Yesterday Kevin posted a comment about trying to show GODS & GENERALS to his high school history class and how the movie gets worse every time he sees it. I couldn’t agree more. His comment got me thinking, has there really been a “great†Civil War movie? Let’s take a look. First we have to define “great.†I’m not talking about historical accuracy alone. Actually, I’m not all that sure accuracy is the most important element. I don’t want to debate that issue. But certainly the writer has a responsibility to try and be as accurate as possible. I remember listening to William Goldman talk about his experiences writing A BRIDGE TOO FAR – arguably a great WWII movie. It was a difficult experience for him and one he said he would never want to do again. (I’m paraphrasing him from memory so please don’t quote me.)
As a screenwriter who has adapted a Civil War novel for a producer (I doubt it will ever see the light of day), I can say that when I started writing I was not sitting there with a lot of research at hand. I had character profiles, my notes from the novel and some research, storyboards, and lots of notes from the producer who made darn sure I kept certain elements in from the book. Remember, movies are collaborative projects. This also explains why they can be so bad. You can have producers (4 or 5 of them), studio executives (3 or 4), actors (only a few big enough to get a word in), and the director all giving the poor writer notes. It is not uncommon for a screenplay to go through 4 or 5 writers and a dozen or so drafts. Which is why some movies seem like a bunch of different ones all wrapped up into one. But when the stars align, collaborations in filmmaking can create truly great movies. For me it was one producer and that was all. As a writer working with a “period†(historical) story you want to stay accurate in terms of the spirit of the times and thematically true to the historical events and time period, but I was in no way obligated contractually. It was first and foremost a job.
So when we talk about a great Civil War film I think we need to look at it in terms of intent and accuracy, to a degree, as well as narrative, character, and all the other elements that make a good movie. Was the story generally faithful to the events portrayed? Did the story establish the right tone, mood, and feel? Did the characters have substance and depth and were they portrayed, once again, with some accuracy? And finally, there’s theme, which is the most important aspect for me and represents the emotional core of the narrative. It’s what the story hinges on. The characters will intrigue you and the story can be vivid, but did it resonate with you?
Okay, so great Civil War movies. Lets look at a potential list: GLORY, a fine film that most people seem to have positive things to say about it. But it was not historically accurate in numerous ways, as has been pointed out by historians. Can the movie give enough of the spirit of the events to inspire people to do their own research and learn about it? That’s key I think. As I said, I do not want to argue that point. I’ll leave that to James McPherson and other historians. (Here’s a good article on that issue.) GETTYSBURG, another decent film that seems to be popular and was fairly historically accurate. But I’m not sure it warrants the title great. My only wish is that it had the budget and technology GODS & GENERALS had, which was an unmitigated disaster. GODS & GENERALS… well, it was pretty accurate, only it was so poorly contrived that no one could stand it. Yes, I know, you loved it. It was a sermon, a lecture, an apology, not a story. It was the result of over the top and heavy-handed writing by Ron Maxwell. I would be interested to know what others thought? There’s also CLASS OF 61’, which is not well known and might be worth consideration. I felt like it portrayed events with good intentions. RIDE WITH THE DEVIL is one of my favorites but by no means a great film. ANDERSONVILLE was at times powerful, but also surrounded by controversy. THE HUNLEY, also a favorite of mine and one that also tells a powerful story about the people involved. Here are some classics: GONE WITH THE WIND, RED BADGE OF COURAGE, SHENANDOAH, THE HORSE SOLDIERS and MOSBY’S MARAUDERS. Let’s not forget the TV mini-series, NORTH AND SOUTH, which I think has aged some but is still a decent presentation of the time period. There’s some others that might warrant mention but are not candidates, at least I wouldn’t think so: THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, SOUTHERN YANKEE, GENERAL SPANKY, DRUMS IN THE DEEP SOUTH, ALVAREZ KELLY and BIRTH OF A NATION. I don’t know if this is all of them, but I’d say it’s real close.
When you look at this list does any one of them jump out at you as being “greatâ€? Do any of them compare, for example, with some of the great World War II movies? So, if there are so many books written about the Civil War, countless groups and clubs, reenactments that attract thousands of people, and history buffs in every family (all of which provides a fan base), why can’t they make a truly great movie? Surely enough people show up to see it…
