Gettysburg Movie Review

In early July of 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg took place in the small town of Gettysburg, PA. I wrote an article regarding some Catholics who played a role in the pivotal battle of the Civil War.

In 1993, an all-star cast was assembled to bring the details and events of the turning point of the war to life.

The movie is solely based on the novel “The Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara. The book features one fictional character by the name of Buster Kilrain who serves alongside Col. Joshua Chamberlin of the 20th Maine Regiment. The book would win the 1975 Pulitzer Prize.

Director Ronald F. Maxwell puts together a movie that covers in detail the three days that changed the war forever. There will be no spoiler alerts in the movie. Maxwell exceeded Lawrence of Arabia as one of the longest feature-length films. Maxwell will also direct the movie’s prequel “Gods and Generals” with many familiar faces to the film.

The review will focus on three areas: acting, accuracy, and important scenes.

Acting

The cast of the movie gave some of the most underrated performances. Martin Sheen shined as Robert E. Lee. Jeff Daniels was superb in his portrayal of Joshua Chamberlin who is known as the “Lion of Little Round Top”. Even C. Thomas Howell, who portrayed Lawrence’s brother, Tom, had some extraordinary development during the film. Each actor captured the mannerism and conduct in their portrayal of every historical figure involved on both sides.

In addition to the all-star cast assembled for the film, the film featured many seasoned reenactors which helped with the production of this war film.

Accuracy

In its 4 hours of feature length, the film captured about 80 percent of the details from the battle. There were some parts of the battle that did not make the cut. The hows and whys of the battle were spot on.

For instance, some scenes had commanders on both sides sharing how the high ground was vital in the battle. For Chamberlin, he explained what would happen when they withdraw from Little Round Top. Longstreet and his fellow officers even chastised Lee for his attempts to attack while the Union occupied the high ground.

Some favorite scenes

For me as a history buff, this movie was enjoyable. It may have been long, but it was well worth it. The heat of the battle made many heroes. Three scenes from the movie that stood out to me were Kilrain talking with Chamberlin, Chamberlin’s hard-fought stand at Little Round Top and his charge, and his speech to the 120 mutineers.

Kilrain and Chamberlin

Chamberlin’s character had some provocative development in the movie. He was just made the leader of the 20th Maine regiment. He has received support from one of his soldiers constantly, Buster Kilrain. Kilrain (portrayed by the late Kevin Conway) is one of the characters in Shaara’s novel that was brought to the big screen. He was the fictitious character, yet for Maxwell, he was seen in a crucial support role for one of the heroes of the battle.

After marching for hours on end, Chamberlin and Kilrain converse over what they were fighting for. Kilrain declares that a race can never be judged, only the person.  See more of the scene here.

Little Round Top

The most popular area of the battlefield visited by tourists is Little Round Top. It is there that Chamberlin’s 20th Maine and other regiments from other states would make the biggest stand that helped the Union with its tactical advantage.

Chamberlin’s example of leadership was shown again as he instructed carefully his men on what to do while ensuring victory despite getting wounded in the process. As the men had little to no ammo, he did what any great military leader would do… lead. Chamberlin ordered a bayonet charge down the hill that finally repelled the Confederate’s attempt. He was commended by other leaders and even those in high command.

Plea to the 2nd Maine

Prior to marching into Gettysburg, 120 deserters from a disbanded unit were assigned to Chamberlin. He meets with one of the soldiers. Chamberlin made a plea with them to join the fight.

In his speech, he mentioned what we’re fighting for. The essence of the fight is to free man from enslavement and the country. His delivery was that of a concerned father. He didn’t judge them. Rather, he was calm in his approach.

His plea would come through to 114 of them who want to pick up a rifle as they were split up into different companies.

Gettysburg is a must-watch film. Bear in mind that it is more than 4 hours of run time.

It can be watched on Prime Video, Netflix, or ordering it on demand where available.

Read also “The Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara.