Gods and Generals is a 2003 film based on the novel, Gods and Generals, by Jeffrey Shaara. It is considered a prequel to the 1993 film Gettysburg, which was based on The Killer Angels, a novel by Michael Shaara, Jeff Shaara's father. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Gods and Generals, is the title of a novel by author Michael Shaara and can refer to: Gods and Generals, the novel itself Gods and Generals (film), a film adaption released in 2003 Gods and Generals (video game), a 2003 video game published along side of the film Category: ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 405 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (510 × 755 pixel, file size: 50 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image is of a poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher or the creator of the work depicted. ... Ronald F. Maxwell (b. ... For other persons of this name, see Jeff Daniels (disambiguation). ... Robert Selden Duvall (born January 5, 1931) is an Academy Award and four-time Golden Globe winning American film actor and director. ... Kevin Conway (born May 29, 1942 in New York City) is an American actor and film director. ... C. Thomas Howell (born Christopher Thomas Howell on December 7, 1966 in Los Angeles, California, USA) is an American actor. ... Stephen Lang is a film actor from New York City, New York, who started in theatre on Broadway. ... Brian Mallon is an Irish-American film and theater actor. ... Mira Katherine Sorvino (born September 28, 1967 in Tenafly, New Jersey) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Warner Bros. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... For other uses, see Gods and Generals (disambiguation). ... Jeffrey M. Shaara (born 1952) is an American novelist, the son of Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Shaara. ... Gettysburg was a 1993 movie that dramatized the decisive American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. ... The Killer Angels front cover The Killer Angels (1974) is a historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. ... Michael Shaara Michael Shaara (June 23, 1928 - May 5, 1988) was a writer of science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. ...

The film stars Jeff Daniels as Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and Robert Duvall as Robert E. Lee. While many of the actors from Gettysburg reprised their roles for this film, Stephen Lang is one of a few to play a different character: George Pickett in Gettysburg and Stonewall Jackson in Gods and Generals. Martin Sheen, the original Lee, had conflicts due to the shooting schedule of The West Wing, and was replaced by Duvall. Jeff Daniels and Patricia Heaton in a scene from the TNT cable network remake of The Goodbye Girl Jeff Daniels (born February 19, 1955 in Athens, Georgia) is an American actor. ... Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (September 8, 1828 – February 24, 1914) was a college professor from Maine who volunteered to join the Union Army without the benefit of any formal military education, and became a highly respected and decorated Union officer during the American Civil War, reaching the rank of brigadier general... Robert Selden Duvall (born January 5, 1931) is an Academy Award and four-time Golden Globe winning American film actor and director. ... // This article is about the Confederate general. ... Stephen Lang (b. ... Portrait of George E. Pickett George Edward Pickett (January 28[1] or January 16, 1825 – July 30, 1875) was a career U.S. Army officer who became a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ... For other uses of Stonewall Jackson, see Stonewall Jackson (disambiguation). ... Martin Sheen (né Ramón Estévez) (born August 3, 1940) is a three-time Emmy-winning and Golden Globe Award-winning Spanish American actor and perhaps best known for his role as Captain Willard in the film Apocalypse Now and, most recently, as President Josiah Bartlet on the acclaimed... The West Wing may refer to: The West Wing, a television drama set in the West Wing of the White House The West Wing of the White House, the location of the Oval Office and offices for senior members of the Executive Office of the President of the United States...

It was directed by Ronald F. Maxwell, who had also previously adapted Gettysburg in 1993. After the box office underperformance of Gettysburg, Maxwell was unable to get the prequel greenlit until media mogul Ted Turner provided the entire $60 million budget. Ronald F. Maxwell (b. ... Gettysburg was a 1993 movie that dramatized the decisive American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. ... A media proprietor is a person who controls, either through personal ownership or a dominant position in a public company, a significant part of the mass media. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Summary

