The rise and fall of legendary war hero Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson as he leads the Confederacy to great success against the Union from 1861 to 1863. Prequel to the 1993 classic "Gettysburg".
Based on the 1836 standoff between a group of Texan and Tejano men, led by Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, and Mexican dictator Santa Anna's forces at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.
Director:
John Lee Hancock
Stars:
Dennis Quaid,
Billy Bob Thornton,
Emilio Echevarría
The true love story of the conflict between Capt. Robert Adams' dedication to the south and his love for Eveline McCord, his beloved from the north. Produced, written and directed by the descendants of Robert and Eveline, this American Civil War tale is an explosive, richly detailed saga of fierce combat, honor and the will to risk all that's precious for love or country.
Directors:
A. Blaine Miller,
Julian Adams
Stars:
Julian Adams,
Gwendolyn Edwards,
Eric Holloway
A small band of soldiers sacrifice their lives in hopeless combat against a massive army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas.
Director:
John Wayne
Stars:
John Wayne,
Richard Widmark,
Laurence Harvey
Operation Market Garden, September 1944: The Allies attempt to capture several strategically important bridges in the Netherlands in the hope of breaking the German lines. However, mismanagement and poor planning result in its failure.
The rise and fall of legendary war hero Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson as he leads the Confederacy to great success against the Union from 1861 to 1863. Prequel to the 1993 classic "Gettysburg".
The Fredericksburg street battle scenes were shot on the streets of Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. See more »
Goofs
The text in the bottom of the screen calls Brigadier General Thomas R.R. Cobb's unit 'Irish Regiment', while Cobb commanded the 'Irish Brigade'. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Title Card:
A human life, I think, should be well rooted in some spot of a native land, where it may get the love of tender kinship for the face of the earth, for the labors men go forth to, for the sounds and accents that haunt it, for whatever will give that early home a familiar unmistakable difference amidst the future widening of knowledge. The best introduction to astronomy is to think of the nightly heavens as a little lot of stars belonging to one's own homestead. - George Eliot
See more »
Crazy Credits
No reenactors were credited individualy, rather there was general thank you to all the reenactors who participated in the filming. See more »
For the first time, I am very disapointed with the vast majority of reviews on a movie on IMDB. Actually, I was shocked that the movie I just saw was in no way, the movie that so many people called out right disapointing. Though this movie does have it's flaws, it is one of the most moving war pictures I have ever seen. Actually, it is more of a character study than a war film, and appeals to many different audiences.
Many have commented on the long running time, and the lengthy, and I'll admit, at times superfluously long speeches, but to tell you the truth, I was so engaged with the performances of Steven Lang, Jeff Daniels and Robert Duvall, that the close to 4 hour running time felt like a regular 2 hour movie. It was definitely nice to see more of the aspects of the war for the Confederate and Union people that you don't read in your regular high school history book. I won't make this a political commentary because frankly, one thing everyone can agree on is that this was without a doubt, our nation's darkest time, and both sides lost far too many brave young souls, that were robbed of their chance at life. Both sides were full of young people, many of which did not fully understand their cause, nor why they were thrust into this horrible war, but both sides knew one thing...that they were fighting to preserve their very livelihood. But, I will say that the film did depict a more truthful nature of both sides, especially with the issue of how slaves were treated, and the ideologies (that are sometimes conflicting on the same side, as we see in a scene between Daniels and C. Thomas Howell) between both sides. To be honest, what you read in the history books in school is only partly true, and is in fact biased. And the film does portray the fact of the matter that it was a hard time for everyone, and the U.S., even the world, had a much different view on life, liberty and even the horrible slavery of others. It was a time of the birth of a new nation and the death of its people, a coming of age for this great country, and is a theme that is portrayed wonderfully throughout.
This film also depicts the role of prayer, and shows how God's Will, to those who search for it, can work wonders. Now, whether you are a Christian or not, the very morals derived from the prayers ought to be an inspiration to everyone, and if anything, was an accurate representation of the men portrayed. Chamberlain, Jackson and Lee were all, indeed, devoted followers of God, and it is almost poetic how Gods and Generals shows how their devotion enabled them to have the insane bravery that they did. I found it very moving, and I know many others will too.
