Except for Gettysburg, what other well-made movies about the USA Civil War have you seen?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

...

[Brónach 1,302]

None that I remember well.

Well I guess The Good the Bad and the Ugly doesn't count.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

If I say Glory, can we just go ahead to unPC humor about African Americans?

[Josh500 1,615]

I was hoping this would become a series!

Dances with Wolves, Gone with the Wind, Somersby...

There are quite a few good ones.

[Quintus 5,399]

Whoa my loooooooord, lord, lord, lord!

Huuuuurrrrrr..... MmMmmmmmmm.... Huuuurrrrrr..... MmMmmmmmm

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I think THE LAST SAMURAI was about a Japanese civil war. I know it was crap though.

[Josh500 1,615]

I think THE LAST SAMURAI was about a Japanese civil war. I know it was crap though.

Was it? I haven't seen it.

[Quintus 5,399]

It's corny, but I like TLS.

[Josh500 1,615]

How about the score? I heard it's one of HZ's better efforts...

[Wojo 2,453]

Glory -- well-made

Gods and Generals -- well-intentioned

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly kinda counts because of the documentary on disc 2 that correlates some crazy Confederate general's exploits in Texas to the plot of the movie

Never saw Dances with Wolves in its entirety, or any of The Last Samurai.

My favorite civil war series of all time is still the original Star Wars trilogy.

[Jeff 10]

I'm not sure why I bothered clicking on this thread after enduring the last one.

My favorite civil war series of all time is still the original Star Wars trilogy.

But it was totally worth it for this.

[Thor 7,534]

I've actually never seen GETTYSBURG (but I do own the Edelman score).

I'll need to think about some good civil war films.

[nightscape94 965]

Yeah, there aren't that many. Aside from the ones already mentioned, Cold Mountain takes place in that setting, but it wasn't any good.

It's been a while since I've seen The Red Badge of Courage.

[Wojo 2,453]

How is Ride with the Devil? It's a Civil War epic with Topher Grace, directed by Ang Lee. I see it's available to stream at Netflix.

Oh, I have also never seen Gone With the Wind.

But yes, there seems to be a shortage of Civil War films, let alone good ones. It's as if 80 years of westerns turned Hollywood off to going back twenty or thirty more years to offshoot that genre. The closest they get is a western where the main character fought in the Civil War. Cowboys and Aliens. Tombstone (and all other Wyatt Earp movies).

Bad Civil War movies? Jonah Hex and Wild Wild West (albeit slightly antebellum).

[Dean1700 4]

I was hoping this would become a series!

Dances with Wolves, Gone with the Wind, Somersby...

There are quite a few good ones.

Dances with Wolves is a western that opens against the backdrop of the War of Northern Aggression but it's not ABOUT it.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

The Blue and the Gray. I'm in the background in a couple crowd shots. I got to meet Stacy Keach and the late Great Gregory Peck. I also believe that is where I saw the also great, also late Paul Benedict. Part of the movie was film on my college campus.

[Josh500 1,615]

Dances with Wolves is a western that opens against the backdrop of the War of Northern Aggression but it's not ABOUT it.

Thanks for pointing that out, I have seen the movie.

So do you know any examples?

[Jay 37,396]

How is Ride with the Devil? It's a Civil War epic with Topher Grace, directed by Ang Lee. I see it's available to stream at Netflix.

I've seen that movie. The only thing I remember about it is that Jewel is in it and you see her boobies

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Dances with Wolves is a western that opens against the backdrop of the War of Northern Aggression but it's not ABOUT it.

Thanks for pointing that out, I have seen the movie.

So do you know any examples?

Sheesh, dude. Chill out.

-Tom, surprised that Glory didn't get much love in this thread.

[Josh500 1,615]

I actually didn't mean to come across that way. Better?

Thanks for pointing that out, I have seen the movie.

So do you know any examples?

[Dean1700 4]

There is Andersonville but I didn't think it was well made though.

[Josh500 1,615]

Actually this thread made me want to rewatch Dances With Wolves...

John Barry's score rivals with John Williams's very best, IMO. And in 1991, they were right to give JB the Oscar instead of Home Alone (which would have been the second choice).

[Thor 7,534]

I've always thought of DANCES WITH WOLVES more as a western than a civil war movie. The focus is on the relationship between a 'cowboy' and an native American, after all. The civil war is just a distant backdrop.

[Jeff 10]

I think THE LAST SAMURAI was about a Japanese civil war. I know it was crap though.

I believe Tom Cruise played an American Civil War veteran who went to Japan and ended up fighting in a Japanese civil war. I liked it. It may not have been the greatest movie ever made, but I'm not sure what would make it qualify as "crap," unless you just hate Tom Cruise.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Doesn't Amistad show the Civil War for like 5 seconds? Hardly the best movie about the subject, although it really clarifies some of the reasons why the conflict broke out.

[Faleel 5,371]

I've always thought of DANCES WITH WOLVES more as a western than a civil war movie. The focus is on the relationship between a 'cowboy' and an native American, after all. The civil war is just a distant backdrop.

the same could be said about Home Alone not being a christmas movie.

[Jeff 10]

It's a little different since apparently Dances with Wolves doesn't show any of the civil war, whereas Home Alone has Christmas scenes throughout. Gone with the Wind would be analogous to Home Alone - the Civil War is going on all around them, but it's mostly focused on the love story and Scarlett's life, not the battles themselves.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

People took this thread seriously???

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I think THE LAST SAMURAI was about a Japanese civil war. I know it was crap though.

I believe Tom Cruise played an American Civil War veteran who went to Japan and ended up fighting in a Japanese civil war. I liked it. It may not have been the greatest movie ever made, but I'm not sure what would make it qualify as "crap," unless you just hate Tom Cruise.

