Gettysburg

Rating:
Summary: Very Moving and Insperational
Review: Great Sound Track comes accros over my system puts me right in the center of the action. Very moving and emotional story. It is one of the ones I will treasure and keep in my extensive collection of war movies.

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the perfect marriage of history and drama
Review: Ronald Maxwell's "Gettysburg" is nothing short of a masterpiece. Based on Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Killer Angels", this film carefully and enthrallingly details the major events of July 1, 2 and 3, 1863. This battle, which proved to be the pivotal engagement of the American Civil War and, arguably, all of American history, is depicted, in surprisingly human terms, through the eyes of three men: General Robert E. Lee (Martin Sheen), legendary commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, who faces what could be the final victory or defeat of his army. James Longstreet (Tom Berenger), Lee's second in command, who finds himself torn between loyalty to his commander, and grave misgivings about Lee's strategy. And Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels), the newly promoted Union Colonel who suddenly find his small band of battle weary troops placed in the key position of Union defense, a position that must be held at all costs. The battle sequences are played out in appropriately grand and authentically raw fashion, with stirring music and moments of surprising poignancy, such as the beautiful and heroic spectacle of the doomed Pickett's charge. What is perhaps most surprising though, is how compelling the non-battle scenes are. It is quite a task to maintain audience interest for a span of more than four hours, but this picture succeeds admirably through fine introspective writing, moments of unexpected humor, and remarkable performances. The ordinarily mediocre Jeff Daniels, for instance, turns in what may be his best screen performance and Tom Berenger is also at the top of his game. Sam Elliot's Buford is magnificent and even C. Thomas Howell does good work. This is a film that portrays not only history, but philosophy as well, and succeeds in showing the horror as well as the glory of this complicated war. It is a truly remarkable film. My only complaint is that, in compiling this DVD, the decision was made to use the theatrical cut of the film. An excellent director's cut, with something like an extra 17 minutes of footage, has long been available on Laserdisc and should have been the cut used. This decision is the only thing to prevent this, extra-laden, DVD from being the definitive edition of Gettysburg.

Rating:
Summary: Authentic and Accurate! A Must See for all Americans
Review: Not being a Civil War buff I was a little apprehensive when I purchased this movie. I figured that it would be a documentary with actors. I had also heard that it was the longest movie ever made. When I got it I planned to watch it in two sittings due to the length of the movie. I was so engrossed in the film that I had to watch it all in one sitting. The movie was very well done and four plus hours seemed to pass like a couple of hours. I highly recommend this movie to all viewers. It will make you proud to be an American. The movie does not display the South as evil and North as good which is typical in most Hollywood Civil War movies. Instead it gives you a real insight to the folks who fought this war not justifying one side or the other but basically presenting it as an American tragedy, which it undeniably was.

Rating:
Summary: "The Killer Angles" magnificently brought to the screen
Review: "Gettysburg" is based on Michael Shaara's novel "The Killer Angels," and both works focus on this crucial battle on July 1-3, 1863 through from the perspective of five key figures: The first day of the battle is dominated by Union Calvary General John Buford (Sam Elliot), who slowed the Confederate advance to preserve the precious high ground for the Federal army. The second day comes down to the efforts of Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) and the 20th Maine, who hold the extreme left end of the Army of the Potomac at a crucial moment in the battle. The third day focuses on the clash of wills between General Robert E. Lee (Martin Sheen) and his veteran commander James "Pete" Longstreet (Tom Berenger), who have been arguing offense versus defense throughout the battle, climaxing in the fatal finality of Pickett's Charge. The focal figure of the Charge is Confederate General Lowell Armistead (Richard Jordan), who must attack the position defended by his best friend Winfield Scott Hancock, made all the more poignant by the fact that this was Jordan's final role; he died from a brain tumor the same year this film was released.

However, it is the character of Chamberlain who emerges as the hero from this film. Chamberlain was featured as well in the celebrated PBS documentary "The Civil War," and the result is that he has become the idealized citizen-soldier or gallant knight of the Union army. The result of his military and political career is almost as fascinating as his defense of Little Round Top, for which he received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Jeff Daniel's performance is certainly the finest of his career to date, and he gets to give an eloquent speech on the Civil War as a fight to make other men free. His interplays with veteran Sergeant "Buster" Kilrain (Kevin Conway) deal with the war on a philosophical level, which is not surprising because the man is a college professor. But in the heat of battle he proves himself, and while we cannot imagine ourselves being Robert E. Lee, we can identify with Chamberlain. The end result is that the best part of the film comes not at the end, but before the intermission.

