Epic battle, epic film

Rating: 7/10 (27 May 2013)

At well over four hours in length it is easy to criticize Gettysburg as being too long a film. Yes, there are some pieces here and there which could have been cut to provide a more reasonable running time. But you also realize that there was so much more which could have been put into the film. Even with its exorbitant length it can be said the film only begins to scratch the surface of the epic Battle of Gettysburg. The film focuses on a few key events in the sprawling three day battle, most famously and effectively the second day attack on Little Round Top and the final day's climactic Pickett's Charge. Even at four hours-plus there is no room for some critically important elements of the battle. Really each of the battle's three days could have been its own movie which is probably why the film was first conceived as a miniseries. Once the decision was made to make it a theatrical release a delicate balance was necessary. Make it long enough to fit everything in but not so long that nobody will want to sit through it. There may be some minor quibbles with how that balance was ultimately achieved but by and large the story of this great battle is presented about as well as you could have hoped.
The film takes a little while setting itself up, providing historical background and letting viewers know the stakes as Union and Confederate troops converged on Gettysburg. Given how long the film would ultimately end up running it probably could have gotten to the start of the actual battle a little quicker. But once the first shots are fired the film has you in its grip and holds you there throughout. The battle's first day, both in history and in this film, is somewhat overshadowed by the more famous events of the following two days. But day one has its own stories to tell and those stories are presented very well here. The key figure of the day is Union Brigadier General John Buford, portrayed wonderfully by Sam Elliott. Buford's troops hold their key position, setting the stage for the incredibly dramatic events to come.
The star of day two is Colonel Joshua Chamberlain whose 20th Maine regiment leads the famous Union defense of Little Round Top. The film has taken the time to allow us to get to know Chamberlain. This makes it all the more compelling when he leads his men into battle. Jeff Daniels does a truly amazing job in portraying this heroic man. The repeated Confederate assaults on Little Round Top and the response of Chamberlain and his men combine to provide one of the best battle scenes ever filmed. It is more than just the high point of this film, it is as good as anything you will ever see in any war film.
It takes something truly spectacular to follow up Little Round Top. Day three at Gettysburg brought us Pickett's Charge. Perhaps the true drama here comes before the charge begins. Lieutenant General James Longstreet knows the charge cannot succeed, the attack is hopeless. But he has his orders. The anguish on his face as he gives the order to proceed tells it all. He knows he is ordering men to certain death. Tom Berenger captures Longstreet's pain beautifully, the man unable to even verbalize the order to attack. A simple, woeful nod of the head sends men to their doom. The attack may have been folly but the bravery of the men who performed it was amazing and the film's portrayal of their march toward aptly-named Cemetery Ridge does the men justice. Another brilliant battle scene to bring the film to a close.
Most war films try to invest you in the personal stories of a few combatants to ensure you feel an emotional tie to them as they face great peril. This film has so much ground to cover there is not much time for that sort of thing. We get to know Chamberlain a bit and there is something made of the prewar friendship between Confederate General Armistead and Union General Hancock. Richard Jordan plays Armistead and gives a wonderful speech reminding you of the human stories behind the slaughter in Gettysburg's fields. But there are few of these personal moments. The scale of the battle, and thus of the film, is just too big. The film by and large has to focus on the fighting itself rather than those doing the fighting. There are a few occasions where the film steps away from the fighting in which the film starts to drag a bit. But no film this long was ever going to be without a few slower moments. The film has more than enough big moments to make up for any lulls. It has wonderful performances as well. Daniels, as Chamberlain, is the standout but the likes of Berenger, Jordan and Elliott all have their moments as does Stephen Lang as Pickett. And of course the most famous figure at Gettysburg was Robert E. Lee and Martin Sheen, seemingly an odd choice for the part, does well in the role. It was a literal cast of thousands and every man played his part. They all combined to bring history alive in an epic film about three of America's most epic days.