Gettysburg (1993, PG)

Directed by: Ronald Maxwell

Grade: A

Watching Gettysburg is like watching vivid history that is authentically reproduced to the very best it can on screen.  At its core, Gettysburg is a Civil War reenactment show that has been caught on camera, but the imposing battle sequences, stunning cinematography and impressive performances make Gettysburg one of the most authoritive motion picture experiences that I have seen.

The film begins on a practical level, but then slowly opens to epic film standards.  We are given a map of the battlefields of the Civil War in 1863: the Confederate army of 75,000 men under General Robert Lee invades Pennsylvania in an attempt to defeat General Meade’s army of 85,000 men and outflank Washington D.C.  The two armies would meet at a little town called Gettysburg… Once this brief (and thoroughly necessary) prologue is done with, the camera reveals a steamy, foggy morning over a field of Union army troops.  We come to witness the staggering amount of military forces squaring off against each other, and comprehensively are given deep, careful insight into the commanders and the individual fighting soldier of the opposing armies. 

The images in Gettysburg speak to us like poetry, whether it be that steamy, foggy morning over a field of Union army troops; a massive shot that encompasses the two armies charging across open fields to inflict bereavement upon the other; a lonely, wounded prisoner of war who reflects even to his captors what he, as an individual has lost in the deadly conflict; a group of officers discussing battle plans at night around a simple campfire; or two brothers embracing each other when the tragic battle has at last come to an end, glad only that the other had survived.

Watching the battle scenes of the film delivers a true feeling of real Civil War combat.  It’s not too hard to realize, almost too soon, that none of the men who charged into battle stood a chance.  We are witnessed to a colossal barrage of cannon fire that tears apart the ranks of endless lines of men, marching across the battlefield with their bayoneted muskets held tightly.  We are able to observe several other acts of heroism, including what I hold to be the most memorable moment of the film: the Battle of Little Round Top, in which 200 Union soldiers hold the high ground against an attacking force of over 1,000 Confederates.  The Union force proves indomitable when they charge forward with bayonets once the last of their bullets are expended, and rout the Confederate force.  Things grow saddening once the tragedy of Pickett’s Charge has taken place (a third of the 15,000 Confederates survived the futile attack), but we are at last allowed to reflect on the incidents that have taken place, and it’s at this crucial point in which the film lets us know that civil wars are always the deadly with brother against brother, tearing a nation apart.  It’s a good thing, then, that the United States of America was preserved as one nation.

Gettysburg is a film that is performed on a near-faultless level, and watching it brings about a special appreciation for cinema, but to a greater extent, appreciation for the men who did battle in the American Civil War as well.  As a work of moviemaking even of the finest value, Gettysburg performs way beyond expectations, and stands as a preeminent war film that sends us right into the experience.  Watching Gettysburg isn’t like watching a movie; it’s like watching authentic history being replayed before our eyes.  A