Customer Reviews

Ambrose Bierce - Civil War Stories

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4 star:		(6)
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This movie starts out like a high school play. I was put off by what seem obvious wigs on the actors, especially on Campbell Scott, who plays Bierce. And I was put off by everyone's stilted, stagy delivery.

But before long, the amateurishness lifted, like a curtain rising - and I found myself being absorbed in the recreations of Bierce's opinionated pessimisms, and in the dramatizations of several of his short stories. So stick with it.

The story dramatizations take their time. These vignettes aren't for people who demand action and special effects. The first story for example will make you wander in a dense fog on a long-gone Civil War battlefield for long minutes at a time, without anything really happening. But it was this very deliberateness that won me over, that put me in these characters' shoes as they try to decide where their priorities lie - in the abstractions of patriotism and honor - or in their personal relationships with people who have meant something to them. This is so often a slow, foggy, inward process of decision that the pace of the film serves the material well.

Bierce's most famous short story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," is well-done here. I don't think it's done quite as well as it was done decades ago as a Twilight Zone episode. But it is still mesmerizing, heart-wrenching.

I had known Ambrose Bierce mostly for his "Devil's Dictionary," his collection of epigrammatic, cynical definitions - and for his mysterious disappearance in Mexico almost 100 years ago. I hadn't realized he had written regular columns for William Randolph Hearst's papers, or that he had written so many moving short stories. So this movie was an eye-opener for me. It sent me back to check Bierce's collections of stories off the library shelves. Like me, you might end up being grateful to this movie for allowing you to discover, or to re-discover, an American original, an American genius.

First of all, if you're a Bierce fan, you won't tolerate a lame Hollywood version of the man. You won't be disappointed; Campbell Scott does a great job: He's obtuse and cynical--everything we expect from Bierce.
The three stories are beautifully filmed and acted. In the first segment, "One Kind of Officer," the battle scenes go on too long, but the story's payoff makes up for it. The second segment, "Story of a Conscience," is perfectly realized--the best of the three, in my opinon. The third, "Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" is, of course, the most famous story. It's well done, and it includes story details that were missing from the award-winning 1962 Enrico film. Nevertheless, it doesn't have the emotional impact that the Enrico film had. Enrico nailed the climactic moment so well, I don't think anyone could ever do it better.
I hope this film, even though it obviously had limited distribution, will inspire uninformed viewers to get into Bierce. He was such an outrageous character (no less than eight biographies have been written) that his life often overshadows his work--but that's part of the fun.
These filmed versions of Bierce's stories really stay true to his intention: to show what an utterly foolish and misguided creature is man, with war being the greatest evidence of his folly.
Plus, it's great to see Bierce hanging out with his employer / nemesis, William Randolph Hearst. Great stuff!

Having been a big fan of Ambrose Bierce stories since the fabulous French version of "Owl Creek Bridge" I can't tell you how pleasantly surprised I was to attend the preview of Ambrose Bierce: Civil War Stories. It not only contains a great new rendition of "Owl Creek" but two of my other favorite stories captured on film. Campbell Scott completely and totally embodies everything I have ever studied about Bierce. Vivian Schilling and Nathan Darrow do an excellent job as Atherton and Hearst defining the period and style of post Civil War America. All in all this was a great evening combining three fabulous stories wrapped together by a dialogue between Bierce, Atherton and Hearst. This is a must see for anyone, anywhere interested in a troubled time in the United States because it clarifies Bierce's position on the War and his job with Hearst. With great acting, superb battle scenes and outstanding cinematography a great buy for Civil War historians, schools, libraries and all fans of great filmmaking.

I don't believe that any war in which we have ever been involved was as needless and tragic is the War Between the States. This trilogy involves two short stories written by Ambrose Bierce, a Union officer who seems to have lived a tortured, troubled life as a result of his combat experiences. The third short story relates to incidents that probably happened all the way from Manassas to Memphis during the War. I will not provide spoilers on these three shorts, but anyone who enjoys the study of history, and the twisted, illogical, immoral conduct in which people engage during war, will find this trilogy interesting, to say the least.

