Gettysburg: Director's Cut (Blu-ray Book Packaging)

At a pivotal moment in bloody war, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia heads north into Pennsylvania with the Union Army of the Potomac chasing after leading to a small town that would define the conflict. Gettysburg is directed by Ronald F. Maxwell who also wrote the screenplay that was based on Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels.The film is not only a very good adaptation of the source material but also being historically accurate as possible thanks in part due to Shaara’s research into his historical novel that Maxell based the screenplay on. At over 4 hours in length—for both the theatrical release and director’s cut—this film is one of the longest by a major studio, however this was due to the decision to give coverage of the ebb and flow of significant actions over the three days battle most notably Buford’s delaying action on the first, Little Round Top on the second, and Pickett’s Charge on the third. With a large ensemble cast reflecting the opposing forces of the battle, the choice to follow Tom Berenger as Confederate General James Longstreet and Jeff Daniels as Union Lt. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain allowed the film to have two anchors to revolve the action around. The result of this was that viewers witness the battle and affects of each day’s action from the viewpoint of the Confederate general staff on the one hand and the Union soldiers in the ranks, with the exceptions of Pickett’s Charge and Buford’s actions on the first day. Besides the excellent performances of Berenger and Daniels—the latter of which should have got nominated for an award of some kind—there were the performances of Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee, Sam Eliot as John Buford, and the amazing Stephen Lang as George Pickett that held the film together between the action scenes. Speaking of the action scenes, these are probably some of the best battle scenes I’ve personally ever seen with Little Round Top and Pickett’s Charge the obvious one’s to point to. The soundtrack by Randy Edelman is fantastic with the standout pieces being the “Main Title” and “March to Mortality (Pickett’s Charge)” which to me I also hear in my head when reading about the Civil War—along with the main theme of Ken Burn’s The Civil War.Overall Gettysburg is a fantastic war film that was always a must see every year when I was teenager around the 4th of July and upon seeing it again makes me wish I had gotten it on DVD or Blu-ray years before I did.

