When I saw that this video starred William Shatner and was directed by George C. Scott, I thought "Great, one over-actor directing another." Actually, this is something everything involved with it can be proud of, and it may be the best thing ever presented on PBS.
The story is the trial of Henry Wirz, the commandant of the notorious Confederate P.O.W. camp at Andersonville, Georgia. Shatner is the Union Army prosecutor who must tread onto dangerous ground to make his case. (In the original Broadway production, Scott played this role.) Equally good is Jack Cassidy as Wirz's manipulative defense attorney. Richard Basehart plays Wirz as he was: proud, arrogant and unrepentant. Leading support is a cast some of the finest character actors of a generation: Cameron Mitchell, Buddy Ebsen, John Anderson, Albert Salmi and Whit Bissell.
But center to this production is the compelling script. Based on the transcript of the actual tribunal, Saul Leavitt imbued this record of brutality with a great sense of humanity.
This one should not be missed. I rate it 10/10.
The story is the trial of Henry Wirz, the commandant of the notorious Confederate P.O.W. camp at Andersonville, Georgia. Shatner is the Union Army prosecutor who must tread onto dangerous ground to make his case. (In the original Broadway production, Scott played this role.) Equally good is Jack Cassidy as Wirz's manipulative defense attorney. Richard Basehart plays Wirz as he was: proud, arrogant and unrepentant. Leading support is a cast some of the finest character actors of a generation: Cameron Mitchell, Buddy Ebsen, John Anderson, Albert Salmi and Whit Bissell.
But center to this production is the compelling script. Based on the transcript of the actual tribunal, Saul Leavitt imbued this record of brutality with a great sense of humanity.
This one should not be missed. I rate it 10/10.