Gettysburg never strays into neo-Confederate territory, a rising idea in the 1990s, but there's a whiff of Lost Cause style romanticism to it. In the end, we think Gettysburg is too sentimental.
We will say this. That prelude to Pickett's Charge, where Lee rides into the assembly area, a sea of grey in tow, well, we had that damn emotional reaction again. And we're a blue belly!
This may be a movie, and those may be reenactors, and that might be Martin Sheen, but we tell you this, sir. For one, brief, existential moment, by god those were the men of the Army of Northern Virginia and that was Robert E. Lee. Watch that clip again and tell us they didn't feel it too. Gettysburg has flaws. It's too long, the score is schmaltzy, there's too much speechifying. But Robert F Maxwell and Ted Turner produced something with merit, with artistic value. A film that one can point to and declare, 'Hey, look what they pulled off there.'
I won't get right but William Faulkner got it right when he said every southern man can picture it to this day the it's just before the attack the men waiting for the signal there is still hope that we can carry that ridge just one more victory is all it takes we can always feel that moment
I won't get right but William Faulkner got it right when he said every southern man can picture it to this day the it's just before the attack the men waiting for the signal there is still hope that we can carry that ridge just one more victory is all it takes we can always feel that moment
ReplyDelete