Throughout high school and college various social studies and history classes I have been a part of were about the Civil War. Perhaps it was the fact that these studies were mostly from a Northern perspective that the war seemed like a no-brainer to me. I mean, who in this day and age (or even back in the 1980’s for that matter) would argue that people had the right to subjugate other people based on the color of their skin? Perhaps the teachers and professors tried to get deeper than that, but it always seemed to me that it was a matter of the Confederacy wanting to preserve their “peculiar institution” and the Union wanting to end it while keeping the country intact.

Watching the mini-series Gettysburg, for the first time I really seemed to get the deeper meaning to the South’s “cause”. In on impassioned speech, a character gets to the heart of the matter, declaring that the states wanted the right to decide issues for themselves. Just the way it was said was like a light bulb going off in my head, and suddenly a lot of the reasoning behind the war became clear to me - the perspective from both sides, not just the Northern perspective.

Featuring an all-star cast, Gettysburg tells of the events surround the pivotal days of the War fought on that Pennsylvania battlefield. Never before have I seen what happened with such clarity. It’s not just the battle, but the issues surrounding the war that come together with a clarity I’ve never experienced. From the issues with draftees and desertion in the north to the ideology behind “the cause” for the south, everything is touched on in some way and manages to humanize the war and bring it to life, rather than have it be the flat events read about in textbooks.

Right from the opening, I was impressed with the production. Contrasting photographs of the actual people with the actors portraying them in the role works very well and shows the attention to detail on the part of both the actors who were a part of the production as well as the make-up, costuming, and production staff.

Martin Sheen - General Robert E. Lee
Tom Berenger - Lieutenant General James Longstreet
Jeff Daniels - Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Stephen Lang - Major General George E. Pickett
Richard Jordan - Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead
Sam Elliott - Brigadier General John Buford
John Rothman - Major General John F. Reynolds
Brian Mallon - Major General Winfield Scott Hancock
Kevin Conway - Sergeant 'Buster' Kilrain

Living so close to Maine now, I found myself completely intrigued with the story of Colonel Chamberlain, who finds himself with 120 mutineers. Their reason has to do with a misunderstanding as to how long they were signing up to fight for. He refrains from treating them as criminals and feeds them, then makes an impassioned speech, after which all but six agree to fight with his 20th Maine. What happens to them following this makes their story all the more poignant, especially when it appears they are about to get some relief.

The battle scenes themselves are amazing. Most of it was done with the help of Civil War re-enactors and it is perhaps some of the most authentic-looking battle scenes I have ever seen. Now and then I could see people sitting up or leaning on their elbows, hoping to catch a glimpse of what’s happening around them. It wasn’t horrible, and since for the most part these are not profession extras, but people who do this for fun involved in a production like this for the first time, it’s entirely forgivable. I can also imagine there were people who were down during the battle (or pretended to be wounded) who actually did try to get a glimpse of what was happening in the chaos as well.

What’s also fantastic is the fact that the production is filmed on the actual ground where the battle was fought. Between being accurate from a historical perspective and being filmed in the same location, Gettysburg gives probably the most authentic recreation of any battle I’ve ever seen.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the soundtrack, which is terrific. The music seems to set the mood for each scene. The cinematography is beautiful as well, with sweeping aerial shots of the troops as they advance. Does it look like more than one hundred thousand men clashing on the battlefield? No, but the effect of what it must have felt like, especially when they are following Lee’s order to strike at the center of the Northern line across open fields manages to hit home. They look like sitting ducks, and from the outcome, they most definitely were.

The special features on the two-sided DVD are quite nice. The commentary is only along with certain scenes. It's not like you rewatch the entire production with the commentary attached to it. This shortens viewing time, like a cliff notes to Gettysburg with commentary. The interviews and other futurities are nice and get a good perspective from the actors and the production staff.

I have always maintained that when used properly, many of these movies and mini-series have a place in our education system. Gettysburg is perhaps the finest example of that. It might be a bit long and tedious to students at times, but it would provide a great tool in learning about a time in our country’s history that seems alien to many of us now.

Gettysburg is that fine of a production. It is about the fateful events surrounding what has become known as the turning point in the Civil War, but it is also much more. It shows how the country really needed to go through this to come out as truly the United States of America.


SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Commentary by Director/Screenwriter Ronald F. Maxwell, Cinematographer Kees Van Oostrum, Author James McPherson, and Military Historian Craig Symonds
• The Battle of Gettysburg
• Cast & Crew Biographies
• The Making of Gettysburg
• On Location
• Interview Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Maps of the Battlefield


Other Civil War reviews:

Ken Burns The Civil War ~ North and South


© 2008 Patti Aliventi

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD