Gettysburg

Based on The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Gettysburg is an enormously ambitious telling of the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil. Director Ronald F. Maxwell does an extraordinary job of staging some of the most realistic and harrowing battle scenes ever filmed. Unfortunately, as a screenwriter, Ronald F. Maxwell has considerable less success, with an inherently compelling story frequently grinding to a halt as the principals take scenery chewing turns with ludicrous speeches. Nevertheless, this 4-hour-plus 1993 epic--featuring a full-length commentary by Maxwell, cinematographer Kees Van Oostrum, and Civil War historians; as well as two documentaries, including the Oscar-nominated short The Battle of Gettysburg--is a must for Civil War and history buffs alike, and pretty rousing fare for everyone else. Recommended. (S. C. Sickles)