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Gettysburg Customer Reviews (34 - 36 of 64 Reviews)

Perhaps the perfect marriage of history and drama
Ronald Maxwell's "Gettysburg" is nothing short of a masterpiece. Based on Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Killer Angels", this film carefully and enthrallingly details the major events of July 1, 2 and 3, 1863. This battle, which proved to be the pivotal engagement of the American Civil War and, arguably, all of American history, is depicted, in surprisingly human terms, through the eyes of three men: General Robert E. Lee (Martin Sheen), legendary commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, who faces what could be the final victory or defeat of his army. James Longstreet (Tom Berenger), Lee's second in command, who finds himself torn between loyalty to his commander, and grave misgivings about Lee's strategy. And Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels), the newly promoted Union Colonel who suddenly find his small band of battle weary troops placed in the key position of Union defense, a position that must be held at all costs. The battle sequences are played out in appropriately grand and authentically raw fashion, with stirring music and moments of surprising poignancy, such as the beautiful and heroic spectacle of the doomed Pickett's charge. What is perhaps most surprising though, is how compelling the non-battle scenes are. It is quite a task to maintain audience interest for a span of more than four hours, but this picture succeeds admirably through fine introspective writing, moments of unexpected humor, and remarkable performances. The ordinarily mediocre Jeff Daniels, for instance, turns in what may be his best screen performance and Tom Berenger is also at the top of his game. Sam Elliot's Buford is magnificent and even C. Thomas Howell does good work. This is a film that portrays not only history, but philosophy as well, and succeeds in showing the horror as well as the glory of this complicated war. It is a truly remarkable film. My only complaint is that, in compiling this DVD, the decision was made to use the theatrical cut of the film. An excellent director's cut, with something like an extra 17 minutes of footage, has long been available on Laserdisc and should have been the cut used. This decision is the only thing to prevent this, extra-laden, DVD from being the definitive edition of Gettysburg.

Greatest Civil War Movie
Gettysburg is by far the best movie on the ACW ever made. I saw it in the theater as a kid and I am still impressed with it. It is much better than Gods and Generals and I think its better than Glory for the simple fact that it shows BOTH sides displaying their own feelings, emotions, and desires. I dont think Sheen was bad as Lee but at the same time I dont think Duvall had enough on screen time to properly compare him to Sheen's performance. Richard Jordan was superb in his performance as Armistead and it is a lasting tribute that his last movie before his death to a brain tumor was so powerful and emotional; sometimes I wonder if Jordan was thinking on his own death while filming those magnificent scenes for the movie.

And a little FYI to settle the harsh criticism of Maxwell picking Sheen as Lee: ROBERT DUVALL WAS MAXWELL'S FIRST CHOICE TO DO LEE IN GETTYSBURG BUT DUVALL WAS UNAVAILABLE AT THE TIME B/C HE WAS FILMING SOME OTHER MOVIE; SO MAXWELL WENT WITH A BACKUP CHOICE OF MARTIN SHEEN FOR LEE!!!

Brilliant - simply brilliant
The archtypical battle of the Civil War is well-portrayed in this adaptation of Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels". Like the book, and to its credit, the film is more about the men than the battle.

The first half of the film focuses primarily on Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the actions of the 20th Maine at Little Round Top. This professor-turned-soldier, superbly played by Jeff Daniels, was perhaps the finest embodiment of the American ideal of the citizen soldier - not born to war, but prepared to pick up the sword when necessary. Thoughtful, yet decisive; compassionate, but resolute.

The second half of the film deals with the final day of battle - Pickett's Charge. Generals Lee (Martin Sheen) and Longstreet (Tom Beringer) are examined - Lee's firm (though, in this case, flawed) generalship, and Longstreet's internal struggle between doing his duty or following an order that might (and did) cost hundreds of lives.

Throughout the film, other noteworthy performances are to be found as well. Sam Elliot is inspiring as General Buford, Union hero of the first day of battle. Sergeant "Buster" Kilain, played by Kevin Conway, well demonstrates the sort of "ordinary courage" that many people today (myself included) find so extraordinary.

But perhaps the single best performance in the film is that of the late Richard Jordan in the role of Confederate General Lewis Armistead - his last film role. The story of Armistead and his friend, Union General Hancock, is the entire Civil War writ small - brother against brother, friend against friend. Armistead's filial affection for Hancock is examined, and his courage under fire and inspiring leadership show well during the scenes of Pickett's Charge.

Most interestingly, none of the characters comes off as a *bad* person - everyone is a good guy, everyone is a sympathetic character. Previous reviews notwithstanding, the men who fought the Civil War were often deeply religious, and this is well portrayed [unlike so many films these days which tend to mock people of faith (particularly Christians)]. To me, this goodness only heightens the tragedy of America's bloodiest war.

But...

The movie isn't just about people, but events as well. The re-creations of the elements of the overall battle are superbly done, thanks in no small part to the thousands of Civil War reenactors who participated (gratis) in the making of this film. The combat at Little Round Top is accurate (within the bounds of filmmaking), but most impressive was the entire Pickett's Charge sequence - thousands and thousands of men walking the same ground as did those men who marched to their fates in 1863; it nearly brought a tear to my eye to see it.

There are not enough superlatives to describe this film. It is utterly magnificent.

This was and is my favorite film. Buy it.

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