Flawed but fabulous

Rating: Null/10 (28 August 2012)

Prior to seeing this spectacular movie, I toured the battle site at Gettysburg and I read the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel on which it is based ("The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara), so I suspect that I understood the personalities and the tactics of the conflict more than most non-Americans (I am British) which was certainly a help. Originally planned as a mini series for television, thanks to the support of Ted Turner the work had a theatrical release in 1993 in a version lasting over four hours (making it even longer than "Lawrence Of Arabia"). It did not do well at the box office but has been praised by critics.
There is a great deal to admire, notably the huge efforts made to ensure authenticity. Much of the film was shot at Gettysburg National Park and over 13,000 Civil War re-enactors volunteered their efforts with their own props and costumes. Visually the movie is stunning, with the defence of Little Round Top and Pickett's Charge providing thrilling cinema, all enhanced by Randy Endelman's rousing score. Most of the casting is spot on, with Jeff Daniels as Laurence Chamberlain and Sam Elliott as John Buford on the Confederate side and Tom Berenger as James Longstreet and Stephen Lang as George Pickett on the Union side all giving fine performances.
But the movie does have weaknesses. The most obvious is the last-minute casting of the normally splendid Martin Sheen as Robert E Lee, an odd choice (he is too short) and an odd portrayal (he comes across as somewhat effete). Another problem is the preponderance of full-scale speeches which sound preachy and slow down the narrative. Finally, for non-Americans and for Americans who are not Civil War enthusiasts, the film really is too long and could have benefited from some sharper cutting.
The whole project took some 15 years to bring to fruition, by which time Michael Shaara was dead, but he would have been very happy with this production which follows closely his plotting and uses much of his dialogue. For Ronald F Maxwell, who both wrote and directed this massive enterprise, the movie is a triumph and it will stand as one of the best war films ever made.