The prequel to Gettysburg, Gods and Generals is well intentioned. Director Ronald F. Maxwell’s dedication to the era is unquestionable. Unfortunately, his love for the subject has led to a bloated project that feels like a mediocre mini-series rather than a movie.
Beginning in 1861, Generals follows events from Virginia’s secession from the Union, through to the Battle of Chancellorsville. Abandoning Gettysburg’s efforts to show the war from both Union and Confederate perspectives, Generals focuses almost entirely on the latter, particularly the South’s Lieutenant General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (returning actor Stephen Lang, tackling a different character than he did in Gettysburg). We also spend a good deal of time with General Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall, replacing Martin Sheen). Union Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) has a storyline of his own, as do a couple of other Northerners, but they are largely secondary.
The effect of impending war on each of the main characters families figures prominently in the film. You might expect emotional scenes of husbands and wives emotionally confronting each other as each of the men readies to leave the safety of home for the uncertainty of battle. Surprisingly, those moments don’t feel genuine at all. Stilted conversation seems to be the order of the day making it impossible to connect on any level with the characters/historical figures.
Far more troubling, Gods and Generals has only two black characters that are permitted to speak, and they deliver exaggerated ‘Uncle Tom’ pitches to their dialogue. When Lang’s “Stonewall” addresses his black cook Jim (Frankie Faison), he actually dares to claim that the Southern leaders opposed slavery, and would’ve released the slaves before too long. Huh? I’m not buying it.
Meanwhile, white generals speak as though they felt everything they said would end up in the history books. Though many of the actors here are some of the best in their profession, Gods and Generals finds them hopelessly overacting. One has to wonder if director Robert Maxwell’s zeal for the project went to the actor’s heads. Maxwell is also the screenwriter, and it seems as if he never misses a chance to preach. It’s very hard to claim that Gods and Generals is an objective piece of history.
Accurately framed at 2.40:1, this is a film that should have been spread over two Blu-ray discs. While detail quality is fine, and color accuracy is acceptable, noise and compression artifacts come up regularly to the detriment of the transfer.
Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix is clear and intelligible, though occasionally a word or two gets lost in the cacophony of battle. Surround channels provide balanced and seamless support for the score, as well as enveloping directional and environmental effects. Canon fire now has suitable “oomph” thanks to the presence of some well-implemented LFE and bass activity shows good depth and fullness with the film’s orchestral score.
Warner’s 2-disc Extended Director’s Cut Digibook edition contains a better set of special features than the studio’s 2007 Blu-ray release, even though the only new item appears to be had is a newly recorded Director’s Cut audio commentary. The rest of the special features are the same, and nearly all of the video content has been placed on a standard DVD.
- Extended Director’s Cut of the Film: The 280-minute Extended Director’s Cut is housed on a single BD-50 disc and the film itself is presented in five parts — “Part 1: Manassas” (56 minutes), “Part 2: Antietam” (50 minutes), “Part 3: Fredericksburg” (55 minutes), “Part 4: Moss Neck” (60 minutes) and “Part 5: Chancellorsville” (51 minutes). The credits fill out the new version’s remaining minutes.
- Introduction by Ted Turner & Ronald F. Maxwell (Disc 1, HD, 10 minutes): Turner and Maxwell devote a full ten minutes to introducing the new extended cut of the film.
- New Extended Cut Audio Commentary (Disc 1): Writer/director Ronald F. Maxwell, historical consultant Keith Gibson and Professor James Robertson have recorded a new Director’s Cut commentary. Stretches of silence sometimes interrupt the flow of their analysis, but they cover more ground and a larger number of scenes than they did before. They also work to avoid repeating information from their previous commentary. Redundancies crop up, but they manage to dig deeper, interject more historical analysis, expand the scope of their production breakdown, talk at greater length and share more anecdotes.
- Scene-Specific Audio Commentary (Disc 1, 89 minutes): Presented as an hour-and-a-half “Commentary Cut” of sorts, Maxwell, Gibson and Robertson’s 2004 commentary — included on the previous Blu-ray edition of Gods and Generals — is easy to plow through in one sitting. Even so, the new Extended Cut commentary is more extensive, informative and satisfying, gaps of silence and all.
- The Authenticities of the Film (Disc 2, SD, 13 minutes): This much-too-short behind-the-scenes featurette briefly touches on the immense effort and tireless research that went into recreating the sights and sounds of the Civil War.
- The Life of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (Disc 2, SD, 15 minutes): Author Jeff Shaara, along with other museum directors and historians, provide an overview of the life and times of Stonewall Jackson.
- Journey to the Past (Disc 2, SD, 22 minutes): This television special hosted by actress Donzaleigh Abernathy offers little, other than a few worthwhile interview clips featuring key members of the cast.
- The Journey Through Hallowed Ground (Disc 2, SD, 7 minutes): Ron Maxwell issues a personal invitation to support the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Civil War sites and providing tours of the battlefields, monuments, parks and communities associated with them.
- Music Video (Disc 2, SD, 3 minutes): “Cross the Green Mountain” by Bob Dylan.
- Theatrical Trailer (Disc 2, SD, 2 minutes)
