Customer Reviews

Pharaoh's Army

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"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.

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.

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

This movie is the story of the wife of a Confederate soldier who is alone with her eleven year old son in the Cumberland Mountains of southern Kentucky during THE war. Basic survival is their daily task. Five Union soldiers descend upon their home seeking food and supplies. Due to events beyond anyone's control, the soldiers end up staying for an extended period of time.
The best thing about this movie is that it does not play up to modern stereotypes nor political correctness. This movie portrays each and every person as unique individuals with hopes, dreams, and quirks all of their own. As everyone in modern times should try to understand, no matter what group of people under consideration, there have always been good, bad, and indifferent in each and every group. All Yankees were not arson-rapists like Sherman and some of his soldiers. All Confederates were not sadistic torcherers who sat up during the midnight hour beating all their slaves within an inch of their life. People of the past were humans, plain and simple-some were good, some were bad--JUST LIKE TODAY. This movie brings a portrayal of the past back to reality.
Each character, even though they have flaws of varying degrees as compared to one another, has redeeming qualities and unfulfilled good potentials.
Not only is this a great historical portrayal of an extremely difficult time of hardship, it is a great study of human character. This movie should get more attention and acclaim.
Wonderful and riveting from the especially moving and emotional opening scene all the way through to the unexpected end. Buy this, watch it, enjoy it, and remember it for years! You will not be sorry.

With all the gushing about a certain, current Civil War film I find myself going back to 'Pharaoh's Army' and wondering why this movie couldn't have been given the same accolades.

Was it the lack of big-name cast, crew, producer or director? Was it the fact that this film was filmed in the U.S. and not in Romania? Of course, the director of 'Pharaoh's Army' didn't have the bucks to afford stars so big that they dwarf the marquee. This director also paid more attention to the historical truths and accuracy of the Civil War period whereas that certain other, current film did not.

'Pharaoh's Army' succeeds where this current, much-lauded film falls flat on its face. It portrays human, flesh and blood people. There is no grand epic of walking back home for hundreds of miles. No grand showing of the Civil War battle of Petersburg.
'Pharaoh's Army' is set in the simple hill country of the Western theatre. A vignette of Civil War life intruded on by a foraging party and the results from it. Chris Cooper and the rest of these true stars are subperb and bring a life to their roles that the current, present movie can't touch and which has the initials of 'CM'.

'Pharaoh's Army' is the film that should have been in Oscar contention. It has everything that other movies lack in this genre. It is my pick as one of the very finest of all Civil War films.

Kudos to director Robby Henson for a superlative directorial debut, as well as for his well written screenplay, which is based upon a true story. This is a film in the best indie tradition. It is an absolute gem. Taut and spare, it does more with less. Coupled with the excellent direction and screenplay are award calibre performances by Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson, as well as by the entire supporting cast.

The story takes place during the Civil War in 1862 in the state of Kentucky, which was a state uneasily divided in its loyalties, with some of its citizens favoring the Union and others favoring the Confederacy. The story revolves around the personal dynamics between a Union Captain, played with great sensitivity by Chris Cooper, and a woman, played with restrained bitterness by Patricia Clarkson, whose husband is fighting with the Confederacy.

Captain Abston and four of his men chance upon the home of Sarah Anders, while they are foraging for provisions in Kentucky. They descend upon her and her eleven year old son like locusts, plundering what little she has. Yet, thanks to the Captain, they show restraint. The Captain, a widower with a young son back home in Ohio, is drawn to this spare, bitter woman. When one of his men injures himself while on her property, requiring a period of convalescence before he can be moved, the Captain and Sarah begin a slow dance of unspoken courtship. The viewer sees Sarah awaken to the captain's interest in her by her choice of dress, by her glance in a looking glass. It is beautifully played out in the most subtle of ways, but is simply not to be, as their ideological differences put them squarely in opposing camps.

The subtlety and nuances in this film are finely drawn. It attempts to show the impact of war on people in a most personal way. The tension of war is always there beneath the surface, ready to bubble over, as conflict struggles with humanity. The ordinary tasks of one's daily life become almost poignant under the circumstances. Yet, it is always a question as to whether conflict will triumph over humanity. This film illustrates some of these issues in a very meaningful way. It is a small gem of a film that deals with some very big issues in a way that almost breaks one's heart. Bravo!

This is a terrific, moving, beautifully acted little movie that hardly anybody saw when it came out. The wonderful Chris Cooper ("American Beauty," "Lone Star," "The Patriot," "Matewan," "Lonesome Dove") is just heartbreaking as a Yankee officer who is sick of war. Patricia Clarkson is equally wonderful as the embittered Southern farm wife whose home is taken over by Yankee foragers. It doesn't go for quick, easy answers; instead it is completely honest about the way that the emotional ravages of war can endure even beyond the grave.

