Meet the free, proud, independent people of Ukraine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzNxLzFfR5w Nothing but reviews. In excess.
From ZERO to 6 ♥s. 100% ad-free. Run on pure love for movies, documentaries and TV-series. June 2025: Countdown to: Top 10: Best horror comedy movies - Upcoming review: There's Still Tomorrow (2023)
Eagerly anticipating this month ... (6-25)
Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value (2025)
Showing posts with label the American Civil War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the American Civil War. Show all posts
A picturesque, dramatic, beautifully colored dramatization of a US Civil War scene makes up this fine poster for Edward Zwick's Glory
In 1862 during the American Civil War, Colonel Shaw of the Northern Union army is tasked with forming its first unit made up of African-American soldiers; the men's engagement is finally honored in battle.
Glory is written by Kevin Jarre (Rambo - First Blood Part 2 (1985, story)), based on the letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and novels Lay This Laurel (1973) byLincoln Kirstein (Paul Cadmus (1984)) and One Gallant Rush (1965) by Peter Burchard (Jed (1960, short story)), and directed by great Illinoisan filmmaker Edward Zwick (About Last Night (1986)).
The film is an enormously handsome production, and James Horner's (Vibes (1988)) score is deeply affecting. Zwick gets masterful performances from especially Denzel Washington(A Soldier's Story (1984)), who shines up against Morgan Freeman (Nurse Betty (2000)), Matthew Broderick (Marie and Bruce (2004)) and Cary Elwes (Walk the Talk (2007)).
Glory also has a truly captivating story with real presence of history to it. It therefore disappoints some to note that the film apparently has several factual errors in it.
Still this is arguably Zwick's finest film, a nearly masterful work.
Watch a short 30th anniversary teaser for the film from TCM here
Cost: 18 mil. $
Box office: 26.9 mil. $ - North America only
= Uncertain
[Glory was released 15 December (USA) and runs 122 minutes. Shooting took place from February - April 1989 in Georgia and Massachusetts, including Boston. The film contains several factual errors/fictional inventions: No soldiers marched in cold mud without boots at the time; flogging had been abolished; and the majority of the unit's soldiers were not former slaves, - among other things. The film opened #17 to a 63k $ first weekend in 3 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #8 and in 811 theaters, grossing 26.8 mil. $. It is impossible to ascertain the film's box office status without international gross numbers. The North-American gross alone only gives the film status as 'big flop', but the world gross could be high enough to alter this - or perhaps it wasn't. The film was nominated for 5 Oscars, winning 3: It won for Best Supporting Actor (Washington), Cinematography (Freddie Francis (Our Virgin Island (1958))) and Sound. It lost Best Art/Set Decoration to Batman and Editing to Born on the Fourth of July. It also won 1/5 Golden Globe nominations, was nominated for a BAFTA, won a Grammy and a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Zwick returned with Thirtysomething (1987-90) and theatrically with Leaving Normal (1992). Broderick returned in The Freshman (1990); Washington in Heart Condition (1990); Elwes in Days of Thunder (1990); and Freeman in The Earth Day Special (1990, TV special), The Civil War (1990, TV documentary miniseries) and theatrically in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990). Glory is certified fresh at 93 % with a 7.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
An epically romantic embrace and kiss adorn this beautifully framed poster for Victor Fleming, George Cukor and Sam Wood's Gone with the Wind
Scarlett O'Hara keeps her unhappy love of the already wed soldier Ashley alive in Georgia in 1861, through the coming horrors of the American Civil War and 3 marriages of her own, solely to learn that only her homestead Tara lasts forever.
Gone with the Wind is written by Sidney Howard (The Silver Cord (1933)), with Oliver H.P. Garrett (Street of Chance (1930, story)), Ben Hecht (The Indian Fighter (1955)), Jo Swerling (Lady by Choice (1934)) and John Van Druten (Old Acquaintance (1943)) contributing elements, based on the same-titled 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell (Lost Laysen (1916)), and directed by Californian master filmmaker Victor Fleming (When the Clouds Roll By (1919)), whose 42nd feature it was, with George Cukor (Gaslight (1944)) and Sam Wood (A Night at the Opera (1935)) making uncredited directing contributions.
The film is a splendid, fantastic epic: Every shot blinds with splendor and sumptuous dedication. (Cinematography by Ernest Haller (My Girl Tisa (1948)) and Lee Garmes (The Lusty Men (1952)).) The grandiose, story-telling score by Max Steiner (Marjorie Morningstar (1958)), magnificent Technicolor and performances are out of this world: Vivien Leigh (The Village Squire (1935)) and Olivia de Havilland (Government Girl (1943)) in particular, but really the cast is tremendous across the board. The wonderfully human story is also extraordinarily strong for its time in its African-American parts, and I don't write a single one off as a flat, stereotypical character. - Shame on those who dare to write off the entire film, which is so precious cinema history, and not just the line from it which every one still knows: "Frankly dear, I don't give a damn!"
