Where is John Ford When We Needed Him

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 2003)

I am typing this with one gloved hand owing to injuries so please excuse any typos.
My hat is off to the costumer of this movie and the prop department and the armorer. However, this will remain one of the worst directed and worst edited films in my memory of forty five years of movie watching. My main gripe is the camera remained too tight on the actio and lost the sweeping panorama (Cliche, I know) of the events. I am refering to the Little Round Top sequence. The early battle scene with General Buford's Cavalary was a better example - mix long shots and close ups. Repeating three times the same shot - a close uo of Jeff Daniels' character Colonel Chamberlin firing his revolver is inexcusable. He is a major character.
The director should have spent more time watching John Ford's four calavry films,John Huston's "Red Badge of Courage", and "Lawerence of Arabia" to get a sense of perspective.
On a positive note, Jeff Daniel's characterization of the decent Colonel Joshua Chamberlin was the most impressive work I have seen by him. I look forward to seeing his continued portyal in the sequel. Not that it matters much but I have an uncle, much removed, who werved a a corporal in the 8th Maine. He was reputed to be a colors bearer being the tallest man in the regiment. He survived the war, luckily. So, depictions of Maine regiments are dear to me.