Gettysburg (1993)

Director:

Ronald F. Maxwell

Writers (WGA):

Michael Shaara (novel)
Ronald F. Maxwell (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 October 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War | Western

Tagline:

Same Land. Same God. Different Dreams.

Plot:

In 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.

Plot Keywords:

Battle | American Civil War | Gettysburg | Lieutenant General | Reference To Hamlet

Cast

Tom Berenger	...	Lt. Gen. James Longstreet
Martin Sheen	...	Gen. Robert E. Lee
Stephen Lang	...	Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett
Jeff Daniels	...	Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Richard Jordan	...	Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead
Andrew Prine	...	Brig. Gen. Richard B. Garnett
Cooper Huckabee	...	Henry T. Harrison
Patrick Gorman	...	Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood
Bo Brinkman	...	Maj. Walter H. Taylor
James Lancaster	...	Lt. Col. Arthur Fremantle
William Morgan Sheppard	...	Maj. Gen. Isaac R. Trimble / Narrator (as Morgan Sheppard)
Kieran Mulroney	...	Maj. G. Moxley Sorrel
James Patrick Stuart	...	Col. E. Porter Alexander (as Patrick Stuart)
Tim Ruddy	...	Maj. Charles Marshall
Royce D. Applegate	...	Brig. Gen. James L. Kemper

Also Known As:

The Killer Angels (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

261 min | Sweden:254 min | UK:259 min | Netherlands:244 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints) | DTS (35 mm prints)

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate no. 31000) | Iceland:12 | Canada:PG | Greece:K-13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Germany:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Adams County, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

TriStar Television

Trivia:

Original working title was "The Killer Angels." Test audiences thought the movie was about motocycle gangs and thus it was changed to its broader, current title.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Reynold is first seen, he has 3 men riding with him, but when he pulls up at the seminary he has 6.

Quotes:

Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: This is a different kind of army. If you look at history you'll see men fight for pay, or women, or some other kind of loot. They fight for land, or because a king makes them, or just because they like killing. But we're here for something new. This has not happened much...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-02-26)" (2008)

No Civil War Buff, But I Still Enjoyed It

At four hours-plus, this is one of the longest movies I own but is well-made and worth owning, and I'm not a "Civil War buff," either. I would probably appreciate this movie even more if I did know more about that horrible conflict. Being familiar with all the small towns surrounding Gettsyburg wouldn't hurt.

The movie is well-acted, nicely filmed and has some memorable scenes. My only complaints are that some of the action scenes go on too long and I didn't appreciate the plug for Darwin's evolutionary theories, which had no place in this film. However, this is a Turner Pictures film and the "Turner" is outspoken atheist Ted Turner, it's no surprise we get this thrown in our faces.

Otherwise, they stuck to the war story. It was interesting how they portrayed Robert E. Lee. They make him look a little stupid in his strategy but also gave him a compassionate look, and you couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. Actually, all the officers on both sides were portrayed fairly as nothing but good and brave men.

Jeff Daniels, as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, had the best role and came off looking the best. It may be Daniels' best work ever, too. Martin Sheen was outstanding as Lee. Kudos to Tom Berenger (Lt. Gen. James Longstreet) and Richard Jordan (Brig. Gen. Lewis Armistead) for their performances, too.

It's a quality show, filmed on the Gettysburg sites, too. Although there are a few long fight scenes, this is not a bloody film. Language-wise, this probably holds the record for the most usage of the word "damn" but that's it, profanity-wise.

I wouldn't let the length of this movie prohibit you from watching it. You can always break it up into segments over a couple of days.