![]() A standout is the late Richard Jordan as Lewis Armistead, the brigade commander in Picket's division who was killed leading his troops "over the top" against Union artillery. Thomas Howell (Tom Chamberlain), Sam Elliot (Buford), and the rest of the superb cast. The sweep and grandeur is helped by the superb cinematography (by Kees Van Oostrum) and great acting on the part of Tom Berenger (Longstreet), Martin Sheen (Lee), Jeff Daniels (Chamberlain), C. But, again, this doesn't really take anything away. Skirmishes at the Herr Tavern, McPherson's Hill, Little Round Top, and Picket's Charge were all the fighting I remember. Chamberlain and the 20th Maine, who saved the day at Little Round Top on July 2. Vincent was mortally wounded on Little Round Top or did they mention this, I don't remember), but that is okay, given the film focuses on Joshua L. Many battles and side notes were left out (eg. Chamberlain and the 20th Maine at Picket's Charge - in reality, they were being held in reserve near the Round Tops with the rest of the V Corps), this film is very realistic, using thousands of professional re-enactors to fight the battle scenes, which adds to it. I will admit that the length of the film kinda takes away from it, but it is nonetheless good. The point is it represents what is considered by historians to be the most important battle of the American Civil War. Maxwell presents a complex, fascinating tapestry in GETTYSBURG, and it is not a film you will soon forget!Īll I hear is people griping about how long this film is. The tactical errors (Lee's decision, on the third day of battle, to order Pickett's suicidal charge into the Union guns Meade's decision, drawing the fury of President Lincoln, to allow the Southern survivors to return home without further slaughter, while a humane gesture, probably lengthening the war) are presented within the context of of the overall conflict, providing the viewer with justification for their decisions. The armies of actors, extras, and recreators could not nearly match those numbers, yet the film effectively conveys the immensity of the conflict. The sheer numbers of the battle are staggering over 150,000 combatants, with 53,000 dead, more in a single three-day engagement than were lost during the entire war in Vietnam. Robert Duvall, who assumed the role in GODS AND GENERALS, would be far more credible as Lee. Lee, Martin Sheen is less effective, lacking Lee's well-documented charisma, and substituting constant world-weary gazes for characterization. ![]() Chamberlain, Joshua's brother, who creates a sense of familial concern for Daniels and Stephen Lang (who would go on to play Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in GODS AND GENERALS), as an ever-confident, ebullient Maj. Armistead, facing his best friend in battle Kevin Conway, as Chamberlain's gruff but likable Irish First Sergeant, Sgt. ![]() John Buford, the battle-hardened cavalry commander who initiates the battle after guessing the Confederates' objectives at Gettysburg Richard Jordan, in one of his last appearances before his untimely death, as Brig. Other memorable performances include Sam Elliott, in a brief but memorable cameo as Brig. Chamberlain and Longstreet provide the film it's focus, as honorable men attempting to fulfill their duty, while the carnage builds around each of them. James Longstreet, successor to "Stonewall" Jackson as Robert E. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the Maine ex-schoolteacher who would win the Congressional Medal of Honor and Tom Berenger, sporting a huge, bushy beard, is a sympathetic 'voice of reason' as Confederate Lt. Two characters dominate the film Jeff Daniels, in one of his finest performances, is a likable, totally believable Col. It is a singular achievement, and Ted Turner deserves credit for making it happen. From Little Round Top to Seminary Ridge, you see the events where they actually occurred, 140 years ago. GETTYSBURG, based on Michael Shaara's bestseller, "The Killer Angels", is a truly remarkable film, in it's clear, if long, presentation of the Civil War's bloodiest, best-known, yet least understood battle, in it's 'humanizing' of the almost legendary characters of the period, and, most amazingly, for being filmed at the actual locations where the actions took place, in Gettysburg, itself. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |