Product Details

• Actors: Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, Kris Kristofferson, Robert Joy, Richard Tyson
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: July 20, 2004
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00028G7IO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,038 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Pharaoh's Army" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

PHARAOH'S ARMY - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty, Raw and Beautiful film about the Civil War, October 16, 2002

By 

Mercy Bell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pharaoh's Army [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Pharaoh's Army" defies formula. Instead of selling out for cliches and big stars, it relies completely on the excellent acting from a strong cast, the strength of a well written script, and a fascinating and bitter story. The result is a raw and realistic film that moves along fast, with a heavy emotional current. One of the best I've ever seen about the Civil War, and I think it can owe that to the pleasure of being an independent film (if you like this film, try to see the brilliant indie Civil War film "Wicked Spring" as well).

"Pharaoh" simply tells the true story of a small expedition/forage team of Union men who ride into a Confederate farm to take provisions, but end up stuck there because of an accident of one of the men. Tensions broil and relationships are made and broken. Nothing happens the way Hollywood would write it; this movie comes from the mind of someone who actually cares about quality film and the telling of history. Superb dialogue and plot exposition move along a film that looks highly professional, but often doesn't feel like you're watching a movie, more along the lines of hearing a story.

The film boasts an incredible performance from Chris Cooper who shows an amazing versatility in the exploration of his role. He transforms, but is always at the height of believability and is easy to emotionally relate to. Patricia Clarkson is equally as stellar and realistic in a role that many actresses would crumble in. She shares an interesting chemistry with Cooper's character and where she's the more severe of the characters, is still as easy to identify with. The rest of the cast is quite capable, and fill their roles in well.

The art design and the set are wonderful, and personally I love the cinematography. It all has the feel of a Civil War period photograph with the camera presenting strong contrasting colors and shadows and a tin-like metalic tint, but always keeping the naturalistic look of the rustic setting. They seem to have used natural lighting, but whatever they used works beautifully. Everything looks like it belongs where it is, it feels period, something I find rare in American period films. The actors act 19th century, not like 20th century people in old clothes.

Above all, this film is very personal. I think that as an indie it can afford it. The film is nearly flawless with an outstanding script that effortlessly creates and explores the relationships and personalities of these characters and lets them grow in a situation, as bad as it is. It doesn't fail in getting it's point across, and it gets it's point across without the usual and overused techniques that are used in all war films these days. It's brave. It relies on it's characters, a fantastic script, human emotion, and in the cold hard fact that the Civil War wasn't all CGI, big stars, and hoop skirts.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BY FAR THE BEST AMERICAN CIVIL WAR FILM YET MADE!, November 1, 2002

By 

John Brandon (St. Louis, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pharaoh's Army [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I saw this film in 1996 and can still remember every scene. Since then I've been waiting for it to become available on VHS. It's a story that compells you to think about the horrors of war and the difficult moral choices both soldiers and civilians in the path of war must frequently face. Like the film "All Quiet On The Western Front" it doesn't force you into taking sides (in this case with the North or South in the American Civil War) but merely makes you ask yourself "What would I do if I were that character?" A film can't go much deeper than that. This film was done on a somewhat low-budget and it relied heavily on an excellent cast, perfect costumes and location, and remarkable direction from Robby Henson. IT IS BY FAR THE BEST AMERICAN CIVIL WAR FILM YET MADE!
I hope to see much more from Director Robby Henson. He truly has the potential to become one of middle America's great movie storytellers.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I don't guess the Civil War was about bein' decent.", May 12, 2005

By 

Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pharaoh's Army (DVD)

The Civil War is the most ironically named of wars, for there was no civility to it. It was a ghastly, vicious, blood feud between countrymen and neighbors where decency was among the first casualties of war. That fact has often been lost in big sweeping dramas about the Civil War where we can focus on the grandeur of great armies in motion and the big concepts of honor and cause. Director Robby Henson forces our attention back to the ugly truth of the war by focusing on a much smaller story. No great armies clash in `Pharaoh's Army'. Instead, we see only a tiny rural community in the bitterly divided boarder state of Kentucky, where neighbors rein terror on each other according to their allegiances, and where a small group of Yankee soldiers comes foraging; stealing chickens instead of fighting Rebels.
The film opens with the funeral of a little girl, who is later that night exhumed and hurled without ceremony out of the cemetery; Union neighbors would not have the body of a Secesh's child resting with their kin. A later scene shows an old farmer and his wife who were murdered and thrown into their well as their house burns for the simple reason that they sent two sons to fight for the Union. Into this bitter savagery rides a small band of Yankee soldiers foraging food from Rebel's farms. They have not yet been in battle, and are more than a little chagrined to be stealing chickens rather than fighting Rebs. An accident to one forces them to hold up at the farm of Sarah Anders (Patricia Clarkson) a Rebel's wife who burns with a barely contained righteous rage against all Yankees, yet has no choice but to submit to their demands to protect herself and her boy. The Yankee captain (Chris Cooper) has not yet learned to hate from the war, and struggles to show as much kindness and decency as he can to these folk he is robbing of their substance. The heart of the film is the tense relationship that develops between the Yankee Captain and Mrs. Anders as they discover occasional moments of shared humanity, but are left starring at each other over the impassable, blood filled gulf of the war, and discover that in war, hate trumps kindness, and there is no decency.
Patricia Clarkson absolutely shines in her role as Sarah Anders. With a mere glance she is able to show the strength, pride, hate, longing, despair and fortitude that holds the fierce Mrs. Anders together. Chris Cooper matches her with his own brilliant and subtle portrayal of Captain Abston, tormented by his own gentleness as he struggles to be a soldier. Kris Kristofferson's cameo as the Preacher provides more ambiance than acting, but is still a nice touch. Shot on location in the hills of Kentucky, the film is as beautiful as its story is tragic.
Robby Henson succeeded admirably with `Pharaoh's Army' in showing the human cost of the Civil War; not just in lives lost and blood shed, but in the living's loss of their humanity. This film is a tragic masterpiece, and you should not miss it.

Theo Logos