Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1128544
J U L Y 2 0 1 9 I 1 1 During the height of WWII, 143 directors signed on for active duty, including several of the DGA's founders and leaders. On the morning of June 6, 1944, Allied forces were approaching the beaches of Normandy France as part of D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history. As the DGA Monthly goes to press, we remember those who surged into battle to free the world from tyranny, as well as those who risked their lives to capture these moments for posterity, including former DGA President George Stevens who stood on the deck of the HMS Belfast 75 years ago to film the start of the invasion. After seeing the power of Nazi propaganda films Stevens felt compelled to enlist in the U.S. military because he couldn't sit on the sidelines in Hollywood and wanted to make a contribution. General Dwight Eisenhower assigned him to head up the combat motion-picture coverage and make a historical record of World War II. Stevens and his team followed U.S. forces across Europe, making black-and-white films that included the liberation of Paris, Battle of the Bulge and the horror of the Dachau concentration camp. Some of his images were even used as evidence in Nazi war crimes trials. But Stevens also shot 16-millimeter color film of the same events for himself as a personal diary. Seen here are color stills from the Library of Congress' new 4K transfer of Stevens' film. From the Halls of History - The DGA Remembers D-Day photos From the George Stevens Collection at the Library of Congress via AP 1 1. Landing craft on the beach in France filmed during D-Day by Director George Stevens. 3 2. Stevens stands on the deck of the HMS Belfast to film the start of the invasion. 3. Ships and blimps sit off the coast of France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. 2 6 4. After the Normandy invasion, U.S. troops drive through a town during World War II in France. 5. Stevens (center) talks after a military parade in Paris. 6. Vehicles and soldiers march down the Champs-Elysees after the liberation of Paris. 7. U.S. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower attends a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris. Other prominent DGA members who contributed their services on the front lines include former Guild President Frank Capra and members John Ford, John Huston, Anatole Litvak, John Sturges and William Wyler. For more on DGA Members' involvement during WWII, please see the Winter-2010 DGA Quarterly article "The War Years" on www.dga.org. 5 4 7