Gettysburg (Widescreen Edition)

Gettysburg is actually the second part in an intended trilogy that will now probably never be completed in the wake of the dismal box-office for the bloated Gods and Generals. Thankfully it gains more by having a smaller canvas, focussing on one single battle and largely on three actions - Buford's inspired initial defense on the first day, Little Round Top and Pickett's Charge - and by seeing the action from the viewpoint of both sides throughout. The characters are better drawn, the dialogue feels more natural and you get much more of a sense of what a human tragedy the war was. As a British observer on the Confederate side points out, it all boils down to "same people, different dreams."

The problem with most epics devoted to single battles or campaigns (Waterloo, Zulu Dawn, The Battle of Neretva etc) is that without a single dominating personality they often get so bogged down with history or strategy that the human element gets lost, with a succession of stars acting almost like anonymous interchangeable sports commentators only there to explain what's going on for the layman. Gettysburg has its share of characters primarily there for exposition, but by narrowing its focus to a few of them and drawing on their own letters and memoirs it's able to give them a little more depth and personality. Martin Sheen's Lee's increasingly wrong-headed strategy as he consigns more and more men to pointless deaths with a homespun rationale that leads to horrifying casualties contrasts well with Tom Berenger's more cautious Longstreet gradually realising that the tide has turned against them while Jeff Daniels' awkward but sincere Lawrence Chamberlain gives a humane and decent voice to the Union's case. Richard Jordan is genuinely affecting in his last role - his final scene is even more moving with the knowledge that he really was dying at the time - and even George Lazenby even turns up briefly. As a result, there's more involvement in what's happening and more understanding of what's at stake on a personal level to both sides during the battle. Although shot as a TV miniseries before being released theatrically, it actually looks like a feature film, and one that manages to hold the interest over its four hour running time. It's such an impressive piece of work that you can't help but wonder why so many of the same people got it so wrong so often on Gods and Generals.

Excellent extras on the double-sided DVD, but sadly none of the deleted scenes from the 270-minute laserdisc director's cut.

For a full decade or so I was what you'd call a "Civil War Buff." I formally and informally studied the 5-year ultra-bloody engagement. I've been to Antietam in Northern Maryland, the bloodiest single day of the war, Vicksburg, Mississippi, and, of course, Gettysburg (amongst other less significant sites). When I was at Antietam one of the eye-witness quotes was: "Bodies filled the entire field with every imaginable wound." I was so overwhelmed tears flowed from my eyes.

Why do I bring all this up? I just want you to know how INTO the Civil War I was (and still am, to a lesser degree), not just on an intellectual level, but an emotional one as well.

So in December 1993 my then-fiance and I went to the theater to see the over-four-hour-long "Gettysburg" with much interest. All I can say is it was VERY DIFFICULT to sit through this entire film in one sitting.

"Gettysburg" has a lot going for it: an all-star cast, including Tom Berenger (Longstreat), Martin Sheen (Robert E. Lee), Jeff Daniels (Chamberlain) and Sam Elliott (Buford); great authentic Gettysburg locations; good battle scenes; a commitment to historical accuracy; and thousands upon thousands of Civil War reenactors.

The subjects of the Civil War and Gettysburg are immensely interesting. You would think, therefore, that "Gettysburg" would be overflowing with life, but that's hardly the case. It takes FOREVER for things to get going. Plus there's an undeniably lazy and unexciting feel to the settings and dialogue when the forces aren't actually fighting. One has to REALLY CONCENTRATE to listen to and get through the interminable dialogue. Plus the mawkish melodrama factor is high.

Part I is highlighted by Chamberlain's defense of Little Round Top and his mad bayonet charge while Part II ends with the South's infamous Pickett's Charge. Both of these sequences are great and they give the viewer a good feel of what it must have really been like, which is one of the reasons I enjoy seeing historical films.

The score is only half good. You'll definitely hear spots of brilliance but way too often it's sickeningly ultra-"heroic" or melodramatic.

One aspect I liked was seeing the officers and soldiers pray while standing in line right before significant engagements. Yeah, it's hard to be an atheist when you're about to walk straight into friggin' cannon fire.

BOTTOM LINE: There's a lot to respect about "Gettysburg." It's a story about war and the men who engage in it, pure and simple. There's no female cast members, no forced romances. Unfortunately it's bloated, melodramatic and just plain lazy. Trust me, the REAL Gettysburg battle was anything BUT lazy and uninteresting. Still, if I concentrate hard to pay attention to the dialogue and non-action events in the film, I get a lot out of it. In other words, if you're braced for its shortcomings it's worth owning or renting. I'm glad I own it. But don't expect something great like, say, "Glory."

The battle of Gettysburg took place July 1-3, 1863 and was a huge victory for the North, the turning point of the war, in fact (along with Grant's simultaneous siege of Vicksburg). After the failure of Pickett's Charge, General Lee and his troops retreated back to their own territory. The war would go on for another two long years (almost) as the Confederates continued to put up an incredible and courageous fight, but the odds were against them. Gettysburg and Vicksburg were the seeds of their impending doom.

General Meade congratulated his men for driving the Confederate invaders from the North's turf. But President Lincoln was upset because he wanted Meade to DESTROY Lee's army, not allow them to safely retreat back to their Southern sanctuary. Lincoln groaned: " 'Drive the invader from our soil'? My God! is that all?"

Four months after the battle of Gettysburg, on November 19th, Lincoln came to the small town and gave his potent 'Gettysburg Address' to honor the fallen soldiers and motivate continued Northern commitment and victory. So many people died at Gettysburg they were STILL burying the dead (!!).

What (combined with my reading) seems an unbiased and realistic narrative of the battle. The cast is superb (Jeff Daniels in particular) and the cinematography is excellent. This is now quite an old production, and in fact I bought it to replace my VHS copy which had started to suffer. My only complaint with the movie is the characterisation of the British Guards officer as a mildly dim upper-class twit (English term, but you get the message!) Well worth buying

Gettysburg (Widescreen Edition) Civil War re-enactors, history buffs, and those who will be "bitten", take note! This movie is FANTASTIC! My family and I recently visited the Gettysburg battlefield, so we had some reference points. Before viewing this movie, an overall basic study would greatly help to understand the historical significance and military strategy of the era. Now that we have seen this movie, we are researching even more about the Civil War era! If you just want a good, sit-back-in-your-seat movie, this comes highly recommended. The only complaint is Martin Sheen's portrayal of Lee as more of a dreamer than a strategist. The prequel to this movie, "Gods and Generals" has Robert Duvall as Lee, who he excellently depicts. PLEASE check out the documentaries of this movie! The background helps with the battle scenes.

Gettysburg is a really good film if you're a civil war fan, or even if you're not willing to go that far and are only slightly interested you'll still probably get something out of it. The acting is alright (if you can get past martin sheen as robert e. lee...that ain't quite right) the score is fantastic and the battle scenes are powerful and memorable.

But this is a long movie. A really really long one. At 4 hours and 15 minutes it's one of the longest feature films ever released. And even though I can sit through three hours of just about anything if it's interesting and fun, there's something about that fourth hour that gets to you. So excessive length is the only real demerit here.

But if the civil war interests you and you haven't checked this flick out yet, give it a go. Wait for some rainy sunday afternoon and pop it in. You won't be disappointed.