Rating: 
Summary: The pacifist view
Review:
Jimmy Stewart (playing Charlie Anderson) is a pacifist who has 500 acres in Virginia during the "civil" war. He also is head of a family including six sons and a daughter, and is trying his best to ignore the war swirling around him. This apparently is set in northern Virginia, which borders Washington D.C. (the north) and the Southern forces.
Doug McClure and Patrick Wayne are two of the lesser lights playing supporting roles. The entire cast is well directed and plays their parts well. A great job of casting, directing, acting, and a wonderful story. Forget the "allegories, allusions, irony, and metaphors." You ruin a picture like this trying to take it apart, or alluding to the political nuances that it is supposedly portraying on behalf of Hollywood propaganda. It is a moving story, and one of the great ones. As for being "superficial" or "overacted" (one critic's complaint about old and classic movies), I find just the opposite is true. I find those categories better acted, with more depth and honest acting than most of the trash we get foisted off on us today. Maybe it's just a generational thing. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating:
Summary: The pacifist view
Review:
Jimmy Stewart (playing Charlie Anderson) is a pacifist who has 500 acres in Virginia during the "civil" war. He also is head of a family including six sons and a daughter, and is trying his best to ignore the war swirling around him. This apparently is set in northern Virginia, which borders Washington D.C. (the north) and the Southern forces.
Doug McClure and Patrick Wayne are two of the lesser lights playing supporting roles. The entire cast is well directed and plays their parts well. A great job of casting, directing, acting, and a wonderful story. Forget the "allegories, allusions, irony, and metaphors." You ruin a picture like this trying to take it apart, or alluding to the political nuances that it is supposedly portraying on behalf of Hollywood propaganda. It is a moving story, and one of the great ones. As for being "superficial" or "overacted" (one critic's complaint about old and classic movies), I find just the opposite is true. I find those categories better acted, with more depth and honest acting than most of the trash we get foisted off on us today. Maybe it's just a generational thing. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating:
Summary: The pacifist view
Review:
Jimmy Stewart (playing Charlie Anderson) is a pacifist who has 500 acres in Virginia during the "civil" war. He also is head of a family including six sons and a daughter, and is trying his best to ignore the war swirling around him. This apparently is set in northern Virginia, which borders Washington D.C. (the north) and the Southern forces.
Doug McClure and Patrick Wayne are two of the lesser lights playing supporting roles. The entire cast is well directed and plays their parts well. A great job of casting, directing, acting, and a wonderful story. Forget the "allegories, allusions, irony, and metaphors." You ruin a picture like this trying to take it apart, or alluding to the political nuances that it is supposedly portraying on behalf of Hollywood propaganda. It is a moving story, and one of the great ones. As for being "superficial" or "overacted" (one critic's complaint about old and classic movies), I find just the opposite is true. I find those categories better acted, with more depth and honest acting than most of the trash we get foisted off on us today. Maybe it's just a generational thing. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating:
Summary: Such memories of my youth . . .
Review: are invoked by watching this movie. I too saw it in the theaters when it came out, and saw it several times. I had the hugest crush on Philip Alford, who plays Boy, and cry every time at the end when he hobbles into the church. My best friend had the soundtrack of this movie, and we would listen to it often. This is one of my favorite movies, and it is seldom on TV, but I caught it on AMC last night. Of course, the importance of the subject matter didn't hit home completely when I was a young teen, but now I am able to see what a marvelous Civil War movie this is, and how it reflects so perfectly my own feelings about the subject of war. James Stewart is one of my favorite actors, and I see Tom Hanks following in his footsteps with the ability to equally portray comedy and drama and to make us believe and care about his characters. A great example of a "war" movie that really showed very little actual bloodshed, and yet conveyed the horrors of war and the inexpressible sadness of a country torn in two. I give it my very highest recommendation!
Rating:
Summary: Keep A Box Of Kleenex Close By
Review: Charlie Anderson (James Stewart) may be a gritty, crusty, widowed father of six sons and one daughter, but there's no denying this tough patriarch loves and cherishes his family beyond words or understanding. And with the brutal savagery of the Civil War raging maniacally around his farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, he is able to keep his family out of the conflict--at least, for awhile. Inexorably, inevitably, the war comes to the front porch of Anderson's home when his youngest son, simply named "Boy" (Phillip Alford) is mistakenly taken prisoner by Union solidiers.
And thus the film SHENANDOAH embarks on a more ominous dimension, as Anderson and his sons journey forth into the insanity around them to find the boy. Their quest is unsuccessful--the subsequent tragedy to the family unbearable. Stewart so vividly portrays a tough man who is stricken down, again and again, by the horrors of man's inhumanity to man. Yet he succeeds in keeping his now fragile family together, a family that has abandoned its search and returned home. Stewart's scene in the family cemetery--a quiet plot now hosting fresh graves--is one of the most moving, compelling scenes I have ever watched. And if you're not wiping tears from your face when this film reaches its powerful, emotional conclusion, you've either fallen asleep or not paid attention to the story. The supporting cast--including Doug McClure, Glenn Corbett, Rosemary Forsyth, Patrick Wayne, and Katherine Ross--is solid; director Andrew V. McLagen provides a beautiful, haunting film. SHENANDOAH is a bonafide tearjerker, a powerful family drama that stands the test of time.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, So-so DVD
Review: Classic, family-friendly Civil War story about an isolationist Virginia farmer (James Stewart) who is forced to become involved in the conflict raging around him when his youngest son (Philip Alford) is mistakenly taken prisoner by Union soldiers. Like John Wayne in "The Searchers", Stewart sets out to hunt down his kidnapped loved one, enduring physical, emotional, and spiritual hardships along the way. Uniformly well-acted by a superb cast, with stand-out performances from Patrick Wayne, film newcomer Katharine Ross, talented juvenile lead Alford, and of course, venerable screen legend Stewart. Capably directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, from a solid screenplay that deftly blends moments of sweet-natured humor and wrenching drama. (Take special note of the tragic scene at the family farm ... most of the violence takes place off-screen, and is all the more disturbing because of what you don't see. Now that's skillful, mature filmmaking!) Fans of the movie who have patiently awaited its release on DVD are bound to be a bit disappointed with Universal's unremastered print and bare bones presentation. The first two or three minutes of the DVD are plagued by bad sound (the music crackles and pops with distortion) and a horrendous video transfer (the picture is grainy and has tiny white lines running through it). Thankfully, things quickly get better after that rocky start. The DVD includes the Original Theatrical Trailer which has deteriorated badly and is presented in full-frame; sadly, there are no other extras offered on this edition.
Rating:
Summary: "These are my sons. They don't belong to the state!"
Review: I agree 100% with Steven Hellerstedt's comments concerning the lack of historical authenticity in the film "Shenandoah". The five-star rating I'm giving this is for the acting and entertaining, if hokey, dialogue. I grew up watching this classic Civil War drama and must admit it still captures my heart every time I see it.
Jimmy Stewart stars as the patriarch (Mr. Anderson) of a farming family in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War (I guess this was supposed to be before Gen. Sheridan laid waste to it in 1864!). His wife has been dead for many years and now he's facing the crisis of his life. He tries desperately to keep his six sons out of the war that had torn the nation apart.
Early in the movie we see what kind of a man Mr. Anderson is when he prays at the dinner table with his sons: "Lord, we cleared this land, we plowed it, sowed it, and harvested. We cooked the harvest. It wouldn't be here, we wouldn't be eatin' it
if we hadn't done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you just the same anyway, Lord, for this food we're about to eat. Amen."
Mr. Anderson finally admits "Now, it concerns us" (-the war) when a Union patrol mistakes his youngest son as a Confederate soldier and takes him prisoner. Anderson and his family set off on a journey to find him, but their journey will only leave more heart-ache in Mr. Anderson's already broken heart. Towards the end of the movie, Anderson says bitterly, "It's like all wars, I suppose. The undertakers are winnin' it."
This classic has something for everyone, with a fine mixture of comedy, drama, romance, and action. It is very tragic, but it clearly captures the harsh conditions faced by the innocent civilians during America's bloodiest war. The dvd has a fine picture and sound quality, but other than the original trailer there are no special features. It seems to me that they should've at least included a "making-of" documentary for such a famous classic.
I've studied the Civil War ever since I was old enough to read, and even though this movie is historically inaccurate, it remains one of the best Civil War films ever made. I highly recommend it to all history buffs and classic movie fans.
Rating:
Summary: A Personal Favorite
Review: I can't be objective about this film or give it any kind of balanced critical apprasial because it evokes too many good childhood memories for me. Whatever its shortcomings are, I'm blind to them. My only negative comment is that it is not currently available on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Limited Government
Review: I first saw the movie in my English 10 Honors class in high school. We were supposed to look for allusions, allegories, irony, and metaphors within the movie. I was prepared for a boring old western (even though it was a Jimmy movie). I was surprised but pleased about how poignant and mature the movie was. The acting, for the most part, was very effective; the family's initial happiness and the tragedies they go through are played out perfectly with heart-wrenching emotion. I am not a big fan of "old movies" or "classics," because sometimes I find them superficial or overacted. Shenandoah effectively battles those annoyances of mine with its mature themes and honesty. The movie is funny, sad, nostalgic, simple, and complex, but any emotion you're going to feel will be geared toward the characters, not the movie itself. That's the power of a true "classic." Also, the music is just beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: Wrenches the heart
Review: I first saw the movie in my English 10 Honors class in high school. We were supposed to look for allusions, allegories, irony, and metaphors within the movie. I was prepared for a boring old western (even though it was a Jimmy movie). I was surprised but pleased about how poignant and mature the movie was. The acting, for the most part, was very effective; the family's initial happiness and the tragedies they go through are played out perfectly with heart-wrenching emotion. I am not a big fan of "old movies" or "classics," because sometimes I find them superficial or overacted. Shenandoah effectively battles those annoyances of mine with its mature themes and honesty. The movie is funny, sad, nostalgic, simple, and complex, but any emotion you're going to feel will be geared toward the characters, not the movie itself. That's the power of a true "classic." Also, the music is just beautiful.
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