"Gods and Generals. What the ----?" Topic

What happened? Heard Turner was back on the rock when this was made. Does that explain it?

1: Lee was fantastic, Duval is so much better than Sheen's parody (with his General Cartman Lee impersonation)

2: The music sucked! Some lame Enya or Onya or whatever that bitch's name is singing throughout the movie SUCKED! Nothing like the score from Gettysburg.

3: Fat, Vegas Elvis version of Chamberlain, and some other characters from Gettysburg.

4: Stephen Lang was born to play Jackson, and he excelled. The actress that played his wife had a big face and bugeyes, they had too many scenes with her.

5: They left out entire chapters of the book, looks like they cut out scenes showing how truly stupid and criminally treasonous Burnside, Pope and Hooker were. (Same mistake in Gettysburg, they made Meade out to be competant.)

I am weary from watching it this morning. Thank Christ for apricot brandy!

I like Stonewall Jackson…
"Now, you Darkies… Y'all don't mind being slaves, now, do you?"

What REALLY irritated me was the wasted time with Jackson spending 20 minutes praying with his wife, Chamberlain praying for 15 minutes with HIS wife, Jackson playing with Shirley Temple… Bonnie Blue Flag…
And then they cut battle scenes.

It was a tedious amateurishly produced and directed movie.

The worst movie of the year

17 May 2005
Gods and Generals is the worst movie of 2003 and one of the worst movies I have ever seen. This prequel to Gettysburg examines the early days of the conflict through the experiences of three men. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) left behind a quiet life and a career as a college professor to become one of the Union's greatest military minds. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (Stephen Lang) was, like Chamberlain, a man of great religious faith who served in the defense of the Confederacy. And Gen. Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall) who led the Confederate army, was a man who was forced to choose between his loyalty to the United States and his love of the Southern states where he was born and raised. As Chamberlain, Jackson, and Lee are followed through the declaration of war and the battles at Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. I thought Gettysburg was a good movie so I went and saw this one. Big mistake, Gods and Generals is the dullest film I have ever seen. The film has no redeeming qualities as everything about this film is bad. The acting was below average which is surprising give the talent involved. Jeff Daniels, Robert Duvall, Stephen Lang and Mira Sorvino are all very good actors yet they can't save this film. They all give bad performances and this is one film they should keep off their resume. The direction is bad as Ronald F. Maxwell did a much better job with Gettysburg. The films running time is 231 minutes long and that includes an intermission. Its not that I can't watch a long movie as all three Lord of the Rings were pretty good. Also other long films have been quite enjoyable. The dialog spoken in this film is done so slowly and its hard to pay attention. The battle scenes are weak and not very exciting either. I was surprised that they messed up this film so bad and there's still talk of another film. This film is about as interesting as a history class except it lasts a lot longer. In the end, this film is defiantly worth skipping and its my worst film of 2003. Rating 1/10 avoid this film at all costs.

I refer to the prayer scenes in that film as "expository prayers." The writer apparently used prayer to express various character's feelings, motivation, etc. because he couldn't come up with anything better.

By all accounts Jackson was a devout and fervent man, but they just kept beating you over the head with it.

On the other hand, Chamberlain and his wife reciting poetry to each other was even worse.

The battle of Antietam was left on the cutting room floor, but the "Christmas Angel" scene just went on and on. The scene was an obvious set up, with the entire Confederate officer corps and their wives cheating the camera.

Gods and Generals was a wasted opportunity.

I didn't think that it was boring, just over-long on the non action parts, but I am not a demanding sort where movies are concerned. If I am going to spend time sitting doing nothing else, all I really want is to not have my intelligence offended or my aesthetics abused. Sure, Gods and Generals was nowhere near as satisfying as Gettysburg, but it wasn't a bad movie, just a lackluster one. The story it told was clear enough, so the directing criticisms are in the realm of mediocre art, not bad directing per se. Of course, I have to admit that I've only watched it once and had no desire to watch it again. It isn't that I won't watch it again, I just haven't bothered to….

The Bonnie Blue flag song and dance was unnecessary. The dialogue of the entire film was ridiculous. Overall I liked the film, but big let down after "Gettysburg". Lang was excellent as Jackson. I really like Duvall, but I preferred Sheen as Lee. "Gods and Generals" could have been so much better. Great cast wasted. There was no point to the scene of Jackson and Joe praying together. I would have cut out the entire Joe the cook character.

The book was horrible and so was the movie. Jeff Shaara must be one of the worst writers in the world.

I wouldnt know. I rented it several years ago, got thirty minutes into it, then bailed.

They could have made it better if they were willing to have the same number of reenactors as Gettysburg. They opted for close ups of the 2000 reenactors they hired for G&G, vs. the 13000 they had for Gettysburg.

There were at least three things wrong with Sheen as Lee:

1) In every photograph I've ever seen Lee appears to have had a reserved, even demure appearance. Sheen's electric blue eyes gave him a slightly-crazed look.

2) Lee spoke with a gentile Virginia accent and not much of a so-called "southern drawl" at all. Sheen overdid it and sounded way too twangy.

3) Lee would NEVER walk around camp with his coat unbuttoned, or wearing no coat at all.

I like Martin Sheen very much and he has done some fine work, but Duval was a better choice to play Lee.

The Bonny Blue Flag scene seems like it was included for the sole purpose of giving Turner and a half-dozen local politicians the chance to do cameos.

Stephen Lang was great as Jackson and on the set was very nice to all the crew members and extras. I've always liked him and was glad he was finally given a starring role.

Try watching it (actually not watching it) while you paint. It make great background.

I do agree Stephen Lang did a great job on Jackson as the nut case he alway seemed to me.

My biggest problem with the movie was whitewashing southern history, making it seem like some disney land for slaves.

The two slaves they do show in the movie, one has a choice to work for Jackson, the other, is loved by her OWNERS!!!

While Lang was great as jackson, they also ingnored his less "good" sides, giving a very one sided feel to the whole movie

Duvall was a much better Lee, but the first movie was a better movie. G&G was god-awful.

Still the finest Lee performance ever.

YouTube link

The Bonnie Blue flag song and dance was unnecessary.

That was actually my favourite scene. I had never heard it before and thought it was catchy.

The band themselves(the 2nd South Carolina String Band)was and still is,quite a talented crew (JMO). I have at least 4 of their CD's.

I liked it.

And Dylan did a song for it, didn't he ?

It was ok and Mary Fahl is a fantastic singer!

That dude that was singing…….Uh……

They need more AP Hill. The actor they used for him is a classic, he needed more scene.