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Rating: 4 out of 5
The Battle of Gettysburg is one of if not one of the most critical battles in the American Civil War. The battle was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, between the Union and the Confederates. The Union forces were led by Union Major General George Meade’s Army of the Potomac against Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Some background information. The Confederates were on a winning streak, and General Lee decided it was time to invade the North. The battle is known for the largest number of casualties of the entire war. It is also known as the war’s turning point, along with the Siege of Vicksburg. Between 46,000 and 51,000 soldiers from both armies were casualties in the three-day battle, the most costly in US history. On November 19th, President Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address.
The first time I watched Gettysburg was in middle school. It was 8th grade, and this movie took forever to watch, but it captivated me. This film started my love of learning about American Civil War history, the generals involved, the battles, and its effect on the country. One of the assignments I had to do for class was to write a letter home before the battle. I think I had to tell my parents I love them but going off to battle. I was a Union soldier, but I did grow up and go to school in the South.
Gettysburg is an epic war film that was financed by Ted Turner. The one who made CNN and owned the Braves. Also, he owns TBS and TNT. He wanted it to be a miniseries for TNT, but it was made into a movie. The film was written and directed by Ronald F. Maxwell. It was adapted from the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.
Gettysburg is one of those films that really gets into the Battle of Gettysburg. In most films, we become invested in the character’s backstories and lives. It tries to make us feel for specific soldiers. Gettysburg is a straight-up, to-the-point movie about the Battle of Gettysburg and all the major soldiers during the summer of 1863. The film is about the three days of the commanders trying to outmaneuver each other, the miscalculations, deaths, and whether the war would end after the intense fighting.
First, this film is around four hours long. Yep, you need to strap in because it will be a long sitting session. Make sure you have the popcorn ready because you might need to refill it several times. What you will get is a film that starts the day before the battle and continues until the very end of the battle.
This epic film begins with a narration of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E. Lee (Sheen), who decides to invade the North in June 1863 by marching across Maryland and into Pennsylvania. On June 30th, Confederate Spy Harrison reports to Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet (Berenger) that the Union Army of the Potomac is moving in their direction and that General George Meade is the new commander. I’ll give the highlights without going into full detail about the battle. The first day is all about getting into position. Brig. Gen. John Buford, played by that deep, soul-shaking voice of a man named Sam Elliott, and his calvary holding position and making it to the heights. After some missteps, the Union got great ground and heights, and the Confederates messed up and knew they were about to fall.
Day two of the battle was about Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Daniels) of the 20th Maine and his ragtag company. I will say that the mustache of Chamberlain was something to marvel at and die for. Damn, that man had a great mustache. Chamberlian’s unit is placed at the rear of the Union line and must be held at all costs. The reason is that the whole army would be flanked if they fell. The film spends a lot of the battle focused on this point. I cried when I saw Chamberlain order the bayonet charge. That was a thing of beauty.
Day three of the film is dedicated to Major General George Pickett’s (Lang) Charge. General Lee decides to attack the Union center and see three brigades. On the Union side, if Army Corps Commander, Major General Winfield Scott Hancock (Mallon). This is where you see the epic scale of the Confederate Army with the cannons and soldiers.
Some behind-the-scenes facts are the film was shot at Gettysburg National Park and cast thousands of Civil War re-enactment buffs. You can see that Turner put up some major bags to make this film happen because it showed the scale of the battle and what was needed to reproduce a battle like this. Turner was not holding back, and it showed on the screen. You have to remember that 158,000 men went into this battle, and you can tell there was zero CGI with the crowd in this film.
I must talk about the costumes and make-up. This film was on point with the make-up. The film showed side-by-side photos of the actors and who they were playing, and the amount of detail that was put into it was crazy. I’m talking about similar sideburns, eyebrows, frowns, and everything else. The costumes were on point also. It seemed like they went to the past and received thousands of uniforms from both sides. They looked so real all the way down to the tiniest of stitches. You know, everyone had to be hot in that wool attire. I was sweating just by looking at them.
The film has an ensemble cast from back in the day. This might sound bad, but the best performances came from the Confederate side. First, there was Richard Jordan, who played Confederate Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead. This was the actor’s last film, and he had some of the most emotional parts. He went out with a tremendous last performance. I also want to give major credit to Stephen Lang. The man was all about Virginia as Geroge Pickett. This was my first film seeing Lang; he has since become one of my favorite actors.
Gettysburg is a film about the battle and nothing more. It has very few personal moments with the soldiers and their ambitions, but it is mostly about the tactics of the battle. I must give Turner credit for doing a film like this. It is a film that should be watched during all the major military holidays because it is American history and the major battle of the Civil War.