Gone with the Wind is a true masterpiece, and is about women first and foremost! It is big-time American South nostalgia, which carries you off to that place with a wildly exciting 4-hour melodrama. An incredible achievement.
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: 3.85 - 3.9 mil. $ (different reports)
Box office: 400.5 mil. $
= Blockbuster (returned 102.69 - 104.02 times its cost)
[Gone with the Wind premiered 15 December (Atlanta, Georgia) and runs 234 minutes. Producer David O. Selznick bought the rights to Mitchell's novel in 1936 for a record 50k $. (Selznick would later acknowledge that Mitchell had still been underpaid, considering the film's success, and paid out an additional 50k $.) Production was delayed to secure Clark Gable's participation, whereas Leigh was cast from a vast pool of actresses following a hugely publicized national 'search for Scarlett'. Gable was paid around 120k, Leigh 25k $ (for a much longer working period), whereas the writing team reportedly earned 126k $. Cukor was fired as director after less than 3 weeks shooting; rumored to be due to his homosexuality, and possibly for knowing details as to Gable's secret gay past. Shooting took place in Arkansas, Georgia and California, including Los Angeles, from December 1938 - November 1939. Cukor continued coaching Leigh and De Havilland in private on weekends. Steiner's was the longest score written for a film up to that point. The preview screening concluded with cheers and a standing ovation. The Atlanta premiere was an event with record admission prizes and 300k people there to see and participate in the 3-day festivities and parade; one of the days was declared a state holiday. Hattie McDaniel (Maryland (1940)), who plays Mammy, was absent, because the racist Jim Crow laws kept her from attending the film. It was shown in North America as a roadshow engagement only in 1939-40 with a 1 $ admission prize, double the day's standard, and 70 % going to MGM (up from the typical 30-35 % of the period). Prizes were later normalized for a general release. The print, distribution and ad costs reportedly came to around 3.1 mil. $ additionally. It is estimated 60 mil. tickets were sold in North America in the film's first 4 years, around half the population. The film was nominated for 13 Oscars, winning 10, 2 of which were honorary: It won Best Picture, Actress (Leigh), Supporting Actress (McDaniel, first Africa-American to win an Oscar, though she was segregated from her colleagues at the ceremony; also nominated was De Havilland), Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Editing, and honorary Oscars for its use of equipment and color, (it was the first Best Picture winner in color.) The 8 competitive Oscars set a new record, which the film held until Gigi (1958) beat it with 9. It is still the longest Best Picture winner of all time. It also won 2 National Board of Review awards. Selznick sold his share in the film in 1942 to his business partner (for just 500k $), who sold it on to MGM for 2.8 mil. $. The film had brought the studio back 32 mil. $ in 1943, making it the most profitable movie ever made up to that point. Another 5 mil. $ was earned at the first re-release in 1947, where it again was one of the year's ten biggest earners. Subsequent re-releases continued to rake in tens of millions of $ worldwide. The film was finally overtaken in box office might by The Sound of Music (1966). The 1967 re-release was again a roadshow, and it became the most successful re-release ever, grossing 68 mil. $, and assuring its position as the 4th highest-grossing picture of the 1960s. It overtook Sound of Music with a 1971 re-release, but was then overtaken by The Godfather (1972) as the top-earner. An estimated 200 mil. tickets have been sold for the film in North America, more than any other film ever. It was immensely popular abroad as well, selling 35 mil. tickets in the UK and 16 mil. in France, during WWII, and in the recovering years after. Adjusted for inflation the film made more than 3.44 bil. $ at the box office. NBC paid 5 mil. $ to be the first network station to show the film in 1976, which became the highest-rated TV program and most-watched film to ever air on TV: 47.5 % of households in the US and 65 % of TV viewers saw it. CBS paid 35 mil. $ in 1978 for the right to show the film 20 times in the following 20 years. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, in line with this one. The 6-hour sequel miniseries Scarlett was released in 1994 with none of the original talents involved. IMDb's users have voted the film in at #168 on the site's Top 250, sitting between The Truman Show (1998) and Soul (2020). Fleming returned with They Dare Not Love (1941); Cukor with Susan and God (1940); Wood with Out Town (1940). Leigh returned in 21 Days Together (1940); De Havilland in My Love Came Back (1940); Gable in Strange Cargo (1940); and Leslie Howard (The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)) in Common Heritage (1940, short) and theatrically in 'Pimpernel' Smith (1941). Gone with the Wind is certified fresh at 91 % with an 8.79/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
