The Blue and the Gray

Rating:
Summary: Corny but watchable
Review: OK people. No way could this be rated five stars. Anyone who did is way to easy to please. I watched the whole thing and thank god I had a fast forward button that was used quite often. The whole war seemed to be fought by 50 of the same people. Uniforms were ridiculous. Gregory peck should be ashamed, though he did a splendid job of acting the script was un-believable. Stacy keach did a great job of acting. The Geyser family did not make you feel like they were a real family. This really took away from the reality of the whole mess. Again, I watched it. I will never watch it again so Im going to sell this. I made the mistake of watching Maxwells Gettysburg and God and Generals. Those were the BEST EVER MADE SO FAR! All other movies cant compare to those. Blue and Grey is a joke compared to them. Now that I think about it. I really should have given this series one star. Sorry but it was corny as hell.

Rating:
Summary: Civil War 101
Review: Once upon a time in a place far, far away, I was a Civil War buff. I couldn't read enough books about the massive war between the North and the South from 1861 to 1865. I paged through texts about ironclads, reveled in the descriptions of Shiloh, Bull Run, and Cold Harbor. I studied pictures of the movements of troops led by George McClellan and Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. I thrilled to the drama of Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse. And I mourned as Abraham Lincoln fell to a southern assassin's bullet at Ford's Theater. I would read books by Bruce Catton, a sort of everyman's historian of the war who churned out books by the boatload twenty or thirty years ago. Moreover, and probably most importantly, I yearned to watch shows and movies based on events during the war. I remember being presently surprised at the time to learn that a huge mini-series, called "The Blue and the Gray," would soon air on television. Finally, I would see the events, people, and places I had only read about before. Yep, I vividly remember watching this series when it first premiered on television over twenty years ago. And I liked it, at the time. When I saw it coming out on DVD, I decided to watch it all over again.

The passing of years can definitely modify prior assumptions. While I found parts of "The Blue and the Gray" intriguing, far too often the film descended into the deepest depths of sentimentality of the sappiest sort. The star of the picture is John Geyser (John Hammond), a young man with a knack for drawing who lives on his parents' farm in Virginia. He's got a bunch of brothers, a sister preparing to marry a successful businessman from Vicksburg, and several slaves. He yearns to head north, to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where his Uncle Jacob runs a newspaper. John figures his relative will hire him on the spot once he shows the man his drawings. Geyser gets the job when his uncle assigns him to cover the John Brown trial and the abolitionist's subsequent execution. At the proceedings, John meets Jonas Steele (Stacy Keach), a shady character with ties to the Pinkerton Agency and to the White House. A fast friendship forms between the two, with an even faster bond emerging between Steele and John's cousin Mary Hale (Julia Duffy). John heads back to his Virginia farm just in time to witness a bunch of bounty hunters commit a heinous crime against Jonathan Henry (Paul Winfield) for harboring a fugitive slave. At one point, young Geyser even meets the newly elected Abraham Lincoln (Gregory Peck).

By the time the war breaks out, John Geyser's artwork covering the Brown trial lands him a job at Harper's as a war correspondent. It's just as well since John refuses to fight for the Union or the Confederacy, a position that alienates him from his pro-southern family. His anti-war views do not stop him from facing danger as he rescues the daughter of Senator Reynolds (Robert Vaughn), a girl named Kathy (Kathleen Beller), at the Battle of Bull Run. Predictably, John and Kathy become an item. So do Jonas Steele and Mary Hale when they tie the knot after Jonas joins the Union Army. We also learn Steele possesses an annoying psychic power that allows him to foresee disastrous events. Meanwhile, as Vicksburg falls to the North, John's sister loses her husband and nearly loses her child in the siege of that city. As the war grinds on and on with no end in sight, members of both branches of the family, Hale and Geyser, fall on the battlefield from bullet, disease, or both.

