Gettysburg

Rating:
Summary: An open window to our history
Review: The film Gettysburg, fully captures the experience of war as our generation has never been able to comprehend. For four years, men from both the north and the south fought for their respective causes; some to protect individual states rights, and others to maintain a perfect union. They knew nothing of laser guided bombs or missles fired on victims whos faces are invisible to us. They did know musket guns, small round lead balls used as bullets, a gun powder pouch, and a block of chewing tobacco to pass the time. They wore heavy uniforms, and marched hundreds of miles in 95 degree heat. When you watch this film, you will know how these brave men lived, and died in battle. You will know how it feels when a bullet pierces your shoulder when fired on from only 10-100 feet away; You will feel the cannons explode; You will smell the smoke of hundreds of rifles firing simultaniously, and you will know how it feels to see men on either side of you falling in battle. You will experience the emotinal and physical struggle just to make it through one more hour of life.

More importantly, you will learn from dialogue between officers and soldiers what they were thinking, and why they did what they did. Some call this a waste, but they are only looking for action, and ignoring the how and why of a soldiers commitment in fighting these battles. These men did not fight for money or power; they fought for a cause, and did so with great pride and dignity. Listen to the open hearts of brother fighting against brother; Of comrads in battles before the civil war now on opposite sides under opposing flags. Learn what went through the commanders mind when planning a battle with only the wisdom of scouts hiding in the fields to assist him. To those who dont like the dialogue, watch the film on your VCR, because most of it is edited out, along with many detailed scenes of the battles.

To fully appreciate the authenticity of this film, you have to walk a little farther than to the remote control of your television set; You have to go to the battlefield, and walk in those fields where so many lost their lives. Walk in solitude, and listen for the ghosts of the past to speak to you. Listen for the fife and drum play as they marched, and readied for battle. Walk in the wheatfield, and look down to see if any of the blood is still there. Go to the road behind the wheatfield, and listen for the union soldiers as they ready themselves to run across the field, only to get slaughtered by the confederates on the other side. They say that so many died there, you could not walk across it without slipping on the blood. Go to big round top, and see why both armies wanted it so dearly. There is where you will see and feel what the battle of gettysburg was all about.

Then go to the national cemetery, and look down at all the people who died defending our union. There are no southerners buried there. They were carried back to their homes. Read Lincolns gettysburg address, and fully comprehend what was in his heart. He truly wanted the war to end then and there, having no stomach for another year of war. Then go watch the film again, and really understand it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent in many ways...but
Review: This is an outstanding contribution to Civil War Heritage and until "Gods and Generals" premiers at least, the most sweeping and historically accurate film. Excellent "historicity" in many respects, great score, thrilling scenes such as Pickett's Charge.

...Still you can have a truly great experience and fast forward over the blubbering and speechifying. I greatly look forward to the prequel.

Rating:
Summary: The Story that Gives you apprecation of where you're from.
Review: This heroic tale of the three days of the battle of Gettysburg give you the apprecation of where you are from. Starring Martin Sheen, Jeff Daniels, and Tom Berenger, you will be pulled into the tale of the bloddiest battle ever fought on American Soil. It's the Summer of 1863 and the Confederacey pushes north into Pennsylvania, the Federalists running a parallel path only to soon realize they are going to clash and meet at a small hill in the small town where all roads meet. Gettysburg. Based on the book the Killer Angels, Ron Maxwell, and Rob Katz make sure to tell the real story of what happened those three dark days in July. You will enjoy this great story of freedom and learn how the one Idea of the Confederacy and the idea of freedom of the Federalists brought us to where we are today. "One Nation under God Indivisable with Liberty and Justice for All."

Rating:
Summary: A wonder!
Review: This is one of my favorite movies of all time, a movie which sparked what may well become a life long interest in the Civil War. This DVD does more than justice to it. The sound quality is amazing - during the cannonade before Picket's charge, the floor actually shakes. Even more impressive are the wealth of features. Both short films - the Gettysburg documentary, and the making of the movie - are excellent, and really do add a lot to the film. The maps are a useful tool, and the commentaries quite interesting (although it is admitted that they do not cover the entire movie).For anyone who has yet to read to book, do not miss it! Although I am quite fond of Jeff Sharra's work as well, Michael Sharra's Pultizer for this novel was more than well deserved. The movie's coverage is quite through, but the little details should not be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Remember . . .!
Review: The Civil War never fared well in the movies. Let's face it, "Gone with the Wind" is a huggin' & kissin' movie that uses the war and Reconstruction as a backdrop. This large-scale retelling of the battle of Gettysburg is superb.

But REMEMBER, it's based on a NOVEL. Novels are FICTION. Though more accurate than Margaret Mitchell's novel, it's still fiction at heart, lifting large chunks of dialogue directly from Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winner. It's a fine novel, but it has a revisionist, pro-Longstreet bias.

And Martin Sheen as Lee! Oh, the humanity! It's bad enough that the best depiction of one of the greatest and most beloved Americans of all time, and anti-slave but pro-Virginia, has the dazed and confused character invented by Shaara, leading him to blunders in the battle (which are only blunders in retrospect, and everyone made some blunder, even Longstreet, at whose feet the failure of Pickett's charge can be rightfully laid, some believe), but Martin Sheen really is abyssmal. He's a black hole in an otherwise intelligent and well-done version of this story.

