The Civil War Depicted In Film
Selected Historical Movie Guide - Friendly Persuasion, Shenandoah
As early as the 1910s, the American Civil War has been the subject of films such as The Battle of Gettysburg (1913) and Birth of a Nation (1915). The Civil War seems to have been less often used as a backdrop of more recent films, but many of the films about this historic struggle have been as big as their subject matter, even making history in their own right.
The story of the American Civil War has been approached from many angles, and it features as an aspect of many films. For example, some films are not technically about the war, but it is an important part of the story. This is true of any movie about Abraham Lincoln, which depicts his time as president. Other films, such as Sommersby (1993), starring Richard Gere, Jodie Foster, and James Earl Jones, refer to the war through depiction of Reconstruction.
The films which directly deal with the war show some of the many different reactions of the divided nation.
Gone With The Wind (1939)
Based on the Margaret Mitchell 1936 best-selling novel of the same name, Gone With The Wind predominately shows the war from the viewpoint of the Southern plantation owners. Set in Georgia, it follows the tribulations of Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), her kinsmen, and various other people of the community. The story spans the war and reconstruction, showing the extravagance of the Old South to the South’s struggle to rise again.
Made as an anti-war film, the Hollywood masterpiece, which also stars Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, and Olivia de Havilland, is considered by many to be the best motion picture ever made, winning 10 Academy Awards and 13 nominations of the 17 contemporary categories. Fittingly, the film about the war which ended slavery, itself added to black history with Hattie McDaniel becoming the first African American performer to win an Oscar.
Friendly Persuasion (1956)
Starring Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, and Anthony Perkins, the film, adapted from a novel, tells the story of an Indiana pacifist family. The Birdwells are a family of Quakers, meaning that violence runs counter to their beliefs. As the Confederate army draws nearer the various members of the family are reluctantly forced to consider if violence is acceptable under certain circumstances.
Raintree County (1957)
Although based on a novel which spanned much of the nineteenth century, the film focuses almost solely on the era just preceding and during the Civil War, although the film dilutes the history of the debates and developments of the time.
It focuses on the story of Indiana boy John Shawnessy, having been tricked into marrying New Orleans Southern belle Susanna, attempts to sculpt something positive from a marriage formed on shaky foundations due to his bride’s insanity, while his former sweetheart Nell continues to work for the political beliefs John and she have always shared. The outbreak of the American Civil War further complicates relationships between the different thinking characters.
Showing John becoming a soldier for the Union Army, the film is mainly told from the viewpoint of the North, but John’s marriage to Susanna shows some of the divide between the thinking of Southerners and Northerners. The ending of the film also conveys the suggestion that the shocking assassination of Abraham Lincoln and presidential funeral somewhat reunited the injured country.
Expected to be the next Gone With The Wind, the lavish film, starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, and Eva Marie Saint, proved to be more remembered as the film during which Clift had a severe car crash, but it does have its moments, including a memorable performance by Lee Marvin.
Shenandoah (1965)
Starring James Stewart, Shenandoah shows the Civil War experiences of Andersons, who unsuccessfully attempt to remain neutral in the divided state of Virginia.
It is considered to be an antiwar film, probably due to the many horrors of war depicted in the film, but, it also shows what a largely gentle man will do to attempt to protect his family.
Praised from its first release, Shenandoah remains an acclaimed and enthralling film, which draws attention to several aspects of the American Civil War.
Glory (1989)
Starring Matthew Broderick, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, and Denzel Washington, Glory is based on the true story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, a unit consisting of African American soldiers.
Glory was critical acclaimed and Oscar-nominated, winning the three Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor, which went to Denzel Washington, making him the second African-American male to win an Academy Award.
Fifty Years of Films
In the fifty years between 1939 and 1989, the movies made about the American Civil War contained many of the same ingredients of sorrow, change, and divided opinion. While each chose to focus on different aspects of the war, the American Civil War has proved a popular topic for historical film adaptation, particularly historical war films.
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