I highly recommend this film. Rarely does the dialogue of a film capture the spirit of its literary inspiration. The folks that put this production together did their homework--great job.

This is really good. If you like Civil War dramas, you will enjoy this. I understand Campbell Scott is a fan of Ambrose Bierce's work - it shows in terms of his characterization. He's perfect as Ambrose Bierce. Even if you're not familiar with any of Bierce's work, you can thoroughly enjoy this piece. The production values are excellent, and the rest of the cast turns in solid performances too. Outstanding entertainment!

I became a fan of the writings of Ambrose Bierce when I first saw a version of his "Occurence At Owl Creek Bridge" used as an episode of the original "TWILIGHT ZONE." Needless to say, I was waiting with great anticipation for the completion of this first-ever collection of Bierce's three most famous tales of the Civil War... all featuring his insights and surprise endings. Campbell Scott is brilliant as the "bitter Bierce" whose understandings of the politics of war seem to greatly surpass the intellectual capabilities of his contemporary goverment leaders. Vivian Schilling delivers a predictably strong turn as the saucy novelist Gertrude Atherton, and she makes a fine counterpoint to the banter between Bierce and his publisher, William Randolf Hearst (played by newcomer Nathan Darrow) during the set-up for three knock-em-dead Bierce tales. "Story of A Conscience", "One Kind Of Officer" and an all-new remake of "An Occurence At Owl Creek Bridge" make this collection of CIVIL WAR STORIES a must see for general audiences, and a must buy for collectors, schools, libraries and fans of great drama, great acting and superb battle action.

It seems appropriate and not at all accidental that Civil War Stories should be released at a time when the realities of our current war have come home to so many of us. Ambrose Bierce's vision of futility and emptiness within a universe deprived of divine order is unequivocally realized in this short, but finely crafted film. There is a subtle, yet deliberate, telling of three, separate stories that focuses on dialogue and expression as a means to convey the thoughts and inner conflicts of the various characters, without resorting to extravagant dramatic effects. The first of these, filmed entirely in fog, evolves like a dream bathed in blue-gray light. The second, most economical of the three, puts the actors to the test as their faces communicate stunning realizations within the sparse dialogue. The third, probably best known of the stories, is filled with action that has been prudently edited to keep a frantic pace while preserving the intensity of the final denouement.

The director has set Bierce, W. R. Hearst, and Gertrude Atherton in conversation in a hotel drawing room as a device for unifying the three stories and has written mordant lines for Bierce, which Campbell Scott delivers with soulful strength.

This is a must have DVD for any true Civil War buff. I've been a Bierce fan and amateur Civil War historian since college and couldn't believe it when I saw this DVD was available. If you love Bierce you'll love this film. Campbell Scott is exactly how I imagined Bierce, and the remake of "The Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge" is stunning.

You might wonder where writer/directors such as Ray Bradbury or M.Night Shyamalan got their interesting stories and noted end twists.You can basically stop at the 19th century short story genius Ambrose Bierce.Bierce was a world renowned contributor to The San Francisco Examiner owned by mogul William Randolph Hearst, and his 1891 meeting with famous-to-be novelist Gertrude Atherton is the basis for the retelling of three of Bierce's famous "Civil War Stories" that were stinging observations on the actions of mankind under war conditions.Bierce's writings bothered and infuriated most because his observations deglamorized and deglorified war and showed the soldier and the civilian as they in truth Bierce recorded them under such conditions.

Campbell Scott portrays Bierce as he is challenged and cajoled by Atherton and Hearst into a "woman's parlour reading" of three of his short stories "One Kind of Officer","Story of a Conscience" and "The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" which has been made famous several times over on two continents.The retelling of these stories,shown as short films, give a great sense of the cynical and ironic that shows in Bierce's writings.This DVD is almost a curiosity if anything.It is not terribly overwhelming in it's production value as much as it is in the 78 minute content of the three stories.It is easy to see how Bierce's stories became foundational for so many to come.Informationally, this is a must for writers and literary people who note the differences between the genre of the short vs. the novel as well as the need for an author to have control over the content of their works.