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Archive for July 1st, 2009

eric on Jul 1st 2009 Civil War, Movies, Video

Not the greatest movie, but still…

Sometimes it’s not about how good a movie is – how well it was made or acted (or reenacted).

The movie Gettysburg falls into that category for me. It’s not a great movie. And if it weren’t for Sam Elliot, I’d probably say it wasn’t even an especially good movie. But even with its many flaws, its historical inaccuracies, its bad acting (and reenacting), it still holds a fine place in my heart.

It’s probably not possible to make a Civil War movie on the scale of Saving Private Ryan (for example). Hollywood is okay with WW2 movies, but the Civil War remains largely untouched.

This is a shame since it was quite possibly the most important event in American history (post-revolution). As the 150th anniversary rolls around maybe that will change.

Today is the 146th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. Neither Union or Confederate commanders wished for a full scale battle on this day. The Confederates pretty well wandered into a thin line of Union cavalry. Thinking they could just brush them aside, they pushed on, but the Cavalry put up some still resistance and held the ground until the infantry could arrive.

Even with infantry reinforcements, the Confederates out numbered the Union troops, routing them by day’s end.

You can read more about it here. There are even maps!

So today I’ll settle down for a viewing of the movie Gettysburg and enjoy it greatly, despite its flaws.

I’d rather be in Gettysburg, of course. Today, they are offering their anniversary tours. Thankfully, PCN TV will be rebroadcasting them starting tonight at 9pm (midnight for you east coasters).