IMDb > "The Civil War" (1990)

"The Civil War" (1990) More at IMDbPro »TV series


Overview

User Rating:
9.6/10   2,153 votes
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Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Contact:

View company contact information for The Civil War on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

23 September 1990 (USA) more

Tagline:

It divided a country. It created a nation.

Plot:

A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War. full summary

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 7 wins & 1 nomination more

User Comments:

The best use to which television has been put more (53 total)


Cast

 (Series Cast [13])

Sam Waterston ... President Abraham Lincoln (9 episodes, 1990)

Jason Robards ... Ulysses S. Grant (9 episodes, 1990)

Morgan Freeman ... Frederick Douglass (9 episodes, 1990)
Garrison Keillor ... Walt Whitman (9 episodes, 1990)
Arthur Miller ... William Tecumseh Sherman (9 episodes, 1990)
George Plimpton ... George Templeton Strong (9 episodes, 1990)
Horton Foote ... Jefferson Davis (9 episodes, 1990)
George Black ... Robert E. Lee (9 episodes, 1990)
Philip Bosco ... Horace Greeley (9 episodes, 1990)

Derek Jacobi ... Various (9 episodes, 1990)

Jeremy Irons ... Various (9 episodes, 1990)
David McCullough ... Narrator (9 episodes, 1990)
Christopher Murney ... Elijah Hunt Rhodes (9 episodes, 1990)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

The American Civil War (UK)
more

Runtime:

USA:680 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Stereo


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

Sam Waterston, who voices President Abraham Lincoln, also portrayed the 16th President in the TV movie Lincoln (1988) (TV). more

Goofs:

Factual errors: In describing the assassination of President Lincoln, the narrator states the president was 54 years old when he died. He was, in fact, 56 years old. This mistake, however, has been corrected on the DVD. more

Quotes:

[Reacting to the Confederate Government's move to have African American Slaves serve as soldiers in the Army.]
Senator Howell Cobb: You cannot make soldiers of slaves, or slaves of soldiers. The day you make a soldier of them is the beginning of the end of the Revolution. And if slaves seem good soldiers, then our whole theory of slavery is wrong.
more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Werewolf (#10.4)" (1998) more

Soundtrack:

We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
The best use to which television has been put, 28 September 2002
10/10
Author: s@tori from New York

As a historian I can say that there is little so difficult or gratifing as to bring history accurately alive for others. As a military historian I will say that war is both the highest and lowest achievement and calling of humanity. All wars are filled with pathos, and it is almost by definition impossible to fully understand and contextualize them until they are of the past. It may be that the US Civil War is that around which the greatest pathos exists; perhaps the last war in which honour and purpose were equally upheld on both sides - which is not to say that all those who participated were honorable or idealistic. In this work, Ken Burns brought history to life, made the war as understandable as possible, and transmitted the pathos, the honour, the horror, the vileness, and the humanity of the thing. In so doing he redefined film documentary. The Civil War is the best use to which television has been put.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "The Civil War" (1990)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Ken Burn's 'The Civil War' total greatness john_chris2006
Shelby Foote memphistim2001
Took 6 years to make?! stealthblue2001
Help, please... Any mention of 'Hellmira'? (Elmira Prison Camp) kinpatsumusha
recited poem telongsoc
The Same Soldier? trf2005
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