loading...
Gods And Generals
2003
This epic film from writer-director Ron Maxwell chronicles the early events of the American Civil War. It's a prequel to his earlier GETTYSBURG, with some of the same cast, and is part of a planned trilogy. Stephen Lang plays Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, the famous (and deeply religious) Confederate general who, along with .. Read more
| Starring | Jeff Daniels, Stephen Lang, Frankie R. Faison, C. Thomas Howell |
|---|---|
| Director | Ronald F. Maxwell |
| Genres | Drama |
loading...
Gods And Generals
This epic film from writer-director Ron Maxwell chronicles the early events of the American Civil War. It's a prequel to his earlier GETTYSBURG, with some of the same cast, and is part of a planned trilogy. Stephen Lang plays Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, the famous (and deeply religious) Confederate general who, along with fellow General Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall), must weigh the mighty consequences of his actions, as each battle costs the lives of thousands of men. Over on the Union side there's Jeff Daniels as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, who, like Jackson and Lee, is fond of making long, poetic speeches to his troops. Beginning with the start of the war and ending with Jackson's death, the film chronicles the three main battles leading up to Gettysburg, using their actual locations and thousands of actual Civil War re-enactors as extras. Maxwell pays careful attention to authentic period detail as he chronicles the minutiae of the generals' domestic lives in the intervals between the harrowing battle scenes. While a little on the long side, the end result should serve as an invaluable document for history buffs. Mogul Ted Turner was an executive producer and appears in a small role.
| Starring | Jeff Daniels, Stephen Lang, Frankie R. Faison, C. Thomas Howell, Mira Sorvino, Robert Duvall, Kevin Conway |
|---|---|
| Director | Ronald F. Maxwell |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 3 hrs 29 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | German |
| Released | DVD: 05 Jul 2004 Production year: 2003 |
| Format | DVD |
-
Critics' reviews (5)
View all -
The trouble with this earnest, painstakingly accurate account of the American Civil War is that most of the participants come across as walking waxworks. The second in a planned trilogy — the first being 1993's Gettysburg — by director Ronald F Maxwell, it provides its lead characters — their names already heavy with history — with speeches that sound as if they have simply been culled from a catalogue of famous quotations, while the conflict's ostensible cause (to free the slaves) is given short shrift in minor exchanges. The battlefield scenes are gorily impressive and Robert Duvall is utterly convincing as General Robert E Lee, but the military stupidity of some leaders is monstrously skimmed over. There are numerous subtitles — telling us who's who, what they are doing and where they are — but biographical and geographical details tell us little of the human cost of war.
-
Solemn, somnolent pageant on the side of the South; it makes a virtue of historical accuracy but lacks any cinematic virtue.
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
16 out of 16 people found this review helpful
Thought Provoking !
A well crafted and thought provoking film.
Stone Wall Jackson is portrayed as the driving force of the Confederate army, his loss leaving Robert E Lee struggling and uncertain ultimately leading to his suicidal tactics at Gettysburg. This film does concentrate on the Southern perspective but that's due to it being part of a trilogy, 'Gettysburg' being the next film in the series (although made before 'Gods & Generals') which shows events from a more of a Union view point. I felt the battle scenes could have been a touch more realistic, this was the first modern industrial war but the horrific losses and carnage inflicted by mass produced modern weapons doesn't really come across. Visually the film is a treat, almost every scene looks as beautiful as an old masters oil painting. I'd recommend this film to anyone with an interest in history, military or otherwise. -
Most recent members' review
View all -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
hmmmm
for me to long winded.a film i feel that could of been shorter but is well done to say the least.
-
More like this
View all
Related user collection
Moviedrome (123)
98.8% from 18 members
Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop
-
-
- Gods And Generals
- DVD: £3.93
Free Delivery - RRP £15.79 (you save: 75%)
This epic film from writer-director Ron Maxwell chronicles the early events of the American Civil War. It's a prequel to his earlier GETTYSBURG, with some of the same cast, and is part of a planned ... -