Turner Pictures Gettysburg

In 1996, Ballantine Press published Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels. The novel tells the story of the battle of Gettysburg. Unlike other Civil War novels, Shaara tells us the thoughts and emotions of a select few soldiers from both the Confederate and U.S. sides. He also very graphically describes the days there that would see Lee's plans of invading the North crushed and put him on the defensive for the rest of the war. The novel was an enormous hit and its movie rights were picked up by Turner Pictures who used the novel to make the movie Gettysburg. These are my impressions of the movie.

The first thing that impressed me about the movie was its excellent cast. Martin Sheen plays General Robert E. Lee, Tom Berenger plans Lieutenant General James Longstreet, Jeff Daniels plays Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and Sam Elliott plays Brigadier General John Buford. The second thing that impressed me about the movie was its attention to detail. The producers faithfully reproduced the uniforms the two sides wore right down to the boots. The result is a movie that succeeds in taking you back to that period in time. Thanks to the novel which was the basis for the movie script, we get to see the thoughts and feelings of a number of critical players in the epic battle.

We see Cavalry General Buford who knew good ground when he saw it and was determined that this time Union forces would have the advantage ground wise. It is Buford that unknowingly picks the site and begins what will be the bloodiest battle ever fought on U.S. soil. We see the great citizen soldier Joshua Chamberlain. A great academic, he had dreams of being a soldier and enlists in the Union Army. At Gettysburg, he showed extraordinary leadership and courage. He plays a critical part in the Union victory. We see General Longstreet who doubting the wisdom of General Lee's plan nonetheless follows it to its bitter end. Lastly, we see the extraordinary bravery of the men who fought on both sides. Chamberlain's men from the state of Maine who stopped the Confederates from gaining Little Round Top and thereby flanking the Union forces and driving them from the heights. We also witness the legendary Pickett's charge. 15,000 men knowingly walked a mile through shot and shell for what they believed in. If valor alone was the thing that won battles, the men of Virginia would have won the battle hands down.

Overall, the movie is superb. It is a must for any Civil War buff. My only complaint with it is that it is 254 minutes long. 254 minutes equates to over 4 hours of sitting on your butt. I don't know about you but, that is a long time for me. To break up that long stretch, I watched the movie in two parts. Considering the normal movie rental is for 3 days at least, you should be able to do this too. Price wise, I don't know what the movie is selling for. If your a Civil War or history buff, I would definitely buy it. You will find a new understanding of the great battle and be touched by what happened there. As I live in Maryland, I don't believe I'm that far from Gettysburg. I hope to visit the battlefield myself someday and see for myself some of the places where its momentous events occurred. God bless.