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?
 
I'm sure that any film made about any Confederate warship would be almost guaranteed to offend somebody's delicate sensibilities. That's why they'll never make one. What a shame !

I'm still hoping that it's all just a cycle and we'll return to behaving like real adults in a generation or two .... Hoping....
 
I have three images of the fictional Texas, one from the book jacket of my edition,
Cover image of Cussler's Texas..jpg
 
I'm still hoping that it's all just a cycle and we'll return to behaving like real adults in a generation or two .... Hoping....

I believe it will. The barnacle-like concretions of additional meaning and connotations, like 60s/70s-era anti-desegregation movements, will fall away as the living memories fade-- provided that new movements don't appropriate it for their own use, of course, which is a constant danger. (Difficult to get more specific, as this runs the ragged edge of the political debate...) Not everyone thinks "1860s/Confederacy/Civil War" when they see that symbol-- others see something more recent and threatening.

But, if we do all start acting like 'real adults,' I think it will return to a measure of acceptability in proper historical contexts. The historical difficulty of what various people think of the Confederacy will remain, of course, but that will be simpler to deal with if we're not also dealing with multiple other influences.

(It's a well-designed flag, instantly-recognizable-- which is what it was intended to be, of course, easily distinguishable on the battlefield. Anyone looking for a flashy symbol to use will be drawn to it and designs like it, especially if they already get under many peoples' skins...)
 
But, if we do all start acting like 'real adults,' I think it will return to a measure of acceptability in proper historical contexts.

It's certainly the way I try look at things. There are certain other flags in this world that put my ancestors through hell, but I'm not gonna scream bloody murder if someone wants to make a movie showing those flags and the men who fought under them, as long it treats the history accurately. The past is there for us to learn from, the good and the bad. Erasing or trying to ignore it will create the kind of ignorance that allows us to repeat our mistakes.

Anyway, in the context of our discussion here, it's a darn shame that the naval history of the Civil War, from either side, seems to be comparatively neglected in the film industry...
 
The catch, as always, is that a symbol (especially one without context) doesn't necessarily mean the same thing to the viewer as to the displayer-- it's heavily influenced by the past experiences of each individual with that symbol, which may be very different. And flags are particularly powerful and emotional symbols, at least in our culture.

But yes, totally agree-- there are exciting, meaningful, and important stories to be told about the naval side of the war that many people don't know about.
 
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