HF Gettysburg the Movie

Historical-Fiction
I like the part where Longstreet and Alexander are in a heated discussion about the effectiveness of the artillery barrage... "just get some more ammunition and keep it hot!"

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I particularly liked the scene where Lee reprimands Stuart when he finally arrives with his cavalry. But in both the book and the film is not what actually happened. In the episode Universe of Battle in the Ken Burns documentary, Shelby Foote summarizes it as "He had always counted on Stuart and his cavalry for intelligence as to enemy positions and movements, and he was lacking that. He was groping around the landscape blind. And people would come up to him in the field all through those days, "Can you tell me where Stuart is? Have you seen my cavalry?" Very strange thing for a commander to have to ask. So when Stuart arrived, all he had to show for all this was a couple of hundred wagons and mules and everything else. And he saw Lee standing there, sternly looking at him arriving late , and he blew the thing by making his announcement at the start. He said "General, I brought you 200 brand-new wagons." And Lee said "General, they're an impediment to me now. I asked you to help me whip these people." It was a severe admonishment from Lee, and he saw that he had hurt Stuart's feelings, so he said "Come, it'll be alright." That's probably how that happened but I guess they wanted to show Lee's temper in the film.
 
Chamberlain's bayonet charge, I think they did it justice in the movie.
Oh yea that cry of "Bayonets" sends chills down my spine. Oh wait best part was of us running up the same hill 20 or 30 times to film 1 scene, NOT!!! No maybe it was the part in that scene where I finally got my close up running down hill catching a Reb, but oh no that ended up on the cutting room floor. The Reb joined filming that day with a fresh uniform he just brought in town with not a speck of dirt on it and looking half Farby. Thanks Bozo I missed my Hollywood Stardom because he was a Farb.
 
In the extended version I especially liked the scene with Ewell, Rodes, Early and Hill on the night of July 1- I wish they left it in the original version

Ken

I enjoyed the additional scenes in Directors cut. I finished the movie last night for the hundredth time and said to myself , today will be the last day.I don’t think so somehow.
 
For most films, the scenes excluded from the final film but included in the "director's cut" are usually pretty bland or outright bad. After all, they were cut for a reason. But for Gettysburg, there was a need to reduce it from broadcast mini-series length to something that they could get into a movie theater (albeit four hours long still!). So some of the cut scenes are actually very good.

In the final version, when Major Taylor greets General Lee in the morning, the scene was cut in such a way that when Lee salutes Taylor, Taylor DOES NOT RETURN THE SALUTE and immediately starts talking about flapjacks! How disrespectful! I remember thinking it was weird even when I saw the movie in the theater way back in 1993 ("Hey, that staff officer dude is treating his commander officer with contempt!"). Of course, in the director's cut, Taylor does return the salute and show utter deference to Lee.

Interestingly enough, I've heard that many film critics consider the director's cut to the Crusades-era film Kingdom of Heaven to be the best of all time. The final version of the film is pretty good. The director's cut is worthy of the Academy Award for Best Picture. Alas.
 
General Kemper' rants......

Ken

😁
Of course I don’t know how historically accurate the portrayal but Applegate’s (RIP) Kemper character was enjoyable. Actually my favorite scene is still the July 2 night campfire:
“So exactly how many o your relatives are there that are apes?” Cracks me up every time.
 
For most films, the scenes excluded from the final film but included in the "director's cut" are usually pretty bland or outright bad.
I agree with this. I never particularly cared for the scene with Buford and the Gettysburg civilians. The acting came across as too corny.
 
Fact of the matter is, we're talking about a movie release 18 years ago: that is proof of how good the film was!

I remember first seeing it in Gettysburg, during the Rememberance Day weekend. Packed theater (downtown) and was so much better than any historical (somewhat!) film I've seen in person on at home.
 
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