I saw Gettysburg for first time about 8 years ago on a rental DVD, bought it, and have watched it several times since then!! I would say Gettysburg and Casablanca and High Noon are my 3 favorite movies! I love history, and love to read about the Civil War, I particularly have enjoyed reading several books on Ulysses Grant.(amazing figure, to come from working in his father's tanning shop, to becoming such a great general that Lincoln would say, "I have a general!" after the ones before had been rather duds! I was pretty much blown away by this movie. Jeff Daniels blew me away, from near the start when he talks to the mutineers, the movie had me. The parts I was most moved by and just stunned by were when Richard Jordan (Gen. Armistead) talks to Tom Berenger (Gen Longstreet) about the possibility that he may face in some battle his good friend (from those days in California just before war broke out) union General Hancock, (Longstreet tells him Hancock is here at Gettysburg!) unbelievable acting by Jordan, just stunning and so sad--he knows he will probably die and gives Longstreet some papers to give to Hancock's wife in case he, Armistead, dies. Then Jeff Daniels as Col. Joshua Chamberlain should have been given the Oscar!! (was he even nominated?) His Battle of the Little Round Top is my next favorite part of the movie, probably close to 30 minutes long. As another reviewer points out here (on 4/10/2000 "A very good civil war movie") historians view "this small unit action" (by the part of the 20th Maine) to be one of the defining moments of history--I would think they probably mean world history, as I guess historians feel if Little Round Top was lost, Gettysburg would have been lost, the South would have won the war, and American history would be very different--this great experiment in democracy failed!!! Jeff Daniels is just stunning as he realizes there is nothing left to do ("if we stay here we can't fight --(they have run out of bullets) and we leave they will run over us and the whole hill will be lost " (to paraphrase what he said) and thus the battle will be lost, the war will be lost, and the country will be lost. So the only thing they can do is to take the desperate measure of drawing their sabers and charging. It is just stunning to see the faces of his men as he is telling them this, his Major Ellis Spears asking , "You mean charge?" and the men are stunned, but Chamberlain says, "Well, we'll have the advantage as we are going downhill." I just feel the whole Little Round Top 30 minute sequence is some of the best movie making ever!! The music, Jeff's talking to his men, the camera work and the music as he moves up and down his line of men. When he yells, "Bayonets!" he looks absolutely crazed, I love that either the director or Jeff felt he should look crazed as he yells at the top of his lungs so all can hear him, I mean it is almost ludicrous how crazy he looks--his eyes bulge out-- when he yells "Bayonets" but I think it was neat that he did this, he is trying to yell as loud as he can, and at this point who wouldn't be crazed--you may die in a few seconds, your brother may die, and your dear friends and fellow soldiers may die!!! And when Major Ellis yells charge and then Chamberlain yells charge and down the hill they go--into history--well, unbelievable movie making and gorgeous music!! The last part I love, but no one here I think has commented about, is the absolutely poignant 2 scenes with Gen Longstreet (Berenger) and his artillery commander, the 28 year old Col Porter Alexander played by the English/American actor James Patrick Stuart (who I see is in the TV show Supernatural--which I have never watched but am going to! to see his movie and TV credits just google him). The first scene, Longstreet is talking to Alexander about making sure he fires enough artillery to clear the Union cannons off Cemetary Ridge before Pickett can move, and then a short while later, the 2nd scene is utterly poignant: Alexander tells him that they had to move the remaining ammunition further to the rear so union cannons wouldn't destroy it, and Longstreet is frustrated as there are still too many union cannons firing; their conversation you might not get the first time, I didn't, because they are practically yelling at each other to be heard, it is noisy, but then watching it again, I listened better, and understood better what they were saying; Longstreet ends by telling him (paraphrasing) "Just keep firing, we have got to clear those cannons off that ridge!!" They salute each other, and Alexander kind of lets his hand fall from his salute in a hesitant, defeated way, as Longstreet turns and leaves; and Alexander then takes off his hat in the most dejected, sad, and poignant manner you can imagine! As he does this and turns and pauses with his hat on his chest for a second, it looks like a painting, young 28 year old Col Alexander is so handsome with his dark hair and beard and mustache, in his beautiful artillery commander long coat gray uniform with red accents (!!). I was just blown away by this! What acting!!! I have the 2000 issued DVD and the 2 scenes with Longstreet and Porter are on side B (yes the 4 hour plus DVD has 2 sides!) and these Longstreet/Porter scenes are scene #10 and the end of scene #16 (this is the sad, poignant one). The Little Round Top segment is on side A, and runs from scene 28 - scene 35 !! Just want to say also, as someone else mentioned here, that 60's TV actor Andrew Prine is wonderful, so good as Confederate Gen. Garnett--practically zombie like, but I thought totally believable as he is about to take part in Picketts charge, and the way he acts and what he says, it is like, this is the day, it is inevitable that this could be the day he will die!! I thought of all the generals, north or south, he was the best of the actors who played the generals even though his was a very small part, he and Stephen Lang as Pickett, and of course Jeff Daniels as Chamberlain; also very good as Chamberlain's younger brother Tom is C.Thomas Howell, so good looking and earnest--too bad Thomas Howell hasn't had a more prominent career as an actor. He was wonderful! And the ending of the movie is so poignant (yes, I use this word a lot but it seems appropriate for this movie about one of the most tragic periods in American history), at the very end as the smoke from the battle is still in the air in a beautiful sunset on the last day of the Gettysburg battle, Lawrence and Tom find each other, and look at each other in absolute sadness but also utter disbelief that they have both survived this battle, and then just embrace for a long time, and then look again at each other again, and then Tom's shoulders just go down just as the beautiful music just goes goes "downward" in a beat, just so touching and sad!! I am just a crazed older woman who loves reading, reading about history and momentous events, and I just love this movie!! Can you tell??!! PLEASE SEE IT, HISTORY BUFFS, AND TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!!

This German issue Blu-ray has American Dialogue and English Sub -titles and would appear to be exactly the same as the US release other than the slip case is German. Be aware this epic re-enactment last 471 minutes too much for one evenings viewing! Although it was a bloody pointless battle there is not much explicit gore though there were over 55,000 casualties. An interesting historical experience to watch not sure I will watch it again. It comes with a DVD copy which I did not look at. The picture quality on the Blu-ray is only average but very acceptable...there are no extras other than a commentary that needs another marathon viewing session !

Having read extensively on the subject of the Civil War and currently reading American Studies at Manchester University I found the film quite accurate and extremely dramatic. However I do not believe that the attack by tired Confederate troops who had marched more than twenty miles that day, was a serious attempt to take Little Round Top. Apart from anything else, having visited the battlefield it is obvious it was not possible to place any number of cannon on the hillside by either army. I also felt that Meade was not given the credit he deserved, either then or later, for being the only Union General to defeat R.E. Lee in a virtually equal fight. As for Longstreet, his idea of retreating and reforming nearer Washington did not really take into account the difficulty of supplying an Army of over 70,000 men in enemy country.Had Lee won that may well have ended the war but I doubt it and in the end America would have joined together later anyway, its economy demanded it.Cannot wait for "God's and Generals" and also "The Last Full Measure" Is "Gettysburg" not available on DVD?Alan Lowe.

Great movie in quality and length. Shows the build up and battle that changed the Corse of the war. With real people and gun powder in the battle scenes. It defines epic.

It's not that the film is not good, it's just that it doesn't grasp you. It leaves you yawning on the side of the road. I watched the first part and could bring myself to watch the second part. I'm really interested in the American civil war, but this is just not very riveting.

This film is brilliant, the battle scenes, in particular the final day are unbelievably real, I have watched it many times over, having read much about this famous battle it does stick close to the facts. Certainly brings home the tragedy of this event.