Gods & Generals
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Movie Reviews of Gods & Generals
Movie Review: A brilliant film!
Summary: 5 Stars
Gods and Generals is one of those movies not done justice at the box office. But it seems a lot of people made up for it by getting the DVD. Perhaps it was the movie's length that put people off sitting in the theater. I am sorry I missed the spectacle of seeing it on the big screen, but having bought the DVD, I rejoice in possessing this well-made and stirring film.I commend Creighton Lovelace for his insightful review and roundly chastize Cheryl Zaleski for her patronizing and insulting remarks. I did not grow up in this country and so got my understanding of the American Civil War from Hollywood, as many non-Americans would. I imbibed the common and flawed view that it was all about slavery. It seems any other history about the reasons for the war was suppressed until recently. Now we have books like The Real Lincoln, by Thomas DiLorenzo. Now it is not only die-hard descendants of Confederates who know the truth - that Lincoln had far less noble reasons for invading the south.
There are many remarkable things about this movie, but what is really striking is its devotion to authenticity, probably more than any other movie made about the Civil War. And this from the funding and production of arch-liberal Ted Turner. What a shock! It seems Ted does have some redeeming values. Any story about the life of "Stonewall" Jackson that diminishes or ignores his Christian faith does not honor the man or history. In this movie we are blessed to see how profoundly Jackson's faith guides his relationship with his wife, his response to the Virginia secession and his life as a soldier. He had a difficult task at a tragic time in history, but he responded with prayerful deliberation. We see him praying with his wife, with a black cook working for the Confederate Army (both voicing their petition for God's justice to be done), and before doing battle.
With this sometimes word for word dialogue from official historical documents and personal diaries, and with the battle scenes often re-enacted in real time, some people could get bored with this movie. But that is to miss its value as a documentary drama, an antidote to decades of misinformation about the Civil War. We could do with more re-appraisal of Lincoln's saintly status, delving deeper into his ambitions (and success) in creating a highly centralized, activist state as opposed to the limited form of government intended by the founding fathers. Also the revelations that Lincoln never believed in racial equality.
As for the reviewer who complained about the army uniforms being inauthentic, you are obviously wrong because this production went to great pains to recreate exact duplicates of the various uniforms. Also, do you think every footsoldier would be personally outfitted in a form-fitting uniform? Duh, with a war on you don't exactly have time. See the behind the scenes feature "The Authenticities of the Film." The same goes for using Harper's Ferry for Fredericksburg. This was the best town they had (a preserved historical landmark) to represent 19th century Fredericksburg.
Movie Review: An often misunderstood classic of epic proportions
Summary: 5 Stars
A splendid adaptation of the Shaara novel of the same name, many reviewers seem to feel that this is (or should be) a history of the first part of the American Civil War. However, that is just not the case, nor the intent of this film. What the film IS about are the career and personal natures of a very few seminal characters, and in particular, General 'Stonewall' Jackson. As such, lengthy treatment of the 'causes' of the Civil War, who was right and who was wrong are not particularly appropriate, nor is such discussed. Instead, we are treated to the 'causes' that brought Jackson HIMSELF to the war, as well as Robert E. Lee, and Chamberlain too. That is the point; to bring the focus not to huge overarching national and regional issues, but to the reasons and causes why INDIVIDUALS fight, and will go to a great war of unknown length and violence inconceivable, even though they know they themselves are unlikely to survive. Yet these causes are considered by the INDIVIDUALS concerned to be SO important, SO fundamental to their own perception of what is, and is not tolerable that the time comes where they have to make a very personal and terrible choice, and live (or die) by the outcome of that choice.
Anyone who has ever gone to war will recognise that mental wrestling match that all who take that unalterable step must engage in. What makes the scenario of the American Civil War so poignant is that virtually everyone involved understands and KNOWS that he will not just be going off to fight some vaguely perceived and relatively undefined 'enemy,' but that they will be fighting and killing their OWN friends, neighbors, and even family members in defense of that which is perceived to be absolute. The choice therefore, is even more terrible, as are the consequences.
