Shenandoah (1965)

During the Civil War, a Virginia farmer and his family vow to remain neutral, but one of the sons is captured by Union soldiers, sending the farmer to his rescue.

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writer:

James Lee Barrett

Stars:

James Stewart, Doug McClure, Glenn Corbett

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Stewart	...	Charlie
Doug McClure	...	Sam
Glenn Corbett	...	Jacob
Patrick Wayne	...	James
Rosemary Forsyth	...	Jennie
Phillip Alford	...	Boy
Katharine Ross	...	Ann
Charles Robinson	...	Nathan
Jim McMullan	...	John (as James McMullan)
Tim McIntire	...	Henry
Gene Jackson	...	Gabriel (as Eugene Jackson Jr.)
Paul Fix	...	Dr. Tom Witherspoon
Denver Pyle	...	Pastor Bjoerling
George Kennedy	...	Col. Fairchild
James Best	...	Carter - Rebel Soldier

Storyline

In Shenandoah, Virginia, widower farmer Charlie Anderson lives a peaceful life with his six sons - Jacob, James, Nathan, John, Henry and Boy, his daughter Jennie, and his daughter-in-law and James' wife Ann Anderson. Charlie does not let his sons join the army to fight in the Civil War that he does not consider their war. Jennie marries her beloved Lieutenant Sam, but they do not have a honeymoon since Sam has to return to the front. Charlie's youngest son Boy is mistakenly taken prisoner by soldiers from the North so Charlie rides with his sons to rescue Boy, while James and Ann stay on the farm. It is time of violence and war, and tragedy reaches the Anderson family.

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Plot Keywords:

one word title | civil war | virginia | violence | fight | 

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Taglines:

SHAKES THE SCREEN LIKE CANNON THUNDER! (original ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | War | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The train that Anderson stops is pulled by a locomotive called the General Gault. The source of the name is unclear. The only noted pre-American Civil War military person of that name served in Napoleon's forces. A search of the web reveals only two other generals of that name, one from the U.S. in the 1950s, and one Canadian (served in World War II).

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Goofs

During the boy's battle the morning after his escape from prison, you can see the bayonet of a confederate soldier wobble revealing that it is made of rubber.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jacob Anderson: They come closer every day, Pa.
Charlie Anderson: They on our land?
Jacob Anderson: No, sir.
Charlie Anderson: Then it doesn't concern us... does it?

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Connections

Edited from Raintree County (1957)

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Soundtracks

Rock of Ages
(uncredited)
By Augustus Montague Toplady
[Sung at the first church service]

User Reviews

Very Lovely

This is a very lovely movie, quite unusual for the Civil War genre as it is of course about war, but mostly about the Virginina family, the Andersons, who try to sit out the war in their beautiful farm, but the war is here, and all its cruelty and atrocities bring up misery and losses, deaths, and tears, suffering and toil. This is very stellar role James Stewart who is a force here, and his character is great - old, cantankerous, wild, rough, proud, loud, cynical man of great dignity, whose life is torn by deaths of his nearest and dearest. All the parts in the movie are excellent choices - James Stewart as Charlie Anderson Doug McClure as Sam Glenn Corbett as Jacob Anderson Patrick Wayne as James Anderson Rosemary Forsyth as Jennie Anderson Phillip Alford as Boy Anderson Katharine Ross as Ann Anderson Charles Robinson as Nathan Anderson Jim McMullan as John Anderson Tim McIntire as Henry Anderson Eugene Jackson as Gabriel (as Eugene Jackson Jr.) Paul Fix as Dr. Tom Witherspoon Denver Pyle as Pastor Bjoerling George Kennedy as Col. Fairchild James Best as Carter, Rebel Soldier Tom Simcox as Lt. Johnson Berkeley Harris as Capt. Richards Harry Carey, Jr. as Jenkins (rebel soldier) Kevin Hagen as Mule (rebel deserter) Dabbs Greer as Abernathy Strother Martin as Train Engineer Kelly Thordsen as Federal Purchasing Agent Carroll and some real warm humor is a great plus, it softens the dry and somewhat deeply tragic pace of the story. Another big asset is a very positive outlook on Negro soldiers and slaves. They are shown as good, warm and strong people, who are valiant and heroic. Many smaller parts in the story are very nice, too, and whole 2 hours fly like one minute. This film is very good, but a bit dry at places. Still, it is highly recommended

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 June 1965 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Fields of Honor

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$17,268,889

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1