Buster Keaton looks only slightly unnerved as the hapless title character on this drawn and painted poster for Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton's The General
The American Civil War breaks out, and Johnny attempts to enlist in the Confederate Army, but there he is thought to be more vital in his current job as a train engineer. But then Union spies steal Johnny's train, the General - with his girl on it! And so starts a wild chase. The General is written by Californian master co-writer/co-director Clyde Bruckman (The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933, short)) and Kansan master co-writer/co-producer/co-director/star/co-editor Buster Keaton (Boom in the Moon (1946)), with Paul Gerard Smith (It's a Joke, Son! (1947)) contributing elements, and Al Boasberg (The Fuller Gush Man (1934, short)) and Charles Henry Smith (Nobody (1921)) contributing with the adaptation process: The film adapts William Pittenger's (Daring and Suffering, A History of the Great Locomotive Adventures (1963)) account of his experiences in the actual Great Locomotive Chase of 1862. Keaton's enormous comedic talent and derring-do is on full display in The General, which is also a technically deeply impressive film, for example for its many high-speed traveling shots of Keaton and his not exactly petite sweetheart (played by Marion Mack (The Carnival Girl (1926))) fooling around. The seemingly endless traps and gags are smartly incorporated into the story, which culminates in a panorama of war, which in terms of firepower, gunpowder, bombs and stunts is nothing short of awe-inspiring. There is simply no way in which The General does not lift its audience's spirits. Related posts: Clyde Bruckman: For Heaven's Sake (1926) - Lloyd's antics unleashed in a missionary setting (co-writer) Buster Keaton: The Electric House (1922, short) - Keaton introduces electricity with hilarious results in great short (co-writer/co-director/star)
Watch a recent HD trailer for the film here
Cost: 750k $ Box office: Reportedly 1 mil. $ = Big flop (returned 1.33 times its cost) [The General premiered 25 December (El Paso, Texas) and runs around 75 minutes, (some versions are shorter.) Keaton was a train history fan and attempted to rent the real General locomotive to use in the film but was refused. He instead bought 3 locomotives for use in the film, and was initially given a 400k $ budget. Keaton and Bruckman traveled to Oregon in 18 freight cars with cannons, stagecoaches, houses, three 33 mm cameras and the cast and crew. Shooting took place in Oregon and California from June - September 1926. A press release stated that the film had 3,000 people on the pay roll and cost 400 $ an hour to make. On-set accidents contributed to the ballooning costs: Keaton getting knocked unconscious; an assistant director getting shot in the face with a blank cartridge; a train wheel running over a brakeman's foot; and the train's wood-burning engine causing numerous haystack fires. The town Cottage Growe declared a local holiday on the day of the shooting of the climactic train wreck scene, and 3-4,000 curious locals showed up, including 500 extras from the Oregon National Guard in uniforms. The shot took hours to prepare and carry out and cost 42k $, thus becoming the costliest single shot in silent film history. However, the later shot from The General of the Texas locomotive crashing into the river from a burning bridge was as expensive. The wreckage was left in the river but salvaged for scrap metal during WWII. A large fire broke out during shooting of a major fight scene, costing the production 50k $, as everyone went back to Los Angeles for a few weeks, while the heavy smoke cleared! Several of the shots in the film that features Keaton himself were extremely dangerous and could have easily turned deadly, had anything gone wrong. The general US release of the film was delayed due to the success of Flesh and the Devil (1926). It made just 474k $ in the US and became Keaton's biggest flop, though he took great pride in The General and called it his best film. The failure meant that Keaton lost his artistic independence and accepted a restrictive deal with MGM. The film fell into public domain in the US in 1954 and can be seen free and legally right here. It may have turned a profit since with several re-releases in many countries. IMDb's users have voted the film in at #196 on the site's Top 250, sitting between Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Keaton returned in College (1927), for which his co-direction received no credit; Bruckman returned with Horse Shoes (1927). The General is certified fresh at 93 % with a 9.09/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of The General?
