Gods and Generals

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ronald F. Maxwell directs. Kees Van Oostrum behind the camera. Randy Edelman scores. Corky Ehlers cuts. A long sit — settle in. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1At 219 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
• 2Mid-budget at $56M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
• 3Earned back only 23% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
• 4Released 23 years ago.
• 5Part of the "American Civil War Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
• 6Directed by Ronald F. Maxwell, shot by Kees Van Oostrum. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 7Original score by Randy Edelman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 8Editor Corky Ehlers shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 9Stephen Lang and Jeff Daniels and Robert Duvall carry the top of the cast.
• 10Marketing tagline: "The nation's heart was touched by...".
• 11IMDB entry: tt0279111 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 12Classified under 12 themes, including "general", "based on true story", "rise and fall", "battle".

The technical file

Cinematography

Kees Van Oostrum

Original score

Randy Edelman

Editing

Corky Ehlers

Production design

Michael Z. Hanan

Costume design

Richard La Motte

Makeup / hair

Manlio Rocchetti

VFX supervisor

Justin Paul Ritter

Sound

Melissa Sherwood Hofmann

Stunt coordinator

Chris Howell

Runtime

219 min · 3h 39m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$56,000,000

Box office

$12,923,936

Return

23% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

PG-13

IMDB

Gods and Generals (2003) ↗

Rotten Tomatoes

8% 🥫 Rotten

Metacritic

30/100

IMDB rating

6.2/10 · 17,679 votes

MPAA

PG-13

Part of

American Civil War Collection

An epic historical film duology about the American Civil War, as told through the POVs of both Union and Confederate soldiers and the strategic decisions made during the battles.

• 
  Gettysburg

  1993
• 
  Gods and Generals

  2003 · this one

Also by

Ronald F. Maxwell

• 
  Sea Marks

  1976 · ★ 9.0
• 
  Gettysburg

  1993 · ★ 7.0
• 
  Kidco

  1984 · ★ 6.6
• 
  Little Darlings

  1980 · ★ 6.5
• 
  The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

  1981 · ★ 5.8
• 
  The Parent Trap II

  1986 · ★ 5.5

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Gods and Generals - The Movie Trailer

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Mark Rushow2017-06-22
  ★ 4/10

  It is too afraid of reality to depict truths. Rather it hides behind a facade of being artistically 'old filmy' in styling; as too paint the whole in the romanticised vision (whitewash) held by those that love the idea of the Civil War. It was rather unbearable to say the least.

  Read full review ↓
• Wuchak2019-07-08
  ★ 8/10

  Way better than "Gettysburg" Even though I love the Civil War I waited a full six and a half years before catching the prequel "Gods and Generals" (2003). Why? Because 1993's "Gettysburg" was so unimpressive. While "Gettysburg" has some worthwhile scenes it was merely okay on a whole, and sometimes downright tedious. How the filmmakers made the Civil War's biggest battle boring (generally speaking) is beyond me. Gods and Generals" is the prequel detailing the battles of First Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, which are largely viewed through the lens of Stonewall Jackson (Stephan Lang) on the Confederate side and the Chamberlain brothers (Jeff Daniels and C. Thomas Howell) of Maine on the Union side. Also on hand is, of course, Robert E. Lee, played by Robert Duvall, who does a more engaging portrayal than Martin Sheen in "Gettysburg." The film starts off slow and builds momentum. By contrast, "Gettysburg" started off slower and never became engaging with the exception of Little Round Top and Pickett's Charge. Where "Gods and Generals" really pulled me in was the battle scenes of Fredericksburg and the aftermath. It showed how Civil War troops were required to march, shoot & reload in formation while rifles and friggin’ cannons are blasting their way. The Chamberlain brothers had to sleep on the battlefield that night. Imagine sleeping amongst all those dead bodies and dying, moaning soldiers! This was very well done. There are quite a few other great scenes, like the Yankee and Reb soldiers meeting in the middle of the river to exchange coffee for tobacco; the execution of three deserters; and the "perfect battle" for the Confederates at Chancellorsville where General Lee, with a much smaller force, takes the risk of dividing his army and executing a surprise attack. Unfortunately for the Confederates they won at a huge cost as General Jackson loses his "right arm" to friendly fire. The story ends on a slow, melancholy note. I was impressed with the battle in the town scene. The town looked so authentic. Watching the documentary afterward I learned how they accomplished this: they filmed it at Harpers Ferry, WV. Some have complained that the Southern viewpoint is shown in a more positive light than the Northern, but I disagree. While it seems more time is spent with Jackson & Lee's story, considerable time is certainly given to the North as well; the film does an excellent job of taking the middle road between the two positions. The film was shot on location in Virginia, Maryland and Harpers Ferry, WV and runs 3 hours and 39 minutes. The Director's Cut (which I haven't seen) runs a full hour longer and features the bloody battle of Antietam and a subplot with John Wilkes Booth. FINAL WORD: If you thought "Gettysburg" was boring don't let that prevent you from checking out "Gods and Generals." Yes, you have to be ready for a long movie and it does have some slow, dramatic parts but it builds momentum and it's one of best Civil War films in helping the viewer visualize the battles and many other aspects. WARNING: Believe it or not, the film shows overt depictions of Bible reading, citation and prayer!! It also dares to show Christianity and marriage (between a man and woman) in a positive light!! Oh my God!!! GRADE: B+/A-

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Turner Pictures

  US

• AN

  Antietam Filmworks

• ES

  Esparza / Katz Productions

  US

• NE

  Neufeld/Rehme Productions

  US

• MA

  Mace Neufeld Productions

  US

Key crew

• Executive ProducerMace Neufeld
• Production DesignMichael Z. Hanan
• NovelJeff Shaara
• Executive ProducerRobert Rehme
• Executive ProducerMoctesuma Esparza
• EditorCorky Ehlers
• Executive ProducerRobert Katz
• ProducerRonald F. Maxwell
• Costume DesignRichard La Motte
• CastingJoy Todd
• Costume DesignMaurice Whitlock
• Set DesignerGeoff Hubbard
• Costume SupervisorCatharine Fletcher Incaprera
• Music EditorLisa Jaime
• Still PhotographerVan Redin
• FoleyCatherine Harper
• Scenic ArtistSilvija L. Moess
• Sound Re-Recording MixerMelissa Sherwood Hofmann
• Assistant Art DirectorDaniel R. Jennings
• Visual Effects SupervisorJustin Paul Ritter
• Camera OperatorTom Weston
• Visual Effects ProducerThomas G. Smith
• Art DirectionGregory Bolton
• Set DesignerStan Tropp

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• general
• based on true story
• rise and fall
• battle
• death
• union soldier
• confederate soldier
• american civil war
• secession
• 19th century
• violence
• based on real person

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2003-02-10PG-13
• Theatrical2003-02-21PG-13

Also known as

International titles

• Istenek és hadvezérekHU
• Deuses E GeneraisBR
• GeneralowiePL
• Istenek és katonákHU
• Dioses y GeneralesES
• Tanrılar və GenerallarAZ