The film prominently features the Battles of First Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. A lengthy scene depicting the Battle of Antietam was also shot, but cut from the theatrical release. Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Irvin McDowell Joseph E. Johnston P.G.T. Beauregard Strength 35,000 effectives 32,500 effectives Casualties 2,896 (460 killed, 1,124 wounded, 1,312 captured/missing) 1,982 (387 killed, 1,582 wounded, 13 missing) For other uses... Template:Infobox Military Conflict TiTIES The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 13, 1862, between General Robert E. Lees Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Joseph Hooker Robert E. Lee Stonewall Jackson† Strength 133,868 60,892 Casualties 17,197 (1,606 killed, 9,672 wounded, 5,919 missing)[1] 12,764 (1,665 killed, 9,081 wounded, 2,018 missing)[1] The Battle of... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George B. McClellan Robert E. Lee Strength 87,000 45,000 Casualties 12,401 (2,108 killed, 9,540 wounded, 753 captured/missing) 10,316 (1,546 killed, 7,752 wounded, 1,018 captured/missing) The Battle of Antietam (also...

Criticism

The film was a critical and box office failure. It was criticized for its pro-Confederate point of view, slow pace and awkward screenwriting; in particular, critics disliked the way the characters tend to deliver highly rhetorical speeches at each other instead of speaking conversationally.^[1] However, many critics such as Leonard Maltin praised the film's impressively staged battle sequences. Leonard Maltin (born December 18, 1950 in New York City) is a widely known and respected American film critic. ...

Civil War historians and aficionados also criticized the film's radical departures from the novel, a significant change from the film Gettysburg, which remained exceptionally true to its novel. These differences include the omission of Winfield Hancock as a major character; the deletion of Stonewall Jackson's less savory characteristics and eccentricities; the introduction of scenes and characters not in the original novel (primarily during the battle and destruction of Fredericksburg); and the complete expulsion of the actions of Darius N. Couch, John F. Reynolds, and George G. Meade, which led to the successful preservation of the Army of the Potomac after the defeat at Chancellorsville. Template:Infobox Military Conflict TiTIES The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 13, 1862, between General Robert E. Lees Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. ... Darius N. Couch Darius Nash Couch (July 23, 1822 – February 12, 1897) was a United States Army officer, naturalist, and a Union general in the American Civil War. ... John Fulton Reynolds (September 20, 1840 – July 1, 1863) was a career U.S. Army officer and a general in the American Civil War. ... George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 - November 6, 1872) was an American military officer during the American Civil War. ... Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Joseph Hooker Robert E. Lee Stonewall Jackson† Strength 133,868 60,892 Casualties 17,197 (1,606 killed, 9,672 wounded, 5,919 missing)[1] 12,764 (1,665 killed, 9,081 wounded, 2,018 missing)[1] The Battle of...

In addition, the first third of the book that deals primarily with the events leading up to the Civil War and gave important background information of the characters was also entirely deleted, particularly the unrest in Southern California, which was put down peaceably by Hancock and Armistead; John Brown's seizure of Harpers Ferry and the recapture of the arsenal by marines led by Lee and Stuart; the final farewell in California between Hancock and Armistead discussed in Gettysburg; Texas Governor Sam Houston's refusal to support secession; Lee's contempt for David E. Twiggs's surrender of the Department of Texas to the rebels as well as Lee's refusal of Winfield Scott's offer to command the federal forces organized to put down the rebellion. Similarly, critics claimed the film skirted the issue of slavery by having several Southern generals, particularly Stonewall Jackson, give historical anti-slavery speeches.^[2]. (The real Jackson had ambiguous views on slavery. He believed that slavery had been imposed by God and therefore did not oppose it openly. His family also owned six slaves. However, the slaves of Lexington, Virginia, generally held Jackson in high esteem for his kind treatment and his flouting of Virginia laws to teach slaves to read in Sunday school classes. The widely criticized scene in which a slave expresses enthusiasm for working for Jackson as a cook has some historic basis—two of his real slaves, Albert and Amy, requested that Jackson purchase them in the 1850s because of the treatment they expected from him.) For the urban complex straddling the United States-Mexico border, see Bajalta California. ... John Brown John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was the first white American abolitionist to advocate and practice insurrection as a means to the abolition of slavery. ... Harpers Ferry is the name of several places in the United States of America: Harpers Ferry, Iowa Harpers Ferry, West Virginia There was also John Browns raid on the armory at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia as well as a Battle of Harpers Ferry in the American Civil War. ... Samuel Houston (March 2, 1793–July 26, 1863) was a 19th century American statesman, politician and soldier. ... Brigadier General David E. Twiggs David Emanuel Twiggs (1790 – July 15, 1862) was a United States soldier during the War of 1812 and Mexican-American War and a general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ... For other uses of Winfield Scott, see Winfield Scott (disambiguation). ... For other uses of Stonewall Jackson, see Stonewall Jackson (disambiguation). ... Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. ...

