Greatest Civil War films
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- DirectorVictor FlemingGeorge CukorSam WoodStarsClark GableVivien LeighThomas MitchellA sheltered and manipulative Southern belle and a roguish profiteer face off in a turbulent romance as the society around them crumbles with the end of slavery and is rebuilt during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.An absolute classic. The scene with Scarlett moving through the rows of wounded soldiers at the railway marshalling yard in Atlanta whilst the camera slowly pans out to show more and more wounded men and then finally the tattered Battle Flag always brings a lump to my throat.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsMatthew BroderickDenzel WashingtonCary ElwesRobert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.The story of the 54th Massachusetts Coloured Infantry. The battle scenes are excellent and both Morgan Freeman and Denzil Washington, in particular, are superb.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.Without doubt the greatest spaghetti western ever made. Clint, Lee and Eli searching for Confederate gold with the civil war ever present in the background. Great film with an excellent musical score. Superb.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsTom BerengerMartin SheenStephen LangIn 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.The dialogue is a bit painful and much of the facial hair is awful, but the set pieces are incredible. This is the first civil war film I ever saw on the big screen and well worth it it was too.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodSondra LockeChief Dan GeorgeMissouri farmer Josey Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla unit and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who murdered his family.Excellent post-war western with Clint Eastwood,a veteran of Bloody Bill Anderson's Missouri raiders refusing to surrender and then pursued by Bill McKinney's Kansas red-legs through Indian Territory and into Texas.
- DirectorClyde BruckmanBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonMarion MackGlen CavenderAfter being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.Wonderful silent movie with Buster Keaton attempting to save his girl and his train from Yankee spies.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJohn WayneWilliam HoldenConstance TowersIn 1863, a Union outfit is sent behind Confederate lines in Mississippi to destroy enemy railroads but a captive southern belle and the unit's doctor cause frictions within ranks.I grew up watching John Wayne and cavalry films so this is one of my favourites. Haven't seen it for a while, but excellent scenes which spring to mind are the Confederate attack from the train and the 'battle' with the the cadets.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsTobey MaguireSkeet UlrichJewelDuring the American Civil War, two friends join the Bushwhackers, a militant group loyal to the Confederacy.Hugely underated film about the Missouri/Kansas border conflicts during the war.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsAudie MurphyBill MauldinDouglas DickTruncated adaptation of Stephen Crane's novel about a Civil War Union soldier who stuggles to find the courage to fight in the heat of battle.Much maligned, but I don't really know why. Audie Murphy is perfect and the battle scenes very well done.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.Slightly overlong, but nevertheless fascinating story of how the 13th Amendment was passed by the House of Representatives. Daniel Day-Lewis is superb as Lincoln.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsJude LawNicole KidmanRenée ZellwegerIn the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart.Pretty good adaptation of a very good book. Jude Law deserts from the Army of Northern Virginia and tries to get back home to Cold Mountain where Nicole Kidman is waiting for him. The scenes of the Battle of the Crater at the beginning of the film are spectacular.
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsCharlton HestonRichard HarrisJim HuttonIn 1864, due to frequent Apache raids from Mexico into the U.S., a Union officer decides to illegally cross the border and destroy the Apache, using a mixed army of Union troops, Confederate POWs, civilian mercenaries, and scouts.Set in the last six months of the civil war, prison camp commandant Charlton Heston, against orders, leads a motley unit of prison guards, Confederate prisoners, coloured troops and criminals across the border into Mexico in pursuit of an Apache raiding party. Richard Harris is very good as the Confederate captain who promises to serve only 'until the Apache is taken or dead'. Charlton Heston plays himself as usual and there's an excellent supporting cast with many well known names and faces. Overall, one of the better Galvanized Yankee films.
- DirectorHugo FregoneseStarsVan HeflinAnne BancroftRichard BooneA group of Confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans, Vermont. To get the lay of the land, their leader spends a few days in the town and finds he is getting drawn into its life--especially into that of an attractive widow and her son.Very good account of the raid on St. Albans, Vermont by escaped confederate prisoners in late 1864. There's not a great deal of action but the film benefits from an excellent cast led by Van Heflin, Richard Boone and Anne Bancroft.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioCameron DiazDaniel Day-LewisIn 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher; his father's killer.Very good story about gang warfare and revenge culminating in the New York draft riots of 1863.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsJames StewartDoug McClureGlenn CorbettA Virginia farmer who has vowed to remain neutral during the Civil War is spurred into action when his youngest son is taken by Union soldiers.Excellent anti-war film with James Stewart trying to hold his family together whilst the war rages around his Virginia farm.
- DirectorElliot SilversteinStarsJames GregoryJoanne LinvilleRex HolmanWhile headed home, a Confederate soldier meets an anguished woman at the end of the Civil War.Nice little Twilight Zone episode with an endless stream of weary soldiers walking down a dusty road beside a derelict mansion. But where does the road lead to?
- DirectorD.W. GriffithStarsLillian GishMae MarshHenry B. WalthallThe Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.D.W.Griffiths 1915 masterpiece set before, during and immediately after the Civil War. Clearly racist but still a remarkable piece of film making for the time.
- DirectorSean McNamaraStarsMichael KrebsJake LawsonSean MarquetteA group of teenage cadets sheltered from war at the Virginia Military Institute must confront the horrors of an adult world when they are called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley.An over sentimental, but well made fictionalized account of the VMI's involvement at the Battle of Newmarket in 1864. The story is based around a group of cadets, three of whom are killed in the thick of the fighting. I rather enjoyed this one.
- StarsPaul Andre GibbonsJarrod EmickFrederic ForrestThe story of the most notorious Confederate prisoner of war camp in the American Civil War.Interesting depiction of the prison life of a group of Massachusetts soldiers interned at Andersonville after being captured at Cold Harbor.
- DirectorGary RossStarsMatthew McConaugheyGugu Mbatha-RawMahershala AliA disillusioned Confederate army deserter returns to Mississippi and leads a militia of fellow deserters and women in an uprising against the corrupt local Confederate government.I really wanted to enjoy Free State of Jones, but unfortunately, that is not the case. The story, apparantly based on a true incident, of farmers, deserters and runaway slaves declaring a free state in part of South-Eastern Mississippi is certainly interesting and I will admit completely new to me. However, whilst the film starts off promisingly with some impressive scenes, by the time it had finished I had the impression that I'd been watching an overlong documentary rather than a feature film which, alas, is not what I was after.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodGeraldine PageElizabeth HartmanWhile recuperating in a Confederate girls' boarding school, a Union soldier cons his way into each of the lonely women's hearts, causing them to turn on each other, and eventually, on him.More of a psychological thriller than a war film. Clint Eastwood's wounded Yankee corporal spreads jealousy and distrust amongst the staff and pupils of the Southern girls boarding school where he is recuperating from his wounds.
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsNicole KidmanKirsten DunstElle FanningThe unexpected arrival of a wounded Union soldier at a girls school in Virginia during the American Civil War leads to jealousy and betrayal.Remake of the 1971 film of the same name with Colin Farrell in the Clint Eastwood role. It's very much a trimmed down version of the original, but unfortunately, not as good.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsWilliam HoldenRichard WidmarkJanice RuleDuring the Civil War, Mexican cattleman Alvarez Kelly supplies the Union with cattle until Confederate Colonel Tom Rossiter's hungry men force Kelly to change his customers.Interesting twist on a civil war film with William Holden and Richard Widmark attempting to drive a heard of cattle through Grant's lines to feed Richmond.
- CreatorJohn LeekleyStarsStacy KeachJohn HammondJulia DuffyAmerica just before and during the Civil War, as seen through the eyes of an artist correspondent.Haven't seen this for nearly 30 years and don't remember too much about it other than that it was pretty good.
- CreatorDouglas HeyesStarsKirstie AlleyDavid CarradinePhilip CasnoffThe story of two friends and their families on opposite sides of the American Civil War.Haven't seen this for nearly 25 years, again pretty good on the whole.