“Gettysburg” Movie Review

    I remember my parents taking me to a special movie screening when I was a kid.  I was excited to go to a movie theater because we rarely got to see a movie in theaters.  We were a middle class family of five so trips to the movie theater weren’t usually in the budget.  My parents and oldest brother picked the movie and we got to see...”Gettysburg”.  Not exactly the type of film a young boy is excited to see.  I sat through it and the main thoughts I had were ‘I really have to pee’ and ‘When is this movie going to end?’  When I thought the movie had went to credits, I was introduced to the concept of an intermission and the realization that I had more film to go.  Oh yeah, I think I also had to pee again.
    Thankfully I have matured a bit and my bladder has grown as well.  As an adult rewatching “Gettysburg”, I appreciate it far more than I did as a child.  It did give me a lot to think about though.
    I guess I will start by giving praise to the cast.  Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen, and Tom Berenger all shine and give some of their best performances of their careers.  The cast all seems very invested in their roles.  That also helps the overall authenticity of the film.  Everything shown on screen is as close to era specific as possible.  From the uniforms to the smoking pipes.  The attention to detail is unbelievable.  The authenticity of the film also helped convey the mass horrors that occurred at the battle.
    One thing I didn’t remember wrong as a child, the film is very long.  The film was originally envisioned as a TNT mini-series before Ted Turner decided to release the film in theaters.  At over four hours long, the film is one of the longest movies to ever hit theaters.  Believe me, it feels it as well.  Part of the reason for it’s length was to give you a sense of everything that happened that helped turn the tide of the war at Gettysburg.  In that respect, the film was interesting.  I do believe the film could have been a little more streamlined.
    I guess the originality and scope of the project leaves me impressed to this day, so much so that I can overlook a long run time.  This is not something a lot of people can overlook however.  You definitely have to be a history buff with a lot of time on your hands to enjoy this film, but if you are, you are in for a treat.

Grade: B+