Still, if all you want is to know what happened without getting into nuances of who ACTUALLY did what, this is a great movie and a great history lesson. Jeff Daniels is particularly good.

Rating:
Summary: Hold the line!
Review: Musket volleys and windy asides substitute for grit and gore in this gentlemanly recreation of the bloodiest three days in American history, filmed on location using thousands of extras and based almost verbatim on Michael Shaara's Pulitizer-winning novel. While Sheen is hard to stomach as the southern demi-god Robert E. Lee, Daniels and Beringer turn in career performances as opposing commanders asked to do the impossible while the fates of their armies-and countries-hang in the balance. Unfortunately for each side, the line-against-line battle tactics (dating to the hoplite phalanxes of ancient Greece) lagged decades behind the period's lethal weaponry. All the gallantry in the world doesn't go much good when a minie ball is twirling toward your chest. Throughout the conflict, the generals ask each other, "Is this good ground?" Thanks to their men, it is now.

Rating:
Summary: A magnificent American saga. A must-see.
Review: This is a fine adaptation of Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels" which was a long-time best selling novel about the Battle of Gettysburg. It is wonderfully done.

This film beautifully chronicles the clash between two of the greatest armies of all time at the pivotal battle of what was the greatest war in history up to that time. Both sides are portrayed sympathetically, honorably, and honestly. There is no "Politically Correct" Confederate-bashing here, although the film does not ignore the contradictions in the Confederate cause. General Longstreet muses that "I can never really think of those boys in blue as the enemy ... we broke the oath..."

Some of the acting in this film is first-rate, some is not. Tom Berenger is wonderful as General Longstreet, Martin Sheen is splendid as Robert E. Lee. Jeff Daniels does a fine job as Col. Joshua Chamberlain. Richard Jordan, as General Armistead, is absolutely unforgettable, both as the bold, inspiring general and the wistful, sorrowful warrior reluctant to do battle against his former friends.

Occasionally the film indulges in a bit of lengthy speechifying by the various characters about the war and related issues, but in this film that is OK, and I thought that this added to, rather than detracted from, the film experience.

This is a film that respects the viewer and does not try to push any particular political agenda--which is a surprise since Ted Turner was the moving force behind the production. The battle scenes are extremely well-done and the accompanying musical score is a definite plus that adds to the pace of the film.

This is a film that you'll want to watch repeatedly over the years. It faithfully follows Shaara's fine novel, rarely departing from it, and tells a great story in a respectful and sometimes inspiring manner.

Rating:
Summary: An epic about America's darkest days.
Review: This film could have been a huge disaster. Sets, locations, cast, script, bad acting, historical inaccuracies may have marred the production. Fortunately for us, John Q. Filmgoer, this did not happen. The locations were the actual battlefield, the cast included heavyweights like Martin Sheen, who did wonderful, and Jeff Daniels, who did wonderful as well (surprisingly). The script was very good and helped keep the film moving most of the time. The acting was very good. The cinematography is lush and gorgeous-very well done. The strengths of this film far outweigh the weaknesses. As important a war film as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, FULL METAL JACKET, or PLATOON.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: The best Civil War movie ever made!
Review: This movie was awsome! This has to be one of the most accurate Civil War films I have ever seen. From the clothing to the battles, the accuracy shown was just outstanding! The acting is superb. There is just one error that bothers me, that is with the battle of Little Round Top. The film shows the men fighting in a thick forest. The real battle ground would have been cleared and the ground would have been been covered with rocks. That mountain slop was cleared a few years befor the actual battle. The film makers made a huge error by filming that battle in a forrest. But every other aspect of the movie was done perfectly. This is a movie you can not miss if you are a Civil War buff.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Historical Films Ever Made...
Review: Start with one of the most riveting moments in American history. Use as a guide one of the greatest treatments of that story- namely Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning "The Killer Angels"- and so much so that the script very nearly word for word was taken from the book. Add the fantastic acting abilities of such men as Martin Sheen, Tom Berenger, and Sam Elliot. Throw in for good measure several thousand Living Historians, also known as Re-enactors, who live and breathe the War Between the States. Film it all on the actual battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Given all of the above, this movie HAD to be a classic, in the company of such movies as All Quiet On The Western Front, Tora Tora Tora, or Zulu. It is intensely gripping- even though you know that Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia will be defeated and turned back, even though you know that Pickett's Charge will be smashed and repulsed, you are unable to tear yourself away from this film for even a moment.
Historical accuracy was the watchword when making this film. Uniforms, weapons, hairstyles and beards, manners of speech- everything was made to be as authentic as possible. The result is a film that will not only show you the Battle of Gettysburg, it will take you there.
The performances of the cast are superb. Martin Sheen as the religious, resigned, and gentle Robert E. Lee; Tom Berenger as the serious Longstreet, Lee's right hand man who senses doom but can not prevent it; Sam Elliot as General Buford, who fights his dismounted cavalry troops as infantry to slow the advancing Confederates and give the Federal Army time to arrive; and Jeff Daniels, who is unforgettable as Colonel Chamberlain, whose desperate defense of Little Round Top against overwhelming odds and relentless Rebel attacks saved the Federal Army's left flank and the Battle.
The cinematography is outstanding, and the re-enactments of the different phases of the Battle are well directed and carried out. There is absolutely not one flaw in any facet of this film, unless you happen to be from below the Mason-Dixon Line and don't enjoy the outcome of the Battle! I myself am a born Yankee....