Rating: 
Summary: Historic accuracy, wonderful acting, tastefully done
Review: When Hollywood attempts to re-enact history, they usually fall into one of several traps. They might try to superimpose a fictional romance over the whole thing... or tell the story through the eyes of an overblown super-hero... and if that item of history happens to be a war, they usually use enough fake blood to sail a ship on. Usually they just wind up forgetting the historical part, and produce a film with enough violence to appeal to men with short attention spans, and enough romance to appeal to women with short attention spans. Thankfully, "Gettysburg" fell into NONE of these traps. What was created is extremely accurate, with only enough "add-ins" to tell the story of how history's players were likely to have fealt almost 140 years ago. This IS history! Tastefully done, the film portrays the emotional and physical struggles of the men who fought the Battle of Gettysburg, and pays great tribute to the 53,000 who lost their lives there. There is no extreme gore here... as I said, it IS tastfully done. It is also a film for an intelligent audience. You MUST pay attention (which is something I had no trouble with). This movie has NOT been dumbed down for an audience with a short attention span, as so many others have. You WILL learn some history here, folks. I must congradulate whoever was in charge of casting... the actors actually LOOK like the characters they portray! To illustrate this, they actually compare the actors' photos to old "tin-type" photos of the historical persons they are performing as. Excellent acting and dialog are present throughout... and none of the actors, no matter HOW famous, dominates the movie. (It would have been all too easy to allow one big 'star' to turn the entire thing into a glorification of himself!) Definately classic acting in the 'old school' style. At over 4 hours long, and considering its accurate content, it is sure to become a classic with Civil War historians, re-enactors, and the general public alike...
Rating:
Summary: A magnificent film
Review: Why do I give Gettysburg 5 stars? Here's why: 1. This is one of the few films that really stays true to the novel it was based upon (The Killer Angels) - the directors and writers do take a little leeway, but it is very minimal, and I applaud them for sticking to the book. 2. The acting and the screenplay in this film really give the viewer an excellent understanding of both sides, North and South, as well as several of the individual players from each side (Chamberlain and Hancock from the Union, and numerous figures from the South - Lee, Longstreet, Armistead among others). What this accomplishes is that there is a lot of sympathy generated for both sides - even though the Southern cause is not PC today, slavery enters into the film a lot less than does simply the Southern desire for independence. For the North, Chamberlain explains towards the beginning (to paraphrase) 'some of us came because we wanted adventure, because we thought it would be fun, others came out of a sense of duty or honor. Others came simply because it was the right thing to do'. 3. The cinematography and overall look of the film are very well done, especially picket's charge. The only quible most folks seem to have is the 'phoney' beards - I admit on a few characters they do seem phoney, but most seem to be pretty good - and the film certainly does not coward away from this fact - during the opening credits a photo of the actor for each major character is cross faded into a photo of the actual person. 4. Although its probably 'dumbed down' a little, especially in the script, the movie does a good job explaining the strategies and tactics involved. Most movies on similar subjects simply assume that the viewer is not intellegent enough to understand this and so it simply gets glossed over. Gettysburg's only flaw here is that it goes out of its way too much to explain the strategy, as the dialogue often features the characters explaining and rather ackwardly re-explaining the tactics. Net result is that the film seems to think that the viewers are intellegent enough to understand, but only after its drummed into their brains 5 times. 5. The acting is first rate thoughout the film, particulary the emotions captured by the actors. Armistead and Chamberlein in particular are very well acted by Jordan and Daniels. I don't think anyone who has seen Gettysburg could help but get chills up and down their spine when Chamberlein calls for the bayonet charge to defend the Little Round Top and screams his call for "Bayonets!" at the top of his lungs. Armistead, though, in particular steals the show in the second half of the film and has all of the most emotional lines of dialogue. First, he illuminates the Southern cause by explaining to a British observer how all of his men are 'sons of Virginia', concluding by saying (to paraphrase, again) "Go back and tell your queen, tell her that ALL of Virginia was here today". Then he exaults his men to charge the field even though he and they know they will suffer massive casualties - "Virginians! Virginians! For your lands! For your homes! For your sweethearts! For your wives! For Virginia! Forward, march!" As the charge gets pinned down to spur his men on he steps forward into the fire and screams "Virginians! Who will come with me?", stabbing his sword through his hat and pointing it forward to show the way as he surges forward. But, without doubt the most emotional and best line comes as he is lying wounded at the Union position - particularly since this is the film's best moment in capturing the real tragedy of the civil war - that it was fought brother against brother and friend against friend. Having previously explained through a couple of scenes how he and union General Hancock were best of friends before the war, he asks if he can be allowed to speak to Hancock. When he is told that Hancock, too, has been wounded, the devestation that the real Armistead probably would have felt is captured perfectly as he emotionaly cries out in obvious physical and emotional pain "No! Not both of us! Not ALL of us! Please, God!" Gettysburg is not without its flaws - it probably doesn't really capture everything that went on at the battle, its a bit long at 4+ hours and starts out quite slowly, and the music is overly dramatic in some places and poorly edited in in others - but its positive aspects more than make up for this, which is why I strongly recommend this film to anyone who loves great cinema.
