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TriStar Television
Turner Pictures
American Civil War Collection
Same Land. Same God. Different Dreams.
In the summer of 1863, General Robert E. Lee leads the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with the goal of marching through to Washington, D.C. The Union Army of the Potomac, under the command of General George G. Meade, forms a defensive position to confront the rebel forces in what will prove to be the decisive battle of the American Civil War.
Wuchak
Sep 9, 2021 · via TMDB
_**The Civil War's Turning Point Battle**_ "Gettysburg" (1993) 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. Part I is highlighted by Chamberlain's defense of Little Round Top and his bold 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. Since both halves run the length of a normal movie, I strongly suggest splitting your viewing experiencing into two segments; it’s just too much to digest in one sitting. There's a lot to respect about "Gettysburg." It's a story about how war was fought in the 19th century and the men who engaged in it, pure and simple. There are no female cast members, no forced romances. The creators did an admirable job of taking a 3-day battle, plus its set-up, and condensing it into an informative and fairly compelling long movie. 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 where bodies are literally blown to pieces. I also appreciated the subtle Civil War trivia thrown in, like how the soldiers had to march across the American landscape from one battle to another, carrying heavy rifles in the heat of the summer, and how the Confederates didn’t have enough boots for their soldiers. Meanwhile the postscripts about all the main characters are informative and appreciated. Unfortunately the movie’s bloated, sappy and sometimes lethargic. While the score is mostly good, sometimes great, there are some annoyingly "heroic" or melodramatic pieces. General Armistead’s incessant blathering about his bromance with a general on the other side needed toned down a notch. Still, if I concentrate 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 checking out. But don't expect something great, like "Glory" (1989) or the wrongly maligned prequel “Gods and Generals” (2003). The battle of Gettysburg took place July 1-3, 1863 and was a huge victory for the North, the turning point of the war, 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 almost two more years as the Confederates continued to put up an incredible courageous fight, but the odds were against them because the North had the numbers and resources, not to mention Ulysses S. Grant. 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 (!). The cut I saw runs 4 hours, 14 minutes, but there’s a director’s cut that is several minutes longer. The film was shot at Gettysburg & the Adams County region of Pennsylvania. GRADE: B-
Peter McGinn
Aug 12, 2020 · via TMDB
I first watched this movie in a movie theater shortly after it came out. It only had a limited release, so most people saw it as a cable release movie. From the opening title crawl and showing the lead actors in their roles juxtaposed with pictures of the actual historical figures, it had me hook. It is based on the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. It is one of the first books on the Civil War I read, based on a recommendation by a coworker. I have read dozens and dozens of books on the topic since then, and it is still one of my favorites. Considering that it is a fairly short book, the fact that the movie is over four hours long tells you that a lot more research was done. I can’t speak to how the actors did with the various southern accents, but I thought it was a strong cast, right down to the lesser roles. I have heard they utilized Civil War re-enactors in the filming, a good source of extras who were familiar with the time period and brought their own period clothing! Of course it didn’t hurt my feelings that one of the leads: Jeff Daniels, plays Joshua Chamberlain, who hails from my home state of Maine and who lived a remarkable life: college professor, Volunteer army lieutenant who rose to become a general and Medal of Honor recipient, Governor of Maine - and more. Apparently, thanks to this movie, the most popular spot for tourists at the Gettysburg National Battlefield is where the 20th Maine and Chamberlain fought. As a side note, another offshoot of the story behind Chamberlain and the 20th Maine’s exploits is the song Dixieland by Steve Earle. Whenever I hear the song I want to watch the movie, and vice versa. Anyway, of course it is a war movie, and I do not normally like war flicks, but this one is much more than that. You can pretend it is a mini-series and watch it in two or three sittings if that makes it easier. Some people say it lets the southerners off the hook politically, but there is a speech about race relations by Chamberlain that addresses the race issue, I believe, and provides balance. Well, I could go on and on, but I will spare you. Besides, there is this song I have a hankering to listen to right now.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Jeff Daniels
