Product Description

A sweeping epic charting the early years of the Civil War and how campaigns unfolded from Manassas to the Battle of Fredericksburg, this prequel to the film Gettysburg explores the motivations of the combatants and examines the lives of those who waited at home.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4498 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-07-15
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 219 minutes

Amazon.com

The more you know about the Civil War, the more you'll appreciate Gods and Generals and the painstaking attention to detail that Gettysburg writer-director Ronald F. Maxwell has invested in this academically respectable 220-minute historical pageant. In adapting Jeffrey Shaara's 1996 novel (encompassing events of 1861-63, specifically the Virginian battles of Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville), Maxwell sacrifices depth for scope while focusing on the devoutly religious "Stonewall" Jackson (Stephen Lang), whose Confederate campaigns endear him to Gen. Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall, giving the film's most subtle performance). Battles are impeccably recreated using 7,500 Civil War re-enactors and sanitized PG-13 violence, their authenticity compromised by tasteful discretion and endless scenes of grandiloquent dialogue. Still, as the first part of a trilogy that ends with The Last Full Measure, this is a superbly crafted, instantly essential film for Civil War study. For all its misguided priorities, Gods and Generals is a noble effort, honoring faith and patriotism with the kind of reverence that has all but vanished from American film – but provides abundant proof that historical accuracy is no guarantee of great storytelling. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
I think Jeff Shannon wrote the best review here. What more can I say other than this movie was a disappointment in light of the far superior Gettysburg. Gettysburg only covered one portion of one battle while Gods and Generals attempts to tackle the entire first third of the war. I think they should have recast the entire movie. I love Jeff Daniels as Chamberlain, but he was too weary for this "prequel". Tom Berenger, Richard Jordan and Sam Elliot of missed...so why retain the lesser cast. The actors portraying the youthful Major Taylor and Col. Alexander are in their forties now, it seems that Fredericksburg had a "fountain of youth" effect on many of these officers, as they were young, fit and healthy by the time Gettysburg rolled around!!!

Great historical film
This movie is not only historically accurate, it is inspirational.

I think the bad reviews are largely due to the fact that the Confederate Generals, mainly General Thomas Jackson was portrayed as a good pious man ( which he certainly was ) and not a racism bigot as many of the reviewers would like to have seen.

I highly recommend this movie!

Gods and Generals
With out a doubt the best depiction of Thomas"Stonewall" Jackson I have ever viewed. Ted Turner has created a masterpiece and captured the real Jackson. Certainly one of the great Civil War films