Rating:
Summary: In response to the lack of Widescreen format
Review: For those of you who are wondering why this was released in the TV style format. This movie was originally filmed to air as a mini-series on TV but Turner and the filmakers were so happy with the product they decided to instead release it to the theaters. The TV format is the style to which the film was originally intended so it is naturally assumed that they would pick that format to release the DVD in.
Rating:
Summary: The DVD is out! But when is the Director's cut coming??
Review: I've always liked this film, but a few years ago someone bought me the Director's cut (VHS) and the added scenes were a welcome addition. When is the Director's cut coming out on DVD? I know that Glory will be released as a 'Director's cut' in January, and I will be sure to get it when it's available. This DVD has some neat features, including a complete narration of the entire film by historians should you choose that option. One of the scenes in the Gettysburg Director's cut is the meeting that Lee had with his Corps commanders, interesting conversation between him and Gen Ewell. Great film! Glad that it's on DVD! Dan Sweeney
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding transfer to DVD
Review: Many other reviewers have written about the movie Gettysburg itself, so I thought I would comment on the DVD itself. I have an extensive DVD collection, and if you have experienced what I have, among them are the great quality transfers and some real dogs. Gettysburg might well be THE finest transfer I've seen. The video (I play it on a widescreen HDTV) and audio are outstanding. I must emphasize that the video delivers unbelievable clarity, perhaps the best I've seen. Clearly, the careful attention to detail and loving recreations that were the foundation for the original movie have been carried to the DVD with that same committment. It is refreshing to see a studio that REALLY cares about its product. As an aside, I should also mention I am an amateur Civil War historian focused on the battle of Gettysburg and of course find the film an outstanding, albeit limited, short history of the battle. This DVD will expand other people's knowledge if they avail themselves of the feature length commentary, especially the portions by James McPherson from Princeton U. His narrative not only amplifies details of what the movie shows, but also puts a broader perspective on it, such as other important engagements at Gettysburg such as Culp's Hill, the Wheatfield, and others. Bottom line: GET THIS DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall a good historical docudrama
Review: I purchased this out of curiousity. I knew a little bit of history about the American Civil War, but not much. This is much more enjoyable than reading a book on the subject. My first thoughts are that I'm very surprised at how brutal the fighting was at this point in history. Its quite astonishing that so many lives were lost in just one battle. Overall I thought it was very good. There are some slow parts in the movie which take away from it, and some cheesy acting from some of the extras, but other than that I really liked it. Also included are some interesting suplimental addons which gave some more insight into the making of the film.
Rating:
Summary: A Breathtaking Drama--Visually Stunning-- A Must Have
Review: Finally, after years of waiting, this film is put on DVD. The performances are stellar allowing the viewer to understand the personalities of those who fought in this terrible battle. With a remastered soundtrack by Randy Edelman (if you don't own it, purchase it here) and incredible photography this DVD offers so much that so many others don't. Incredible special features: "The Making of Gettysburg", a documentary, and "The Battle of Gettysburg" make this a very unique DVD. This is a jaw dropping, riveting and very realistic look at the bloodiest three days in American history, where more men were killed in battle than all of Vietnam. Look for Ted Turner in a quick cameo during Pickett's charge. This is a must have for any DVD collector!
Rating:
Summary: Gettysburg On DvD
Review: I must say , its about time they put gettysburg on DVD. I have worn out 3 sets of VHS including the special edition. But the DVD version , is definately better than VHS. As a civil war re-enactor I must say they did do a good job on the historical facts. But a lot was left out , I found it odd how they totally forgot to mention Culp's Hill. Which myself and many of my comrades agree was Just as important , or even more important than What the 20th Maine did , on the left flank. All and all it is a great movie and I recomend this to every History Buff!!!
Rating:
Summary: "Gettysburg" DVD
Review: Last night I watched "Gettysburg", all four hours of it. I had originally planned to see half last night and the other half tonight, but I could not wait. In fact I could not bear to leave even for my usual snacks. This is a great movie and maximum credit goes to all those involved, especially the amateur soldiers with their authentic uniforms, original guns, etc. It faithfully portrays men, how they talk, how they behave, and how they feel, without the sickening sentimentality that seems to infect all the Hollywood offerings, apparently to gain female acceptance. I had wondered how well the producers could create a film from a time when there were no movie cameras, or other like material, but the job has been done so superbly that from time to time you realize with a start that what you are watching is not an original combat film, but a re- creation. Comment has been made on the mustaches. I have quite a large collection of daurogertypes of relatives from NY state, Ohio, etc.of that time period, and believe me, they have captured the style of facial adornment of those days. This film makes "Saving Private Ryan", and other war movies of like ilk, look pretty weak, as if they were all stamped out of the same formula. "Gettysburg" is a classic. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Gettysburg
Review: With the opening credits, you begin to feel the sorrow, pain and heroic scope this movie brings to the screen. The most important and bloodiest battle in American history can never be trivalized. This movie pays full respect to the men who fought, died and survived this epic contest, both sides, without making the usual Hollywood mistakes when retelling important events in history. As the majestic scenes of men moving in long gray and blue lines unfold, the main characters step forward. This is done without obscuring the real heroes: the average man, Federal and Confederate, who made the ulimate scarifice. If you are looking for a movie that presents the real story of the Civil War, "Gettysburg" should be at the very top of the list.
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