Gettysburg (1993)
6/10
Way Too Long
2 April 2023
I love Michael Shaara's book, "The Killer Angels." It's a book that I read in college when studying the Battle of Gettysburg. This film adaptation is way too long and drawn out though, at nearly four and a half hours. It easily could have been three hours at the longest, and a lot of filler could have been cut.

I don't like Martin Sheen's version of Robert E. Lee. I've never seen "Gods and Generals", but from what I've heard, Robert Duvall does a much better job in that film. Martin Sheen's accent is just not very good to me, sounds like the normal Martin Sheen voice trying to mix a slight southern aristocrat twang onto it.

Jeff Daniels and Tom Berenger do a lot better jobs as the films central characters, the Union Colonel Chamberlain and the Confederate General Longstreet, respectively. I like how the film alternates between the stories of the two men and really tries to drive home the differences between the northern and southern armies.

The battle scenes, cinematography, and such are all kind of a letdown to me. I would have wished for a little more flair in the battle, a little more dirt and blood and swearing. I think that this film was originally planned as a TV miniseries which explains the PG rating and the lack of mature content.

Personally, I thought it was decent and worth watching as the only really big film version of one of the most significant battles in American history. It still kind of puzzles me that there aren't more versions of this story. I wouldn't recommend this for casual viewers or for those who would like a little more of an in depth look at Civil War politics. As stated earlier, the lack of grittiness in its tone also was a bit of a letdown to me, I would have loved to see an R-rated Gettysburg movie. If you can put up with the over four hour run time and a slower pace, you'll get a pretty decent adaptation of a novel that is much better to just go and read. Try not to fall asleep and take it in chunks.
4 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed