The Last Full Measure

[ccastellani]

Has anyone heard if they are going to make the final installment of this movie? Or has it been thrown in the trash can by hollywood?

 

[prroh]

Has anyone heard if they are going to make the final installment of this movie? Or has it been thrown in the trash can by hollywood?

No final installment planned. Ted Turner lost big time with the so-so performance of Gettysburg and the flop Gods and Generals. The stock market decline also severely decreased Turner's deep pockets.

 

[Stonewall1982]

No they are not. You can go to Jeff Shaara's website and read his explanation. By the way, evidently there is a movie being made with the same name but it is totally unrelated to Jeff's book.

 

[Rob9641]

Ron Maxwell says if you can pay him $60 million or so, he'll make it.

 

[prroh]

Ron Maxwell says if you can pay him $60 million or so, he'll make it.

He masterminded the huge flop called Gods and Generals, so if a billionaire needs a big write off, Maxwell is the guy to see.

 

[Jamieva]

I could guarantee you that if someone did step forward with the money for it, they would not let Ron Maxwell direct it based on the complete disaster that he made Gods and Generals.

 

[IrishBrigade]

Although I enjoyed the book it would not make a good film, there's far too much in it to be covered even in a 3 and a half hour epic, it would make a great mini series if the people who made Pacific and Band of Brothers are listening.

 

[blueshawk1]

I didn't read the book or G & G, I've only read "The Killer Angels". I might someday, but haven't been in a hurry because a friend of mine who has read all of them said he didn't find Jeff to be quite as a good a writer as his father was. But I would still like to see someone do the final installment, though I have little doubt it will probably never happen.

 

[K Hale]

G&G is my fav of the three, maybe because Jackson is in it. LFM was seriously lacking in plot, though. If you think the movie version of G&G lacked a plot, you do not want to see them try and make a movie of LFM.

 

[diddyriddick]

No final installment planned. Ted Turner lost big time with the so-so performance of Gettysburg and the flop Gods and Generals. The stock market decline also severely decreased Turner's deep pockets.

I suspect that the divorce from Hanoi Jane didn't help either.

 

[ccastellani]

Wow, I am seeing some bad reviews of God's and Generals. Do yall believe it was that bad?!

 

[K Hale]

Parts of it have grown on me, but yeah, generally, it was pretty bad.

 

[Nathanb1]

Not so much bad as totally lacking focus. Apparently Mr. Maxwell couldn't decide whether to have the Stonewall Jackson story, the random character story, etc....you have to edit pretty ruthlessly to make a long book into a movie, and he just seemingly couldn't bring himself to cut any teeny-tiny "colorful" moment out. If I were going to watch, I would read Vandeveer's or Robertson's biography of Stonewall first, then the book. It's better if you've been to the places they filmed--then you have the fun of saying--"That's the main building at Washington and Lee where I stood on the sidewalk" or "That's really the restrooms at Harper's Ferry." There are really, really slow moments. Lots of extra "stuff" trying to show what life was like during the war. Lots of the actors are either re-doing their roles from Gettysburg years later, or have been switched around because somebody died, or as in Stephen Lang's case, got "promoted" so he could die I generally show it in class, in little bits for exact purposes, and my kids love it. There are parts I like very much....it's just really loooooooooooooooooong. But you owe it to yourself to watch it if you like the war. I might mention, too, that the folks who made it are the same folks who made Gettysburg. It's just that "second movie, spend more $$" curse. Sort of like "The Man From Snowy River" which was about perfect, then Disney got their hands on it.....

 

[K Hale]

Cut the fluff and speeches, get rid of Chamberlain, add more Jackson backstory, and more controversy (Romney? Seven Days?). Also add Antietam. Then you could have a... well, a decent three-part miniseries.

The only actor who reprised his Gettysburg role and didn't flop at it was Joseph Fuqua (Stuart). Actually a big improvement there. Oh, and also the guy who played Porter Alexander, he did a good job, but he's only in it for a few brief seconds. Jeff Daniels was too fat for Chamberlain, and Kevin Conway as Kilrain was a disaster. Who else reprised? Hood, I think... another disaster.

 

[Nathanb1]

Apparently Antietam is in the can but got cut. I've heard rumors for years (and you can see it in some of the YouTube clips) that it's the best part. I wish Teddy would release it on DVD since it's already basically paid for, and let us see. I read some guy's post on a movie site that he saw it in Mexico and it was great. As long as that woman's not in it, it probably is. "Oh, Lord, give us strength!"

 

[K Hale]

Oh, I hated Mrs. Fredericksburg, as I call her... I'm sure the character has a name, but I don't know what it is. WAAAY too much shrieking and hand-wringing. Overact much??

Thinking about the lack of controversy surrounding Jackson in the movie, I think glossing over these things was one of the movie's biggest faults. Made it too dull.

 

[Nathanb1]

Oh, I hated Mrs. Fredericksburg, as I call her... I'm sure the character has a name, but I don't know what it is. WAAAY too much shrieking and hand-wringing. Overact much??

Thinking about the lack of controversy surrounding Jackson in the movie, I think glossing over these things was one of the movie's biggest faults. Made it too dull.

Yeah, and the harping on the lemons--wonder what Robertson thought about that?

 

[K Hale]

Oh yeah, wasn't there a scene where somebody, maybe Pendleton, said something like, "These boxes of lemons, we don't know who sends them..." No, maybe that was just in the book. What was said about lemons in the movie? I remember the lemonade scene.

 

[blueshawk1]

Cut the fluff and speeches,

That was what REALLY stood out to me in G&G - the speeches and making these almost philosophical statements all the time. I know it was a different time, the Victorian age and all of that, but come on, even then, especially in war, I doubt people were standing around doing that as much as it was depicted in G&G.

 

[ole]

Wow, I am seeing some bad reviews of God's and Generals. Do yall believe it was that bad?!

If you suffer from insomnia, it's really good.