Kept in mostly earthy tones, this hand-painted poster for Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a masterwork
Three gunslingers in the West fight each other in a fierce search for a fortune in buried Confederate gold around the time of the American Civil War. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is written by Agenore Incrocci (Spaghetti House (1982)), Furio Scarpelli (Celluloid/Celluloide (1996)), Luciano Vincenzoni (Count Tacchia/Il Conte Tacchia (1982)) and co-writer/director, Italian master filmmaker Sergio Leone (The Colossus of Rhodes/Il Colosso di Rodi (1961)). It is the final film in Leone's Dollars trilogy, which also contains A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and For a Few Dollars More (1965). An impressively grand work, this spaghetti western is a complete joy: An epic with big sets, twists, great storytelling and Ennio Morricone's (The Repenter/Il Pentito (1985)) classic legendary score and theme, which returns probably around 20 times through the film without ever getting tiring. Clint Eastwood (The Bridges of Madison County (1995)) is the clench-jawed Clint we know and love from these films; whereas Eli Wallach (The Toe Tactic (2008)) as Tuco ('the ugly') is especially good in the film, filling out his mischievous and unpleasant yet charming character with bravado. The desert scenes and the cemetery finale are incredibly handsome pieces of cinema, (cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli (Lovers & Liars/Viaggio con Anita (1979))). The story of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is very uncomplicated, and at its length Leone operates in a space somewhere between grandeur and at the cusp of delusions of grandeur. However that space is wonderful to be in with him here. Related posts:
Cost: Estimated 1.2 mil. $ Box office: 25.1 mil. $ (North America only) = Mega-hit (returned more than 20.91 times its cost) [The Good, the Bad and the Ugly premiered 23 December (Italy) and runs 177 minutes. United Artists reportedly put up 0.5 mil. $ of the budget, following the success of the two previous Dollars movies in Europe especially, (all three were not released in North America until 1967.) Eastwood reportedly negotiated his salary up to 250k $, a Ferrari and 10 % of the US profits. Shooting took place in Spain, including Madrid, and in Italy, including Rome, around July 1966. The cemetery set was built by Spanish soldiers in 2 days. The film is said to have grossed 6.3 mil. $ in its initial North-American release. It was released slowly to more countries into the 1970s and has had many re-releases. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this review. IMDb's users have voted the film in at #9 on the site's Top 250, sitting between Pulp Fiction (1994) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Leone returned with Once Upon a Time in the West/C'era una Volta il West (1968). Eastwood returned in The Witches/Le Streghe (1967); Lee Van Cleef (Shotgun Slade (1961, TV-series)) in Death Rides a Horse/Da Uomo a Uomo (1967); and Wallach in Batman (1967, TV-series) and theatrically in The Tiger Makes Out (1967). The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is certified fresh at 97 % with an 8.76/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?
+ Best Historical Movie of the Year + Best Big Hit Movie of the Year + Best Biopic of the Year
Daniel Day-Lewis fully immersed and impressively resemblant of his iconic character on this poster in stately B/W for Steven Spielberg's Lincoln
We follow the hardships of US president Abraham Lincoln in the last months of his second term, as the American Civil War finally comes to its end, and he manages to abolish slavery. Lincoln is written by Tony Kushner (Munich (2005)), based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin's (The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys: An American Saga (1987)) biographical book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (2005)), and directed by Ohioan master filmmaker Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park (1993)). Daniel Day-Lewis (Nanou (1986)) is phenomenal as Lincoln, and so is Sally Field (Eye for an Eye (1996)) as Mrs. Lincoln. Spielberg's sweeping, historical biopic is exciting, because besides portraying one of the most interesting political periods in world history, it is also driven by a family drama with equally high stakes. Spielberg has gathered an appropriately impressive ensemble of actors, of which the third who deserves highlighting is Tommy Lee Jones (Double Jeopardy (1999)), who stands out in one of his career's finest performances as a rebel Republican, who does what is necessary in order to be able to abolish slavery with his president. Lincoln is full of wallops; it is a very handsome production with sublime photography (by Janusz Kaminski (Tall Tale (1995))) and a good score, although it isn't among composer John Williams' (Catch Me If You Can (2002)) very best. The chosen portion of a speech which concludes the film puzzles me a bit. Still Lincoln is a grand and thrilling history lesson of great quality. Related posts:
