Copyright 1956 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 29 May 1956. U.S. release: June 1956. U.K. release: 15 October 1956. Australian release: 6 September 1956. Sydney opening at the Regent. 9,560 feet. 106 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: American army captain falls in love with an English girl who is engaged to his commanding officer.
NOTES: Fox's 55th CinemaScope release did rather well at all ticket windows, despite extremely negative reviews.
COMMENT: I'm tempted to say that this is one of the few war films that's suitable for children, mainly because it's so boring. "D-Day the Sixth of June" should have been an epic, but it emerges not just as a damp squib but as a bore. Yes, this "great love story of the great war" is a plain bore. For a while there, the director and the screenwriters do battle to see who can come across as the dullest. On his record, Koster would not seem to offer much opposition, but it says much for the lack of quality and incredible dullness of the writing, that Messrs Moffat and Brown win handsomely. The Dana Wynter/Richard Todd/Robert Taylor triangle must be one of the least interesting, most predictable and grandly tedious romances in film history. Miss Wynter's frosty personality just can't help being bland. But Robert Taylor's lethargic performance is unexpected and thus doubly disappointing. By way of contrast, Richard Todd and in particular Edmond O'Brien really throw themselves into their roles. Unfortunately they have little to work on or with, but they certainly make the most of the sparse material they're handed. John Williams manages to make some impression, despite being miscast, but the rest of the support players are little help.
Photographer Lee Garmes tries hard to give the picture's lighting a bit of style, but is ultimately defeated by very moderate production values, especially the use of lots of stock footage which is supremely obvious in CinemaScope blow-ups.
SYNOPSIS: American army captain falls in love with an English girl who is engaged to his commanding officer.
NOTES: Fox's 55th CinemaScope release did rather well at all ticket windows, despite extremely negative reviews.
COMMENT: I'm tempted to say that this is one of the few war films that's suitable for children, mainly because it's so boring. "D-Day the Sixth of June" should have been an epic, but it emerges not just as a damp squib but as a bore. Yes, this "great love story of the great war" is a plain bore. For a while there, the director and the screenwriters do battle to see who can come across as the dullest. On his record, Koster would not seem to offer much opposition, but it says much for the lack of quality and incredible dullness of the writing, that Messrs Moffat and Brown win handsomely. The Dana Wynter/Richard Todd/Robert Taylor triangle must be one of the least interesting, most predictable and grandly tedious romances in film history. Miss Wynter's frosty personality just can't help being bland. But Robert Taylor's lethargic performance is unexpected and thus doubly disappointing. By way of contrast, Richard Todd and in particular Edmond O'Brien really throw themselves into their roles. Unfortunately they have little to work on or with, but they certainly make the most of the sparse material they're handed. John Williams manages to make some impression, despite being miscast, but the rest of the support players are little help.
Photographer Lee Garmes tries hard to give the picture's lighting a bit of style, but is ultimately defeated by very moderate production values, especially the use of lots of stock footage which is supremely obvious in CinemaScope blow-ups.