivan Moffett of "Bhowani Junction" and Harry Brown of "Eight Iron Men" have tampered so much with the formula that this war picture ranks poorly in comparison to the star-studded 1963 Twentieth Century Fox release "The Longest Day" with John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and Henry Fonda. The locales are suitably convincing and the narrative shows the tension that occurred as a result of Americans intruding on Englishmen. The differences that the English and the Americans experience when they rub each other raw amounts to a minor theme that peters out quickly.
"D-Day: The Sixth of June" suffers from a multitude of flaws. First, our rugged heroes do not embark on top-secret mission until the last twenty minutes of the action. True, the film opens with a briefing and the troops piling aboard the transports, but the action shifts from the now back to the past. Koster and company devote the bulk of the action to the flashbacks about two romances between Taylor and Todd with Dana Wynter. Lieutenant Colonel John Wynter served under British Brigadier General Russell (John Williams of "Dial M for Murder") who received a wound at Dunkirk that put him out of action.
Second, unaccountably Wynter decides to cheat on her valiant boyfriend, British Lieutenant Colonel John Wynter (Richard Todd of "The Longest Day") with U.S. Army Captain Brad Parker (Robert Taylor of "Saddle the Wind") who has arrived in England to serve as a staff officer for Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Timmer (Edmond O'Brien of "White Heat"). When General Russell attacks a U.S. Army Air Force sergeant, Parker and a colleague have to investigate and try to smooth the general's ruffled feathers. During their meeting with the general, Parker meets Red Cross volunteer Valerie Russell (Dana Wynter of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers") and they strike up a relationship. Parker cheats with Russell on his wife back home in the states.
Third, the filmmakers relegate Edmond O'Brien to the thankless role of an ambitious Army officer who cracks up under pressure before the big mission. He has a nasty habit of sharing classified military information with civilians. Overall, this character attracts no sympathy and is on hand as a narrative tool to bring Lieutenant Colonel Wynter back into the action.
Fourth, the actual mission does not last long, no more than a quarter of an hour. The heroes land at Normandy, encounter enough opposition for both heroes to wind up wounded, and then silence a huge artillery piece gun emplacement.
"D-Day: The Sixth of June" suffers from a multitude of flaws. First, our rugged heroes do not embark on top-secret mission until the last twenty minutes of the action. True, the film opens with a briefing and the troops piling aboard the transports, but the action shifts from the now back to the past. Koster and company devote the bulk of the action to the flashbacks about two romances between Taylor and Todd with Dana Wynter. Lieutenant Colonel John Wynter served under British Brigadier General Russell (John Williams of "Dial M for Murder") who received a wound at Dunkirk that put him out of action.
Second, unaccountably Wynter decides to cheat on her valiant boyfriend, British Lieutenant Colonel John Wynter (Richard Todd of "The Longest Day") with U.S. Army Captain Brad Parker (Robert Taylor of "Saddle the Wind") who has arrived in England to serve as a staff officer for Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Timmer (Edmond O'Brien of "White Heat"). When General Russell attacks a U.S. Army Air Force sergeant, Parker and a colleague have to investigate and try to smooth the general's ruffled feathers. During their meeting with the general, Parker meets Red Cross volunteer Valerie Russell (Dana Wynter of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers") and they strike up a relationship. Parker cheats with Russell on his wife back home in the states.
Third, the filmmakers relegate Edmond O'Brien to the thankless role of an ambitious Army officer who cracks up under pressure before the big mission. He has a nasty habit of sharing classified military information with civilians. Overall, this character attracts no sympathy and is on hand as a narrative tool to bring Lieutenant Colonel Wynter back into the action.
Fourth, the actual mission does not last long, no more than a quarter of an hour. The heroes land at Normandy, encounter enough opposition for both heroes to wind up wounded, and then silence a huge artillery piece gun emplacement.