Customer Reviews

Filmmaker's Gettysburg 4-Pack [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

GETTYSBURG, a Ted Turner film adaptation of THE KILLER ANGELS first brought to the big screen in 1993, cannot be considered a great film for a few reasons, but can be considered glorious for many reasons.

With a run time just short of 4 hours, it's the one epic film of recent memory that required an intermission when shown in the theaters. It features a stellar cast: Martin Sheen, Tom Berenger, Richard Jordan and Stephen Lang as CSA Generals Lee, Longstreet, Armistead and Pickett, with Sam Elliott as USA General Buford and Jeff Daniels as USA Colonel Chamberlain. (Since there are absolutely no romantic subplots in the film, there are no actresses on the playbill to mush up the storyline. Just men bonding and killing, and otherwise doing guy stuff.) The acting performances are adequate to very good, with the best being those of Daniels and Jordan. The period costuming and armament is beyond reproach. The fake beards on some of the cast, especially Berenger, were cause for snide comment. The photography and music score are everything to be expected of a movie of such scope.

The plot, of course, revolves around events of those three days in July 1863 when General Meade's Army of the Potomac finally defeated General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in the rolling hills of southern Pennsylvania, setting the Confederacy down the road leading to final defeat two years later. The movie was choreographed on the actual battlefield - a battlefield on which 51,000 Federal and Confederate troops were killed, captured or wounded.

The film, like the book on which it was based, suffers from selectivity. The Day 1 battle features the heroic stand of General Buford and his cavalry command - the eventual Union rout is ignored. The Day 2 battle showcases Colonel Chamberlain's heroic defense of Little Round Top with his 20th Maine regiment - other hotspots, like the Wheatfield, Peach Orchard and Devil's Den, are completely left out. The Day 3 battle, almost without having to say it, is Pickett's Charge. As in most accounts of the battle I'm acquainted with, the right extreme of the Union line - Culp's Hill and Spangler's Spring - is hardly mentioned at all, if ever.

On leaving the cinema after my first viewing of the epic, I was in awe. (And I was not then, nor am I now, a fanatic Civil War buff.) Within a year, my wife and I visited the Gettysburg battleground. Of all the battlefield monuments in the United States, this is truly the most hallowed ground. (Possibly only the Little Bighorn - Custer - Battlefield National Monument in Montana resonates with such poignancy, and it's infinitely smaller.) I was able to stand amidst the trees and rocks of Little Round Top on the very place where my personal hero, Colonel Chamberlain, saved the day for the Union. If a movie inspires me to travel 2,000 miles to simply exist in, and breathe the air of, my surroundings, then, I tell you this, it's a glorious achievement.

I will admit this is my favorite movie. It is a long movie (over 4 Hrs.) but one I watch over and over again. The battle scenes are fantastic,the equipment of the day accurate and the music stirring. The best part is the actors portrayls of these famous men of the Civil War on both sides. The cast does an excellent job of putting a face and personality on what to most of us is just a name in a history book. It is just a great adaptation to film on the novel"Killer Angels'.

Gettysburg is not the end all and be all of historical movies. Rather, it spotlights a number of key people of both the Union and Confederate armies and looks at their roles. It is a little uneven in treatment; Lee is seen constantly while George Meade, his opponent is seen only as a walk-on. Joshua Chamberlain's role is greatly examined but the efforts of eccentric political general Dan Sickles are given only a glimpse.

Confederate generals Armistead and Pickett are well developed; Union general Hancock could have been better developed as his actions were also critical to the success of the Union forces.

The walk-on roles for Ken Burns and Ted Turner were inspired and actually added to the tenor of the film.

While long, to do it in less time woould have been a travesty.

I highly recommend this film to those with an interest in the Civil War.

In its entirety, this movie is well worth seeing. A page of American history, well done, and gripping. Characters out of our past who were larger than life, portrayed as such by the cast. Tom Berenger is haunting as Longstreet, a general who was viciously maligned after the war. Jeff Daniels as Chamberlain is memorable -- he does historical characters so well. I will watch this movie over and over.

This is one of the best reenactments of parts of the civil war that exists. It is also an excellent adaption of Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning historical novel "The Killer Angels". And to complete the classic criteria, a star-studded cast is included to portray the characters in the story. The events depicted are accurately portrayed, and the scenery is breathtaking, shot on location of the original battlefield. The battles around Gettysburg, culminating in a fantastic rendition of Picket's Charge, are remarkably presented here.

There are, however, major faults with this movie. One must belong with the creators who changed the title inappropriately. This is not a movie about Gettysburg, despite its given name. Undoubtably, this was done to bring in more revenue, but it leads people to false impressions (some examples are given below). It perhaps might have been more appropriate to subtitle Shaara's story with "a story of Gettysburg". This is not the movie to watch if one wants to find out the history of this epic battle. Shaara's story deals with only a few characters (although, all of them playing critical roles in the battle) involved in the conflict. The Confederate main characters were Longstreet and Lee, and the Union's only major character being Chamberlain, with a plethera of minor characters, mostly on the Confederate side, filling up the story.

Another problem is the trouble with the southern and northern accents. Too often, it appeared unnatural for the actors as they seemed to force a style which might not have been there. This was perhaps nowhere more evident than in Martin Sheen's portrayal of Robert E. Lee. Despite this, one still feels and is moved by the emotion of these times.

Nevertheless, this is still a great movie. It is a tale of Gettysburg, of how some of the critical forces involved may have reacted in their position. And it is beautifully told. But it is not whole story of Gettysburg. The movie is accurate in its presentation, however, it is limited to Shaara's novel and not the whole battlefield. It is a must for any Civil War enthusiasts and historical fiction fans, but only a slight consideration for those with an interest in more revealing history.

Gettysburg is probably my favorite movie and well worth seeing. It does a good job explaining the causes of the war, like most people think the Southerners fought to keep the slaves and all that. Gettysburg really does an accurate presentation of that aspect. Michael Shaara's Killer Angels is an absolute classic, even if you're not a Civil War buff. The acting in the movie is well done, the soundtrack phenomenal, and the producing is excellent. It's a touching movie, and gets a bit sad during Pickett's Charge with the music swelling, and you know with all this glory that the charge will fail. Unlike other Civil War movies, it does a good job of portraying the Southern army, causes, beliefs, and such. So maybe it's not perfectly historically correct in everything, but it's come closer than any other CW movie I've seen. PS I'd also recommend "The Hunley"

This is without a doubt, the best movie I have ever seen. The scenery, effects, and props are superb. The acting is tremendous although Sam Elliot should be wearing Confederate Gray and Martin Sheen's southern accent sounds a bit forced. The dialogue is exceptional and does Mike Shaara's Killer Angels justice. This is a movie that I enjoy watching over and over again.

I am a canadian. But I always have been interested about american history. I knew a little about the battle. But not its players. This was the first modern war. Using new weapons like rifled cannon and observation balloons. But these men who fought for what they believed in were larger than life. Chamberlain of the 20th maine made me realise that you are not born to fight. But that you are thrust into one. The movie was very good. It developed the story well. Its a good movie to teach the kids today about what war is really like. Because just think if the union had failed what would have happened to the history of the world today.