Filmography › Ken Annakin

All the book-based movies and TV shows adapted by Ken Annakin, ranked

Ken Annakin, known for works such as The Longest Day or Third Man on the Mountain, has adapted several stories from the pages of books and comic books to the screen.
Below, we present a ranked list, from best to worst, of 2 Ken Annakin movies and TV series based on existing source material. Revisit old favorites or discover hidden gems, whether books or film productions. We invite you to watch, read, and vote for any title, joining the debate of whether the book or the movie is better.
The Longest Day. Poster of the 1962 movie and cover of the 1959 book
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The Longest Day
Cornelius Ryan, 1959
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The Longest Day
Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, 1962

Shot in a docudrama style, the film opens in the days leading up to D-Day, concentrating on events on both sides of the English channel. Also shown is the uncertainty of German commanders regarding whether this is a feint in preparation for Allied crossings at the Strait of Dover, where the senior German staff had always assumed that the invasion would begin.

Third Man on the Mountain. Poster of the 1959 movie and cover of the 1954 book, Banner in the Sky
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Banner in the Sky
James Ramsey Ullman, 1954
movie vs book
Third Man on the Mountain
Ken Annakin, 1959

Rudi is a kitchen worker determined to conquer the Citadel -the jagged, snowcapped peak that claimed his father’s life. Encouraged by both a famed English climber and the youth’s devoted girlfriend, Rudi goes through a grueling training period before hi is ready to face the incredible dangers of the killer mountain. The story is slightly inspired by the figure of Edward Wymper and by story of the conquest of the Matterhorn.