Gettysburg

Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize Winning "Killer Angels" took the pivotal 3-day battle of the Civil War - Gettysburg - and gave you the pathos, the sheer frustration, the anger of a battle that slaughter so many. He gave you Lee, who did not want to fight there, a General who time and again defied all battlefield codes of do not divide your forces in the face of the enemy, who proved a defencive army could defeat a superior offence thrust. He was forced to fight where he did not want - in an offencive battle (same mistake that cost William Wallace Falkirk!). For the first time, Lee was forced fight with the loss of Jackson; with Stuart bent of rubbing the face of his father-in-law and the whole union army in the fact he could right around them, leaving Lee open with no screening, no intelligence as to where the Union army was; to one general who could not follow his orders; to Longstreet 'his old warhorse' who followed them to the letter sending men into a suicidal charge knowing he was sending them to their death.

Martin Sheen brings this Lee alive, so it's amazing to learn he was the 4th choice for the role. Tom Berringer is brilliant as Longstreet, with wonderful performances by Sam Elliot a Brig. Gen. John Buford, Jeff Daniels as Col Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the mesmerising Kevin Conway as Sgt. 'Buster' Kilrain his long suffering aid, John Diehl (Miami Vice) giving the impassioned speech as representatives of Maine soldiers who just want to go home, William Morgan Sheppard as Maj. Gen. Isaac R. Trimble, pleading for reason in the insanity, Stephen Lang (Manhunter) as the flamboyant Pickett and most especially, the dying Richard Jordon as Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead. His speech to Longstreet is just so painful on two levels. I have always loved Jordon's work, watching him from being introduced in films to this his final role. He was a brilliant actor who died way too young, one I so miss, and his genius shines in his final hour, just as it was Armistead's final hour. It just does not get any more poignant than that.

Also, there are neat cameos of Ken Burns as Hancock's aid and Ted Turner (the film's money-bank)as Col. Waller T. Patton (uncredited).

Please note: Gods and General is the prequel to this, written by Shaara's son Jeff. Ronald F. Maxwell is the director of both films, with Jeff Daniels reprising his role as Chamberlain, as well are C. Thomas Howell as his "don't call me Lawrence" brother and Kevin Conway as his Sergeant. Stephan Lang is in this film as well, but not as Pickett, but playing Stonewall Jackson - Bill Campbell will play Pickett. Robert Duvall, the incomparable, takes over as Lee (wonder which he was 1,2 or 3 choice for Gettysburg??) and Bruce Boxleitner (????) is now playing Longstreet (I shall withhold opinions on that casting change).

In this wide-screen format, you get the full experience. Stunning realisation of Shaara's masterpiece.

The three days of the battle are shown with all the heart and sadness that one can bear. You get a feel of what the soldiers were put through during this terrible war, and during the turning point and most famous battle of the Civil War. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the greatest American History movie of all time.

The viewer will be enthralled by the film's recreation of the battle at Gettysburg, which examines some of the militairy stratagems employed and the reasons for them. It attempts to explain how it was that over fifty thousand (50,000) men lay dead at its conclusion. It also recreates one of the most amazing routs in history, when Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, defying the odds, held off the Confederates at Little Round Top, part of the high ground that the Union needed to retain at Gettysburg. Chamberlain, who was not a professional soldier but a professor at Bowdoin College in Maine, ultimately received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor and success in holding the Confederacy at bay at Little Round Top. Jeff Daniels, who plays the role of Chamberlain, is superlative.

The rest of the star studded cast is likewise marvelous. Tom Berenger as General Longstreet, Martin Sheen as General Robert E. Lee, Richard Jordan as General Lewis Armistead, and Stephen Lang as General Pickett, in particular, all deserve a standing ovation, as does Jeff Daniels. This is a film that attempts to be historically accurate, and it succeeds brilliantly. It does not glamorize war, but shows it in all its heartbreaking reality. It even depicts General Pickett's audacious charge, which saw the loss of an entire division of Confederate soldiers. This is a film entirely about the men who took part in the battle at Gettysburg and the outcome that set the course for the country we know today. Kudos to director Robert F. Maxwell, who directed this film. It is simply a magnificent movie. Bravo!