Gettysburg

Gettysburg, directed by Ronald F. Maxwell, depicts the three day battle that would ultimately change the fate of the Civil War. The movie gathers power and momentum with every scene. Actors and scenes were shot over the same grounds on which the exact battle was held, bringing a sense of authenticity. With historical precision, Gettysburg provides a rare opportunity to see not only the clash of arms on the field of battle in 1863, but the will of those who took part.

Over 50,000 were killed or wounded during the battle. The cinematography brings life to the logic behind the casualties. The reason for the numerous deaths was lack of strategy in the battles. The war tactics of the Potamac and Virginian armies seemed to be simple and unskilled. Both armies would line up side by side and walk straight into the face of the enemy. In the scene illustrating Chamberlain’s defense of the Little Round Top, although it was fought in a thick forest surrounding, soldiers brutally rampaged straight into the enemy without a sign of formation or the exercise of camouflage.

The South had wanted to secede from the North due to great economic, social, and political reasons. Gettysburg went beyond these differences by running a continuous theme of brotherhood among men. The movie demonstrated the difficulty of war. The mentality of brother against brother, friend against friend made fighting even harder among men. In one scene, when General Amistead is shot on the battlefield, he was immediately discovered by Thomas Chamberlain, who instead of killing Amistead helped him cope with his wound. When Amistead requested to speak with his friend on the other side, Union General Hancock, Thomas told him that Hancock had been shot, which brought great sadness to Amistead. Even the facial expressions from the Confederate and Federal generals seemed gloom as they commanded their men or pulled the trigger.

Beyond the battle scenes, detailed characters also took an important role in...