Gods and Generals (2003)

"...An Awesome Sense of Authenticity and Scope...  Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Editor's Note This epic film from writer-director Ron Maxwell chronicles the early events of the American Civil War. It's a prequel to his earlier GETTYSBURG, with some of the same cast, and is part of a planned trilogy. Stephen Lang plays Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, the famous (and deeply religious) Confederate general who, along with fellow General Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall), must weigh the mighty consequences of his actions, as each battle costs the lives of thousands of men. Over on the Union side there's Jeff Daniels as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, who, like Jackson and Lee, is fond of making long, poetic speeches to his troops. Beginning with the start of the war and ending with Jackson's death, the film chronicles the three main battles leading up to Gettysburg, using their actual locations and thousands of actual Civil War re-enactors as extras. Maxwell pays careful attention to authentic period detail as he chronicles the minutiae of the generals' domestic lives in the intervals between the harrowing battle scenes. While a little on the long side, the end result should serve as an invaluable document for history buffs. Mogul Ted Turner was an executive producer and appears in a small role.

	C. Thomas Howell
	Frankie Faison
	Jeff Daniels
	Jeremy London
	Mira Sorvino
	Robert Duvall
	Kevin Conway
	Mark J. Nichols
	Stephen Lang
	Jeff Shaara - Based On Novel By
	Kees Van Oostrum - Cinematographer
	Ronald F. Maxwell - Director
	Corky Ehlers - Editor
	Ted Turner - Executive Producer
	Ronald F. Maxwell - Producer
	Michael Z. Hanan - Production Designer
	Ronald F. Maxwell - Screenplay

New York Times
"...[The film] should delight Civil War buffs....Beautifully photographed in various locations around Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia..." 02/21/2003 p.E13

Variety
"...[With] rich and full-bodied widescreen cinematography..." 02/17/2003 p.39-40

Box Office
"...The film is beautifully shot by Kees Van Oostrum and the sounds of battle by Stephen Halbert measure up to the greatness of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. There is much to relish in this epic..." 05/01/2003 p.62

Los Angeles Times
"...GODS AND GENERALS is well-structured....Maxwell gives us a clear sense of the issues that divided America, a vivid sense of the cumbersome logistics involved, the complexity of battles and, in the instance of Fredericksburg, what it was like for a town to be overrun by warfare..." 02/21/2003 p.C6

Uncut
"Solid, stirring stuff..." 07/01/2004 p.144

Chicago Sun-Times 5 of 10
Gods and Generals is the kind of movie beloved by people who never go to the movies, because they are primarily interested in something else--the Civil War, for example--and think historical accuracy is a virtue instead of an attribute. The film plays like a special issue of American Heritage. Ted Turner is one of its prime movers and gives himself an instantly recognizable cameo appearance. Since sneak previews must already have informed him that his sudden appearance draws a laugh, apparently he can live with that. - Roger Ebert

L.A. Times 5 of 10
Just as the Civil War revealed a nation divided, Ronald F. Maxwell's Gods and Generals, a prequel to his 1993 Gettysburg, is a film divided. With an awesome sense of authenticity and scope, he has staged three major battles leading up to the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, but he has populated his film with paragons rather than people. - Kevin Thomas

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 5 of 10
One could easily make the argument that Gettysburg is among the best war movies ever made. Despite its four-plus hour running length, the high drama and pacing of the film allow the time to breeze by. So, when it was announced that much of the cast and production team would re-assemble to adapt Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals, the "prequel" to "The Killer Angels" (the book upon which Gettysburg is based), I was encouraged. Sadly, the movie falls far short of expectations. So far short, in fact, that I can recommend this motion picture only to two kinds of individuals: die-hard Civil War buffs and insomniacs. If ever there was a movie that could cause even the most restless sleeper to fall into a deep slumber, this is it. - James Berardinelli