I was there for the entire filming. Started on set as a background reenactor and then was chosen by Brian Pohanka to be Oliver Wilcox Norton duting the round top scenes with Vincent. I ended the filming working behind the scenes helping to haul the fake dead horses around set and place them. About half way through filming my father got involved reluctantly as a background person. He loved it so much that he took time off work and made the 2.5 hour trip to Gettysburg week after week to participate. Before long my whole family was involved helping on set. That's the kind of filming it was. You really felt connected to everyone who was involved and it felt like a big family. Because of it I kept going in film for the next 30 years acting and working behind the camera doing special effects. It's been a crazy ride and I can day I owe it all to this film. I'll never forget that summer/fall in 1992 when I was just 20 years old working on the first film I'd ever worked on. It created an experience my whole family still talks about to this day with fond memories.
I was 15 at the centennial, watched Sears clothed reenactors with "farbie" weapons,some original do Pickets charge. When l was thirty,met Brian Pohanka and Terry Daley, joined the 5th NY. I found out years later they both passed. RIP greatful to have been their first drummer with Charlie Cline on bugle.Huzzah to Duryees Zouaves
My brother-in-law and I made a decision late in the day of the movie's opening to go and see it. When we got to the theatre the only seats left open and not together were in the first row - try seeing Gettysburg in the first row of a giant movie screen!! I knew as soon as the booming sound track came on we were about to have a special moving experience. At intermission, all we could say to each other was OMG. Not a seat was still open as we hoped to move to something a bit farther away from the screen. No one was leaving this movie. Outstanding in every way, and a movie experience I will never forget - the opening music burned into the soundtrack of my brain.
I graduated High School the year this movie came out, three years later I became a Civil War reenactor. I am now a history teacher and will be attending the 160th anniversary of the battle in a weeks time ... I have no words to sum it all up only to say thanks in some small part to this film, I found my purpose.
You must have been one of the more realistic looking reenactors, when you were in your early 20's. But don't stop. They older they get the more knowledgeable they become. I was amazed what I learned from a reenactor, a real life doctor, playing a Union Army surgeon. About 60 % of the deaths were caused by disease (battle wounds 40%) which could have been prevented. And it was drinking contaminated water was a big cause of this. I already knew that. But what I did not know was that this was also known at the time. But many officers were not diligent enough to enforce rules that would prevent this.
I knew my husband was related to Joshua L Chamberlain when we married in the ‘80’s, but we recently discovered that he, his mother, & 2 sisters are the closest living relatives to Joshua Chamberlain. I’m more of an American history buff than my hubbie, but this knowledge just made me smile. His mom gave me their handwritten 9-generation family tree right after we we married. Gettysburg has been 1 of my very favorite movies for 30 yrs, & everyone in our family loves how Jeff Daniels played Chamberlain👍
This movie drew me into studying history and really studying Gettysburg and the Civil War. I'm 15 went to Gettysburg two years ago and it changed my life forever. I am one of the youngest members of the Vermont Civil War Hemlocks, I started a military history program as a freshman for middle schoolers at my school to particularly study the American Civil War, I've done several speaking events and also started to collect artifacts. I even found a full Civil War dress uniform belonging to Col Preston of the 1st VT Cavalry who fought at Gettysburg and helped to bring it home to Vermont. The mission to preserve the artifacts and get them home was accomplished a few weeks ago. I have seen the Gettysburg a LOT not as much as Tim has I'm sure but I've seen it a lot, and this movie definitely got me a lot more interested as did the book and as did the American Battlefield Trust. I wish I could have been at the 160th reenactment! This movie is the best and my all time favorite and you guys are the best! We must continue to teach our history to the future generations by the battlefields stories monuments and of course historical movies so that our history will never be forgotten and that the stories of those who fought and died at Gettysburg, in the Civil War, etc are also not forgotten.
Your post brings a smile to my face, as a mom, grandmother, sister of a re-enactor, and a historian. Kids like you, who have found value in this study will keep those collective memories alive for the next generation and you're passing it on already! Here's another challenge for you....who in your family was in that war? Where were they? It's almost a sure bet that someone was in there somewhere. Ancestry and other genealogy programs have ways to find out, start with your parents or grandparents and work back to the 1840s, to where they were born and you can even find out what unit they were in and then look up what battles they were at. I just found out that two of my ancestors were at Vicksburg, one on either side (two different branches of the family) and one was a POW. That was amazing to me. Bring that info into your family's story, it will be a good thing to know for your future family. Keep up the good work, I'm proud of you!
@@charlayned Thank you so much! Glad to hear it! Indeed! I have 3 ancestors in the War my 4 th great uncle was in Co. M of the 1st Vermont Cavalry served at Gettysburg and was wounded at Farnsworths charge , his brother was in the 6th Vermont and my 4 great grandfather was a musician in the 5th Vermont . Oh wow! That's amazing! I was in the local news for finding the uniform, my great uncle served with Preston. It's on WCAX news. Thank you will do! And thank you for your kind note! We must keep history alive!
That is amazing that you did all this to keep the civil war alive also I'm currently trying to figure out how I could possibly figure out if i have any ancestors in the war do you have any idea on how to figure it out
That's neat! My ancestor served in Battery K if the 1st Ohio Light in the 11th Corps. They have a memorial in town near the modern university in Gettysburg.
I was an extra in this movie...I was part of the 4th Texas Volunteer Infantry and we did the first day's battle. It was an incredible experience, one I'll never forget, I also got to meet actor Patrick Gorman and get his autograph!
"The world will little note, nor long remember...but it can never forget what they did here." The passion and dedication in this movie changed lives. Thank you for making this featurette.
I already loved to play with Britain's and Playmobil's Civil War figures as a kid, but it was the movie "Gettysburg" that ignited the spark of my deep historical interest for the Civil War, especially Gettysburg. I then read "The Killer Angels" several times (my favourite novel), listened to Randy Edelmans epic score maybe a thousand times and read all the great accounts of the battle by Guelzo, Sears, Foote, Catton, Trudeau, Brown, and many others. I developed an academic lecture "Gettysburg Leadership Lessons" for students here in Germany. The movie started it all. Thank you, Ron Maxwell, Ted Turner and all the staff!
It is interesting to hear about the impact that this film has had on so many people. How did it impact me? My brother, Richard Jordan, played general Armistead. It was his last work and has always been a major bench mark for me. As with others, the film spurred in me an interest in Civil War history. I found out that there were many, many Jordans in the Civil War. This included learning about my Great Grand Father, Jedidiah, who was in the 42 Mass. volunteers. Also, I found a distant cousin, Sargent William S. He was in the20th Maine and was wounded at Little Round Top on the second day. He dead of his wounds the next day on July third. I have wondered if he was the inspiration for the Irish Sargent who surfers the same fate.
Richard Jordan's portrayal of Lewis Lo' Armistead was unsurpassed in "Gettysburg". For me, it was the scene where he found out from Longstreet that his good friend Hancock was nearby with the Union 2nd Corps. Richard really nailed that one.
Your brother was a fantastic actor and did an excellent job portraying General Armistead! I've been to the spot Gen. Armistead was shot many times and your brother's face is the one I see!
Richard Jordan had multiple memorable roles in movies. The maniacal Sandman in Logan's Run. But one hundred years from now, he will be remembered for his role as General Armistead at Gettysburg. I should note, in my opinion, this role, as written, pushes the envelope for melodrama. But Richard Jordan pulls it off. This movie would have been greatly diminished if this role fell to an average actor. As it is, it makes the movie even better.
Eben, I was with your brother as one of his men when he filmed his death scene in Gettysburg. I went over the wall with him, carrying the fourth flag and was present, beside the camera when he played his mortal wound scene at the Angle. I have photos and private video footage of that time. You and your family are welcome to copies. Send me a note through Linked in Paul Culliton, Producer, Joint Media Group, London, Ontario. It was an honour to be there and work with Richard. Very nice man. A true Gentleman. Best regards, Paul
My son's Boy Scout troop was going on a camping trip to Gettysburg to do the battlefield trail hike the BSA has. One leader had the great idea of showing the film in the meetings before the trip. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go but the scoutmaster told me that as the boys were hiking through the battle lines, they could understand better what happened there because of the movie. I did that hike when I was a Boy Scout and it was an incredible experience then. To be able to visualize what happened in those locations must've made it awesome for the boys!
I first learned about the Battle of Gettysburg when I was in Elementary school doing a history project over it. I had realised that My birthday (July 2, 1998) was one of the days that the Battle of Gettysburg had taken place on and so from that moment on every year as I get older and so does the Battle of Gettysburg gets older I always come back to it.
I was six years old when this film was released. I remember the first time I saw it, my father and uncle rented it from Blockbuster. Been passionate about the Civil War ever since and can see that passion for history in my son now. Armistead’s final scene still holds up to this day.
My daughter was 9 when this movie came out. My entire family just loved it. My late husband was an amateur historian and LOVED Civil War history (even though he was a Revolutionary War re-enactor). We watched this movie so many times that my daughter was able to tell her teacher the entire timeline of the Battle of Gettysburg from memory without missing any major engagements. Really impressed her teacher. She still can 30 years later. LOL We used to go to Gettysburg even before the movie came out and my husband would tell us obscure facts about the battle and people of the battles and the town. After the movie came out, those bits and pieces he told us about really came alive and made the whole thing even MORE interesting.
You hit the nail on the head as to why the film is not that individuallistically bloody. The director (Ron Maxwell) wanted the film to be able to be played in the classrooms. The exploding head in "Glory" is what finalized that decision. I think it works better on a grand scale without the one-off violent shots. More in line with D.W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation" which was discussed when these decisions were made.
This film was part of my decision to study history, especially as a youth and student. This movie is amazingly well done! This helped stir interest in learning about the American Civil War and to study history to learn more and hopefully tutor and teach it. This led me to learn more about the different fronts and Don Troiani and Mort Kunstler's art helped draw interest in history and the film!
I remember my first time watching the movie on release day. I took my brother to see it, again for me, on the next day. The best movie ever made…because it brought the Civil War to life. Thanks for the good memories.
I was fortunate enough to see two movies with my father, a veteran of World War II. When I was younger, he took me to see Patton. When I was older, I took him to see Gettysburg. Great memories.
I visited Gettysburg in 2022. I was immediately smitten with the battle. When I stood in one of the fields facing the canons (on either side), I couldn't 't help but wonder how much commitment and courage Union and Confederate soldiers demonstrated to their respective governments and military leaders. That was from a one-day visit because of a tight schedule. My brother and I will visit Gettysburg for a week in October. My family has ancestors who fought on both sides, and we have a long history of military service. Just as I walk the same path as patriots and British soldiers from the Revolutionary War here in Massachusetts, I feel completely immersed in the history of both wars. I have since purchased "Gettysburg," and it's one of my favorite films.
Can't even begin to say how much I love this film. When I got to buy my first copy I showed it to so many people. They then wanted to see the field. When I need to be inspired I can put on this movie, when I want to escape I put on this movie. Thank you to everyone who had anything to do with making Gettysburg
I had not previously liked history before seeing the film. My buddy showed it to me in 8th grade and took the time to explain what was going on. I then read "The Killer Angels." These experiences launched me into reading, majoring in social studies, and now I have taught history for 16 years. I have also taken groups of students from Arizona to the battlefield 13 times.
When the movie came out, my mom wanted to go see it. She gave me $20 or more in quarters expecting I would be bored and rather go play videogames in the lobby.. boy was she wrong! I was hooked. I can't tell you how many times I watched Gettysburg alone or with family and friends. I started reading about the Civil War. I knew as much if not more than my teachers.. I've had the pleasure of traveling to Gettysburg a couple of times, the most recent was an unintended stop on my way back to Maine from South Carolina in 2022. My stepdaughter was intrigued by the snippets of the action I was telling her about where we were, what happened right there on that very ground. I can't wait to take the family back this time intentionally. After that visit, it didn't take much to get my wife to watch the movie with me and to know that we were there and can go back there again.. Thank you ABT for preserving the battlefields of our nations past so we can learn and experience it. Thank you to all the guides, historians, reenactors, for your time and knowledge and your desire to pass it along.
I think this making of this movie honors the ancestors of the ones involved in the war back when on both sides! I think it amazing the amount of men involved in this epic production.
When the movie came out, I was already a huge Civil War buff. I was sixteen at the time and my parents sat through a rather long movie that for me only seemed to have been thirty minutes. I think in the last thirty years I've watched it at least 500 times. Strangely enough. When I was in Iraq my roommate was also a huge Civil War buff and reenactor who had been to Gettysburg. We would actually watch the movie to take our minds off the war we were in.
I was in the 7th grade when I was there I thought it was a very interesting place. Then when I saw the movie I was hooked. The movie basically sold me. It was incredible and opened my mind and impacted me and sold my soul to respect every man that fought the battle of Gettysburg. No matter who it was, the north or the south. Amazing history and since then I’ve been back to Gettysburg Pa over a dozen times coming from New York. It’s a place that you can never get tired of and learn something new each and every time I go to visit. Thanks to the great movie.
I've always loved history, majored in Antebellum South, Slavery and Texas. My husband's a huge fan, my brother was a re-enactor who was really bummed out that he missed doing Gettysburg. I'm also a genealogist and have soldiers in both sides of the conflict. I'm in the process of researching out both of our family in the light of the war and where they were so we can make the trip up through Tennessee, where my family was from and Kentucky where my husband's family was from. My father hated history and wouldn't stop where the history was done, we passed right by Vicksburg when I was a kid and he said "the past is the past, it's not important." Well, I have a soldier on both sides of that Vicksburg fight, one spent a few days as a POW after it. And I'm going back up there and see it. We want to come to Gettysburg but I don't know if we'll be able to go that far north on this trip. It's a long drive from Houston to there and with a couple of Shetland Sheepdogs, we'll be trying to do a 2-week run up as far as we can and back. Gettysburg, 160 years ago this next week. Our plan is to rewatch the movie...again. And, to honor those who fought, believed, and died in that battle. And, to remember my brother, who passed two years ago and would have gone on the trip with us.
That is amazing that you did all of that also I'm currently trying to figure out how I could possibly figure out if i have any ancestors in the war do you have any idea on how to figure it out
I went to Gettysburg in 4th grade, summer of 1993. I watched that movie so many times over that and the next summer that as a 39 year old I know almost every line, motions of the actors, etc. It had one of the biggest impacts on me diving into Civil War history over the next 30 years and becoming an American History teacher. It made history come alive for me. One of my biggest pleasures from teaching is having my students come back or write me thank you cards at the end of the year, telling me that the never liked history until they came to my class, or that they had never been taught history the way I had done and loved it. Thank you GETTYSBURG for impacting me and 30 years later indirectly impacting my students.
I love this movie. I saw it more than once before I was ever able to visit Gettysburg, but I will never forget going to the 20th Maine memorial site on Little Round Top, standing there and looking down at the terrain, and seeing the notch at the end of the Devil's Den leading right up to their position. It was stunning. I will never forget it. Only the visit to the position where my great-great-great grandfather fought on Cemetery Hill in the 2nd West Virginia Artillery tops it for meaning. 🙂
Hola! desde que la vi en los 90s me encanto mucho la película os felicito por continuar esta ya tradición histórica. Saludos desde Puerto Peñasco Sonora Mexico
My only visit to Gettysburg...so far...was about a year before the movie was filmed there so I got to see the park when it was a quieter place with fewer people. When the movie came out my visit was still fresh in my head and it made everything I had seen come alive. It was no longer statues and monuments and woods...the places became more than real for me.
Wonderful Movie and I had a small part in the production of the movie . I had a Print shop in Hollywood at the time. We worked with Esparza/Katz Productions at the time which were working on it's production. We produced many copies of the script which Esparza/Katz Productions were shopping around town. I never thought at the time that it would be produced but so happy that it was. I myself have been to Gettysburg itself at the 100th, 125th and the 150th Anniversaries and a few times in between. I love the movie and have reenacted scenes with my son when he was much younger much to his delight and mine.
When I first saw this movie back in the 90s it prompted me to drive from NJ to Maine to find and visit Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s grave. Can’t say any movie literally moved me like that.
Several years ago, I lived and worked in Adams County in Pennsylvania, and in my free time, I would often watch this movie. While I greatly appreciated the historical value of the movie, what I found more interesting was constantly seeing exactly where some things were filmed, or seeing something in the movie and thinking "Yep, that's exactly what it looks like."
Gettysburg is, without a doubt, in my opinion, one of the greatest Civil War movies ever. The number of re-enactors, great actors, being able to film on the actual battlefield, makes it an amazing movie.
I saw this movie in the theater when I was a very impressionable 12 years old. It's what started my interest in the Civil War, and military history in general. I still remember alot of people coming out of the theater in tears at the end. To this day, I rewatch it yearly over 3 nights, as close as possible to July 1-3, and think about what it must have really been like.
I sent a letter to Martin Sheen (Robert E Lee in the movie) and he was so think to give me a Gettysburg 30th anniversary magnet (autographed) and his photo also autographed! Thank you Mr Sheen!
I'm glad they made this movie! I became very interested in this film when I looked up some other Civil War films. But there's another Civil War film that I love and it's Gods and Generals (2003).
Gone With The Wind was a great gateway drug to the Series, Ken Burns The Civil War, because Gone With The Wind made me want to learn about the Civil War. Watching Ken Burns The Civil War made the film, Gettysburg, the climax of my journey of leaning about the Civil War. Gettysburg made Civil War History come to life with an amazing story and amazing characters. Thank you, Michael Shaara, and thank you, Ron Maxwell.
One day, while growing up on a tiny but very strategic island in the Western Pacific, I saw a videotape on top of my living room counter. It was “Gettysburg.” My life would never be the same again. Está 😊❤️🇺🇸🇬🇺🙏🏼🤙🏼
I remember when it came out into the theaters along with Gods and Genrals and watching it. I have always loved historical movies and reading historical books. I have always wanted to see the third book turned into a movie as well.
This history in this movie is phenomenal but also the filmmaking! The cinematography, costumes, acting, smoke, explosions, gunfire all amazing. Also, I'm shocked few have mentioned Randy Edelman's EPIC score.
I was the Special Effects Coordinator on the film. I have to say, it still is the best production I ever worked on. Everybody (and I do mean everybody) from my fx crew to the guys who made the morning coffee did a better job because of the film being what it was. It is so nice to see it still being appreciated after all these years. We did a lot of pre-filming research to get the look right. I am still justly proud of my work on "Gettysburg". Thanks for the compliments and yeah, Randy Endelman's score is still one of the best scores ever.
My uncle was a Confederate reenactor at Gettysburg during this production. Sam Elliot came to the tavern where my uncle and the Confederates were partying at one night and got to meet him. He talked about how nice Sam was, and how much he loved being immersed and integrating in the whole reenacting experience unlike some of the other actors. He partied with them. I think Sam, interested in the history and also use to the rough cowboy lifestyle, fit right into the scene.
When the film came out in movie theaters for a two or three week period in 1993, I had to drive over 40 miles from Warren, Ohio to a West suburb of Akron, Ohio, in the middle of a heavy downpour of rainfall, in order to watch the movie in a movie theater there. The ensemble cast was excellent, the cinematography was very good, and the Sensurround Sound of the cannons going off during the main battles echoed out loudly throughout the movie theater. “Gettysburg” was the only film I’ve ever watched that had a scheduled Intermission halfway through the film. The use of drones for the first time in the making of a film was groundbreaking, giving the filmgoer a better perception of the incredible size of the battlegrounds, and the seemingly endless lines of troops and cannons used during the battles. It was criminal that Turner Pictures could only get this film booked in the “art house” film circuit for a 2 to 3 week period. The film definitely deserved a full nationwide release in movie theaters.
Also it might be worth noting that this movie came out only a few years after the Ken Burns Civil War documentary. Those two things so close together probably did a lot for Civil War history interest.
I spent a week in August filming Pickett's Charge on the battlefield and the set. Most of us Union reenactors galvanized as Rebs for Garnett's brigade, so we crossed that darned fence a dozen times during the charge. On the last day, we did Yankees at the wall and the counterattack, so at some point in the sequence, we fight ourselves! Great memories!
I was at Gettysburg in the early 70's and stood in the tree line looking up at the stand of trees and thought then Oh my God that's so far away. Seeing it in the film brought it home in a different perspective. Those words They would make this charge even if there were no officers to lead them really hit home.
My stepfather was one of the re-enactors that worked on the film. Him and I shared our love of history until he passed away. It was this movie that really ignited my love of history and its still one of my favorite movies today.
visited Gettysburg twice in 2019..once in April by myself and again that October with my wife...my father was a Civil War history nut ..but because of injuries he suffered in WWII he was never able to visit...i have never felt closer to him than that week in April when i had journeyed there by myself...my grandmother Lusk was a cousin of Robert E Lee's..as her maiden name was Lee...i will rewatch the movie this weekend as the temperature in Arkansas is expected to have a heat index of 105-110...
When this movie came out, I had been to Chickamauga/Chattanooga National Military Park. It made me become even more interested in the Civil War because of that time I spent at the battlefields of Chickamauga and Chattanooga.
When Gettysburg hit the theaters, I was working long hours and traveling long distances to work. I finally got to see the film about 8 years after it's release. It became my favorite movie of all times. My oldest son guided me through the battlefield in 2009 when I took a vacation to the east. It only heightened my desire to see and do anything with Gettysburg. Then I discovered that one of my high school friends was an extra in the film. Envy isn't even close to the feeling I had. When one of my daughters high school teachers was clearing out his room, preparing to retire, she was gifted a theater poster of Gettysburg from our local theater. I was later able to take that poster to an event in Tulsa and got C. Thomas Howell Sign it and included a quote from the movie. When asked what I would like him to write, I told him to write, "And Don't Call me Lawrence." Mr. Howell looked at me and just smiled...
Hello Gettysburg. This is Ted from Texas. I have been to Gettysburg so many times in my life and love the history of it. I wouldn't move there instead of Texas, but I am sick of snow. I've been to Gettysburg dressed in Period clothing. I do living historian work. I dressed the part of Joseph E Johnston. I want to go back and visit I would love to live there except for the snow. Thank you man
Great movie which after watching got me interested in the civil war, have had the pleasure of going to both Gettysburg and Antietam and hope to go back again soon
My fascination with the American Civil War is because of this movie. At first, it was out of curiosity, but studying it further made it clear that the American Civil War is still relevant in many aspects not only to the United States but also to any country that suffers internal disputes like my country, Iraq. Furthermore, the principles of military strategy and leadership applied during that war are still relevant to the 21st Century.
I love this movie, and I hope that someday we get the entire Civil War in the same style as a long form TV series. There are so many iconic moments and legendary personalities. It would be better than Game of Thrones. Imagine the potential.
“Gettysburg” was supposed to be part of a trilogy of films about the Civil War. “Gettysburg” was first, followed by “Gods And Generals” several years later. The final film of the trilogy, tentatively titled “Last Full Measure”, has not yet been made. With Ted Turner no longer owner of the Turner Networks, it most likely will never be made.
I watch this film (the extended version) every year over 4th of July week. (member ABT) And have been watching it at least once a year since I first saw it on TNT during summer of '93.
This movie is a treasure, like Spielberg 's Lincoln, or the recent history channel series Grant and Lincoln. This will be actually inspired me to study history and learn more by the day. In fact this movie encourage me to do re-enacting some years ago I wanted to do Civil War re-enacting and I never got the chance until last year and I'm now a big Civil War re-enactor. My unit is unique in itself and has a history with the Battle of Gettysburg . And it seems that one of my goals is to help educate and preserve the history like Gettysburg for example so it'll last through the ages.
I remember going to the movie on opening day when I was 11. There were Bucktails dressed up in our theater. Assuming they were extras since I grew up in Pa. I remember the intermission because the movie was long. It went by so fast.
Great presentation and great movie! I hope to visit Gettysburg again some day. If you haven’t been, you should go. I might recommend a reading of Mr. Shaara’s The Killer Angels before visiting. I was much more familiar with the battlefield when I visited the first time.
My wife and I were re-enactors back in the '90s. I in Co. E, Second Vermont Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, and she in the U.S. Sanitary Commission. Four of our guys went to Gettysburg, and visited the Angle where the Confederates reached the Union lines. While there, they witnessed four uniformed Confederate soldiers marching together toward the Angle where they were. As they came near, our guys stood to attention and saluted them. They halted as they reached their destination, paused and then solemnly, without a word, about-faced and marched back the way they had come. Sent shivers up the spines of our guys, thinking perhaps they had ancestors who were actually on that very ground during Pickett's Charge. This was a solomn event they would never forget.
I first learned about the battle through the July 1963 issue of National Geographic (still have it), which had feature stories on the centennials of both Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Family vacation in 1965 included a whole day at Gettysburg (I was 11; still have all the slides my dad shot that day). Then, the Ken Burns program rekindled my interest, prompting me to want to visit the place again, though this time as an adult and being much more knowledgeable. Then, I started seeing previews and teasers on the Maxwell film and got totally hooked. Was lucky enough to see it on the big screen when it came out. Spent three days at Gettysburg in May 2001, shooting a dozen rolls of film and looking like a true tourist. Stayed at the Battlefield Holiday Inn there by the Jennie Wade house, even visited Rob Gibson's photography studio, where they put me in a Confederate captain's uniform (I'm from Texas) and I posed for a wet-plate photo. I wanna go back, preferably some October when the leaves are changing, or maybe some November to attend the Remembrance Day parade.
My 8th grade history teacher open the door a crack to Civil War history for me. The Ken Burns’ series on PBS opened the door a shade more. This movie kicked the door wide open and tore it off the hinges. I say that because I’d never visited battlefields in the same way as I did before the movie. Yes, I was one of those car people who now want to get out, walk around, and hear the stories of the ordinary soldiers, townspeople, and African-Americans both enslaved and free. Pictures inspire the mind. This movie certainly accomplished that for me.
Great movie! It's not easy on the other side of the ocean to find books or other informations about the American Civil War. It isn' t really mentioned in history classes. But this movie, followed by James McPhersons books and Michael and Jeff Sharaas novels opened up a new view. 👍
One of the best movies ever made. Gettysburg had the history, star power, a wonderful musical score and excellent cinematography.
I know, this movie has everything. You even get to see Ted Turner get killed :)
Gettysburg is one of my all time favorite movies ever. After all these years it still gets me in the feels, every time! ❤
I was there for the entire filming. Started on set as a background reenactor and then was chosen by Brian Pohanka to be Oliver Wilcox Norton duting the round top scenes with Vincent. I ended the filming working behind the scenes helping to haul the fake dead horses around set and place them. About half way through filming my father got involved reluctantly as a background person. He loved it so much that he took time off work and made the 2.5 hour trip to Gettysburg week after week to participate. Before long my whole family was involved helping on set. That's the kind of filming it was. You really felt connected to everyone who was involved and it felt like a big family. Because of it I kept going in film for the next 30 years acting and working behind the camera doing special effects. It's been a crazy ride and I can day I owe it all to this film.
I'll never forget that summer/fall in 1992 when I was just 20 years old working on the first film I'd ever worked on. It created an experience my whole family still talks about to this day with fond memories.
Thanks, Speedy! GA
Great story Speedy! Never knew. Thanks for sharing.
wow that's really cool
I was 15 at the centennial, watched Sears clothed reenactors
with "farbie" weapons,some original do Pickets charge. When l was thirty,met Brian Pohanka and Terry Daley, joined the 5th NY. I found out years later they both passed. RIP greatful to have
been their first drummer with Charlie Cline on bugle.Huzzah
to Duryees Zouaves
My brother-in-law and I made a decision late in the day of the movie's opening to go and see it. When we got to the theatre the only seats left open and not together were in the first row - try seeing Gettysburg in the first row of a giant movie screen!! I knew as soon as the booming sound track came on we were about to have a special moving experience. At intermission, all we could say to each other was OMG. Not a seat was still open as we hoped to move to something a bit farther away from the screen. No one was leaving this movie. Outstanding in every way, and a movie experience I will never forget - the opening music burned into the soundtrack of my brain.
I graduated High School the year this movie came out, three years later I became a Civil War reenactor. I am now a history teacher and will be attending the 160th anniversary of the battle in a weeks time ... I have no words to sum it all up only to say thanks in some small part to this film, I found my purpose.
You must have been one of the more realistic looking reenactors, when you were in your early 20's. But don't stop. They older they get the more knowledgeable they become. I was amazed what I learned from a reenactor, a real life doctor, playing a Union Army surgeon.
About 60 % of the deaths were caused by disease (battle wounds 40%) which could have been prevented. And it was drinking contaminated water was a big cause of this. I already knew that. But what I did not know was that this was also known at the time. But many officers were not diligent enough to enforce rules that would prevent this.
I knew my husband was related to Joshua L Chamberlain when we married in the ‘80’s, but we recently discovered that he, his mother, & 2 sisters are the closest living relatives to Joshua Chamberlain. I’m more of an American history buff than my hubbie, but this knowledge just made me smile. His mom gave me their handwritten 9-generation family tree right after we we married. Gettysburg has been 1 of my very favorite movies for 30 yrs, & everyone in our family loves how Jeff Daniels played Chamberlain👍
This movie drew me into studying history and really studying Gettysburg and the Civil War. I'm 15 went to Gettysburg two years ago and it changed my life forever. I am one of the youngest members of the Vermont Civil War Hemlocks, I started a military history program as a freshman for middle schoolers at my school to particularly study the American Civil War, I've done several speaking events and also started to collect artifacts. I even found a full Civil War dress uniform belonging to Col Preston of the 1st VT Cavalry who fought at Gettysburg and helped to bring it home to Vermont. The mission to preserve the artifacts and get them home was accomplished a few weeks ago. I have seen the Gettysburg a LOT not as much as Tim has I'm sure but I've seen it a lot, and this movie definitely got me a lot more interested as did the book and as did the American Battlefield Trust. I wish I could have been at the 160th reenactment! This movie is the best and my all time favorite and you guys are the best! We must continue to teach our history to the future generations by the battlefields stories monuments and of course historical movies so that our history will never be forgotten and that the stories of those who fought and died at Gettysburg, in the Civil War, etc are also not forgotten.
Your post brings a smile to my face, as a mom, grandmother, sister of a re-enactor, and a historian. Kids like you, who have found value in this study will keep those collective memories alive for the next generation and you're passing it on already! Here's another challenge for you....who in your family was in that war? Where were they? It's almost a sure bet that someone was in there somewhere. Ancestry and other genealogy programs have ways to find out, start with your parents or grandparents and work back to the 1840s, to where they were born and you can even find out what unit they were in and then look up what battles they were at. I just found out that two of my ancestors were at Vicksburg, one on either side (two different branches of the family) and one was a POW. That was amazing to me.
Bring that info into your family's story, it will be a good thing to know for your future family. Keep up the good work, I'm proud of you!
@@charlayned Thank you so much! Glad to hear it! Indeed! I have 3 ancestors in the War my 4 th great uncle was in Co. M of the 1st Vermont Cavalry served at Gettysburg and was wounded at Farnsworths charge , his brother was in the 6th Vermont and my 4 great grandfather was a musician in the 5th Vermont . Oh wow! That's amazing! I was in the local news for finding the uniform, my great uncle served with Preston. It's on WCAX news. Thank you will do! And thank you for your kind note! We must keep history alive!
That is amazing that you did all this to keep the civil war alive also I'm currently trying to figure out how I could possibly figure out if i have any ancestors in the war do you have any idea on how to figure it out
That's neat! My ancestor served in Battery K if the 1st Ohio Light in the 11th Corps. They have a memorial in town near the modern university in Gettysburg.
@@modernjosephus356 Awesome! Gen. O.O Howard 11 Corps Commander is buried in Burlington VT. Been to his grave.
I was an extra in this movie...I was part of the 4th Texas Volunteer Infantry and we did the first day's battle. It was an incredible experience, one I'll never forget, I also got to meet actor Patrick Gorman and get his autograph!
Greatest movie , I've made three trips to Gettysburg...I was born July 2nd 1963, so that second day of the battle resonates with me.
A movie that REALLY should be brought back to the BIG screen. Saw this in Atlanta when it came out and loved every minute of it.
"The world will little note, nor long remember...but it can never forget what they did here."
The passion and dedication in this movie changed lives. Thank you for making this featurette.
I already loved to play with Britain's and Playmobil's Civil War figures as a kid, but it was the movie "Gettysburg" that ignited the spark of my deep historical interest for the Civil War, especially Gettysburg. I then read "The Killer Angels" several times (my favourite novel), listened to Randy Edelmans epic score maybe a thousand times and read all the great accounts of the battle by Guelzo, Sears, Foote, Catton, Trudeau, Brown, and many others. I developed an academic lecture "Gettysburg Leadership Lessons" for students here in Germany. The movie started it all. Thank you, Ron Maxwell, Ted Turner and all the staff!
I remember renting this on VHS as soon as it came available. Incredible film; robert jordan as Armisted gives me chills to this day when i watch it.
I rented this movie on VHS when I was 8-years-old and it was the movie that made me a civil war history buff.
It is interesting to hear about the impact that this film has had on so many people. How did it impact me? My brother, Richard Jordan, played general Armistead. It was his last work and has always been a major bench mark for me. As with others, the film spurred in me an interest in Civil War history. I found out that there were many, many Jordans in the Civil War. This included learning about my Great Grand Father, Jedidiah, who was in the 42 Mass. volunteers. Also, I found a distant cousin, Sargent William S. He was in the20th Maine and was wounded at Little Round Top on the second day. He dead of his wounds the next day on July third. I have wondered if he was the inspiration for the Irish Sargent who surfers the same fate.
Thanks for relating your story! Your brother’s performance is beloved. GA
Richard Jordan's portrayal of Lewis Lo' Armistead was unsurpassed in "Gettysburg". For me, it was the scene where he found out from Longstreet that his good friend Hancock was nearby with the Union 2nd Corps. Richard really nailed that one.
Your brother was a fantastic actor and did an excellent job portraying General Armistead! I've been to the spot Gen. Armistead was shot many times and your brother's face is the one I see!
Richard Jordan had multiple memorable roles in movies. The maniacal Sandman in Logan's Run. But one hundred years from now, he will be remembered for his role as General Armistead at Gettysburg.
I should note, in my opinion, this role, as written, pushes the envelope for melodrama. But Richard Jordan pulls it off. This movie would have been greatly diminished if this role fell to an average actor. As it is, it makes the movie even better.
Eben, I was with your brother as one of his men when he filmed his death scene in Gettysburg. I went over the wall with him, carrying the fourth flag and was present, beside the camera when he played his mortal wound scene at the Angle. I have photos and private video footage of that time. You and your family are welcome to copies. Send me a note through Linked in Paul Culliton, Producer, Joint Media Group, London, Ontario. It was an honour to be there and work with Richard. Very nice man. A true Gentleman. Best regards, Paul
My son's Boy Scout troop was going on a camping trip to Gettysburg to do the battlefield trail hike the BSA has. One leader had the great idea of showing the film in the meetings before the trip. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go but the scoutmaster told me that as the boys were hiking through the battle lines, they could understand better what happened there because of the movie. I did that hike when I was a Boy Scout and it was an incredible experience then. To be able to visualize what happened in those locations must've made it awesome for the boys!
I first learned about the Battle of Gettysburg when I was in Elementary school doing a history project over it. I had realised that My birthday (July 2, 1998) was one of the days that the Battle of Gettysburg had taken place on and so from that moment on every year as I get older and so does the Battle of Gettysburg gets older I always come back to it.
I bought this movie about 6 years ago and have watched it at least 20 times. Never gets old.
I think I am at 21
Times lol
I was six years old when this film was released. I remember the first time I saw it, my father and uncle rented it from Blockbuster. Been passionate about the Civil War ever since and can see that passion for history in my son now. Armistead’s final scene still holds up to this day.
I remember watching the premier of Gettysburg on TNT. Such a badass movie.
My daughter was 9 when this movie came out. My entire family just loved it. My late husband was an amateur historian and LOVED Civil War history (even though he was a Revolutionary War re-enactor). We watched this movie so many times that my daughter was able to tell her teacher the entire timeline of the Battle of Gettysburg from memory without missing any major engagements. Really impressed her teacher. She still can 30 years later. LOL We used to go to Gettysburg even before the movie came out and my husband would tell us obscure facts about the battle and people of the battles and the town. After the movie came out, those bits and pieces he told us about really came alive and made the whole thing even MORE interesting.
I bought Gettysburg when it was released for purchase. Twin VHS cassettes. I now own it on digital to stream whenever I like.
I show Gettysburg to my students every year and they always love it. They actually watch the movie. They don't do that with other movies.
You hit the nail on the head as to why the film is not that individuallistically bloody. The director (Ron Maxwell) wanted the film to be able to be played in the classrooms. The exploding head in "Glory" is what finalized that decision. I think it works better on a grand scale without the one-off violent shots. More in line with D.W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation" which was discussed when these decisions were made.
I love this movie!! I wish they could make one about Vicksburg because that was happening at the exact same time.
It would be wonderful. Can you imagine .... Grant's Vicksburg Campaign?
One of my favorite movies of all time!
This film was part of my decision to study history, especially as a youth and student. This movie is amazingly well done! This helped stir interest in learning about the American Civil War and to study history to learn more and hopefully tutor and teach it. This led me to learn more about the different fronts and Don Troiani and Mort Kunstler's art helped draw interest in history and the film!
Always loved this movie. I was 12 when it came out and was floored when I first watched.
I remember my first time watching the movie on release day. I took my brother to see it, again for me, on the next day. The best movie ever made…because it brought the Civil War to life. Thanks for the good memories.
One of those films that’s always been a part of my life. From TV to VHS to DVD now Blu-ray
I was fortunate enough to see two movies with my father, a veteran of World War II. When I was younger, he took me to see Patton. When I was older, I took him to see Gettysburg. Great memories.
I visited Gettysburg in 2022. I was immediately smitten with the battle. When I stood in one of the fields facing the canons (on either side), I couldn't 't help but wonder how much commitment and courage Union and Confederate soldiers demonstrated to their respective governments and military leaders. That was from a one-day visit because of a tight schedule. My brother and I will visit Gettysburg for a week in October. My family has ancestors who fought on both sides, and we have a long history of military service. Just as I walk the same path as patriots and British soldiers from the Revolutionary War here in Massachusetts, I feel completely immersed in the history of both wars. I have since purchased "Gettysburg," and it's one of my favorite films.
Can't even begin to say how much I love this film. When I got to buy my first copy I showed it to so many people. They then wanted to see the field. When I need to be inspired I can put on this movie, when I want to escape I put on this movie. Thank you to everyone who had anything to do with making Gettysburg
I had not previously liked history before seeing the film. My buddy showed it to me in 8th grade and took the time to explain what was going on. I then read "The Killer Angels." These experiences launched me into reading, majoring in social studies, and now I have taught history for 16 years. I have also taken groups of students from Arizona to the battlefield 13 times.
When the movie came out, my mom wanted to go see it. She gave me $20 or more in quarters expecting I would be bored and rather go play videogames in the lobby.. boy was she wrong! I was hooked.
I can't tell you how many times I watched Gettysburg alone or with family and friends. I started reading about the Civil War. I knew as much if not more than my teachers..
I've had the pleasure of traveling to Gettysburg a couple of times, the most recent was an unintended stop on my way back to Maine from South Carolina in 2022. My stepdaughter was intrigued by the snippets of the action I was telling her about where we were, what happened right there on that very ground. I can't wait to take the family back this time intentionally.
After that visit, it didn't take much to get my wife to watch the movie with me and to know that we were there and can go back there again..
Thank you ABT for preserving the battlefields of our nations past so we can learn and experience it. Thank you to all the guides, historians, reenactors, for your time and knowledge and your desire to pass it along.
I think this making of this movie honors the ancestors of the ones involved in the war back when on both sides!
I think it amazing the amount of men involved in this epic production.
When the movie came out, I was already a huge Civil War buff. I was sixteen at the time and my parents sat through a rather long movie that for me only seemed to have been thirty minutes. I think in the last thirty years I've watched it at least 500 times. Strangely enough. When I was in Iraq my roommate was also a huge Civil War buff and reenactor who had been to Gettysburg. We would actually watch the movie to take our minds off the war we were in.
THE finest Civil War movie ever! Unfortunately the extended version is not available in the UK.
I was in the 7th grade when I was there I thought it was a very interesting place. Then when I saw the movie I was hooked. The movie basically sold me. It was incredible and opened my mind and impacted me and sold my soul to respect every man that fought the battle of Gettysburg. No matter who it was, the north or the south. Amazing history and since then I’ve been back to Gettysburg Pa over a dozen times coming from New York. It’s a place that you can never get tired of and learn something new each and every time I go to visit. Thanks to the great movie.
I've always loved history, majored in Antebellum South, Slavery and Texas. My husband's a huge fan, my brother was a re-enactor who was really bummed out that he missed doing Gettysburg. I'm also a genealogist and have soldiers in both sides of the conflict. I'm in the process of researching out both of our family in the light of the war and where they were so we can make the trip up through Tennessee, where my family was from and Kentucky where my husband's family was from. My father hated history and wouldn't stop where the history was done, we passed right by Vicksburg when I was a kid and he said "the past is the past, it's not important." Well, I have a soldier on both sides of that Vicksburg fight, one spent a few days as a POW after it. And I'm going back up there and see it. We want to come to Gettysburg but I don't know if we'll be able to go that far north on this trip. It's a long drive from Houston to there and with a couple of Shetland Sheepdogs, we'll be trying to do a 2-week run up as far as we can and back.
Gettysburg, 160 years ago this next week. Our plan is to rewatch the movie...again. And, to honor those who fought, believed, and died in that battle. And, to remember my brother, who passed two years ago and would have gone on the trip with us.
