Member Review Your Gettysburg cinema experience

[Liam C]

So I'm rewatching Gettysburg as it's been a long time since I watched it in full, I'm enjoying the movie again but I prefer watching it in two parts as a miniseries so I'm curious to hear thoughts and experiences from people who have watched this movie in the cinemas with the 20 min intermission. Did you still enjoy it despite the length?

I'm in Australia and wasn't born in 1993, so I have no idea if the movie went to cinemas here but I know it had cinema showings in the US.

So yeah, I'm curious to hear if you enjoyed a single seating experience of it!

 

[Championhilz]

I saw Gettysburg at the theater and it was an amazing experience; I was an extra in the movie, and then seeing myself up on the screen during the Pickett's Charge scene was thrilling. Even with the intermission it felt like the movie just flew by and was over in no time.

 

[Tony Z]

We saw it on this very weekend, in 1993, in Gettysburg (To those in the dark, this is Remembrance Day weekend, in Gettysburg). The break permitted leg stretching, and the movie was superb.

 

[Library Lady]

I saw it when it first came out in the US and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I don't even remember if it had an intermission! As an added bonus, a lovely elderly couple who were behind me in line for tickets heard which movie I asked for and then asked me if I was really interested in Gettysburg or just going to the movies. I told them I had majored in history in college and was really interested. They then told me about the local Civil War Round Table and invited me to come check it out. I've been a member since with an hiatus now and again when work schedules weren't compatible with meeting schedules. Several of the members were extras in the movie. One of the meetings was devoted to their experiences on set. They got kind of emotional when talking about it and weren't embarrassed by that at all. Gettysburg remains one of my favorite movies. When the VHS tapes first came out, they were the only Christmas present from part of my family because they were quite expensive. I was more that OK with that gift!

 

[Union_Buff]

I was too young to have watched Gettysburg in the cinema (being born in 1989), but I can vividly remember watching it on DVD when it came out, although I do wonder what it would have been like watching it for the first time back then in '93

 

[Library Lady]

I was too young to have watched Gettysburg in the cinema (being born in 1989), but I can vividly remember watching it on DVD when it came out, although I do wonder what it would have been like watching it for the first time back then in '93

I think it's a movie that benefits from being seen on a theater-sized screen as opposed to a television, even a large one. And then there's the sound of the artillery barrage coming through a theater's sound system. You cannot match that at home. You'll blow your speakers first. Finally, there's being in a crowd of people who are interested in the same thing you are. That's a really nice experience, especially if your family or coworkers just don't get your attraction to the Civil War.

 

[TerryB]

I saw the original at a movie theater near Franklin, TN. A couple of fellas in front of me a couple of rows looked to be in their sixties. I heard one of them come out with an exasperated comment something like, "Well, it's pretty easy to see who's side this movie is on!" He seemed to think it favored the North, but I believe he made his comment during Buster's speech about "Why we need to win this war."

I enjoyed it tremendously, but because I had read quite a bit about the battle, I wasn't so sure they were telling it like I read it. I did hear though, that Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee riding out among his cheering troops was not in the script but the camera was rolling and the director loved it and kept in in. Really one of the best moments in the film. The other for me was seeing Ted Turner get shot in Pickett's Charge. Never did like him.

Also loved the irony in Martin Sheen's line, "We move this army on the word of an actor??!"

 

[TerryB]

I saw Gettysburg at the theater and it was an amazing experience; I was an extra in the movie, and then seeing myself up on the screen during the Pickett's Charge scene was thrilling. Even with the intermission it felt like the movie just flew by and was over in no time.

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I kept my ticket for a long time, too, but I doubt if I have it now.

 

[bankerpapaw]

I went to the movies to watch Gettysburg. And I now have the DVD.

 

[JD-reb]

So I'm rewatching Gettysburg as it's been a long time since I watched it in full, I'm enjoying the movie again but I prefer watching it in two parts as a miniseries so I'm curious to hear thoughts and experiences from people who have watched this movie in the cinemas with the 20 min intermission. Did you still enjoy it despite the length?

I'm in Australia and wasn't born in 1993, so I have no idea if the movie went to cinemas here but I know it had cinema showings in the US.