This is why there are some long soliloquys in the film, as both the author, and film maker work to get the audience to UNDERSTAND and appreciate the depth and breadth of the sacrifice contemplated, and acted upon. Further, it should be remembered that the people of that time actually spoke and thought in the manner presented (not just an 'author's conceit'), as is recorded in the many journal entries and letters from the time (these were NOT 21st century men and women, but a product of their times, and thought and spoke accordingly).
In sum, if you are simply looking for a Civil War 'action movie' with lots of explosions and little plot, then you might not like this (though there are indeed plenty of explosions, and the most splendidly filmed battle sequences ever done). You might not like it if you are looking solely for a history of the Civil War either (PBS did an excellent documentary on the Civil War, if it's strict history you are looking for, that's your source!). But if you are looking for a film of breadth and scope on a personal level, comparable to the incomparable film 'Glory,' then you will agree that 'Gods and Generals' is an excellent choice.
Movie Review: An incredible movie. Definitley in my top ten.
Summary: 5 Stars
God's and Generals is amazing. I really don't know why it's so heavily critised. I think the reason may be that it requires you to be intelligent and have a good grasp of U.S. history. It doesn't really explain why the battle at Fredericksburg was so misguided and it doesn't show you the battle at Sharpsburg (aka Antietem, the bloodiest day in American history) that leads up to it. It assumes you're a Civil War buff and you know all of this. It assumes you paid attention in History class.And frankly, if you're an American, you should know all of this stuff. These were brutal, horrible battles, fought in Virginia and Maryland, and the stakes were high. The fate of the continent lay in the balance. The consequences of the Civil War are felt to this day... 140 years later.
This movie is actually about the religious beliefs of three Generals who fought in this war. The war is a backdrop. Mostly, it is about "Stonewall" Jackson. His bravery is a side-effect of his belief in God. When God is ready to call him home, then he's done. Otherwise he presses on without fear. His relationship with his wife is inspiring, and when he learns of the birth of his baby... I guess critics find this sort of thing thing to be boring.
God's and Generals also focuses on three early Civil War battles: The First Bull Run, Fredericksurg and The Wilderness. All three of these battles were sharp Confederate victories. The truth is, until the stalemate at Sharpsburg in September 1862, the South was beating the North badly. I think critisim of Gods and Generals may have more to do with the fact that the Civil War has been taught incorrectly in Public Schools, and that political correctness has crept in and reared it's ugly head.
The American Civil War was not fought over slavery. It was fought over an issue called state's rights. The breakaway states thought of themselves as independant countries, and if the Federal Government cast down a law that was harmful to them, they wanted the right to null and void it. The Abolishionest Movement had been in full affect 50 years befor the Civil War started. In 1803, Ohio became a slave free state, the Civil War started in in 1861. In the 1820's, freedmen were repatriated to Africa and formed the nation of Liberia. But they don't teach you that in school.
I think what really bothered left-of-centered critics of Gods and Generals is the scene of Jackson praying to God with his slave. I think it just rocked their world a little bit to see that scene, and contemplate that it was possible. What's really wierd about this is that "Gone with the Wind" is one of the most celebrated movies ever. And it's a, gasp, Civil War movie told from a Southerner's point of view. They even show slaves marching off to the front lines to defend Atlanta, and Scarlet slaps one of her slave girls. Go figure.