That is amazing that you did all of that also I'm currently trying to figure out how I could possibly figure out if i have any ancestors in the war do you have any idea on how to figure it out
That's a great bit of music. It goes with the video so well and really enhances the emotions
I went to Gettysburg in 4th grade, summer of 1993. I watched that movie so many times over that and the next summer that as a 39 year old I know almost every line, motions of the actors, etc. It had one of the biggest impacts on me diving into Civil War history over the next 30 years and becoming an American History teacher. It made history come alive for me.
One of my biggest pleasures from teaching is having my students come back or write me thank you cards at the end of the year, telling me that the never liked history until they came to my class, or that they had never been taught history the way I had done and loved it. Thank you GETTYSBURG for impacting me and 30 years later indirectly impacting my students.
That was excellent! A definite “+” for the historical record!
Always being a history buff especially the civil war, this movie was the spark that got me into film making. Thank you.
I love Gettysburg and the movie!
I love this movie. I saw it more than once before I was ever able to visit Gettysburg, but I will never forget going to the 20th Maine memorial site on Little Round Top, standing there and looking down at the terrain, and seeing the notch at the end of the Devil's Den leading right up to their position. It was stunning. I will never forget it. Only the visit to the position where my great-great-great grandfather fought on Cemetery Hill in the 2nd West Virginia Artillery tops it for meaning. 🙂
An amazing film! My annual re-watch is imminent.
Hola! desde que la vi en los 90s me encanto mucho la película os felicito por continuar esta ya tradición histórica. Saludos desde Puerto Peñasco Sonora Mexico
One of the greatest movies ever made, I love it and have seen it a dozen times. I have been to the Gettysburg Battlefield twice and hope to go again.
My only visit to Gettysburg...so far...was about a year before the movie was filmed there so I got to see the park when it was a quieter place with fewer people. When the movie came out my visit was still fresh in my head and it made everything I had seen come alive. It was no longer statues and monuments and woods...the places became more than real for me.
The movie came out not long after Ken Burns' Civil War series.
My daughter is in love with go to Gettysburg almost every weekend. She wants to find different areas of the battlefield
I am so freaking excited for this event to happen. Already got my tickets for the movie bus tour and the meet and greet with the actors and crew.
Wonderful Movie and I had a small part in the production of the movie . I had a Print shop in Hollywood at the time. We worked with Esparza/Katz Productions at the time which were working on it's production. We produced many copies of the script which Esparza/Katz Productions were shopping around town. I never thought at the time that it would be produced but so happy that it was. I myself have been to Gettysburg itself at the 100th, 125th and the 150th Anniversaries and a few times in between. I love the movie and have reenacted scenes with my son when he was much younger much to his delight and mine.
When I first saw this movie back in the 90s it prompted me to drive from NJ to Maine to find and visit Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s grave. Can’t say any movie literally moved me like that.
My dad took me to see it in the theater. It is in my top 5 favorite movies of all time!
Several years ago, I lived and worked in Adams County in Pennsylvania, and in my free time, I would often watch this movie. While I greatly appreciated the historical value of the movie, what I found more interesting was constantly seeing exactly where some things were filmed, or seeing something in the movie and thinking "Yep, that's exactly what it looks like."
You'll be a fan of our future videos about the filming locations!
Gettysburg is, without a doubt, in my opinion, one of the greatest Civil War movies ever. The number of re-enactors, great actors, being able to film on the actual battlefield, makes it an amazing movie.
I saw this movie in the theater when I was a very impressionable 12 years old. It's what started my interest in the Civil War, and military history in general. I still remember alot of people coming out of the theater in tears at the end. To this day, I rewatch it yearly over 3 nights, as close as possible to July 1-3, and think about what it must have really been like.
Richard Jordan's performance was up there with the Jeff Daniels and Stephen Lang thatyhey mentioned.
I sent a letter to Martin Sheen (Robert E Lee in the movie) and he was so think to give me a Gettysburg 30th anniversary magnet (autographed) and his photo also autographed! Thank you Mr Sheen!
I'm glad they made this movie! I became very interested in this film when I looked up some other Civil War films. But there's another Civil War film that I love and it's Gods and Generals (2003).
Gone With The Wind was a great gateway drug to the Series, Ken Burns The Civil War, because Gone With The Wind made me want to learn about the Civil War. Watching Ken Burns The Civil War made the film, Gettysburg, the climax of my journey of leaning about the Civil War. Gettysburg made Civil War History come to life with an amazing story and amazing characters. Thank you, Michael Shaara, and thank you, Ron Maxwell.
My dad took me and my two brothers to see this in theater, great memories!
One day, while growing up on a tiny but very strategic island in the Western Pacific, I saw a videotape on top of my living room counter.
It was “Gettysburg.”
My life would never be the same again.
Está 😊❤️🇺🇸🇬🇺🙏🏼🤙🏼
So many wonderful ripple effects from a single film.
I remember when it came out into the theaters along with Gods and Genrals and watching it. I have always loved historical movies and reading historical books. I have always wanted to see the third book turned into a movie as well.
What a film too. The directors cut is my all time favorite film, it's incredible
I was so impressed with Richard Jordan
This history in this movie is phenomenal but also the filmmaking! The cinematography, costumes, acting, smoke, explosions, gunfire all amazing. Also, I'm shocked few have mentioned Randy Edelman's EPIC score.
I was the Special Effects Coordinator on the film. I have to say, it still is the best production I ever worked on. Everybody (and I do mean everybody) from my fx crew to the guys who made the morning coffee did a better job because of the film being what it was. It is so nice to see it still being appreciated after all these years. We did a lot of pre-filming research to get the look right. I am still justly proud of my work on "Gettysburg". Thanks for the compliments and yeah, Randy Endelman's score is still one of the best scores ever.
My uncle was a Confederate reenactor at Gettysburg during this production. Sam Elliot came to the tavern where my uncle and the Confederates were partying at one night and got to meet him. He talked about how nice Sam was, and how much he loved being immersed and integrating in the whole reenacting experience unlike some of the other actors. He partied with them. I think Sam, interested in the history and also use to the rough cowboy lifestyle, fit right into the scene.
When the film came out in movie theaters for a two or three week period in 1993, I had to drive over 40 miles from Warren, Ohio to a West suburb of Akron, Ohio, in the middle of a heavy downpour of rainfall, in order to watch the movie in a movie theater there.
The ensemble cast was excellent, the cinematography was very good, and the Sensurround Sound of the cannons going off during the main battles echoed out loudly throughout the movie theater. “Gettysburg” was the only film I’ve ever watched that had a scheduled Intermission halfway through the film. The use of drones for the first time in the making of a film was groundbreaking, giving the filmgoer a better perception of the incredible size of the battlegrounds, and the seemingly endless lines of troops and cannons used during the battles.
It was criminal that Turner Pictures could only get this film booked in the “art house” film circuit for a 2 to 3 week period. The film definitely deserved a full nationwide release in movie theaters.
Also it might be worth noting that this movie came out only a few years after the Ken Burns Civil War documentary. Those two things so close together probably did a lot for Civil War history interest.
I spent a week in August filming Pickett's Charge on the battlefield and the set. Most of us Union reenactors galvanized as Rebs for Garnett's brigade, so we crossed that darned fence a dozen times during the charge. On the last day, we did Yankees at the wall and the counterattack, so at some point in the sequence, we fight ourselves! Great memories!
