Gettysburg: Three Days of Destiny

Of all the battles of the Civil War, the one that truly remains embedded in the minds of most Americans is Gettysburg, both due to the fact that some 50,000 Americans lost their lives in the space of 72 hours, and because of the strategic importance of the Union victory in the years-long conflict. Filmmaker Robert Child's Gettysburg: Three Days of Destiny, made with the full cooperation and participation of the Gettysburg Anniversary Committee, offers a feature-length account, taking viewers into the thick of the fighting courtesy of the massive 140th Gettysburg anniversary battle reenactment, as well as dispatches from Union and Confederacy commanders, diary entries, and a stirring score by Nicholas Palmer. Filmed on location in both Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Richmond, Virginia, this is a fine analysis of the battle that changed the course of the war. Still, some of this is going to look mighty familiar (i.e., different year of reenactment, same story) to viewers who've seen Child's own Gettysburg: The Boys in Blue & Gray (VL-11/02) or Ronald F. Maxwell's epic Gettysburg (VL-3/01), or the 1993 Gettysburg (VL-7/94) featuring the 130th anniversary reenactment, or…well, let's just say that Billboard could create a chart for Gettysburg-related video and DVD. However, if you don't own any of the others, or if you have extensive Civil War-related holdings, this one's definitely recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Carlson)