It being crap would qualify as crap.

Less obtusely, it's boring, the direction is overbaked and Tom Cruise is practically begging for an Oscar he'll never get.

[Omen II 1,235]

People took this thread seriously???

OK then, Mysterious Island. Union and Confederate soldiers team up to defeat far greater foes - a giant crab, giant bees, a giant chicken, pirates and Captain Nemo!

Closer to home, Johnny Williams scored The Plainsman, which is not well made but does at least begin with five seconds of civil war footage.

[Jeff 10]

People took this thread seriously???

The other thread was so entertaining, we were hoping for an enthralling repeat in round two.

Less obtusely, it's boring, the direction is overbaked and Tom Cruise is practically begging for an Oscar he'll never get.

Valid points, but I have a lower threshold for "crap." The acting wasn't distracting and all the major elements (cinematography, direction, screenplay) were passable at a minimum. For me, only a true "B" movie, or lower, would earn the distinction of being "crap."

Then again, I've probably called Transformers "crap" before, but that's just because I hate what it's done for the movie industry, not because it fits my criteria, so I guess there's some leeway.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

I would rather go to the electric chair than see a Civil War movie starring Kevin Costner.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

People took this thread seriously???

The other thread was so entertaining, we were hoping for an enthralling repeat in round two.

Less obtusely, it's boring, the direction is overbaked and Tom Cruise is practically begging for an Oscar he'll never get.

Valid points, but I have a lower threshold for "crap." The acting wasn't distracting and all the major elements (cinematography, direction, screenplay) were passable at a minimum. For me, only a true "B" movie, or lower, would earn the distinction of being "crap."

Then again, I've probably called Transformers "crap" before, but that's just because I hate what it's done for the movie industry, not because it fits my criteria, so I guess there's some leeway.

No, you were right the first time, Transformers is drivel. But it doesn't have to be a B-movie to be crap, there are tons of great B-movies just as there are tons of crap A-movies.

[Faleel 5,371]

No, you were right the first time, Transformers is drivel. But it doesn't have to be a B-movie to be crap, there are tons of great B-movies just as there are tons of crap A-movies.

But C-movies are always ALWAYS crap

[Jilal 569]

C-movies include The Smurfs, Cars 2 (not 1!), Real Steel, The Three Musketeers, etc... Right?

I had to when i saw the trailers of all of these, so...

[Faleel 5,371]

C-movies include The Smurfs, Real Steel, The Three Musketeers, etc... Right?

I had to when i saw the trailers of all of these, so...

Fixed!

[Jilal 569]

The subject doesn't really interest me.

[Jeff 10]

I have to agree with Faleel, Cars 2 is B-grade at least. I actually thought it was just as good as the first one, though obviously not as fresh, but I was never a huge fan of the first one.

Incidentally, Cars 2 is also a pretty good Civil War movie.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The subject doesn't really interest me.

Ironically, same here...

[Thor 7,534]

Personally, I have plenty of interest in the civil war...then again, I'm interested in history in general.

I remember following the NORTH & SOUTH series as a kid, with a wonderful Bill Conti main theme that harkens back to GONE WITH THE WIND. Perhaps not authentic civil war drama, but plenty of drama nonetheless!

[Dean1700 4]

It's a little different since apparently Dances with Wolves doesn't show any of the civil war.

Hmmm maybe you saw a different version of DWW because I swear blind I saw a civil war battle at the start of the film!

[Quintus 5,399]

I'm very much fascinated by the subject matter; I'm just not interested in this thread.

I mean, couldn't a proper discussion become a bit... political? Policy and all that lark etc.

[King Mark 3,631]

I haven't seen Gettysberg

Is the war in The Patriot close enough?

[Wojo 2,453]

Not even close.

The American Revolution lasted from 1775 to 1783. The American Civil War was 1861-1865.

When you're off by 90 years, you may as well swing the other way and call Saving Private Ryan a Civil War movie, too.

It's a little different since apparently Dances with Wolves doesn't show any of the civil war.

Hmmm maybe you saw a different version of DWW because I swear blind I saw a civil war battle at the start of the film!

This is what I was referring to when I posted:

But yes, there seems to be a shortage of Civil War films, let alone good ones. It's as if 80 years of westerns turned Hollywood off to going back twenty or thirty more years to offshoot that genre. The closest they get is a western where the main character fought in the Civil War. Cowboys and Aliens. Tombstone (and all other Wyatt Earp movies).

Hollywood seems to have always preferred westerns that either begin with the end of the Civil War or feature characters that served in it before the war began. Not the Civil War itself. It's either too expensive or too polarizing still.

Saying that DWW is about the Civil War is like saying Raiders of the Lost Ark is about a Peruvian jungle. It's there, but it's not the focus.

[Jeff 10]

It's a little different since apparently Dances with Wolves doesn't show any of the civil war.

Hmmm maybe you saw a different version of DWW because I swear blind I saw a civil war battle at the start of the film!

I said "apparently" because I have never seen DWW and was misinterpreting your post:

Dances with Wolves is a western that opens against the backdrop of the War of Northern Aggression but it's not ABOUT it.

I thought by "backdrop" you meant that it didn't actually show any of the war itself, just implied that it was happening. My mistake.

Back to the point, Home Alone may not be ABOUT Christmas, but it is still a Christmas movie in the broadest sense. Maybe the same could be said of DWW and the Civil War genre (again, just conjecture as I haven't seen it).

[Dean1700 4]

I haven't seen Gettysberg

Is the war in The Patriot close enough?

Well, The Patriot is about the American Revolution and according to John Quincy Adams in Amistad who refers to civil war as being "the last battle of the American Revolution" I would say that's close enough.