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Summary: A Greek Tragedy in America: 1863
Review: The film is truely magnificent.Errors on the part of the South; no coverage or screening by the cavalry saved at the last minute by an actor.Lee's belief in his Armies ability to do anything, even in the face of ignorance of the enemies strength. The North's Mead:no control over the selection of the battle site. The music is truely great and the epic well chosen. As a history buff I can only thank the people who came together to make this film.
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Summary: Gettysburg: The High Tide of Civil War Movies
Review: As far as feature length Civil War movies go, this is absolutely the best. "Glory" and "The Red Badge of Courage" round out the top three with all the others falling way behind. ("Ride With the Devil" was kind off boring and "North & South" was a long, drawn out, chic-movie, mini-series that only had occasional good Civil War moments.) Having "Gettysburg" on DVD just makes the experience that much better. The voice-over commentary is usually quite interesting. So was the "Making Of..., Interviews and all the other extras. My one complaint was that it didn't include the extra 20 minutes of footage that was included in the Collector's Edition Video Set that I owned. Half of the extra footage was no big deal, but the other half of it was. My guess is that they will come out with a DVD Collector's Edition with this extra footage in the not too distant future. An added advantage to the DVD version is that I was able to freeze frame some scenes and find some of my reenacting pards. That was a kick. (Wish I'd been there for the filming.) Gettysburg is, and may always be, the best Civil War Movie around. Check it out.
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Summary: The DVD is an excellent value
Review: The DVD edition has an unusually good selection of additional material, including the 1955 short film "Gettysburg" and commentary by (among others) James McPherson. It is a rare, true double-sided DVD (you actually have to turn the disk over to see all the material).That being said, the commentary could have been better - they give equal time to historians and the people who make the film. Normally I love listening to Director's commentary, but in this case what I really want to know is: "how accurate is this portrayal of the battle?" The Director even says during Chamberlain's defense of Little Round Top "I don't know how many men were in the actual battle but to shoot this scene we had about 75." Well, I would like to know how many men were in the actual battle! All-in-all however the DVD is an excellent value - definitely glad I bought it.
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Summary: Military Leadership - Amazing Examples
Review: I first viewed clips of this film while attending a leadership training course. I rented the DVD and watched the entire movie later. WOW! what an incredible film documenting examples (good and bad) of leadership styles and methods employed during the Civil War. For his bravery and on-the-fly, brilliant battlefield strategy (at Gettysburg and other battles) Col. Chamberlain was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. A true hero and great leader! A "must watch" for students of History and also for military officers (or business people) looking for a dose of inspiration as leaders.
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Summary: Very God
Review: Some have slated this film for it's inaccurate portrayal of some of the characters, such as Lee's indecisiveness. Lee was confused during the battle, he was just beggining to suffer the symptons of the Heart Disease that would eventually kill him. I think that the film portrays Lee's humbleness well. The character of Longstreet was also well shown, He knew that Pickett's Charge would fail, but he could not stop it. maybe there were several instances of political Correctness but this is (was) the nineties, we cannot blame the film maker for that. Overall an excellent film that really gets your emotions.
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Summary: General Lee was human
Review: Martin Sheen shows General Lee as a tortured human being, a man not a God who had to deal with poor support, poor supply, and the constant worry about keeping his ramshackle army together in the midst of a wild card campaign. Lee screwed up at Gettysburg when he wouldn't listen to Longstreet and that was depicted with brilliance in the movie. Gettysburg was Lee's greatest blunder and I'd rather watch a movie showing him as a human being than as some saintly untouchable Southern icon myth. Ted Turner put this movie together brilliantly, especially the largest collection of Civil War artillary ever fielded for an event, over 300 Napolion 20 pound field guns were used in the artillary duel before Picket's charge. Sadly, Richard Jordon was lost to cancer after this movie, what a great actor, I will never forget his performance as Lou Armsted.