This DVD has some excellent extra features. Side A offers the 1950 documentary "Battle of Gettysburg," narrated by Leslie Nielsen, which tells the story of the battle entirely in terms of shots of the hundreds of monuments and statues covering the National Battlefield in Pennsylvania. "The Making of 'Gettysburg,'" the other main feature is on Side B, and does a nice job of capturing the sense of reverence the actors and reenactors had for making this movie on locations in and around the actual battlefield. There is also an interview gallery, theatrical trailer and four televison spots, on location footage and battlefield maps. The commentary track, which is only for selected scenes and not the entire film, focuses primarily on the actual Battle of Gettysburg. Unlike most commentaries, what you will find here matches up with what is happening on screen and there are several sections keyed to specific shots or lines of dialogue, which is much appreciated. In addition to applauding the historical accuracy of the film, McPherson and Symonds make a fascinating case for Lee's logic in ordering Pickett's Charge. Shaara had based parts of his novel on Longstreet's memoirs, and since Lee died without ever writing his own, a case can be made that the historical record is somewhat skewed. They also do a bit of debunking regarding Chamberlain's decision to do a bayonet charge. Maxwell's most interesting section is when he talks about how they studied the films of Kurosawa and other masters to come up with the best way of shooting battles sequences, which resulted in setting up difficult dolly shots for the Battle on Little Round Top. Civil War buffs will enjoy this commentary much more than film students, but that is totally appropriate for this particular film.

Every year I watch "Gettysburg" on the four days covered in the film, June 30 and July 1-3 (then on the 4th of July I watch "1776"). Only "Glory" is on this level in terms of depicting Civil War battles. This film touches me with the opening credits, where the photographs of these real soldiers are replaced with those of the actors playing them. This is quite evocative, especially when Randy Edleman's evocative score swells as we see the face and name of George Pickett. Even if you have never seen this movie you have undoubtedly heard Edleman's score, which has been used to advertise several films and for the closing credits of the Olympics broadcast. It should have been nominated for an Oscar.

Rating:
Summary: Gettysburg: Up close and Personal
Review: If you want to be taken back in time to the Battle of Gettysburg, then this movie is a must. Its a fine blend of talented actors who come together to recreate one of the greatest battles of all time. Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen, and Sam Elliott are superb. There are a few extras in the movie who appear to be lost, but overall the acting is very good. The movie is filmed on location in Gettysburg which helps tremendously. Although almost 4 hours long, it is well worth every minute. If you are a Civil War enthusiast, then this movie is a must for your collection.

Rating:
Summary: Virginians.......Who WIll Follow Me ?????
Review: The quintessential movie for U.S. Military History Buffs . Sure it is the "longest movie ever made" , but with such heroic acts as "Pickett's Charge" and "The assault on Little Roundtop" , it is a "must have" for any serious history lover

To be fair , Robert E. Lee is played horribly by Martin Sheen , and it is quite clear that the author of the "killer angels" (which the movie is based on) was a fan of confederate general Longstreet's version of the battle . All in all this movie captures the awe inspiring magnitude of the greatest battle in our nations history and offers the human eye a chance to see that which has not been witnessed in 137 years . Finally , one can see what 15,000 rebel clad soldiers looked like as they formed up and marched into the jaws of death . Anyone who enjoys this movie needs to , and i mean NEEDS TO !!!! Get there butts up to Gettysburg every summer during July 4th weekend to see and support the Reenactments they hold each year . Three years ago I had the pleasure of seeing 15,000 reenactors there . Let me just tell you , there were no words that could describe it . This movie is a classic american war masterpiece because it does not force you to choose either union or confederate sides , it allows you to pay homage to both sides as brave american's who voluntarily (for the most part) fought and died for that which they believed was sacred .

Rating:
Summary: re-enacter view
Review: As a reenacter i enjoyed this film because it joined acotrs and reenacters together, showing that we arent different from each other. preserve the union's glory and honor! crush the rebellion,

Stephen

Rating:
Summary: Jeff Daniels steals this one
Review: The performances in this movie are outstanding, but Jeff Daniels is clearly the stand-out in his portrayal of Joshua Chamberlain. The late Richard Jordan is terrific as Louis Armistead, and Tom Berenger as James Longstreet is excellent. Solid acting is the standard here. Each moment of battle is guaranteed to leave you on the edge of your seat, as the action is fast and furious. The scenes between Armistead (Jordan) and Longstreet (Berenger) bring to life the depth of the torture Armistead felt at having to face his best friend, Union General Winfield Hancock on the battlefield. The scene in which Longstreet explains what will happen to George Pickett's division as it marches to the Union lines leaves you with a sense of anguish for the Confederate troops. There is really no accurate way to convey the horror of the three days at Gettysburg, but this picture comes close.

Rating:
Summary: Best Historical Film I've Ever Seen
Review: I thought this movie was a very good informational video. I watched it in my Social Studies class at school and i thought the actors fit their rolls perfectly! Jeff Daniels is my favorite in this movie. If you love history, like me, this is the movie for you.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Great Movies ever made
Review: Martin Sheen heads an all star cast in this four hour tele-film that recreates the July 1-3, 1863 battle of Gettysburg in which Union troops were able to stop Lee's army from invading the North. Very long movie but the performances are outstanding and the movie makes for good history and good drama.