All in all, there have been few films that have touched me as much as this movie did. The dialogue is incredible and the battle scenes are very well choreographed. I do have to agree though with another viewer that at times, the music seems a bit out of place...for instance we hear a thundering choir similar to the famous charge of Fort Wagner in the movie Glory, but, though a great piece, it seems almost tacked on in a way. There are other instances of a sad love theme throughout that are not needed, but all in all, that is my only major complaint. The film is long, and I really thought I'd be bored as hell throughout. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how the movie flows. Yes, there are jingoistic, drawn out speeches, but they all are moving, are performed masterfully, and flow nicely. There were very few moments of 'dead time' where the movie just stopped at a stand still. I would recommend this movie to anyone, considering it isn't just a war movie junkie or Civil War buff movie. It has appealing elements for everyone, and is one of the most realistic portrayals of such a sad time in our history that I have ever seen. Like Schindler's List, this movie should definitely be seen by everyone so we do not forget the horror of a country at war with itself, and take the extra steps in order to ensure that it never happens again. I had low expectations going into this movie, and honestly thought I would get bored during the non-war scenes, but I was wrong, this movie was a very pleasant surprise, and probably got a bad rap from the same people that teach the history that all Southerners mistreated their slaves and that the only Union cause was to free said slaves. Both sides had a cause willing to die for, and both sides are sympathized for equally. Gods and Generals shows that there are no heroes in war, and that through all of the madness, humanity will always survive. Highly recommended. I rarely give this, but this movie deserves it, and it was truly touching...10/10 stars.
45 of 71 people found this review helpful.
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For the first time, I am very disapointed with the vast majority of reviews on a movie on IMDB. Actually, I was shocked that the movie I just saw was in no way, the movie that so many people called out right disapointing. Though this movie does have it's flaws, it is one of the most moving war pictures I have ever seen. Actually, it is more of a character study than a war film, and appeals to many different audiences.
Many have commented on the long running time, and the lengthy, and I'll admit, at times superfluously long speeches, but to tell you the truth, I was so engaged with the performances of Steven Lang, Jeff Daniels and Robert Duvall, that the close to 4 hour running time felt like a regular 2 hour movie. It was definitely nice to see more of the aspects of the war for the Confederate and Union people that you don't read in your regular high school history book. I won't make this a political commentary because frankly, one thing everyone can agree on is that this was without a doubt, our nation's darkest time, and both sides lost far too many brave young souls, that were robbed of their chance at life. Both sides were full of young people, many of which did not fully understand their cause, nor why they were thrust into this horrible war, but both sides knew one thing...that they were fighting to preserve their very livelihood. But, I will say that the film did depict a more truthful nature of both sides, especially with the issue of how slaves were treated, and the ideologies (that are sometimes conflicting on the same side, as we see in a scene between Daniels and C. Thomas Howell) between both sides. To be honest, what you read in the history books in school is only partly true, and is in fact biased. And the film does portray the fact of the matter that it was a hard time for everyone, and the U.S., even the world, had a much different view on life, liberty and even the horrible slavery of others. It was a time of the birth of a new nation and the death of its people, a coming of age for this great country, and is a theme that is portrayed wonderfully throughout.
This film also depicts the role of prayer, and shows how God's Will, to those who search for it, can work wonders. Now, whether you are a Christian or not, the very morals derived from the prayers ought to be an inspiration to everyone, and if anything, was an accurate representation of the men portrayed. Chamberlain, Jackson and Lee were all, indeed, devoted followers of God, and it is almost poetic how Gods and Generals shows how their devotion enabled them to have the insane bravery that they did. I found it very moving, and I know many others will too.
All in all, there have been few films that have touched me as much as this movie did. The dialogue is incredible and the battle scenes are very well choreographed. I do have to agree though with another viewer that at times, the music seems a bit out of place...for instance we hear a thundering choir similar to the famous charge of Fort Wagner in the movie Glory, but, though a great piece, it seems almost tacked on in a way. There are other instances of a sad love theme throughout that are not needed, but all in all, that is my only major complaint. The film is long, and I really thought I'd be bored as hell throughout. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how the movie flows. Yes, there are jingoistic, drawn out speeches, but they all are moving, are performed masterfully, and flow nicely. There were very few moments of 'dead time' where the movie just stopped at a stand still. I would recommend this movie to anyone, considering it isn't just a war movie junkie or Civil War buff movie. It has appealing elements for everyone, and is one of the most realistic portrayals of such a sad time in our history that I have ever seen. Like Schindler's List, this movie should definitely be seen by everyone so we do not forget the horror of a country at war with itself, and take the extra steps in order to ensure that it never happens again. I had low expectations going into this movie, and honestly thought I would get bored during the non-war scenes, but I was wrong, this movie was a very pleasant surprise, and probably got a bad rap from the same people that teach the history that all Southerners mistreated their slaves and that the only Union cause was to free said slaves. Both sides had a cause willing to die for, and both sides are sympathized for equally. Gods and Generals shows that there are no heroes in war, and that through all of the madness, humanity will always survive. Highly recommended. I rarely give this, but this movie deserves it, and it was truly touching...10/10 stars.