IMDb > Gods and Generals (2003)
Gods and Generals
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Gods and Generals (2003) More at IMDbPro »

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Gods and Generals (2003) -- Gods and Generals follows the rise and fall of legendary war hero "Stonewall Jackson". The prequel to the 1993 hit Gettysburg.
Gods and Generals (2003) -- Gods and Generals follows the rise and fall of legendary war hero "Stonewall Jackson". The prequel to the 1993 hit Gettysburg.
Gods and Generals (2003) -- Theatrical Preview
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Overview

User Rating:
6.0/10   6,881 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Ronald F. Maxwell
Writers (WGA):
Jeff Shaara (book)
Ronald F. Maxwell (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Gods and Generals on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 February 2003 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Drama | History | War more
Tagline:
The nations heart was touched by.... more
Plot:
Gods and Generals follows the rise and fall of legendary war hero "Stonewall Jackson". The prequel to the 1993 hit Gettysburg. | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
The critics are wrong more (463 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jeff Daniels ... Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Mark Aldrich ... Adjutant

Stephen Lang ... Lt. Gen. Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson
George Allen ... Confederate Officer

Robert Duvall ... Gen. Robert E. Lee
Keith Allison ... Capt. James J. White

Mira Sorvino ... Fanny Chamberlain
Royce D. Applegate ... Brig. Gen. James Kemper (as Royce Applegate)

Kevin Conway ... Sgt. Buster Kilrain

C. Thomas Howell ... Sgt. Thomas Chamberlain

Matt Letscher ... Col. Adelbert Ames
Mac Butler ... Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker
Frankie Faison ... Jim Lewis
Robert Byrd ... Confederate General (as Robert C. Byrd)

Jeremy London ... Capt. Alexander 'Sandie' Pendleton
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for sustained battle sequences.
Runtime:
219 min | Sweden:209 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film mostly omits a few of General Jackson's eccentricities, but makes sly reference to them. The real Stonewall Jackson rode with a hand raised at all times, as he felt it was necessary to balance his bodily humors. In the film, Jackson suffers a wound to one hand, and spends a scene riding in that manner, ostensibly to staunch the bleeding. In addition, the real Jackson - according to legend - sucked on lemons incessantly in the belief that it was essential to his health. In the film, he presents lemons as a gift to the fiancée of his junior officer, and enjoys the resultant lemonade for its tartness. more
Goofs:
Continuity: After Jackson is ambushed at night by his own men, the Union begins opening artillery fire on his aids as they rush him back to the road. During one such shot, artillery fires from left to right but in the subsequent shot, with the camera facing in the same direction, the shells from that same firing sequence are seen landing from right to left. more
Quotes:
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: Hail Caesar! We who are about to die, salute you! more
Movie Connections:
Spin off Gods and Generals (2003) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
Song for the Irish Brigade (aka more

FAQ

Given that slavery was a brutal and immoral practice, why would anyone today (including the makers of this film) side with the Confederates, who supported slavery, against the Union, which sought to abolish it?
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89 out of 116 people found the following comment useful.
The critics are wrong, 3 March 2003
9/10
Author: mholland from Boulder Creek, CA

I've seen Gods and Generals twice, and I've enjoyed it both times. The critics I've read seem to object to the piety, the length, and lack of political correctness. It seems to have escaped them that the Civil War was fought in Victorian times, and that the Victorians were extremely pious and sentimental, not to mention hypocritical. However, this did not stop them from efficiently making war on their enemies. The movie caught this perfectly, with Jackson's assumption that God's will is his will -- the scene before the battle on Sunday, the contrast between his sentimental love of children and his 'Kill them all' about his enemies, the constant references to Bible verses ripped out of context. Regarding the length of the movie, all I can say is that I wasn't bored at all, or restless, just fascinated with what was happening on screen. I'm sure for MTV critics any movie over 90 minutes is epic.

Regarding the lack of political correctness, which in my opinion is our modern version of hypocrisy (we can do anything we want as long as we call it by another name) I would like to point out that this is an attempt at a historical movie and that the Civil War was NOT fought to free the slaves, nor were many people in the North comfortable with the concept of a franchised Negro. And some slaves in the South were relatively well treated by their owners, not that they probably didn't want freedom, but they didn't particularly wish their masters ill. The system was set up so that everyone involved, slaves and masters, had something to lose by destroying the status quo, and that's a very difficult thing for people to do. It's easy for us now to say 'they should have freed the slaves' but if you knew that to free your slaves would beggar your children, would you be able to do it?

As with Gettysburg, the battle scenes were impressive and awe-inspiring. And they made the strategy and tactics clear to the viewer which is a monumental achievement, not to mention showing the pure courage on both sides, going to probably death or dismemberment without flinching. I would have liked more about the Northern command struggles to balance the picture but I can see how tempting it was to show the Southern victories to balance the horrible defeat at Gettysburg -- and this picture is meant to be one of a trilogy. I can only hope that word of mouth defeats the critics and gets this movie the audience it deserves.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Gods and Generals (2003)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
NEW HOPE FOR 'LAST FULL MEASURE' bryanac625
A different victory and weapons question oldsalt61
Is Gettysburg any better rspear61
Deleted Scenes on Soundtrack DVD SmokedPorter
Somebody learn some history before you watch!!!! tlulmer
'The Last Full Measure' When, When, WHEN!!!!!!!! thecottonfamily
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