What Civil War Story, Person, Event Would Make A Great Movie?

I've always been a guerrilla warfare kind of guy, so I would think that the activities and exploits of Mosby or Morgan might make worthy subjects.
Yeah that would be a great action movie, especially about Morgan and his raid at the same time Gettysburg and Vicksburg were taking place. The final effort to capture him (when Yankee gunboats cut off his escape), his daring escape and death in battle.
 
How about a spy movie? A woman spy movie? There were plenty of them. You can really go off on a tangent and take historical liberties with it, you know, karate-chopping her way out of overwhelming odds, using a bowie like a master swordsman, stealing secrets to some fantastic airship for that matter...and saying that's why you never heard of it in CW history.
 
How about a spy movie? A woman spy movie? There were plenty of them. You can really go off on a tangent and take historical liberties with it, you know, karate-chopping her way out of overwhelming odds, using a bowie like a master swordsman, stealing secrets to some fantastic airship for that matter...and saying that's why you never heard of it in CW history.
My you have a vivid imagination. :smile:
 
I've always wanted to see a film or TV series done on Patrick Cleburne; his life would fit perfectly into a movie. Sam Watkins' Co. Aytch would also make for a good film or series, as well as many other memoirs and diaries by the average soldier or company level officer.... something like Band of Brothers, following a volunteer company throughout the war.
 
Whoa- it really is endless. Probably what would work would be to pick subjects that would appeal to today's movie goers even thought they've never heard of the folks involved. I'd have to guess the spy stories ( sans lapel cams, may be, er a stretch? ), the Locomotive chase, any of the Ranger stories- stuff which young people would identify with HOPEFULLY in lieu of small cars driving at stupid speeds for reasons which are never quite clear ( but there's a bad guy somewhere whose small car is also driving stupidly fast ). I'm agreeing with whoever said there's probably going to have to be a good guy/bad guy in the script- problematic given the viewing public.

And yes, wouldn't it be great to have some of our Civil War personalities drawn clearly for us? Some might always remain enigmatic- ask Mark- with an awful lot of evidence to pour through he has a subject whose privately held personality apparently is awfully tough to draw a bead on 150 years later. Plus, when there's someone like Grant or the person whose name is eluding Nate at the moment there's going to be a LOT of different takes on them! I'm guessing some Hollywood would give a wide berth too on that account, thinking if 50% of movie goers detest either man it's 50% less proceeds.

Would ' Reveille in Washington ' make too dreary a movie? They could switch back and forth, macro and micro views of the city at war, keep a common these running.
 
Peter Welsh of the Irish Brigade. A great sad love story, heroism and self-doubt. Ben Affleck could play him:

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There you go! Ha, Ben would be perfect! And a movie on all the Irish Brigades would be amazing, they could do the whole macro/micro perspective, with Peter being one of the micro stories running through the movie.
 
I wish they would do a mini series and start with the young officers at west point, go into the mexican wars, then go into the civil war and then post civil war. So a mini series that would cover about 1825-18780. Not focus so much on the battle scenes as much but more on the after math of the battles and the retreating, victories and manuevering etc...And focus on the relationships between the officers as they fight one another and later on reconcile or don't reconcile.

Anything with cavalry would be a good movie though, I always enjoyed The Horse Soldiers with John Wayne.
 
Dibs on costume design! :wink:
I would personally love to see a movie about the Western Armies, involving Battle's such as Chckamauga and Missionary Ridge.. such as that. I think with all the drama produced between Bragg and his subordinates......it think it would be a good movie.

I also think a movie of the Atlanta Campaign would be outstanding...I would love to see it.!
I agree, there are a number of campaigns that could good fodder for the screen.
 
I wish they would do a mini series and start with the young officers at west point, go into the mexican wars, then go into the civil war and then post civil war. So a mini series that would cover about 1825-18780. Not focus so much on the battle scenes as much but more on the after math of the battles and the retreating, victories and manuevering etc...And focus on the relationships between the officers as they fight one another and later on reconcile or don't reconcile.

Anything with cavalry would be a good movie though, I always enjoyed The Horse Soldiers with John Wayne.
There is an older black and white film, but the name escapes me at the moment, that approaches what you suggest, it dealt with the capture of John Brown and think Douglas Fairbanks started and Raymond Massey was John Brown. HELP!
 
There is an older black and white film, but the name escapes me at the moment, that approaches what you suggest, it dealt with the capture of John Brown and think Douglas Fairbanks started and Raymond Massey was John Brown. HELP!
Raymond Massey played Brown in the classic but not too accurate "Sana Fe Trail" with Erol Flynn as JEB Stuart, Ronald Reagan as George A Custer and Olivia de Haviland as their love interest. No Douglas Fairbanks though.
 
Raymond Massey played Brown in the classic but not too accurate "Sana Fe Trail" with Erol Flynn as JEB Stuart, Ronald Reagan as George A Custer and Olivia de Haviland as their love interest. No Douglas Fairbanks though.
Just so! Thanks! I thought RR might have been it, and I always confuse Flynn with Fairbanks. Thanks for the memory jolt. :smile:
 
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Morgan and Stuart both get left out of the movies. In fact, I don't think I've seen one on Morgan at all. That's strange! He had it all - handsome, daring, romantic! Swords and roses. And he was the best looking cavalryman on either side... :wub:
I just don't believe that many folks are aware of his daring raids. So many other flamboyant characters eclipse his legacy.
 
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