I was at Gettysburg in the early 70's and stood in the tree line looking up at the stand of trees and thought then Oh my God that's so far away. Seeing it in the film brought it home in a different perspective. Those words They would make this charge even if there were no officers to lead them really hit home.
My stepfather was one of the re-enactors that worked on the film. Him and I shared our love of history until he passed away. It was this movie that really ignited my love of history and its still one of my favorite movies today.
Thank you for this, it reminded me of what I did in helping making this movie as a reenactor all those years ago. How time has flied by.
visited Gettysburg twice in 2019..once in April by myself and again that October with my wife...my father was a Civil War history nut ..but because of injuries he suffered in WWII he was never able to visit...i have never felt closer to him than that week in April when i had journeyed there by myself...my grandmother Lusk was a cousin of Robert E Lee's..as her maiden name was Lee...i will rewatch the movie this weekend as the temperature in Arkansas is expected to have a heat index of 105-110...
When this movie came out, I had been to Chickamauga/Chattanooga National Military Park. It made me become even more interested in the Civil War because of that time I spent at the battlefields of Chickamauga and Chattanooga.
When Gettysburg hit the theaters, I was working long hours and traveling long distances to work. I finally got to see the film about 8 years after it's release. It became my favorite movie of all times. My oldest son guided me through the battlefield in 2009 when I took a vacation to the east. It only heightened my desire to see and do anything with Gettysburg. Then I discovered that one of my high school friends was an extra in the film. Envy isn't even close to the feeling I had. When one of my daughters high school teachers was clearing out his room, preparing to retire, she was gifted a theater poster of Gettysburg from our local theater. I was later able to take that poster to an event in Tulsa and got C. Thomas Howell Sign it and included a quote from the movie. When asked what I would like him to write, I told him to write, "And Don't Call me Lawrence." Mr. Howell looked at me and just smiled...
Hello Gettysburg. This is Ted from Texas. I have been to Gettysburg so many times in my life and love the history of it. I wouldn't move there instead of Texas, but I am sick of snow. I've been to Gettysburg dressed in Period clothing. I do living historian work. I dressed the part of Joseph E Johnston. I want to go back and visit I would love to live there except for the snow. Thank you man
Great movie which after watching got me interested in the civil war, have had the pleasure of going to both Gettysburg and Antietam and hope to go back again soon
My fascination with the American Civil War is because of this movie. At first, it was out of curiosity, but studying it further made it clear that the American Civil War is still relevant in many aspects not only to the United States but also to any country that suffers internal disputes like my country, Iraq.
Furthermore, the principles of military strategy and leadership applied during that war are still relevant to the 21st Century.
Made our first visit in 1995 and have to say the motivation to see the battlefield was after seeing the movie.
I love this movie, and I hope that someday we get the entire Civil War in the same style as a long form TV series. There are so many iconic moments and legendary personalities. It would be better than Game of Thrones. Imagine the potential.
“Gettysburg” was supposed to be part of a trilogy of films about the Civil War.
“Gettysburg” was first, followed by “Gods And Generals” several years later. The final film of the trilogy, tentatively titled “Last Full Measure”, has not yet been made. With Ted Turner no longer owner of the Turner Networks, it most likely will never be made.
this movie got me into the civil war and the reenacting
A great production. That was unbelievable at that time. And even now .
💯👊👍
Very well done Video thank you
I watch this film (the extended version) every year over 4th of July week. (member ABT)
And have been watching it at least once a year since I first saw it on TNT during summer of '93.
I remember watching the movie for the first time while staying at the Cashtown Inn…headquarters of AP Hill. So cool.
Best documentary movie ever. It helped me learn about this tragic time in our history.
I loved the movie, and have read the book, and my great great grandfather was at gettysburg, 2nd delaware
I watched this movie for the first time last week, wonderful movie enjoyed every moment of it!
This movie is a treasure, like Spielberg 's Lincoln, or the recent history channel series Grant and Lincoln. This will be actually inspired me to study history and learn more by the day. In fact this movie encourage me to do re-enacting some years ago I wanted to do Civil War re-enacting and I never got the chance until last year and I'm now a big Civil War re-enactor. My unit is unique in itself and has a history with the Battle of Gettysburg . And it seems that one of my goals is to help educate and preserve the history like Gettysburg for example so it'll last through the ages.
I remember going to the movie on opening day when I was 11. There were Bucktails dressed up in our theater. Assuming they were extras since I grew up in Pa. I remember the intermission because the movie was long. It went by so fast.
I love this movie, I was 4 when it came out and my dad rented it probably the next year and I’ve watched it at least once a year ever since
Great presentation and great movie! I hope to visit Gettysburg again some day. If you haven’t been, you should go. I might recommend a reading of Mr. Shaara’s The Killer Angels before visiting. I was much more familiar with the battlefield when I visited the first time.
Pickets charge brought tears to my eyes and i am not even an American. It was literaly like the actors and the extras were conducting a real charge.
My wife and I were re-enactors back in the '90s. I in Co. E, Second Vermont Regiment of Volunteer Infantry, and she in the U.S. Sanitary Commission.
Four of our guys went to Gettysburg, and visited the Angle where the Confederates reached the Union lines. While there, they witnessed four uniformed Confederate soldiers marching together toward the Angle where they were. As they came near, our guys stood to attention and saluted them. They halted as they reached their destination, paused and then solemnly, without a word, about-faced and marched back the way they had come. Sent shivers up the spines of our guys, thinking perhaps they had ancestors who were actually on that very ground during Pickett's Charge. This was a solomn event they would never forget.
I first learned about the battle through the July 1963 issue of National Geographic (still have it), which had feature stories on the centennials of both Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Family vacation in 1965 included a whole day at Gettysburg (I was 11; still have all the slides my dad shot that day). Then, the Ken Burns program rekindled my interest, prompting me to want to visit the place again, though this time as an adult and being much more knowledgeable.
Then, I started seeing previews and teasers on the Maxwell film and got totally hooked. Was lucky enough to see it on the big screen when it came out. Spent three days at Gettysburg in May 2001, shooting a dozen rolls of film and looking like a true tourist.
Stayed at the Battlefield Holiday Inn there by the Jennie Wade house, even visited Rob Gibson's photography studio, where they put me in a Confederate captain's uniform (I'm from Texas) and I posed for a wet-plate photo.
I wanna go back, preferably some October when the leaves are changing, or maybe some November to attend the Remembrance Day parade.
Highly recommend the director’s cut, really makes you feel like you’re there.
My 8th grade history teacher open the door a crack to Civil War history for me. The Ken Burns’ series on PBS opened the door a shade more. This movie kicked the door wide open and tore it off the hinges. I say that because I’d never visited battlefields in the same way as I did before the movie. Yes, I was one of those car people who now want to get out, walk around, and hear the stories of the ordinary soldiers, townspeople, and African-Americans both enslaved and free. Pictures inspire the mind. This movie certainly accomplished that for me.
Great movie! It's not easy on the other side of the ocean to find books or other informations about the American Civil War. It isn' t really mentioned in history classes. But this movie, followed by James McPhersons books and Michael and Jeff Sharaas novels opened up a new view. 👍
Phenomenal and truly under appreciated movie