Movies News Talk
The three-day conflict between the American Union and Confederate forces, a major event in American history, is told in Ronald F. Maxwell's epic war picture, Gettysburg. Offering a window into the tactics and experiences of troops on both sides, the movie investigates the prelude to the conflict.
Gettysburg is a rather underappreciated movie despite its critical praise and historical accuracy since its 1993 premiere had a limited theater distribution. Its impact on the war movie genre is indisputable, though, and it has since attracted a larger audience aware of it as a foundational work. Remarkably successful for its commitment to historical accuracy, Gettysburg was the first movie to center the Battle of Gettysburg.
Gettysburg's strength is in its thorough coverage of all three days of the conflict, so giving viewers a strong awareness of the individuals engaged. Every day presents a different facet of the struggle, so highlighting several facets. The careful examination of the complexity of the battle justifies the more than four hour length of the film.
One notable feature of Gettysburg is its choice of Pennsylvania's real Gettysburg battlefield as a filming site. This was the first time a motion picture was let to be shot on the grounds, producing amazing landscape that carries viewers back in time. This choice clearly shows the dedication of the movie to historical accuracy, so supporting its reputation as a real Civil War film.
Leading among the outstanding ensemble cast of Gettysburg are Jeff Daniels, Sam Elliott, and Martin Sheen. Renowned for their superb performances in several genres, these actors give their characters emotional weight and depth, so capturing the complexity of the Civil War period. Their performances succinctly convey the several points of view and experiences of the soldiers on both sides of the war.
Though Gettysburg aims for accuracy, some liberties were taken with the dialogue and specific narrative points. Mostly based on Michael Shaara's highly accurate novel The Killer Angels, the movie Literary adaptation combined with historical research offers an engaging and realistic narrative of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Gettysburg's historical accuracy, gripping narrative, and superb cast help to make it still a highly underappreciated and powerful war movie. For everyone fascinated in the Civil War, war movies, or just great filmmaking, this is a must-see.
The 2011 Gettysburg documentary, which ran on the History Channel, explores the actual experiences of soldiers during the conflict for those inclined in a documentary viewpoint. This documentary provides more understanding of this important event in American history and presents a different but complimentary viewpoint to the feature film.