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IMDbPro

Gods and Generals

  • 20032003
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 3h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
16K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
7,279
590
Gods and Generals (2003)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer0:31
1 Video
70 Photos
BiographyDramaHistory
The rise and fall of confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, as he meets with military success against the Union from 1861 to 1863, when he is accidentally killed by his own soldiers... Read allThe rise and fall of confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, as he meets with military success against the Union from 1861 to 1863, when he is accidentally killed by his own soldiers.The rise and fall of confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, as he meets with military success against the Union from 1861 to 1863, when he is accidentally killed by his own soldiers.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
16K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
7,279
590
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Ron Maxwell
    • Writers
      • Jeff Shaara(book)
      • Ron Maxwell(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Stephen Lang
      • Robert Duvall
      • Jeff Daniels
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Ron Maxwell
    • Writers
      • Jeff Shaara(book)
      • Ron Maxwell(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Stephen Lang
      • Robert Duvall
      • Jeff Daniels
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 526User reviews
    • 70Critic reviews
    • 30Metascore
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 4 nominations

    Videos1

    Gods and Generals
    Trailer 0:31
    Gods and Generals

    Photos70

    Robert Duvall in Gods and Generals (2003)
    Stephen Lang and Sean Pratt in Gods and Generals (2003)
    ROBERT DUVALL as General Robert E. Lee
    Stephen Lang and Kali Rocha in Gods and Generals (2003)
    (L-R) SCOTT COOPER, JEREMY LONDON, STEPHEN SPACEK and MATTHEW STALEY
    Mira Sorvino and Jeff Daniels in Gods and Generals (2003)
    Christmas at Moss Neck
    Stephen Lang and Lydia Jordan in Gods and Generals (2003)
    Stephen Lang and Frankie Faison in Gods and Generals (2003)
    Donzaleigh Abernathy and Mia Dillon in Gods and Generals (2003)
    Robert Duvall and Stephen Lang in Gods and Generals (2003)
    Battle of Manassas

    Top cast

    Edit
    Stephen Lang
    Stephen Lang
    • Gen. Stonewall Jackson
    Robert Duvall
    Robert Duvall
    • Gen. Robert E. Lee
    Jeff Daniels
    Jeff Daniels
    • Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
    Donzaleigh Abernathy
    Donzaleigh Abernathy
    • Martha
    Mark Aldrich
    Mark Aldrich
    • Adjutant
    George Allen
    • Confederate Officer
    Keith Allison
    Keith Allison
    • Capt. James J. White
    Royce D. Applegate
    Royce D. Applegate
    • Gen. James Kemper
    • (as Royce Applegate)
    Bruce Boxleitner
    Bruce Boxleitner
    • Gen. James Longstreet
    Bo Brinkman
    Bo Brinkman
    • Major Walter Taylor
    Mac Butler
    • Gen. Joseph Hooker
    Robert Byrd
    Robert Byrd
    • Confederate General
    • (as Robert C. Byrd)
    Shane Callahan
    Shane Callahan
    • Bowdoin Student
    Billy Campbell
    Billy Campbell
    • Gen. George Pickett
    David Carpenter
    David Carpenter
    • Rev. Beverly Tucker Lacy
    John Castle
    John Castle
    • Old Penn
    Jim Choate
    • Gen. Bernard Bee
    Martin Clark
    Martin Clark
    • Dr. George Junkin
    • Director
      • Ron Maxwell
    • Writers
      • Jeff Shaara(book)
      • Ron Maxwell(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Martin Sheen was in the Washington, D.C. area in early September 2001, filming scenes for The West Wing (1999). He was prepared to take a Tuesday morning flight from Dulles to LAX if Warner Brothers agreed to pay him $1 million to reprise his role of Robert E. Lee from Gettysburg (1993). Because Warner Brothers passed, Sheen was not on Flight 77 the morning of September 11, 2001.
    • Goofs
      Robert Edward Lee and Thomas Jonathan Jackson are shown wearing full beards at the very start of the Civil War, but they did not look like this until sometime later. Lee had dark hair going gray and wore a drooping mustache of the type favored by army officers in the 1850s. He grew his well known beard while serving as Jefferson Davis's military advisor. Jackson was clean shaven and grew a beard later out of his well known disinterest in personal grooming and appearance.
    • Quotes

      Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: All these thousands of men. Many of them not much more than boys. Each one of them some mother's son, some sister's brother, some daughter's father. Each one of them a whole person loved and cherished in some home far away. Many of them will never return. An army is power. Its entire purpose is to coerce others. This power can not be used carelessly or recklessly. This power can do great harm. We have seen more suffering than any man should ever see, and if there is going to be an end to it, it must be an end that justifies the cost. Now, somewhere out there is the Confederate army. They claim they are fighting for their independence, for their freedom. Now, I can not question their integrity. I believe they are wrong but I can not question it. But I do question a system that defends its own freedom while it denies it to an entire race of men. I will admit it, Tom. War is a scourge, but so is slavery. It is the systematic coercion of one group of men over another. It has been around since the book of Genesis. It exists in every corner of the world, but that is no excuse for us to tolerate it here when we find it right infront of our very eyes in our own country. As God as my witness, there is no one I hold in my heart dearer than you. But if your life, or mine,is part of the price to end this curse and free the Negro, then let God's work be done.

    • Crazy credits
      The movie was dedicated to the memory of John F. Maxwell and Royce D. Applegate.
    • Alternate versions
      The Director's Cut of the film includes additional action scenes from the Battle of Antietam. The battle scenes are shown from the perspectives of Jackson and Chamberlain, and mostly focus on the fighting in Miller's Cornfield which was a major deciding point of the battle.
    • Connections
      Featured in Bob Dylan Across the Green Mountain (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      'Cross the Green Mountain
      Written and Performed by Bob Dylan

      Courtesy of Columbia Records

    User reviews526

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Good movie overall but Gettysburg was better.
    My View in Summary: Overall, I enjoyed the movie (despite some of its apparent flaws), and I plan to see it again in the theater, as well as purchase the extended version when it comes out on DVD. I liked Gettysburg and the novel "Gods and Generals" better. I am fairly confident that the majority of Americans will not like nor support this film due to its overall pro-southern emphasis.

    What I liked about the movie: I thought Lang did an excellent job portraying Jackson. I was deeply moved by his final scene in the film.

    The attention to detail was good; overall it was historically accurate--with some exceptions.

    The costumes looked good.

    I appreciated the show of how Christianity influenced many in the Civil War, such as Jackson and Lee.

    I liked the fact that many from Gettysburg reprised their roles in this film, although there were some who couldn't, which was a little disappointing.



    What I didn't like or wished was better about the movie: The fake beards were more than obvious in this film, with the exception of Jackson's and Lee's, but this is relatively minor to the overall film.

    I thought, with maybe the exception of the Fredericksburg battle, the depiction of the battle scenes were not nearly as well done as in Gettysburg; but to be fair, there were more battles to cover in this film. Gettysburg only had one, meaning more time could be given to the details of the battle.

    The battle of Antietam was not in the movie at all, not even mentioned, which is very disappointing given its significance and effects.

    Some of the CGI is poorly done (i.e., very obvious), but, again, this is a small part of the movie and in my opinion neither makes nor breaks it.

    Some of the speeches were a bit stiff and seemed contrived, particularly Chamberlain's speech before the battle of Fredricksburg.

    Not enough time was given to developing the characters of Lee, Chamberlain, and Hancock, all of whom are important in the novel. In fact, in contrast to the film, the novel gives most time to Lee, not Jackson. To be fair, however, novels usually are better than their film counterparts given the constraints of time.



    My thoughts on some of the common complaints about the movie: Some complain there wasn't enough realism as to the carnage of war. To that I say there was enough to get the point across, and for myself, it is refreshing from time to time to see a movie that doesn't rely too heavily on blood and guts. This is not meant to be a blood and guts movie. The novel is even less bloody. Anyone who wants to see a blood and guts war movie should buy or rent Saving Private Ryan, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, the Patriot, Braveheart, etc.

    Others complain that there were too many poetic speeches. Indeed there were many speeches, but that was also true of Gettysburg, which most view as a good movie. I didn't mind the speeches so much other than they sometimes truncated the character in such a way that the audience fails to see their visceral humanity. As stated above, the only speech I thought was a bit over the top was Chamberlain's before the battle of Fredricksburg. It seemed forced, showy, and odd that the whole regiment would stand motionless and quiet for so long to hear him go on and on. Clearly it was intended to be a poignant moment showing historical parallels between the American Civil War and Roman history. But the whole scene ends up feeling staged and apathetic.

    Others complain about the strong emphasis on religion. As stated above, I found this emphasis refreshing, for certainly Jackson and Lee were very devout Christian men. Christianity was a part of the ethos of this country at that time and affected many in both north and south.

    Still others complain about the pro-southern perspective being so strong. While I admit there is an imbalance between the northern and southern perspectives, which clearly favors the southern view, I also think this only stands to reason, since the overall focus of the film is clearly on Jackson, a southerner. And given the fact that many other movies often underplay the southern perspective (i.e., it was fought over State's rights) or ignore it altogether, some will find this movie's emphasis a refreshing change. On the other hand, the clear downplay of the role and effect of slavery in this film will no doubt trouble many Americans.

    Finally, others complain that the movie is too long. But I find this to be a misnomer. What most really mean by this is that the movie is not entertaining enough to justify such a length. This is not the first long film in cinematic history. Other films were very long and yet praised as wonderful (Terms of Endearment, Dances With Wolves, Gone with the Wind, Braveheart, Lord of the Rings, etc.). The real issue here, I believe, is that this movie for many is too "slow" or "mundane" in their estimation. This, I think, is a result of our becoming so accustomed to roller coaster rides at the movies. If it isn't constantly exciting or humorous or action-packed, it needs to be short. I suppose that in a TV age wherein we are accustom to pure entertainment compacted into ten-minute blocks of time separated by pithy, entertaining commercials, this complaint ought not surprise us, given the historical orientation of this film. But I think such a complaint is evidence of a deeper cultural problem, which should concern us all.

    My opinion who will like this movie: many Historians, Teachers, and Homeschooling parents; most southerners; Civil War reenactors; many Christians.

    My opinion who will not like this movie: Most northerners, most African Americans, many Liberals, most in Hollywood.

    My opinion on how the movie will fare: It will likely not last long in the theaters. Most critics will hate it. It will come out on DVD/Home video sooner than most movies. It will likely not rake in as much money as it cost to make. However, I hope to be proven wrong here. Though not without flaws, I believe it is worth seeing and discussing.
    helpful•79
    31
    • Belfield
    • Feb 26, 2003

    FAQ3

    • Given that slavery was a brutal and immoral practice, why would anyone today (including the makers of this film) side with the Confederates, who supported slavery, against the Union, which sought to abolish it?
    • What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Extended Cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 21, 2003 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Các Vị Thần Và Những Tướng Quân
    • Filming locations
      • Antietam Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Maryland, USA
    • Production companies
      • Turner Pictures (I)
      • Antietam Filmworks
      • Esparza / Katz Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $56,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $12,882,934
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,675,246
      • Feb 23, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $12,923,936
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      3 hours 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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