North vs. the South--the Best Civil War films
Jun 01 '01
The Bottom Line We have fewer great Civil War films than we do about many other wars, but there are some real classics at the top.
Recently we’ve seen a resurgence in World War II films after the critical and commercial success of Saving Private Ryan. It seems that the current generation gets serious about honoring the veterans of the previous generation when the last handful of survivors is still around, so that means we can expect some sentimental tributes 50 to 60 years after the war.
For the Civil War that would be the early part of the twentieth century near the birth of the film age, so it’s no surprise to find a couple of notable Civil War films during the silent era. With this war defining the American character as much as it did and re-shaping the country’s political fortunes, it would seem that we’d have a wealth of films to choose from. Not so.
Putting together a top ten Civil War film list proves most difficult after getting past choice number five unless we consider civil wars in countries like Spain, England, and Russia. But I’m assuming that the people who proposed this list were thinking of the American Civil War, so I’ll eliminate referencing such excellent films like Battleship Potemkin, October, and The Butterfly.
That means the bottom films of the list are real stretches to qualify on any top ten list.
10. Post Civil War John Wayne movies—No, John Wayne never actually fought in the Civil War. It just seems that way. Or at least nearly all his Westerns portray the Duke returning to his Texas roots immediately following the Civil War—The Searchers (1956), Rio Lobo (1970), and The Undefeated (1969). Another reason that I’m referring to these John Wayne movies collectively is that I’d hate to feel obligated to place Love Me Tender (1956) or Kevin Costner’s self-indulgent Dances with Wolves (1990) in the number 10 slot.
9. Gettysburg (1993)
Based on Michael Shaara’s excellent historic fictional novel, The Killer Angels, this four hour plus film details the crucial battle of Gettysburg with a great deal of historic accuracy. While history buffs will salute the re-enactments of Chamberlain’s creative defense of the Little Round Top and the daring of Pickett’s Charge, the film itself plods through the screenplay and could use some tighter editing.
8. Shenandoah (1965)
If you’re in the mood for sentiment and for righteousness, who can deliver better than everyman Jimmy Stewart? In this film Stewart plays a Virginia farmer determined to remain neutral in the War between the States, but family comes first and Stewart will be forced to take on the Yankees. (Seems that most of the emotional films about the Civil War will be seen from a Southern perspective)
7. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1962)
French director Robert Enrico transforms this classic Ambrose Bierce tale into a 24-minute cinematic gem, set during the Civil War as the protagonist is about to be hanged for spying. The French actors require no subtitles since spoken language is almost non-existent. The film is quirky enough to have played on the Twilight Zone, so you know what that means. . . doo dee doo doo
6. The Red Badge of Courage (1951)
John Huston’s black and white film about the inner struggles universal to all soldiers captures the spirit of Stephen Crane’s novel better than more modern Technicolor adaptations (though I wish he had done something with the pivotal confrontation with “death” that Crane describes so vividly). Adding greatly to Huston’s film is the insightful casting of World War II hero Audie Murphy as young Henry Fleming.
5. Birth of a Nation (1915)
I’m aware of the negative reactions that people will have towards this blatantly pro-South and outrageously racist film; however, consider that Birth of a Nation was created in 1915, long before more tolerant racial views had become accepted and above all consider the landmark film artistry of D.W. Griffith. There are many reasons that current film students look beyond the subject matter and continue to study Griffith’s masterpiece closely. Historically, this film also represents the first true American blockbuster.
4. The General (1927)
Buster Keaton’s greatest film—that should be more than enough reason to check this great comedy out. Besides some outstanding comic moments, The General mesmerizes with one of the greatest chase scenes in film history.
3. Glory (1989)
The South has generally been winning the Civil War film battles by having more of the better films favoring the southern point of view, so here’s an emotional film coming from the Yankee perspective—more specifically concerning the volunteer black regiment of the Massachusetts 54th. Mathew Broderick sheds his Ferris Bueller persona to lead his regiment and overcome prejudice within the Union and Confederate armies in the historic charge on Ft. McHenry while Denzel Washington sheds some tears and wins a Supporting Actor Award.
2. The Civil War (TV mini-series—1990)
An incredible amount of research was poured into this ten-part mini-series for PBS now available on VHS and DVD. Ken Burns does a remarkable job organizing the personal letters and pictures to create a comprehensive and compelling narrative of little known aspects of the Civil War that will find a more prominent place in American classrooms. Besides enlisting the services of well-known Civil War historians like Shelby Foote, Burns wisely employs the voice talents of actors such as Morgan Freeman, Sam Waterston, and M. Emmett Walsh to keep his historical documentary lively. And is there a more haunting melody than “Ashokan Farewell?"
1. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Of course, this Clark Gable/Vivian Leigh classic has to be on anyone’s Civil War list. Does any other film capture the prevailing attitude of the old South than this 1939 romantic epic? Give the film credit for holding up over the years—it still packs people into theaters whenever it gets re-released to the big screen (especially in the South). Sure it’s smaltzy in parts by today’s standards, but Gone with the Wind remains a lot of fun. And you don’t need to know anything about birthin’ babies to enjoy it! Frankly, I don’t give a damn if anyone says this film doesn’t deserve the top spot—as God is my witness, this is the number one Civil War film!
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Member: John Nesbit
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Watching movies and baseball, now reviewing at oldschoolreviews.com
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