HF No Words

[TallTallMan]

There's some guy named Christopher Forbes who makes low-budget CW movies. He was responsible for A Rebel Born, a notoiously pro-Forrest movie where he's "tricked" into joining the KKK.

But what's funny is the bizarre actors he chooses to play characters. For example, THIS is Hood in The Burning of Atlanta:

Well, he must've been a shape-shifter.

And then General Samuel Cooper in A Rebel Born:

And then Longstreet in Hampton's Legion:

What?

Have any of you seen these? I have not.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

ANY movie made by this company (and there are TOO many!) are not worth anymore time either mentioning or watching, than I spent in typing this response.
They are offensive to the acting and film makng proffessions.

 

[Kurtlg]

Another perfect portrayal of the lean Confederate. A brother of that picket in Gettysburg perhaps ?

 

[GELongstreet]

There is really no reason to drag Sergeant Santa into this.

 

[RedRover]

"A rebel born" is on youtube. So is "Hampton's Legion." I think Hampton's Legion is the "better" of the two.

The director, Mr. Forbes, made FIVE films in 2022 alone!

They've even made a new Hunley movie:

Youtube: Trailer, Submerged: the Hunley, 2022

But according to IMDB, his best reviews Civil War flick is "Kill Cavalry" rated 3.2 stars out of 10, and "Burning of Atlanta" (3.9/10). Yes, both are on Youtube.

The production company and distributer of these flicks, ITN, is described in this article. They're described as a micro-budget studio, averaging about 30K per production; about 90 or so flicks a year...

Hollywood Reporter: ITN films...

The actor highlighted in the original post, Mr. William Wyllie, has been in twelve of these productions since 2019. I think he might certainly play a pretty convincing General Winder at Andersonville...

 

[Stryker65]

Looks like they dragged Edmund Ruffin from the grave, look at that hair...

 

[Cavalier]

Since Sydney Greenstreet isn't around any more that guy might do pretty good as General Scott. Just a thought.

John

 

[Pollaco]

Must be VERY low budget if he can afford only 1 lead actor.

 

[Pollaco]

Who is this "leading man"? We may have just discovered the next Hollywood Heartthrob.

 

[Belfoured]

Another perfect portrayal of the lean Confederate. A brother of that picket in Gettysburg perhaps ?

Great idea for a fight to the death. Put them each in a corner and the last piece of salt pork in the center. Then hit the bell ...

 

[Kurtlg]

Great idea for a fight to the death. Put them each in a corner and the last piece of salt pork in the center. Then hit the bell ...

There might be a couple of coronary events before they reached it

 

[Pollaco]

It makes you wonder if Christopher Forbes didn't have this 1 odd sized Confederate uniform on hand already and had to find that 1 actor who fit into it? Or did he have the actor on contract first then go out and purchase the uniform just for him? I wouldn't think alternation would be that expensive, though that could have been a big part of the movie's budget.

 

[10th Michigan Infantry]

There's some guy named Christopher Forbes who makes low-budget CW movies. He was responsible for A Rebel Born, a notoiously pro-Forrest movie where he's "tricked" into joining the KKK.

But what's funny is the bizarre actors he chooses to play characters. For example, THIS is Hood in The Burning of Atlanta:

View attachment 491025

Well, he must've been a shape-shifter.

And then General Samuel Cooper in A Rebel Born:

View attachment 491026

And then Longstreet in Hampton's Legion:

View attachment 491027

What?

Have any of you seen these? I have not.

I sat through this movie, produced by the same guy. It was one of the most miserable experiences of my life.

 

[Kurtlg]

It makes you wonder if Christopher Forbes didn't have this 1 odd sized Confederate uniform on hand already and had to find that 1 actor who fit into it? Or did he have the actor on contract first then go out and purchase the uniform just for him? I wouldn't think alternation would be that expensive, though that could have been a big part of the movie's budget.

That much material for the uniform must have cost a fortune.

 

[RedRover]

It makes you wonder if Christopher Forbes didn't have this 1 odd sized Confederate uniform on hand already and had to find that 1 actor who fit into it? Or did he have the actor on contract first then go out and purchase the uniform just for him? I wouldn't think alternation would be that expensive, though that could have been a big part of the movie's budget.

If you watch a few of these ITN Civil war movies, you will notice the same uniforms/costumes used in different productions. Considering the quick tempo of their production, I assume they are filmed practically back to back, if not simultaneously in some cases.

And these pictures use lots of reenactors. I suspect these productions might have some costuming, but I reckon lots of the actors/extras have their own reenactment clothing and equipment. Just like any Civil War pictures in the last forty years or so, the reenactors can allow for a less expensive production.


Here's Mr. Chesser playing General Bedford Forrest in 2019's "A Rebel Born."

And Mr. Chesser portraying Gen. Joe Wheeler in 2021's "Kill Cavalry" in the same outfit which might be his own reenacting clothing perhaps.

Mr. Chesser reprises his portrayal of General Wheeler in this year's "Storm over Georgia," in which he wears what appears to be the same uniform:

Whether the costumes are production owned or not, their use in multiple pictures is not odd. In the 1960s and 70s lots of movies and TV shoes seemed to use the same set up of gray sack coats with branch facings, etc.

Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, 1961:

THe Undefeated, 1969:

Shenandoah, 1965:

Etc. etc.

 

[Pollaco]

Is this Christopher Forbes the brother of Steve Forbes? He ought to get Steve to finance some of his movies.

 

[10th Michigan Infantry]

Some choice screenshots from the film "The Confederate".


This is supposed to be a mounted Cavalry charge on a Federal "wagon train". Notice that the "wagon train" consists of a single wagon.

This is from the same clip depicting a dismounted attack being made on the same "wagon train". I didn't know brown pants were in style with Federal troops. But I'm not a uniform expert.

I like to think that the chicken chasing portion of this scene was completely unintentional, and so in the middle of this "heart felt" scene, since they didn't have the budget to have a second take, they just left it in.

 

[Pollaco]

I forget if it was John Wayne or Ronald Reagan that said in making some B Westerns only 1 horse was in the budget. Both the "good guy" and the "bad guy" rode for the camera on the same horse.

 

[7thWisconsin]

I wasted an hour and a half watching that ¨Hampton´s Legion¨ movie. Appalling. Just appalling. The only word that can be used for it is ¨awful.¨ Awful plot. Awful dialogue. Awful acting. Just awful. The only good thing I can say about it is there is some pretty good reenactment footage shot at an annual event, so if you go to that one, you may see yourself and your unit. The Wade Hampton character is ¨six foot one way, three foot t´other and weighs tree hundred pounds.¨ He literally cannot button his coat around his body and spends most of the movie in a vest. I´ve seen better fan films where I´m pretty sure the reenactors got paid in beer. Truly laughable effort from any perspective - aspires to be ¨so bad it´s good¨ and still fails.

 

[CavRTO]

I wasted an hour and a half watching that ¨Hampton´s Legion¨ movie. Appalling. Just appalling. The only word that can be used for it is ¨awful.¨ Awful plot. Awful dialogue. Awful acting. Just awful. The only good thing I can say about it is there is some pretty good reenactment footage shot at an annual event, so if you go to that one, you may see yourself and your unit. The Wade Hampton character is ¨six foot one way, three foot t´other and weighs tree hundred pounds.¨ He literally cannot button his coat around his body and spends most of the movie in a vest. I´ve seen better fan films where I´m pretty sure the reenactors got paid in beer. Truly laughable effort from any perspective - aspires to be ¨so bad it´s good¨ and still fails.

These could become cult movies like "little house of horrors" or the "Rocky horror picture show".