'You must defend this movie to the last.'

Rating: 10/10 (23 April 2005)

'Defend this movie to the last... exercize in rhetoric... last scene? last re-used shot of Rebs charging up Little Round Top? Last long-winded speech? Last mention of 'this is good ground'? Last reb?'
Anyway...
Here is a sample of some the gripes I've heard about GETTYSBURG. Some are nit-picky, obviously from hard-core Civil War reenactor types:
-"The collars on the uniforms of the 20 th Maine soldiers are about 1/4 inch longer than they actually were."
-"Tom Chamberlain's mustache is certainly a fake; it would have appeared greasier in the hot July sun."
-"The 5th Regiment actually was two blocks away from where they are depicted in the movie."
Some gripes get downright ridiculous, obviously from psychotic loons who think it's still 18 friggin 63...
-"The man portraying Gen. Lee is obviously a modern-day actor who closely resembles Martin Sheen..."
-"The rifles are actually firing blanks, not real Minie balls."
-"The actual battle lasted three days, not a mere four hours, as the director apparently believed."
-"There's no way anyone actually filmed the battle of Gettysburg, so this movie is undoubtedly a bunch of reenactors merely imita...."
SHUT UP!!! Anyway, GETTYSBURG is freegin great. And I don't wanna hear about Tom Berenger's beard or any retarded inaccuracies. We get to see some fine acting, archaic/glorious dialogue, and the best CW battle scenes (apart from the 1989 masterpiece GLORY) ever on film. Of course, during the Little Round Top sequence, there are some shots that are recycled two or three times. However, the sequence of the LRT is impressively edited otherwise. The panoramic views of Pickett's Charge, the sweeping aerial views of the battlefield... and so on.
And there's plenty of melodrama. Overacting? No. OK, maybe. But it works for this film. Here's a few sample lines:
"I'm Kilrain, and I damn all gentlemen." (Buster)
"General Lee... I HAVE no division." (Pickett)
"With me... who will come with MEEEEEE!!" (Armisted)
"Give em hell, 54th!" Ooops.. wrong movie.
Even in the midst of a serious, stoic event in or history, we are treated to some bits of humor. I particularly like the scene where Gen. Longstreet (T Berenger) and the artillery captain or discussing strategy. Some guy off in the distance gets blown head over heels and flies over his cannon. I always found it funny...
Now look... the movie was MEANT to be 4 hours long! You couldn't tell the battle of G-Burg in a standard 2 hour flick. No way. GETTYSBURG was made to cater to Civil War fans only, as well as history buffs - not a wide movie-going audience. It was made as about as flawless as a movie could be made. The right amount (in the form of a 4 hour running time) of solid, cerebral conversations, the right emotions for the right scenes, and of course, the heroic soundtrack!!!
Now about the dialogue, I've heard a lot of complaints about how it is spotty, lame, and robotic. Well, what'ya expect, realistic, modern CLERKS or PULP FICTION banter?
"General Pickett, are you OK?" "General Lee, I have no division, I'm pretty far from OK."
The cast pulls the job off wonderfully. Berenger, Sheen, Richard Jordan, James Lang, Stephen Lang... everyone.
GETTYSBURG rocks. It's historically accurate as any "period piece" out there. Even the acclaimed SAVING PRIVATE RYAN had some continuity errors and anachronisms. I give it an A++ for sheer awesomeness. And why the hell wasn't it nominated for a SINGLE Academy Award? At least a lead or supporting actor for (insert kick-ass actor here), Best Cinematography, Best Sound, and BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY!!!
An awesome movie. One of my faves. Just remember, GETTYSBURG, with the exception of GODS AND GENERALS, will probably be the last Civil War movie made. The WW2 and Vietnam War genre has been depleted... and there's only so many ways you can depict a CW battle differently on film. There is however, a movie coming out in the next couple of years with Liam Nesson as Abe Lincoln.. But just realize that GETTYSBURG is about as good as we can get for the War Between the States.