An early scene depicts cadets at VMI hauling down the flag upon hearing of President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers, and Jackson says that this action had provoked conflict. (A scene very much like this in fact took place in Richmond the day after Confederate forces fired on and forced the surrender of Fort Sumter, six days before Lincoln's call for volunteers.) The Confederates are seen as the good guys throughout the film and most of the main characters are on the Confederate side. This is very different from "Gettysburg" where both sides are presented equally. Also the movie completely skips over the Battle of Antietam. The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state military college in the United States. ... Flag ratio: 10:19; nicknames: Stars and Stripes, Old Glory The flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... Fort Sumter, located in Charleston, South Carolina, was named after General Thomas Sumter. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George B. McClellan Robert E. Lee Strength 87,000 45,000 Casualties 12,401 (2,108 killed, 9,540 wounded, 753 captured/missing) 10,316 (1,546 killed, 7,752 wounded, 1,018 captured/missing) The Battle of Antietam (also...

Those in favor of the film claim to the contrary. The film claims that many generals and common soldiers were fighting the war for the protection of their home and the rights of the states, not of slavery. It is pointed out that Robert E. Lee was (somewhat quietly) anti-slavery.

Ron Maxwell himself talked about the opposing views of slavery as depicted in the film during an interview on the 700 Club. During his interview, he stated that most of the Confederates were opposed to slavery, but viewed the abolition of slavery as "God's will, in God's time." The Union held the view that the abolition of slavery was "God's will, by their hands." Maxwell briefly explored these opposing views of slavery in his previous film, Gettysburg (film). The 700 Club is a Christian News and talk show hosted by religious leader Pat Robertson, airing on cables ABC Family and in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. ... Gettysburg was a 1993 movie that dramatized the decisive American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. ...

Director's Cut

DVD cover for the film

The "Director's Cut" version of Gods and Generals has an alleged running time of six hours, and has never been released to the public in any format, despite pleas from fans. For the theatrical release, almost two-and-a-half hours of footage was removed to get the length down to approximately 3 hours, 39 minutes. Among the footage edited includes a sub-plot which follows John Wilkes Booth, the famous actor who would eventually become the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. One scene towards the end of the extended cut of the film features Chamberlain and his wife Fanny attending a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in which Booth plays Brutus. Chamberlain and his wife have a conversation with Booth and his fellow actors after the end of the play. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American actor from Maryland, who fatally shot President of the United States Abraham Lincoln at Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... The Tragedy of Julius Cæsar, more commonly known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare probably written in 1599. ... Brutus is a Roman cognomen used by several politicians of the Junii family, especially in the Roman Republic. ...

Another scene cut from the film features a performance of Macbeth in Washington, D.C. Booth plays the role of Macbeth, which is being seen by President Lincoln. When he gives the famous "dagger of the mind" soliloquy, he looks directly at Lincoln while reciting it. Later, when Booth is offered the chance to meet with Lincoln, he refuses. Macbeth and Banquo meeting the witches on the heath by Théodore Chassériau. ...

Possibly the one scene that historians were sad to see removed from the film was the sequence dealing with the Battle of Antietam. The battle was seen mostly from the perspectives of Jackson (who played a major strategic role in the battle) and Chamberlain (whose brigade was held in reserve). A few minutes of footage from this scene was available online, but appears to have been removed. Battle of Antietam Conflict American Civil War Date September 16–18, 1862 Place Near Sharpsburg, Maryland Result (Union strategic victory) The Battle of Antietam (known as the Battle of Sharpsburg in the South), fought on Wednesday, September 17, 1862 near Sharpsburg, Maryland, was the first major battle of the...

