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GETTYSBURG (1993)

Written and directed by Ronald F Maxwell

Starring Tom Berenger (Longstreet), Martin Sheen (Robert E Lee), Stephen Lang (George E Pickett), Richard Jordan (Armistead), Jeff Daniels (J L Chamberlain), Sam Elliott (Buford), C Thomas Howell (T D Chamberlain), and Kevin Conway (Kilrain).

video cover (24257 bytes) GETTYSBURG is a four-hour epic giving a blow-by-blow depiction of this decisive battle of the American Civil War. Filmed on the original sites as far as possible, it conveys a strong sense of realism.

Based on Michael Shaara's novel, The Killer Angels, the film is presented with a more than usual concern for historical authenticity, assisted by the participation of 5000 extras from Civil War re-enactment groups.

The film will obviously appeal to military enthusiasts, but will it appeal to anyone else? There are no 'love angles', personal dramas or any pandering to film star status, but beyond depicting the technicalities of mid-Nineteenth Century military hardware and its employment, the film does capture the flavour of what it must actually have been like - an absolute hell but not without its moments of elation, or, at least, relief.

The battle scenes are, of course, spectacular and dramatic, and centre on the Union defence of Little Round Top on the second day and Pickett's doomed charge which ended in Confederate defeat on the third.

Intervening dialogue between the battle scenes seeks to establish the historical context, a tricky if necessary business handled reasonably well despite lapsing into speech-making on occasion.

Rik 3 December 1996

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