This rather slipshod summary will have to suffice for a series that runs nearly six hours. The filmmakers did a good job covering many of the important issues of the day. John's internal conflict over whether he should fight or not, and for what side, is one many Americans faced during that conflict. Battle sequences inevitably rely on budgetary restrictions, so the only lengthy combat sequence is the Battle of Bull Run. It seems the filmmakers wished to focus on things not widely known about the Civil War, such as the use of hot air balloons for aerial surveillance, a repeating carbine, and the horrible conditions of prisoner of war camps. The movie keeps violence to a minimum, as per television standards, but a viewer does get the sense that the Civil War was no walk in the park for both soldiers and civilians. What do not work as well are the inaccuracy of the uniforms, the occasional digressions into comedy and romance, and the tendency of characters to teleport themselves across the country. I realize the whole idea of the movie is to show the war through the eyes of one man, but it gets ridiculous after a time when you see John Geyser popping up everywhere from Vicksburg to Bull Run.

The cast roster is enormous. In addition to the actors listed above, you will see Sterling Hayden, Lloyd Bridges, Colleen Dewhurst, Rip Torn, Rory Calhoun, Warren Oates, and Geraldine Page filling roles both major and minor. Mr. Bentley from "The Jeffersons" even shows up for a minute or two! I think I can safely recommend this film to movie buffs. It's not perfect, not even close, but it would give a viewer a general idea of the issues that led to the war. You can't really hope to adequately inform through the medium of television, but what you can hope to do is get someone interested in reading more about a topic. "The Blue and the Gray" will do that, with a little luck.

Rating:
Summary: Not Quite Authentic
Review: This film did contain many correct historical facts as far as the war itself, and I did enjoy the quotes and terms that were used from that time era. However, it was quite apparent that not enough research had been done as far as the appropriate dress and conduct of women (especially southern women) during the Civil War. I have done quite a bit of research on this topic since I am a reenactor, and I portray a southern woman. They were not "bold and brazen". Southern women were sheltered and protected by their men--not out flaunting themselves, chasing men, and bragging on being "bold". Low neck dresses were worn late in the evenings--not the middle of the day. They did not pick up their skirts with both hands, high above their ankles (heaven fordid!), and run chasing a man on a train asking him to come visit. Women were either escorted by a male relative, if not married, or some older woman. They did not go out in public alone. Also, one scene shows John Geyser running down the dirt street in Vicksburg--someone forgot to cover up the cement sidewalk with dirt!! No cement sidewalks then! All in all, the acting in this movie was something to be desired. It seemed like most of the actors were just repeating memorized lines--not really living it. The acting did not appear natural. Abraham Lincoln's face looks like a monster. Mary Todd Lincoln did not accompany him on the train to Washington, D.C. There was an asassination plot, and Lincoln went by himself traveling at night. She followed later with her sons. If you are looking for facts about the war battles, this will suffice. However, if you are looking for information about everyday life and how it was lived during the Civil War, do not use this as a reference item. I watched it once, had my laughs, and then sold it.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Worthy Civil War Mini-Series
Review: This has to be one of the best Civil War stories made for the small screen yet. The movie depicts a southern family and their relatives as they experience the harshness of the war between the North and the South where Brother is against brother and cousin against cousin.

Also, the use of historical acts and people is wonderful as well, even if the filmmakers took artistic liberties. The main battles and historical figures are depicted, from the Battle Of Gettysburg to the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

And the best part about this series is the plot doesn't deviate from the main characters and their heart-wrenching story.

This, along with North and South and Gone with the Wind, should be a permanent fixture in any Civil War Fiction buff's library, or on anyone's library for that matter.

Rating:
Summary: Worth a watch......
Review: This is a nice tv mini-series, and explains the Civil War and it's era pretty well. It's about a neutral Virginian farmboy/amateur artist (played by John Hammond) who leaves his home and family to work as a newspaper artist up north, eventually becoming a war artist for Harper's Weekly. Along the way, at the trial of John Brown, he befriends Stacy Keach's character, a U.S. army scout and good friend of Abe Lincoln named Jonas Steele. While his brothers fight for the Confederacy, his cousins fight for the Union, tearing their family in two.

