Slightly disappointing, but worth watching for the outstanding acting

Rating: 5/10 (9 July 2005)

I just watched this movie for the second time and my feelings are the same as upon first watching. I absolutely loved the book 'The Killer Angels', so of course the movie had a lot to live up to. What disappoints me most is that this movie could have been amazing. With such a cast and excellent source for the script, a competent director could have created a masterpiece.
My chief complaint is the tempo. So many scenes (even battle scenes)just dragged. Some directors have a way of taking all liberty with time to create an atmosphere, be it tranquil or tense, yet without the scene feeling mired down (Peter Weir is a master at this). Maxwell does not have that talent, or if he does, he does not display it here.
My second complaint is the score. I have no idea who Edelman is. Maybe his other work is better. There were a few nice moments where the score supported the scene nicely, but very few. One scene that stands out as particularly bad is Pickett's charge. The music seemed incongruous to the action on screen. It's as if the director said, 'Let's put something military-sounding in this scene' and the composer just slapped together some brass and drums without even watching the scene.
I won't get into the make-up problems as those were self-evident.
I just hate to see such a good opportunity squandered. That said, the acting was wonderful. Such a shame to have a wonderful cast like this and not turn out a better picture. I have to say my favorite performance was Jeff Daniels as Chamberlain. I fell in love with Chamberlain after reading 'The Killer Angels' as well as some biographies. Jeff Daniels captured Chamberlain's spirit exactly.
For all its faults, there are some very moving scenes such as Little Round Top and Pickett's charge (in spite of the score). It is worth watching for the acting alone.
I would love to see a remake of this with a better director and score, although it will be hard to match the original casting.