My Favorite Films: Gettysburg (1993)

"But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow, this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain..."
-Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address

     My obsession with the Battle of Gettysburg and with the American Civil War in general began when I read Micheal Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Killer Angels, a book that dramatized the events of that most famous of Civil War engagements, Gettysburg. I absolutely fell in love with this novel and, in particular, its portrayal of General James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee's principal subordinate. This would lead me, very quickly, to watching Gettysburg, the film adaptation of Shaara's novel, which I also fell in love with. Since then I've read more scholarly, historical accounts of the battle and watched documentaries and guided tours of the battlefield, which I desperately want to visit in person some day.

Ron Maxwell and Ted Turner

     I've always loved history, specifically military history. Studying it in school has dampened this love to some extent, as Hegel's view of history as a "butchers block" has been reinforced and romantic notions shaken but I still believe that there is something valuable, cathartic even, about revisiting events like the Battle of Gettysburg. Director Ronald Maxwell certainly felt that way. Reading Shaara's book struck a chord in Maxwell, who would go on to meet and even become friends with the author. Optioning the rights to film The Killer Angels would be the beginning of a fifteen year struggle to get it financed. No major studio wanted to fund an expensive historical epic, particularly one that would likely not have a large market outside of the United States, but Maxwell finally found an ally in Ted Turner, whose own interest in the material lead him to finance Maxwell's project. In an unprecedented move, Turner was able to persuade the National Park Service to allow the studio to film at the site of the Gettysburg Battlefield.

     The film brilliantly adapts Shaara's novel, even subtly improving on it in places. For instance, by placing more focus on the tragic relationship between General Lewis Armistead (Richard Jordan) and General Winfield Scott Hancock (Brian Mallon) the film illustrates the "brother against brother" archetype that has so powerfully typified our national understanding of the war in its aftermath. Brotherhood is something of a theme running through the film. Armistead and Hancock were close friends before the war, brothers almost. Before parting ways Armistead told his friend, "Hancock, good-bye; you can never know what this has cost me, and I hope God will strike me dead if I am ever induced to leave my native soil, should worse come to worse." Their relationship is a tragic one as they are both struck down by enemy fire during Pickett's charge. Armistead dies of his wounds, never again able to see his friend.

     Contrasting this is the relationship between Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) and his younger brother Thomas (C. Thomas Howell). They fight on the same side, in fact in the same regiment. This is a cause of concern for Lawrence, who wants to avoid displays of favoritism toward his brother and he repeatedly has to remind Thomas not to call him by his first name. His ability to separate his love for his brother and his duty as an officer becomes source of conflict for Chamberlain later on, during the battle of Little Round Top, when he asks Thomas to plug a hole in the line, placing his brother in the line of enemy fire. At the end of the film, after the intense barrage and assault by Pickett's regiment on the third day of the battle, we see the two brothers reunite and embrace one another. Though the war has torn many families and friends apart, they remain together, a sign of hope that Americans, both North and South, can be reconciled to each other after the war.

     The American Civil War was a war of ideas. The ending of slavery, defending states rights, the preservation of the Union, loyalty to one's native state or country, all of these issues drove the men who fought the war. The film portrays, essentially, two kinds of soldiers. On the one hand there are men like Chamberlain, who deeply believe in preserving the Union and upholding the ideal that "all men are created equal." As he tells the mutineers of the 2nd Maine, when he tries to convince them to join in the fighting, "we are here for something new, this has not happened much, in the history of the world. We are an army out to set other men free. America should be free ground, all of it, not divided by a line between slave states and free - all the way from here to the Pacific Ocean. No man has to bow. No man born to royalty. ... It's the idea that we all have value - you and me. What we are fighting for, in the end, we're fighting for each other."

     On the other side of this are men like Lee and Longstreet, professional soldiers fighting for their home-state. Longstreet tells Lee that he "couldn't fight against Georgia, South Carolina. Not against my own family..."  Yet he used to command many of the men he now finds himself fighting against. "I sometimes feel troubled. Those fellas - those boys in blue - they never quite seem the enemy." This goes back to the theme of brotherhood, as many men on both sides feel a kinship with their enemies. In Lincoln's words, "Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other." Lee speaks of the "higher duty" he felt toward Virginia and says that he believes the issue is ultimately in God's hands, "We can only do our duty."

     In Lee we see explored that age old idea, perhaps best embodied by William Shakespeare's Henry V, of the burden of command. What kind of toll does it take to send men to their deaths, to know that an error on your part could lead to a terrible cost in human life? He tells Longstreet, "General, soldiering has one great trap: to be a good solider you must love the army. To be a good commander, you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love. We do not fear our own death you and I. But there comes a time... We are prepared to loose some of us, but we are never prepared to loose all of us." This echoes the words of Henry the night before Agincourt, "Now, if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the king that led them to it; whom to disobey were against all proportion of subjection."

     In contrast we have Longstreet, forced to order his subordinates to make costly, futile attacks because his superior officer has told him to do so. As the Confederates prepare for Pickett's charge we see two contrasting attitudes. Some of them feel invincible, they believe they will succeed and are proud to be participating in this great endeavor. Others realize they are doomed to fail but are determined to go anyway. Both sentiments can be summed up in the words of General Dick Garnett (played by Andrew Prine), "... and maybe today, this day, will be the last day. I've got to ride up there. Well, Lo; I'll see you at the top." Garnett went into the battle with a wounded leg, and lead the charge on horseback, becoming a target for the union riflemen. He made the charge despite the protestations of his fellow officers because he felt honor bound to do so. Many of the men who made the charge had similar feelings. Historian Shelby Foote once remarked, "If you stop to think about it, it would have been much harder not go then to go. It would have taken a great deal of courage to say 'Marse Robert I ain't goin'. Nobody's got that much courage."

     Writer/Director Ronald Maxwell saw the Civil War as existing in a sort of turning point between chivalric and modern warfare. It was a bloody affair that took a tremendous toll but the men who fought it and, in particular the officers who lead them, were possessed of a certain sense of honor and duty that Maxwell feels is missing in more contemporary conflicts. The title of book sums up the paradox of the modern war and indeed of all wars: they bring out the absolute worst qualities in men, cruelty, hatred, apathy, but are also an occasion for courage, sacrifice and brotherly love. Soldiers are killers, but oftentimes they're angels as well.

     At the same time, Gettysburg is incredibly unique for a war film made in the early 90's in that it neither Hollywoodizes the event nor does it seek to promote a political message or agenda. It portrays the battle more or less as it actually occurred and allows the audience to make their own judgement. The filmmakers could easily have portrayed the confederates as overconfident, mustache twirling villains but instead it humanizes them and shows the audience their point of view. It seems clear, particularly in the conversation between General Kemper and English observer Arthur Fremantle, that many of them struggle to justify the southern cause, playing down the issue of slavery in favor of states rights. Some contemporary critics saw this as the film promoting southern propaganda but it's really just portraying the Confederates as the flawed, complex individuals they were.

     Ronald F. Maxwell was not experienced in making a film of this scale and scope and it does show at times. Some of the bit part actors aren't the best and there is some questionable editing and shot choice from time to time but, for the most part, his direction is really good. He uses a lot of longer takes, reframing within a single shot effortlessly. The cinematographer, Kees Van Oostrum, creates some impressive, painterly images, capturing iconic moments and locations from the battle. Despite their limited resources, they were able to effectively capture the massive scale of the conflict, with thousands of extras taking part in Pickett's charge. He also pulls off some impressive tracking shots during the battle scenes, especially on Little Round Top, where he had to run the camera up and down the hill with a pulley.