When Ron Maxwell showed the director's cut of the film in a very early pre-screening, it received a standing ovation at the end. However, there are apparently no plans being made by Warner Bros. to release the extended version of the film on DVD. At one point, Dennis Frye, who served as associate producer and helped organize the units of reenactors used in the film, supposedly said that the film was intended for release in the fall of 2005. However, this did not occur. A directors cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video or video games, that is supposed to represent the directors own approved edit. ...

Cast

Robert Duvall as Robert E. Lee

• Robert Duvall as Robert E. Lee (replacing Martin Sheen in Gettysburg)
• Jeff Daniels as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
• Stephen Lang as Stonewall Jackson
• Bruce Boxleitner as James Longstreet (replacing Tom Berenger)
• C. Thomas Howell as Thomas Chamberlain
• Kevin Conway as Sergeant "Buster" Kilrain, the only fictional major character
• Joseph Fuqua as J.E.B. Stuart
• Brian Mallon as Winfield Scott Hancock
• Alex Hyde-White as Ambrose E. Burnside
• William Sanderson as A.P. Hill (replacing Patrick Falci)

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 470 KB) Summary Robert Duvall as Robert E. Lee in Gods and Generals. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 470 KB) Summary Robert Duvall as Robert E. Lee in Gods and Generals. ... Robert Selden Duvall (born January 5, 1931) is an Academy Award and four-time Golden Globe winning American film actor and director. ... // This article is about the Confederate general. ... Martin Sheen (né Ramón Estévez) (born August 3, 1940) is a three-time Emmy-winning and Golden Globe Award-winning Spanish American actor and perhaps best known for his role as Captain Willard in the film Apocalypse Now and, most recently, as President Josiah Bartlet on the acclaimed... Gettysburg was a 1993 movie that dramatized the decisive American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. ... For other persons of this name, see Jeff Daniels (disambiguation). ... Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (September 8, 1828 – February 24, 1914) was a college professor from Maine who volunteered to join the Union Army without the benefit of any formal military education, and became a highly respected and decorated Union officer during the American Civil War, reaching the rank of brigadier general... Stephen Lang (b. ... For other uses of Stonewall Jackson, see Stonewall Jackson (disambiguation). ... Bruce Boxleitner (born May 12, 1950 in Elgin, Illinois) is an American actor. ... James Longstreet (January 8, 1821 – January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War, the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his Old War Horse. ... Tom Berenger (born May 31, 1949) is an Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winning American actor known mainly for his roles in action films. ... C. Thomas Howell (born Christopher Thomas Howell on December 7, 1966 in Los Angeles, California, USA) is an American actor. ... We dont have an article called Thomas Chamberlain Start this article Search for Thomas Chamberlain in. ... Kevin Conway (born May 29, 1942 in New York City) is an American actor and film director. ... Joseph Fuqua (born May 3, 1962 in Washington, D.C.) is an American actor. ... James Ewell Brown Stuart (February 6, 1833 – May 12, 1864) was an American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate Army general during the American Civil War. ... Brian Mallon is an Irish-American film and theater actor. ... Portrait of Winfield S. Hancock during the Civil War Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a career U.S. Army officer who served with distinction as a general in the American Civil War and ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in 1880. ... Alex Hyde-White (born January 30, 1959) is an English actor. ... Portrait of Ambrose Burnside by Mathew Brady, ca. ... William Sanderson is an American character actor (born January 10, 1948 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA). ... Ambrose Powell Hill (November 9, 1825 _ April 2, 1865), was a Confederate States of America general in the American Civil War. ...

Soundtrack

In 2003, the film score was released in support of the movie. The soundtrack is notable for containing an otherwise unreleased Bob Dylan song, 'Cross the Green Mountain. Gods and Generals is the soundtrack to the 2003 film, Gods and Generals. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for four decades. ...

