Gods and Generals (2003)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Ronald F. Maxwell

Writers (WGA):

Jeff Shaara (book)
Ronald F. Maxwell (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 February 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

The nations heart was touched by....

Plot:

Gods and Generals follows the rise and fall of legendary war hero "Stonewall Jackson". The prequel to the 1993 hit Gettysburg. |

Plot Keywords:

Battle Of Chancellorsville | American Civil War | Civil War | Confederacy | Epic

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Jeff Daniels	...	Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Mark Aldrich	...	Adjutant
Stephen Lang	...	Lt. Gen. Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson
George Allen	...	Confederate Officer
Robert Duvall	...	Gen. Robert E. Lee
Keith Allison	...	Capt. James J. White
Mira Sorvino	...	Fanny Chamberlain
Royce D. Applegate	...	Brig. Gen. James Kemper (as Royce Applegate)
Kevin Conway	...	Sgt. Buster Kilrain
C. Thomas Howell	...	Sgt. Thomas Chamberlain
Matt Letscher	...	Col. Adelbert Ames
Mac Butler	...	Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker
Frankie Faison	...	Jim Lewis
Robert Byrd	...	Confederate General (as Robert C. Byrd)
Jeremy London	...	Capt. Alexander 'Sandie' Pendleton

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sustained battle sequences.

Runtime:

231 min | Canada:218 min (Ontario) | Sweden:209 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #39490) | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Denmark:11 | Germany:12 | UK:12A | Canada:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Antietam Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Maryland, USA

Company:

Turner Pictures (I)

Trivia:

Martin Sheen was asked to reprise his role of Robert E. Lee from Gettysburg (1993), but could not due to commitment to "The West Wing" (1999). The role was given to 'Robert Duvall (I)', who is actually a descendant of Lee.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Wristwatch visible on the confederate soldier nearest the camera in many of the Fredricksburg sections.

Quotes:

General Robert E. Lee: He's lost his left arm. I've lost my right.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Bonnie Blue Flag

The life and times of Stonewall Jackson

This was an excellent Civil War film! This movie was quite long and could have been trimmed but it depicted the great Stonewall Jackson quite accurately as a fierce but religious warrior who bravely fought for his State and believed in the cause that he was fighting for. He was a man of contradiction, one who read and preached the bible but also believed in harsh dicipline to those who he felt were derelict in their duty! I especially enjoyed the scene where he precided over the execution of his close friend's son who was caught trying to desert the army due to cowardise. His untimely death from pneumonia after being severely wounded by mistake by his own troops was well done. I read a good book about his life and times called "Stonewall" several years ago and the movie follows the book quite accurately, especially how deeply religious he was and how brilliantly he could size up an ongoing battle, evaluate the enemy weaknesses and counterattack effectively. His only real weakness which ultimately lead to his untimely death, was his utter disregard for his own safety as he believed that "Providence" was responsible when a man's death was going to happen. Going behind enemy lines at night to try to find their weakness should have been left to his subordinates. He never realized (as General Lee always knew) just how irreplaceable his battlefield brilliance was. It was no coincidence that the Confederates won the early battles during the Civil War under his guidance and lost the majority of the battles following his death. If he had lived to fight at Gettysburg, he would not have permitted Lee to attack the Union forces on such unfavorable terrain, since the Union held the high ground. Stonewall's death proved to be the biggest turning point in the Civil War as the South could not overcome their numerical inferiority without his brilliant leadership. This movie does a great job in capturing Stonewall's complex personality and his important role in fighting for a cause that he truly believed in. I would rate it a 9 on a 10 point scale.