Hello, all! We’re sticking with the Civil War for today’s film, which succeeds not so much because all of its elements coming together in a cohesive, even persuasive way [like yesterday’s flick does] but rather because of the absolutely brilliant performance of its star. While other generals get a fair amount of screen time, the focus is on Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. As you’ve no doubt guessed, the film I’m recommending today is GODS AND GENERALS. The [surprisingly good] trailer for the film is embedded below:
Like George C. Scott commanded the screen in PATTON, Stephen Lang is simply magnetic as “Stonewall” Jackson. I’d mentioned at the outset of this little “series” of mine that some military history folks are particularly focused on a single battle, or even a single individual… well, @stonewall_jackson, this one is for you.
So, in my write-up of GLORY in yesterday’s installment, I was somewhat snarky about how being particularly fastidious about historical accuracy was likely to be a case of allowing the perfect to be an enemy of the great, suggesting that those folks read a book, instead. Well, this film may very well be a good middle ground for them, being an adaptation of one of the three books in Michael/Jeff Shaara’s so-called “Civil War Trilogy.” [As an aside, I’m more of a Shelby Foote guy, but I digress…] The cinematic adaptations of those films started with an adaptation of Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels, becoming the somewhat bloated GETTYSBURG [which, ironically, had Stephen Lang in it, too, portraying the guy in charge (pun intended) of Lee’s ill-fated order, Maj. Gen. George Pickett]. Then, ten years after the release of GETTYSBURG, the film series hops in the nearest available DeLorean to rewind back to the years leading up to the pivotal Civil War battle for this one. Despite the chronological inconsistency, the producers learned a few lessons from their first outing and applied those in a film that works much better as a biopic than its predecessor ever did as a quasi-documentary.
For anyone put off by the runtime of this one [despite being about an hour shorter than GETTYSBURG, it still clocks in at about three and a half hours], the film had an intermission when I saw it in theaters [the last I’ve experienced (and tomorrow’s flick was the first, hint hint…)] so maybe there’s an A-Side/B-Side kind of approach like there was with A BRIDGE TOO FAR? Honestly, I haven’t seen this one since it was in the theaters, so I don’t know about how it was formatted to DVD/Blu-Ray; apologies for that one.
Despite the comparatively crisp pace, the film takes its time where it needs to do so. Reprising his role as Joshua Chamberlain, and he’s again more than serviceable in the role [albeit less memorable, perhaps, than his role in GETTYSBURG, though that’s a function of the near-miracle Chamberlain accomplished in that battle]. Replacing Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee is Robert Duvall… and his performance here is understated unto the point of being almost surprisingly forgettable. Save for his first appearance [wherein, if memory serves, he refuses command of the Union Army] and one of his last lines [about Jackson losing his arm], there’s just not the same sort of gravitas by Duvall that one would expect. But, it turns out not to matter too much because the performance that is the backbone of the film is Lang’s turn as “Stonewall” Jackson, which was fantastic despite not being recognized by any major awards ceremonies.
Much like “Band of Brothers” worked better than “The Pacific” because of its consistency, so, too, does this film succeed by following Jackson throughout the film. There are other subjects addressed, of course, some clumsily – the Irish vs. Irish aspect of the Battle of Fredericksburg, in particular – but the film lives and dies with the strength of Lang’s performance, and it’s such a good one that recommending an entire movie around it seemed appropriate. If you’ve got a few spare hours, enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Director's Cut); Day 2 - GLADIATOR; Day 3 - TROY; Day 4 - SPARTACUS; Day 5 - BRAVEHEART; Day 6 - MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD; Day 7 - GLORY]
Like George C. Scott commanded the screen in PATTON, Stephen Lang is simply magnetic as “Stonewall” Jackson. I’d mentioned at the outset of this little “series” of mine that some military history folks are particularly focused on a single battle, or even a single individual… well, @stonewall_jackson, this one is for you.
So, in my write-up of GLORY in yesterday’s installment, I was somewhat snarky about how being particularly fastidious about historical accuracy was likely to be a case of allowing the perfect to be an enemy of the great, suggesting that those folks read a book, instead. Well, this film may very well be a good middle ground for them, being an adaptation of one of the three books in Michael/Jeff Shaara’s so-called “Civil War Trilogy.” [As an aside, I’m more of a Shelby Foote guy, but I digress…] The cinematic adaptations of those films started with an adaptation of Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels, becoming the somewhat bloated GETTYSBURG [which, ironically, had Stephen Lang in it, too, portraying the guy in charge (pun intended) of Lee’s ill-fated order, Maj. Gen. George Pickett]. Then, ten years after the release of GETTYSBURG, the film series hops in the nearest available DeLorean to rewind back to the years leading up to the pivotal Civil War battle for this one. Despite the chronological inconsistency, the producers learned a few lessons from their first outing and applied those in a film that works much better as a biopic than its predecessor ever did as a quasi-documentary.
For anyone put off by the runtime of this one [despite being about an hour shorter than GETTYSBURG, it still clocks in at about three and a half hours], the film had an intermission when I saw it in theaters [the last I’ve experienced (and tomorrow’s flick was the first, hint hint…)] so maybe there’s an A-Side/B-Side kind of approach like there was with A BRIDGE TOO FAR? Honestly, I haven’t seen this one since it was in the theaters, so I don’t know about how it was formatted to DVD/Blu-Ray; apologies for that one.
Despite the comparatively crisp pace, the film takes its time where it needs to do so. Reprising his role as Joshua Chamberlain, and he’s again more than serviceable in the role [albeit less memorable, perhaps, than his role in GETTYSBURG, though that’s a function of the near-miracle Chamberlain accomplished in that battle]. Replacing Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee is Robert Duvall… and his performance here is understated unto the point of being almost surprisingly forgettable. Save for his first appearance [wherein, if memory serves, he refuses command of the Union Army] and one of his last lines [about Jackson losing his arm], there’s just not the same sort of gravitas by Duvall that one would expect. But, it turns out not to matter too much because the performance that is the backbone of the film is Lang’s turn as “Stonewall” Jackson, which was fantastic despite not being recognized by any major awards ceremonies.
Much like “Band of Brothers” worked better than “The Pacific” because of its consistency, so, too, does this film succeed by following Jackson throughout the film. There are other subjects addressed, of course, some clumsily – the Irish vs. Irish aspect of the Battle of Fredericksburg, in particular – but the film lives and dies with the strength of Lang’s performance, and it’s such a good one that recommending an entire movie around it seemed appropriate. If you’ve got a few spare hours, enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Director's Cut); Day 2 - GLADIATOR; Day 3 - TROY; Day 4 - SPARTACUS; Day 5 - BRAVEHEART; Day 6 - MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD; Day 7 - GLORY]