     The battle scenes are really well done and each one is given its own unique feel. The opening skirmish between Heth's division and Buford's cavalry has a real sense of urgency and desperation as the general anxiously awaits reinforcements. The fight between the 2nd Maine and the 14th Alabama on Little Round Top is one of the most stirring battle scenes in movie history, as Chamberlain snatches victory from the jaws of defeat using an obscure textbook maneuver and an unexpected bayonet charge. This scene effectively utilizes tension and release, as the Union soldiers continually experience small victories, only to move closer and closer to defeat. Finally, Pickett's charge is overhung with a sense of destiny as we watch thousands of Confederate soldiers cheerfully march toward their death. These three engagements are used to frame the three day battle, focusing on one part of the battlefield each day while also giving you a sense of the bigger picture.

     Randy Edelman, the film's composer, makes really good use of marching songs and folk tunes which add to movie's historical feel. Stirring, emotional, tragic, and at times haunting Edelman's score never fails to transport me to another time and place. Listening to it, you feel as if something truly historic is about to unfold. Despite the epic, bombastic nature of the score it's the quieter, emotional moments that really stand out. Chamberlain and Kilrain musing about their personal reasons for fighting, Longstreet trying to comfort Lee after the battle, the reunion of Lawrence and Thomas after Pickett's charge, all of these moments are imbued with genuine pathos by Edelman's music. His use of leitmotif and his mix of period, orchestral, and more modern electronic instruments create an emotionally effective score that has a really timeless quality to it.

      The performances are all excellent. Jeff Daniels, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor by the Chicago Film Critics Association for his performance, is simply brilliant as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. He brings the citizen soldier's conviction and down-to-earth attitude to life. Daniels is seriously underappreciated as a dramatic actor. Tom Berenger brings a lot of pathos and humanity to James Longstreet. The scenes leading up to Pickett's charge are particularly effective, as we see the general all but break down under the pressure. His performance was one of the things that immediately endeared the film to me. Richard Jordan's final performance (he died before the film's release) is really touching. Armistead is the film's embodiment of the brother-against-brother archetype and Jordan really imbues the character with a sense of tragedy and pathos. His performance in the scene where Armistead, dying from his wounds, implores Thomas Chamberlain to let him speak to Hancock, only to be informed that his former friend has been struck down as well, is truly moving.

     Stephen Lang (clearly an enthusiast of history himself) is pitch perfect as George Pickett, the Virgnia dandy who turns into a disillusioned, broken man in a manner of hours as he sees his regiment decimated during the charge that bears his name. His delivery of the line, "General Lee, I have no regiment", accompanied by a dramatic pan in courtesy of Van Oostrum, is simply haunting. Sam Elliot is a natural fit for the professional, no-nonsense John Buford. It's hard to imagine anyone else in the role. Martin Sheen's performance as Robert E. Lee is a source of contention for many. Playing a revered, quasi-mythic figure is no small challenge and Sheen's performance is certainly more subdued then one might expect (he's also too short for the role) but he does bring a real sense of humanity to Lee. There is one scene, Lee admonishing General Stuart (Joseph Fuqua) for his negligence, where the actor brilliantly conveys the General's imposing personality.

     I would be remiss not to mention the thousands of Civil War reenactors who served as extras, without pay I may add (TNT donated money for battlefield preservation in lieu of payment). Not only did this allow the film makers to save millions of dollars that would have had to spend on wages, uniforms, and equipment, it also added an extra layer of authenticity to the film. These men are incredibly passionate about accurately portraying history (some even had ancestors who fought in the battle) and they contribute so many little details that many wouldn't even notice. During the filming of Pickett's charge many of them got caught up in the moment and openly wept.

     This kind of passion for history extends to everyone who worked on the film. The cast all talk about the sense of history on the set being palpable. Maxwell, of course, was so devoted to the project that he spent fifteen years trying to get it made. Even producer Ted Turner got into the spirit of things, appearing in a cameo as Confederate Colonel Waller T. Patton, who is killed during Pickett's charge (Ken Burns also has a cameo as one of General Hancock's aides).

     Watching Gettysburg is like going back in time, walking the hallowed ground of the battlefield as the ghosts of the combatants pass by. It is a perfect encapsulation of this most important event in American history.