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Summary: Gettysburg: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Review: Gettysburg is an epic film on a scale that is rarely seen anymore. In the tradition of great war films it pulls you into the struggle and lets you feel the intensity and desperation of the common soldier. The cast is enormous. No CGI effects here. Every soldier on screen is a LIVE human participant. THE GOOD: Jeff Daniels as Colonel Chamberlain and Richard Jordan as General Armistead. Both give extremely moving performances. These two are the heartbeat of the film. Without them, it would not be worth watching. THE BAD: Unlike "Glory", with its graphic portrayal of war, "Gettysburg" appears somewhat tame in its depiction of violence. No doubt this is due to the fact that the film was originally slated for television release, but it seems strange that the bloodiest battle in American history would have less on-screen blood than a Disney film. However, there is one incredible scene where several charging Confederates get shot with an artillery blast at point-blank range. THE UGLY: Martin Sheen's portrayal of General Lee is atrocious. None of Lee's genius is depicted in the film. Was the General insane or just incompetent? "Gettysburg" lets you choose for yourself. At any rate, the role was either grossly miscast or misdirected. All in all, "Gettysburg" is a solid film that will compel you to get lost in the drama. It is a triumph that would have never been produced had it not been for Ted Turner's love of the Civil War. It's a BIG commitment (4 and 1/2 hours) but one that is well worth the time. Mark a couple nights on your calender and get lots of popcorn.
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Summary: Definitive Gettysburg
Review: This is an excellent movie for anyone interested even remotely in history and is a must for Civil War buffs! Although, it is a long movie, I feel that it is truly worth the viewing. The first half of the movie seems to move more smoothly and quickly than the second half (which is why I only gave it four stars). The main reason for this, I feel, is the superb acting by Jeff Daniels as Joshua Chamberlain and Sam Elliott as General Buford. Both of their performances are truly masterful. The second half moves more slowly but is still worth watching. The battle scenes are extremely well done and I particularly appreciated the fact that the movie was actually filmed in and around Gettysburg and in the park itself. I felt that the weakest characterization was that of Robert E. Lee, for while Martin Sheen's acting performance was technically well done, I did not feel he captured the essence of Lee's personality. Well worth watching more than once.
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Summary: Ultimate lessons in Inspired Leadership
Review: For anyone who wishes to study, and enjoys the wonder of truely inspirational people, the film Gettysberg is absolutely the film to own. The directors verion brilliantly reveals the meaning of inspired leadership, true courage and demonstrates both the reasons why people fight and die willingly for a cause; and it makes clear the utter futility of war. This film has it all: adventure, action, realism, horror, terror, sadness, success, mistakes, coincidence, and the peculiar vagaries of chance. It is a complete experience and all will find the tragic ending, which marked the end of Napoleonic style warfare, to be most moving and very emotional. For the analytical what-if buff, there is the ultimate opportunity to imagine how history might have followed a different course but for the unbeliveably gallant actions of the tens of thousands who fought and died, and the truely inspired leadership of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the professor of rhetoric who undeniably saved the Union Army from absolute disaster by an act of exceptional military genius. A fantastic experience.
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Summary: a great movie
Review: Well, maybe not a great movie, but some great acting. I wasn't enthralled to be watching this movie, but my father-in-law had purchased it after visiting Gettysburg, and wanted to point out where he had stood, overlooking the field (I think he might have been a drummer during the actual battle...no, no--just kidding!) So, it was with heavy heart that I sat down to watch this movie. I wasn't impressed so much with Sheen, or Berenger (Sheen was too heavy handed, in my humble opinion, and Berengers beard should have been given a supporting actor nod, but it was far too fake!). Then, I saw Jeff Daniels. Could this be the same Jeff Daniels that starred in Dumb and Dumber? I couldn't believe it. Actually, I didn't recognize him at first, but was already taken back by his strong performance. As the story line grew, I became more and more thrilled at watching Daniels perform. I realized that I missed something in all the movies I had ever seen him in--he is an artist, who can carefully craft his work into something that can surpass time. I have seen pleasantville, and was pleased by his performance in that, but this is beyond anything that I could have hoped for. I am now in the process of looking up all of his movies, as he has won himself a fan. I wholeheartedly recommend this movie, if for no other reason then to watch Daniels earn his pay. Give up four hours of your life, and you will be pleasantly surprised, I am sure!
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