Movie Review: Not a movie for the Adam Sandler crowd
Summary: 5 Stars
I am always intrigued, or should I say "frustrated" with the Establishment's process for reviewing movies. Granted this is a long movie filled with historical detail and dialogue quite similar to that of countless letters filling the attics of Civil War descendants. Instead of acknowledging this to viewers, it seems that some in the movie reviewing community prefer to simply mock this movie as "epic-length" and filled with "silly dialogue". While I am hesitant to be so blunt, I'm afraid that some of this criticism comes simply from either the inability to recognize such historical accuracy or simply a short attention span. This is NOT a movie for the person wanting to view yet another example of Hollywood's "movie-in-a-box" formula that countless "blockbusters" seem to follow these days. You will not see a man and woman argue, somehow fall in love, find their love challenged in some way, and then discover a quick resolution. No, the only formula here is one that carefully studied a broad sample of both Northern and Southern lives and compiled them into a story that follows Jeff Shaara's novel somewhat, though not completely. I found it refreshing, not offensive, to see religion used in a movie in a non-derogatory way. It is a simple fact that Thomas Stonewall Jackson was an incredibly devout man-- a fact substantiated in many letters. To ponder his convictions against his brutal demeanor on the battlefield in fascinating. Stephen Lang in this role is simply amazing. He personifies Jackson. I also find the sanctimonious criticism of how slavery is handled in the movie quite ironic. Gone With the Wind's most memorable characters are slaves who are "part of the family", so to speak, who struggle with both fear and excitement at the notion of freedom. Because Gods and Generals portrays two different slaves who show affection to the families of their owners, the movie is called "racist". What is ignored are the direct statements these slaves make expressing their desire to have the same freedom for their own families that they are witnessing in their owners' families. It required little critical thinking on my part to see the character development that some of the reviewers failed to see. I think that our culture has become so quick to point out racial oppression that those with shorter attention spans are unable to follow a less-than-mainstream movie's journey to a quite satisfying conclusion. So yes, if you're looking to pass a Sunday afternoon by watching the latest Hollywood mindless formula, you probably won't want to purchase Gods and Generals. If you desire to make a truly positive, mind provoking (not mind-insulting) addition to your movie collection, especially a war collection, Gods and Generals is a must.Movie Review: Both armies had heroes and villains; both had just reasons to fight too.
Summary: 5 Stars
There are many reviewers who say Gods and Generals is a terrible movie, but I find these reviews appalling. This movie does explore the Civil War from a southern perspective, which is one reason I believe this movie is thrashed by critics. Today, while I watched a few scenes from the movie, I reflected on the great Stonewall Jackson. All men are flawed and he is no exception, but I truly believe he is an excellent example for modern Christians to follow. He truly trusted the Lord in all things and believed in providence, which people often question in this modern age.
Steven Lang did a wonderful job of bringing life into Thomas Jackson. I loved watching Jackson's interaction with his wife and even a small child he befriends. Personally, most movies fail to place beating hearts into characters, but Gods and Generals gives life to the generals, soldiers, and civilians of the North and South. Although some people seem to prefer Martin Sheen over Robert Duvall, I enjoyed seeing Duvall portray the heroic Robert E. Lee. Lee isn't the main character in this movie, but when he does appear, Duvall realistically displays Lee's Christian virtues, wisdom, and leadership.
As a history teacher, I showed this movie to my eighth grade students and many of them enjoyed it. Any person who is trying to learn about the Civil War will gain a lot of insight from this movie. The subject of slavery is debated from all perspectives in Gods and Generals. Viewers will see that many slaves were respectful of their masters, but still hoped to gain their freedom. Many southern generals and soldiers didn't own slaves, but fought for their homeland. This historical issue will always be debated, but I think this movie fairly addresses both sides of the debate.
This DVD is dual sided and is a bargain. It offers many bonus features that should interest students of history and the average viewer. Both of the included music videos are enjoyable to watch and paint a vivid image of the impact death had on Americans during the Civil War. The Stonewall Jackson mini-documentary is interesting, but parts of it seem nonprofessionally filmed. Many of the critics of this film should praise it for bringing a tragic war in our past to life in a balanced perspective. For too long, historians have bashed the South and uplifted the North to a fault. Both armies had heroes and villains; both had just reasons to fight too. Do not let all the critics of this movie hinder your choice in watching it. Give the movie a chance. Even if you dislike it, you will gain a better understanding of the Civil War.