Ambrose Bierce Is Lucky He Has No Grave in Which to Turn Over

Rating: 10/10 (21 March 2009)

Sure, I give this flick a rating of "10" out of 10, if for nothing else, its place in film history (and legend). However, I will be amazed if Ambrose can make it to the intermission (and not just because a century plus of deep-freezing might shorten the attention span; I'm sure he'll do okay with TITANIC). I agree with Mark Twain that Sir Walter Scott made the Civil War possible, and GONE WITH THE WIND is the kind of romantic propaganda that cemented the South's "military tradition," making it possible for any madman to pick a random spot on the globe (Iraq) and "Remember the Alamo" by slaughtering anything that moves. (By the by, the "defenders" of the Alamo died in an attempt to KEEP THEIR SLAVES, as Mexico had made slavery ILLEGAL!) Bierce was seriously wounded in June 1864 in the March to the Sea; the last thing he will want to see is the losers depicted as the "good guys," especially since they've become the winners in the past 50 years, while remaining the "bad guys" as much as ever!
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The body of noted American author (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge) Ambrose Bierce, born June 24, 1842, recently was discovered in total cryogenic hibernation at the back of a Central American warehouse. Bierce is expected to be fully defrosted by late 2049 or early 2050. Based on my 85 previously posted IMDb comments and background in Bierce studies, the author's guardians have commissioned me to review a periodically updated list of films to help guide his future leisure pursuits, with the provision that my comments also be made available to the general public.