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Thread: Civil War movies or TV shows

  1. #11
    Define poorly-made. A lot of things have mixed truths and that's what studying something like the Civil War is about. You don't just take one product and be like "That's how it happened." You take the whole and be critical. And in that case many things are worth watching.

    There was a mini-series produced in the 80s. It's available for free on Youtube. It is very long. Unfortunately I think this version is not the VHS release and has a lot of added content that detract from the product. If you can find the original, watch that instead. It'll also save you time. In my opinion it's well-worth watching and it had a significant impact on my interest in the Civil War at a young age. The story isn't bad either.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQFnRcURWpM

    Sure, the history channel has gone to crap but they still have good products out there. Much of it is on Youtube for free. I'd even argue that the "Ghosts of Gettysburg" series is worth watching. I never heard from a ranger or licensed guide that the iron gate between the soldier's cemetery and the Evergreen cemetery was the same fence Sickle's killed a man near in D.C., I heard it from a Gettysburg Ghost Tour (basically snake-oil salesmen). And it was true.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90JxrRbsdFk

    IMO just about any modern allusions to the Civil War are detestable garbage including much of what you get from the ones that use the Civil War as backdrop. Free State of Jones, Cold Mountain, Lincoln... not worth watching at all. They're made for the general consumption and don't take the time or effort to do it right. Spielberg is a disgrace of a historical presenter and even significantly perverted his coveted Saving Private Ryan Omaha beach in a lot of ways. These 'outside' perspectives that use the ACW as a backdrop really fail to capture or take the time to explain the unique spirit and experience that was the Civil War. The incessant over-portrayal and brutality of the hand-to-hand combat on screen is pervasive and plants a strong impression of such on even some Civil War buffs.

    That's how you get visitors showing up at battlefields and being unimpressed with the casualty statistics on the various monuments because Hollywood does not take the time to explain the continuous grind or portray the impact of losing 10% in an engagement. It's hard for the general populace that hasn't been in a war to visualize the costs of conflicts in their own time, let alone one from a century and a half ago that is portrayed as no different than mideival combat with wildly inaccurate and ineffective firepower. It's straight to the hand-to-hand and one side is generally obliterated while the main characters are the only survivors on their side plus a few extras.

    Check out the park service and their videos as well. Check out "Garry Adelman's Civil War page", Tim Smith's, Scott Hartwig, The Civil War Trust as well as others on Facebook. They are extremely active. And even available, as far as 'celebrities' go. I literally sent Scott a question the other day about the facing of a barn in his very good essay and he got back to me with a lead within 24 hours. ( http://npshistory.com/series/symposi.../10/essay5.pdf )Watch some of the park service videos on location on the battlefields. They also do live videos on the anniversaries as well as other live streaming. It can be a full time job consuming all the info that's out there.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvv_MbYDspA&t=1s

    What will happen is you'll eventually start to realize that there is no real good Civil War movie out there. It's a totally-untapped field and the unique challenges and practices o the time are rarely ever even attempted to be presented to the public.

    Youtube gives some good recommendations on my account and that's sometimes where I find stuff.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yop740yCMxg
    Last edited by Poorlaggedman; 12-21-2017 at 02:25 AM.

  2. #12

    CSA Lieutenant General

    dmurray6's Avatar
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    I remember a documentary that aired when I was younger called "The Divided Union", it's available on youtube also, in 5 parts. I'm not standing behind any historical accuracy of any of these, they are just things I remember seeing, starting at an early age.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaUgPoyI_Mg

    I was also a fan of North and South, and The Blue and the Gray. Don't forget The Outlaw Josey Wales....

    ahhh hell, just go here:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ican_Civil_War
    Last edited by dmurray6; 12-21-2017 at 08:44 PM.
    Civil War Ancestors:

  3. #13
    Did anyone mention Andersonville? It's also on Youtube for free. It was the movie Ted Turner made prior to Gettysburg. It's based off of a true story and pretty good even to someone like me who sometimes bores of the side-story stuff

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyyUMEQ2iOk
    Last edited by Poorlaggedman; 12-22-2017 at 10:46 PM.

  4. #14
    72ndPA
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    Last edited by 72ndPA; 01-19-2018 at 12:18 PM.

  5. #15

  6. #16
    The Blue and the Gray (TV Series)
    North and South (TV Series, kinda my guilty pleasure )
    Ride with the Devil (Movie)
    Gone with the Wind (Movie)
    Last edited by Hal Jordan; 02-24-2018 at 02:51 AM.
    Si non confectus, non reficiat

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