NF Any films about the Confederate naval war?

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SeaTurtle

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I hope this is the right part of the forum to ask ... Are there any good movies out there that portray the Civil War from the perspective of the Confederate naval forces, or supporting participants like blockade runners or privateers?
 
This one?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironclads_(film)

From the description it seems the protagonists are Union though? Or does it switch to a Confederate perspective too?

It goes back and forth.

It’s free on YouTube right now courtesy of Lionheart Filmworks. Decent, though it makes the sinking of the Cumberland a lot less dramatic than it actually was (it does not include the ramming).
 
I have the movie on VHS but haven't watched it in a long time. I bought the movie because a friend of mine back in the day, doing reenacting here in Missouri, knew I was interested in the CSS Arkansas so he gave me a VHS he made of behind the scenes when he worked on the movie. He was the pyro guy on the set and the video shows how they made the interiors on barges, etc. His video is more interesting than the actual movie as I remember. Can't remember his name right now but he was in charge of all the field charges for reenactments here in in Missouri back in the 80s and 90s.

As for the Hunley, Sutherland's portrayal of Beauregard made me almost ill. I thought he over acted. Then that's just me.
 
Both have already been mentioned above. The Hunley and Ironclads were both made-for-TV movies and distributed by TNT.

While obviously both take a lot of artistic license, they're worth a watch.
 
There's plenty of material for great movies from both sides of the naval war, and with the modern CGI technology, they would be spectacular. But it seems that most of Hollywood and the country sees the Civil War as purely an infantry war, with maybe some horses and cannons added for effect. :frown:
 
I thought about mentioning Sahara. It's an enjoyable popcorn movie. The Texas is almost completely fictional, of course. There was an ironclad under construction by that name, but it looked considerably different and was never finished. (The caption "Last ironclad to run the blockade" amuses me. Ironclads didn't run blockades; they tried to break them.)
 
There's plenty of material for great movies from both sides of the naval war, and with the modern CGI technology, they would be spectacular. But it seems that most of Hollywood and the country sees the Civil War as purely an infantry war, with maybe some horses and cannons added for effect. :frown:

I've always thought that a movie centered on blockade runners would make a great adventure flick. Plenty of espionage and high-stakes drama involved in that business. Haven't seen anything of the sort being made though....
 
I thought about mentioning Sahara. It's an enjoyable popcorn movie. The Texas is almost completely fictional, of course. There was an ironclad under construction by that name, but it looked considerably different and was never finished. (The caption "Last ironclad to run the blockade" amuses me. Ironclads didn't run blockades; they tried to break them.)
What I didn't like about Sahara and the part where it portrays the fictional CSS Texas is how much it deviated from the book. The first portion of the book concentrates greatly on the Texas and the storyline surrounding it which is far more intriguing than the way they chose to go with the movie.
 
Too bad a motion picture was never produced about the CSS Alabama!!

The silent film that's here on CWT, "Confederate Ironclad" features Miriam Cooper. I think Kaleb marketed some 20 two reeler shorts that were filmed in Florida back in the early teens. Miss Cooper went on to star in "Birth of a Nation" and after that "Intolerance." She married Raul Walsh that later became a famous Hollywood director, mostly with Warner Bros.
 
I always thought the book "Last Flag Down" about the Shenandoah would make a pretty good film.

The Shenandoah story itself, without any fictional garnish, would make a great movie. A real globe-trotting adventure there.
 
It seems like Hollywood is into films with how man people can we maim and how many things can we blow up? The 23 day saga of the CSS Arkansas would fit right into that genre.
 
It seems like Hollywood is into films with how man people can we maim and how many things can we blow up? The 23 day saga of the CSS Arkansas would fit right into that genre.

Don't forget the mandatory romance subplot ... even in situations where romance would be totally impractical 🙄
I'm sure they'd want to focus on a vessel with plenty of chances for port visits....
 
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