Cost: 65 mil. $ Box office: 275.2 mil. $ = Big hit (returned 4.23 times the cost) [Lincoln premiered 8 October (New York) and runs 150 minutes. Spielberg expressed desire to make a Lincoln film using Goodwin's then unwritten book in 1999. Development began in 2001 with Liam Neeson getting attached to star in 2005. He left the project in 2010, and Spielberg offered Day-Lewis, who had first called the idea of him playing the character "preposterous", the part again, which he then accepted. Shooting took place in Virginia from October - December 2011. The film opened #15 to a 944k $ first weekend in 11 theaters in North America, - a colossal 85k $ average, - where it peaked the following week at #3, behind new release, major box office phenomenon The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 and holdover hit Skyfall. It spent another 5 weeks in the top 5 (#3-#4-#4-#3-#5) and grossed 182.2 mil. $ (66.2 % of the total gross) domestically. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 13.2 mil. $ (4.8 %) and France with 10.6 mil. $ (3.9 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch better than this one. The historical accuracy of the film is generally assessed to be high. It was nominated for 12 Oscars, winning for Best Actor (Day-Lewis) and Best Production Design. It lost Best Picture to Argo, Supporting Actor (Jones) to Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained, Supporting Actress (Field) to Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables, Director to Ang Lee for Life of Pi, Adapted Screenplay to Chris Terrio for Argo, Cinematography to Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi, Costume Design to Anna Karenina, Sound Mixing to Les Misérables, Editing to Argo, and Score to Mychael Danna for Life of Pi. It also won 1/7 Golden Globe nominations, 1/10 BAFTA noms, an AFI award, a David di Donatello nomination, a Grammy nomination, a National Board of Review award and countless other honors. Disney donated 37,100 copies of the film on DVD along with teaching guides to secondary schools across the US. Spielberg returned with Bridge of Spies (2015). Day-Lewis returned in Phantom Thread (2017). Lincoln is certified fresh at 89 % with an 8/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
Kevin Costner on the prairie with a wolf on the poster for his own film, Dances with Wolves
QUICK REVIEW:
Lieutenant John J. Dunbar (Kevin Costner(Open Range (2003))) is wounded in the American Civil War and gets exiled to a remote western post, where he befriends wolves and Indians and comes at heads with his military commanders. Wolves is a very beautiful salute to the native peoples of America, more specifically the Sioux Indians. The story, - Michael Blake (Winding Stair (1998)) adapted his own novel, - is very simple and elongated (the film runs 180 minutes), packed with grand nature, sympathetic Indians and gun-crazed Americans, who even SPOILER wipe their asses in Dunbar's journal. The film also contains a stunning buffalo scene and Mary McDonnell (Donnie Darko (2001)), who is really super as Costner's half-Indian flame. Costner debuted as a director with this major film, which he had to help get finished by injecting 3 mil. $ to cover his budget overrun out of his own pockets. He has since only directed the similarly long, but ridiculed The Postman (1997) and the very good western Open Range. Dances with Wolves is a very good film, which I think some people mistake for a masterpiece simply because they find it so sympathetic. There also exists a 236 minute 'director's cut' version, - but beware; Costner has stated that he had no hand in this extended cut.
Cost: Estimated 19-22 mil. $ Box office: 424.2 mil. $ = Huge hit [Wolves surprised skeptics, who were already waiting in the shades, calling the film Kevin's Gate, (alluding to Michael Cimino's infamous turkey Heaven's Gate (1980))), were put to shame, as the film took in 184 mil. $ (43 % of the total gross) in the US and became a worldwide smash, as per the international posters above. Wolves was also 10 times Oscar-nominated and won 7, including Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography (Dean Semler (Apocalypto (2006))), Sound, Editing and Score (John Barry (You Only Live Twice (1967)))! - The film thus, incredibly, became the first western to win the Best Picture Oscar sinceWesley Ruggles' (The Monkey's Paw (1933)) Cimarron (1931)!] What do you think of Dances with Wolves?
A dark, blue-tinted poster for Timur Bekmambetov's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Lincoln leaves in his wake a journal over his secret profession as a vampire hunter from young man and ahead, as the nation gets threatened by the vampires of the South. Hunter is based on a so-called mashup novel with the same title by Seth Grahame-Smith, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The story is historically insulting. - 'Barack Obama: Vampire Hunter' would obviously be wrong, so how can it be that national hero Lincoln is alright? (I guess time makes everything fair game to some.) The basically (for me) unacceptable idea doesn't get any wings to fly with in the actual film; a mediocre cast, - highlights Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Die Hard 4.0 (2007)), Anthony Mackie (Pain & Gain (2013)) and Dominic Cooper (Fleming (2013), TV), - in a mediocre production. Nothing lights up Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter; there's no fun, no sense of any intelligence behind it. The only thing this action/horror/romance has going for it is its technically fair execution. Director Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch (2004)), a Kazakhstani action filmmaker, is now rumored to direct a remake of Ben-Hur (2016), which seems like an absolutely terrible idea.
Budget: 69 mil. $ Box office: 116.4 mil. $ = Unspectacular What do you think of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? And what do you think of letting its director tinker with Ben-Hur?
