American Civil War
To my Southern friends, "The War Between The States". Or even "The War of Northern Aggression".
---Excluding full-length biopics of Abraham Lincoln.
---In alphabetical order...
---Excluding full-length biopics of Abraham Lincoln.
---In alphabetical order...
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18 titles
- StarsDavid McCulloughSam WaterstonJulie HarrisA comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.Self-evidently the best documentary on the whole topic.
- StarsLorne GreeneJames MasonRod SerlingIn my first post, I was talking about the film, Appointment with Destiny: The Last Days of John Dillinger (1971).See the episode "Surrender at Appomattox". Good account of how Lee ended up at that court house.
- CreatorJohn LeekleyStarsStacy KeachJohn HammondJulia DuffyAmerica just before and during the Civil War, as seen through the eyes of an artist correspondent.Good mini-series that finds good people on both sides.
- StarsDanny GloverLincoln relieves Gen. George B. McClellan of command of the Army of the Potomac.The astounding George McLellan, the most popular general (among his troops) in US history.
- 1993–TV EpisodeStarsGary GallagherJames M. McPhersonClark B. HallGood introduction to the Confederacy's most famous and dazzling cavalry commander.
- StarsBrian PohankaConfederate raider John Singleton Mosby.Mosby was another brilliant Confederate cavalry leader, functioning like a highly mobile guerilla squadron (including black riders, amazingly).
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsRobin WrightJames McAvoyTom WilkinsonMary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life.Gripping narrative of the trial of those accused of plotting Lincoln's murder.
- DirectorJohn GrayStarsRob MorrowLance HenriksenDonna MurphyApril 14, 1865. As four year of Civil War draw to a close, our country again faces unforgettable tragedy: the assassination of the President. Starring Lance Henriksen as the Great Emancipator and Rob Morrow as assassin John Wilkes Booth, this riveting recreation of The Day Lincoln Was Shot (from Jim Bishop's landmark book) is a thrilling and detailed chronicle of the plot, murder and manhunt that changed America forever. To avenge what he called the Confederacy's "noble cause," Booth conspires with his motley followers, rages and boasts, and aspires to a place in history as a Great Man. The weary Lincoln, longing for a just peace, meets with his Cabinet, steals precious time with his family and dreams - literally - of the death of a President. Minute by minute, killer and victim edge closer to the burst of gunfire at Ford's Theatre that stopped Lincoln's heart - and shattered the country's soul.
- DirectorGary RossStarsMatthew McConaugheyGugu Mbatha-RawMahershala AliA disillusioned Confederate army deserter returns to Mississippi and leads a militia of fellow deserters and women in an uprising against the corrupt local Confederate government.Excellent history-based story of charismatic preacher Newt Knight and his rebellion against the Confederacy.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsTom BerengerMartin SheenStephen LangIn 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.Pretty good attempt at recreating the three-day battle. But I have to agree with Gary Gallagher that it wasn't, at the time, seen as a Confederate disaster.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsMatthew BroderickDenzel WashingtonCary ElwesRobert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsStephen LangRobert DuvallJeff DanielsThe rise and fall of confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, as he meets with military success against the Union from 1861 to 1863, when he is accidentally killed by his own soldiers.Prequel to "Gettysburg" that focuses on Stonewall Jackson. Robert Duvall makes a grand Robert E. Lee.
- DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.If you haven't seen this, I'm not sure what chastisement to recommend.
- DirectorBrian GaryStarsGerald McRaneyA 3-part documentary on the life of Jefferson Davis, the first, and only, President of the Confederate States of America.Superb account of Davis - his character, relationships, conduct. Sets the gold standard.
- CreatorDouglas HeyesStarsKirstie AlleyGeorg Stanford BrownDavid CarradineTwo friends, one northern and one southern, struggle to maintain their friendship as events build towards the American Civil War.Book II (1986) as well. But the third instalment (1994) is awful and should be avoided by all sane persons.
- DirectorRobby HensonStarsChris CooperPatricia ClarksonKris KristoffersonDuring the American Civil War, a Union Army captain leads his rag-tag cavalry troop up a misty creek to a remote farm to appropriate enemy (Confederate) livestock. The farm is worked by Sarah Anders, whose husband is away fighting for the Confederate Army. Far from the great armies and battlefields, a very private civil war erupts. The Captain and Sarah are pulled apart by the war's undertow into choices they can not fully control or understand. Each character in this drama must decide whether loyalty will be paid in blood. This story has a relevance to current partisan conflicts. Armies are not filled with murdering psychopaths. Good people can be driven to do bad things. The story chronicles the pathology of war, how escalating events can trigger unasked-for tragedy. Based on a true story about a southern child who shot and killed a union soldier during the Civil War.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsTobey MaguireSkeet UlrichJewelDuring the American Civil War, two friends join the Bushwhackers, a militant group loyal to the Confederacy.
- DirectorKen CarpenterStarsKeith GibsonGeorge GrantWilliam PotterHis legacy as a military genius is widely renowned. Now, in Still Standing: The Stonewall Jackson Story, his legacy as a man of resolute character is captured in this revealing documentary. Still Standing traces the life of Stonewall Jackson - from his orphaned childhood, to the Sunday School class he taught for African Americans that has resulted in a lasting impact today, to the pivotal role he played as a General in the Civil War. Still Standing inspires, entertains, and educates as it examines the life of a uniquely American hero. Still Standing is punctuated by narrative from noted historians James I. "Bud" Robertson Jr., Dr. George Grant, William Potter, Virginia Military Institute Col. Keith Gibson; and Francis Lightburn Cressman - great granddaughter of Civil War Union General Joseph Lightburn - among others. The film features striking new footage from Jackson's boyhood home near Weston, West Virginia; various locations in Lexington, Virginia, and other Civil War locales.Good rounded presentation of Stonewall, with a particular highlight on his creation of a black children's Sunday school that became the nucleus of a black church.