It is, as other customers have said, a good introduction piece to the War Between the States. It tells the basics of the war and it's time period pretty well. However, it is not without it's errors: I don't know why there's the murder subplot....it's kind of odd, but still spooky. The love stories are a bit corny at times, but otherwise the story is interesting. The music score is VERY early eighties, but that's okay. The thing that made me want to laugh though is that each army seems to have about 50 people on each side, though the battle scenes are pretty good. The cavalry battles are great though! Oh well, if you want vast armies, watch Gettysburg (a GREAT Civil War movie), or something. Hammond and Keach give good performances, while the best is Gregory Peck's performance as Lincoln. He fits the part very well, and is quite believable. (but stay away from the overacting of sister Emma's overacting!) So, if the Civil War is your thing like it is mine, take a look at this. It's worth a watch!

Rating:
Summary: One of the worst movies ever made!!!
Review: This movie was such a disappointment that I am embarrassed to say that I wasted my money on it. It was my hope that this would be an informative, historically accurate film about the War Between the States but, to my dismay, I found this feature to be some second-rate melodrama that should only be shown on Lifetime or the Oxygen Channel. This was like watching a day-time soap opera that never ends and I am amazed that anyone with a clear-conscience could write a postive review about it. If after reading this review you are still thinking about buying this I'll make you a deal. You can have my mine for free; that is if I can remember where I threw it.

Rating:
Summary: Civil War Lite, Very Lite
Review: When watching this mini-series its best to keep in mind that it was made about twenty years ago and shown on television over several nights. The over acting and the simplistic dialogue were probably a lot less cloying when spread out over many hours and interrupted by commercials. This version of the Civil War leaves out most of the grime and blood and introduces a number of anachronisms and phoney sidetracks, among the most bizarre of which are the Stacy Keach character's numerous "psychic episodes" and the incident where one of the characters informs some slaves on a Mississippi plantation that they are free by letting them read the Emancipation Proclamation. (Any one care to bet how many slaves knew how to read in 1863?)

Having said this, I should also point out that there are some reasonable reenactments of battles, particularly First Bull Run. You can also get a fairly good idea of the way families were torn apart by the war and the dilemma that conflicted loyalties caused many people. I guess my favorite character is Malachi Hale, who joins the Union Army sure that he will be a great hero, then has to deal with his terror when he comes under fire. He eventually makes friends with a similarly frightened Confederate and ends up with a battlefield promotion! I don't know of many other scenes in war movies that point out the absurdity of the whole thing so successfully.

Rating:
Summary: Civil War Lite, Very Lite
Review: When watching this mini-series its best to keep in mind that it was made about twenty years ago and shown on television over several nights. The over acting and the simplistic dialogue were probably a lot less cloying when spread out over many hours and interrupted by commercials. This version of the Civil War leaves out most of the grime and blood and introduces a number of anachronisms and phoney sidetracks, among the most bizarre of which are the Stacy Keach character's numerous "psychic episodes" and the incident where one of the characters informs some slaves on a Mississippi plantation that they are free by letting them read the Emancipation Proclamation. (Any one care to bet how many slaves knew how to read in 1863?)

Having said this, I should also point out that there are some reasonable reenactments of battles, particularly First Bull Run. You can also get a fairly good idea of the way families were torn apart by the war and the dilemma that conflicted loyalties caused many people. I guess my favorite character is Malachi Hale, who joins the Union Army sure that he will be a great hero, then has to deal with his terror when he comes under fire. He eventually makes friends with a similarly frightened Confederate and ends up with a battlefield promotion! I don't know of many other scenes in war movies that point out the absurdity of the whole thing so successfully.

Rating:
Summary: Am I the only one that liked this?
Review: Yes I will admit that the acting is the level of "The Young and the Restless" but for Gods sake it is still interesting enough to hold the attention. A story about 2 sides of a family divided by war and then go off to fight one another, while common place was never dull. However the Major who could see events in the future as they happened was a little bit much.
Overall it was very good if you liked north and south you will like this one.