So yeah, I'm curious to hear if you enjoyed a single seating experience of it!

Yes I watched Gettysburg on the big screen in a theatre when it first came out - it was terrific! The intermission gave me the opportunity to stretch my legs and didn't interfere with enjoyment of the movie at all. Certainly much more impressive than watching the DVD on a television screen even a large one.

 

[CavRTO]

I saw the original at a movie theater near Franklin, TN. A couple of fellas in front of me a couple of rows looked to be in their sixties. I heard one of them come out with an exasperated comment something like, "Well, it's pretty easy to see who's side this movie is on!" He seemed to think it favored the North, but I believe he made his comment during Buster's speech about "Why we need to win this war."

I enjoyed it tremendously, but because I had read quite a bit about the battle, I wasn't so sure they were telling it like I read it. I did hear though, that Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee riding out among his cheering troops was not in the script but the camera was rolling and the director loved it and kept in in. Really one of the best moments in the film. The other for me was seeing Ted Turner get shot in Pickett's Charge. Never did like him.

Also loved the irony in Martin Sheen's line, "We move this army on the word of an actor??!"

Ted Turner + Hanoi Jane! I'll refrain from saying much more other then any expletives I could come up with would still not express how I really feel.

 

[6thMichCav]

100% sure I saw the movie in the theater with my girlfriend (now wife). And as expected, the acting wasn't completely terrible, but the special effects were lacking. I realize that three hours of Saving Private Ryan-style gore would have turned off a mainstream audience, but the simple fact is that combat is 100,000 of your best friend thrown in a dump in a blender and cranked up to "high," and it's not pretty. But they hardly got any bullet strikes or dirt flying.

 

[RedRover]

I saw it in theaters twice. First time, my local reenactor group was invited to set up at the University Theater in Tampa, and we saw it for free. It may have been a sponsored test audience, as I recall a rep. from a local TV station address the audience before the screening. Enjoyed the movie, saw a few friends in the background as extras.

I was somewhat disappointed, as I had heard reference (ca. 1991-92) that Robert Duval had been cast as Lee, which I thought was gonna be really cool, and instead Mr. Sheen was in his place with a good deal of prosthetics etc. Also, for some reason I could not understand a word Sam Elliott said as Gen. Buford.

Went to see it again with a friend a short time afterwards in a theater in St. Petersburg and had more fun, though more of the imperfections seemed evident.

Had no problem with the running time at all.

 

[7thWisconsin]

I´ve seen it in theaters twice: when it debuted and about 10 years later. Theater sound is wonderful, especially for that glorious soundtrack. But I still think it looks better on a small screen. It is, after all, an overgrown made-for-tv movie. Some of the overacting is easier to take on the smaller screen. I spread the viewing out over 3 days once on the anniversary of the battle. It was too choppy that way and I really wouldn´t recommend it. I like it best in 2 parts, either sequentially with an intermission, or on succeeding days. There´s such a sharp division between the first and second acts that it doesn´t hurt to start one day and finish the next. Unless you´re watching it in a cartridge rolling party. Then you just watch the whole thing.

 

[Eric Wittenberg]

I saw it with a friend who is a descendant of a Virginian who made Pickett's Charge. We both took a day off work to go see it, as it was showing during the daytime. He wept like a baby during the Pickett's Charge scenes.

My late friend Brian Pohanka was the historic consultant for the film, and I had discussed it with him in some detail prior to the film's release, so I knew what to expect. Other than the fact that the film picks up most of the inaccuracies in the novel, I really enjoyed it, and still do, despite the fact that I think very little of the skills of the director.

It's a true shame that Gods and Generals was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Ron Maxwell couldn't direct his way out of a wet paper bag with a crowbar, and that led to a truly horrendous movie. If he has the sole rights to The Last True Measure, then I hope it never gets made into a movie.

 

[Cavalier]

I saw it when it first came out at a theatre in Baltimore. The highlight of the show was that Martin Sheen was at the performance and said a few words. I'm not to well disposed toward celebrities usually, but he was a very personable gentleman. I'm glad I got to hear him speak about some of his experiences making the movie. Many of the reenactors from the movie attended the performance. I loved it. I now have the DVD and watch it frequently although I was not too crazy about the book.

John