I've had a DVD copy of "Pharaoh's Army" in my home collection for several years, and have watched it at least a half-dozen times, each time thoroughly enjoying this little-known, Indie film that escaped my attention when it was first released in 1995. First-time writer/director Robbie Benson deserves a lot of credit for this beautifully crafted, realistic, and subtly moving film about a slice of just a few days in 1862 during the Civil War, and a small group of foraging Union soldiers, whose lives briefly and tragically intersect with a woman and her 11 year old son on their back-woods Kentucky farm. Reportedly based on a true story, this short 90 minute film captures more of the tensions that were behind the American Civil War than scores of other big-battle epics about that singular American conflict. Those looking for massive battle scenes and sweeping panoramas of smoky battlefields should look elsewhere- but if you are a contemplative sort who appreciates fine acting, beautifully framed cinematography scenes, and a subtle and moving musical score, this film will suck you in like few others. Without anything more than several carefully spaced bits of dialogue between the few principal actors, this film speaks volumes for the North-South tensions that resulted in the Civil War, and the enduring impact that conflict has had on the USA to this day.

Sarah Anders (Patricia Clarkson) and her 11 year old son (Will Lucas) are trying to survive on their small Kentucky farm during 1862- her husband off fighting for the South, and their means of existence critically dependent on a few chickens, a cow, and tilling their land for crops to eat. Enter Captain Abston (Chris Cooper) and his small band of 4 Union soldiers, sent to forage food and supplies for the larger Union army campaigning in the area. Needless to say, what they want is what Sarah and her boy need to survive. After one of the Union soldiers is accidentally injured by falling on a pitchfork in her barn, the small squad is forced to stay for several days to allow the soldier to recover from his wound. The 4 supporting actors filling the roles of the Union soldiers (Chicago, Rodie, Newt and Neely) are excellent in their small roles- the sparse dialogue perfectly fits the times, and also speaks volumes about the reasons why ordinary farmers, butchers, and ordinary folks took up arms against each other. The two leads (Cooper and Clarkson) provide a wonderfully understated interaction of North vs: South, a human microcosm of the vast war. Kris Kristofferson has a brief but powerful presence as the local Southern preacher, with a black slave Israel (Mac Miles) who eventually initiates the inevitable violence that shatters the building tensions on the farm. No spoilers here, but the climax of this movie left me very moved, and stuck with me for a long time. The narrator's voice (that of the young boy, spoken in retrospect many years later) is also intersperced perfectly throughout the movie, and compliments the story very well.
The soundtrack is also very understated and subtle, and fits the time and the story in a beautiful way.
Cinematography is A+: the clothes and uniforms are very accurately detailed, and all the actors look their part. And for once, a period movie that also avoids modern slang language, and has the actors use dialogue that would be appropriate for 1862.
I give this movie 5 stars without reservation, but only for the viewer interested in a more contemplative take on what the Civil War was all about. I liken it in many ways to "Ride With The Devil", though the latter also clearly is more of an action film.
Civil War buffs will certainly appreciate all the subtle nuances of this film, but it's worth viewing even if you aren't of that ilk.
I just wish it had been a little longer. A real hidden gem.

A small but very personal Civil War movie with a realistic portrayal of a mother and young son who return to their modest home in a holler located somewhere next to the Cumberland Gap. After facing the brutality of unionists in her county, mother and son hope to stay put on their modest farm stuck tightly between mountains and creek. A foraging party made up of 5 union soldiers from the gap arrive and the mother attempts to hide her livestock and food. The captain, played by Chris Cooper, while regretting his duty to take foodstuffs, is taken back by the farm, reminding him of his place and family back home. Due to an unfortunate accident to one of his men, the small platoon overstays it's welcome. The film captures the loneliness of the spirit in time of war as the mother does not know if her husband is alive or dead, nor does the captain know when he will return north to his farm. The innocence of the soldiers is captured very well as some are recent immigrants struggling to do their duty while it is apparent that most are of them are not professional soldiers, still raw recruits. The mother, played by Patricia Clarkson, guards the burial site of her daughter passionately and for a moment the captain and the mother find an almost spiriturtal bond, both having lost something important in their life. Everything looks to be vintage 1864, the uniforms and materials all look like they are appropriate for the period. Reality steps in place as time for the soldiers seems to have a sense of foreboding. Worried about being captured by partisan rangers, they suddenly become the hunted in this shattering of a seemingly truce between the two parties. As violence enters the scene both parties revert to their respective sides of anger and frustration. The movie is very realistic with a tragic ending that could be more severe if not for the last minute use of rational thought. Kristofferson has a modest but convincing role as a revenge minded southern preacher. The scenery and materials are so rustically real, you have the impression that the farm's flatland is squeezed tightly by a mountain range in Kentucky or somewhere in Appalachia. The acting is excellent and the story thoughtful, capturing the lonesome feelings of those left far behind the lines with limited support.

This historical movie set during the Civil War (and inspired by a true story) is so moving and poignant that it's hard to believe almost nobody saw it when it was new. Chris Cooper, who was so great in "Americna Beauty" and "Lone Star" and lots of other good movies, is great as a Yankee officer who is sick of war. Patricia Clarkson is wonderful as a Confederate woman whose bitterness is stronger than death.