Quotes

General Lee: "The rest is in God's hands."

General Lee: "It is well that war is so horrible. For we should grow too fond of it."

General Jackson: "I regard the crime of desertion as a sin against the Army of the Lord. Duty is ours, the consequences are God's."

Trivia

• Ted Turner has a cameo in the movie as Colonel Waller T. Patton. Colonel Patton, the great uncle of George S. Patton, was mortally wounded at Gettysburg, a scene depicted in the movie Gettysburg.

• Some scenes in the movie were filmed at Robert Duvall's estate in Virginia. The estate was the scene of several skirmishes in the Civil War.

• Many scenes were filmed on private farms and property including two scenes filmed at St. James School, Hagerstown.

• Most of the extras were Civil War reenactors, who provided their own equipment and worked without pay. In exchange, Ted Turner agreed to donate $500,000 to Civil War battlefield preservation.

• Russell Crowe was the original choice to play Stonewall Jackson. He had begun reading and practicing for the role until his wife went into labor back in Australia, forcing him to drop out. Stephen Lang had begun to reprise his role as George Pickett, but instead was asked to fill in the role of Jackson.^{[citation needed]}

• Robert Duvall has claimed^[3] that he is related to Robert E. Lee on his mother's side of the family.

• Former United States Senator, George Allen (Republican-Virginia) and Senator Robert Byrd (Democrat-West Virginia) also have cameo roles, both playing Confederate officers. Texas Senator Phil Gramm appears as a member of the Virginia Legislature early in the film.

This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Waller Tazewell Patton (July 15, 1835 – July 21, 1863), was a professor, attorney, and an officer of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ... George Smith Patton Jr. ... Gettysburg was a 1993 movie that dramatized the decisive American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. ... Robert Selden Duvall (born January 5, 1931) is an Academy Award and four-time Golden Globe winning American film actor and director. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Union reenactors recreate the Battle of Saltville in Saltville, Virginia on Aug. ... Russell Ira Crowe (born April 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning New Zealand-Australian[1] film actor. ... For other uses of Stonewall Jackson, see Stonewall Jackson (disambiguation). ... Stephen Lang is a film actor from New York City, New York, who started in theatre on Broadway. ... Portrait of George E. Pickett George Edward Pickett (January 28[1] or January 16, 1825 – July 30, 1875) was a career U.S. Army officer who became a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ... Robert Selden Duvall (born January 5, 1931) is an Academy Award and four-time Golden Globe winning American film actor and director. ... // This article is about the Confederate general. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... George Felix Allen (born March 8, 1952) is a former Republican United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former NFL head coach George Allen. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... Robert Carlyle Byrd (born November 20, 1917) is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia and a member of the Democratic Party. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... William Philip Phil Gramm (born July 8, 1942, in Fort Benning, Georgia) served as a Democratic Congressman (1978–1983), a Republican Congressman (1983–1985) and a Republican Senator from Texas (1985–2002). ...

See also

• Competing films with similar plots
• Stonewall Jackson (views on slavery)

For other uses of Stonewall Jackson, see Stonewall Jackson (disambiguation). ...

Notes

1. ^ Film review by Roger Ebert
2. ^ Film review in the Village Voice
3. ^ Interview on CNN, February 15, 2003.

Roger Joseph Ebert (June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ... The Village Voice is a New York City-based weekly newspaper featuring investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts reviews and events listings for New York City. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Gods and Generals at the Internet Movie Database
• Gods and Generals at Rotten Tomatoes
• Gods and Generals at Metacritic
• 5 Speeches from Movie in Text and Audio from AmericanRhetoric.com
• Teacher's Guide at Random House
• Official Movie Site
• Jeff Shaara's Official Site
• Gods and Generals Filmed in Virginia
• Ewert, George (Summer 2003). "Whitewashing the Confederacy A recent movie glorifies the Confederacy, whitewashes slavery and twists American history — luckily, it's a terrible film". Southern Poverty Law Center.