Col. Joshua Chamberlain
Tom Berenger
Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet
Martin Sheen
Gen. Robert E. Lee
Sam Elliott
Brig. Gen. John Buford
Stephen Lang
Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett
C. Thomas Howell
Lieut. Thomas D. Chamberlain
Richard Anderson
Maj. Gen. George G. Meade
Richard Jordan
Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead
Kevin Conway
Sergeant Buster Kilrain
Andrew Prine
Brig. Gen. Richard B. Garnett
Cooper Huckabee
Henry T. Harrison
Patrick Gorman
Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood
James Lancaster
Lieut. Col. Arthur Fremantle
Kieran Mulroney
Maj. G. Moxley Sorrel
James Patrick Stuart
Col. E. Porter Alexander
Royce D. Applegate
Brig. Gen. James L. Kemper
Ivan Kane
Cap. Thomas J. Goree
Warren Burton
Maj. Gen. Henry Heth
William Morgan Sheppard
Maj. Gen. Isaac R. Trimble / Narrator
MacIntyre Dixon
Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early
Timothy Scott
Lieut. Gen. Richard S. Ewell
George Lazenby
Brig. Gen. J. Johnston Pettigrew
Barry McEvoy
2nd Maine Soldier
John Rothman
Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds
Ted Turner
Col. Walter T. Patton
Ted Turner
Col. Walter T. Patton
Maxwell Caulfield
Col. Strong Vincent
Buck Taylor
Col. William Gamble
John Diehl
Pvt. Bucklin
Billy Campbell
Lieut. Pitzer
David Carpenter
Col. Thomas C. Dean
Donal Logue
Capt. Ellis Spear
Dwier Brown
Capt. Brewer
Herb Mitchell
Sgt. Andrew J. Tozier
Mark Moses
Sgt. Owen
Leonard Termo
Cpl. George F. Estabrook
Dave Thompson
Mr. Mahoney
Allan A. Apone
Makeup Supervisor
Steve Boyum
Stunt Coordinator
Gary McLarty
Utility Stunts
John C. Meier
Utility Stunts
Mic Rodgers
Utility Stunts
Michael Runyard
Utility Stunts
Steve M. Davison
Utility Stunts
Ronald F. Maxwell
Director
Steve Boyum
Second Unit Director
Randy Edelman
Original Music Composer
Dennis Sands
Sound Mixer
Ronald F. Maxwell
Screenplay
Revenge of the Worthless
Schindler's List
The Pianist
Apocalypse Now
Clouds
Hope Dies Last
The Futurist
Catch Me If You Can
The Pursuit of Happyness
Downfall
A Beautiful Mind
Dances with Wolves
Rocky
Pan's Labyrinth
Manhattan
The Leopard
Mississippi Burning
Why We Fight
Walk the Line
Letters from Iwo Jima
Apollo 13
Erin Brockovich
When the Last Sword Is Drawn
DIVE
Matewan
Zulu
Lord of War
Rudy
To My Unborn Son
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Lean On Me
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
The Concert
Deep Water
300
Monster
The Travelling Players
Taking Chance
Susi Susanti: Love All
Audrey's Children
Holiday Road
BlackBerry
Brubaker
Boy A
Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg
Fortress of War
Arlington Road
West Beirut
The Warrior
All the Invisible Children
Saint Ralph
Hamka & Siti Raham Vol. 2
Heavenly Creatures
Trial by Fire
Pearl Harbor
Paradise Now
The Queen
Michael Collins
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.
Soldier Boy
Dream
The Pentagon Wars
First Time Felon
Two Sons of Francisco
23
The Warlords
Anna and the King
Same Kind of Different as Me
Exodus
Kollision
County Lines
Pistol: The Birth of a Legend
Gotti
Coco Chanel
The Ten Commandments
Walking Tall
The Finest Hours
Radioactive
Death Scream
M. Butterfly
Ceylon
Next Goal Wins
Sommersby
White Boy Rick
Spochan-Anime The Movie: Youkai Spochan Battle
Little Pink House
Sagan
The Stranger
World Trade Center
Passchendaele
Baby Blues
The Singing Revolution
Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs
Fairyland
The Shamrock Spitfire
C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America
Zozo
K2
Any Mother's Son
The Stalking of Laurie Show
Petos
The Guardian Angel
The Hillside Strangler
The Passion of Ayn Rand
Fighting for Freedom
The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan
Running Brave
Finding Fatima
Andersonvillský proces
A Girl Out of the Country
Suzanne
Gino: A Child of War
The Small Victorian Boy
Mr. Irrelevant
Opioid Scare
Rise of the Underdog
The Desert Beyond
The Longest Day
Greyhound
The Last of the Mohicans
The Guns of Navarone
Sergeant York
A Bridge Too Far
The Duellists
The Four Feathers
Henry V
The Alamo
Midway
Breaker Morant
Devotion
The Scarlet and the Black
Indivisible
Battle of the Bulge
Outlaws - For Greater Glory
The Young Lions
The Lost Battalion
A Call to Spy
The War Below
Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin
Exodus
Red Tails
Midway
The Last Valley
Operation Mincemeat
Flyboys
Gods and Generals
The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Monuments Men
The Birth of a Nation
Oct 8, 1993
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Battle your watched movies head-to-head
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Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
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2008 · 14 wins
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1978 · 13 wins
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2000 · 12 wins
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1981 · 11 wins
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Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
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