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Gettysburg (Widescreen Edition)
Actors: Richard Anderson, Royce D. Applegate, Tom Berenger, Bo Brinkman, and Dwier Brown
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Retail Price (not our price): $14.98
Release Date: 2004-02-03
Theatrical Release Date: 1993
Studio: Turner Home Ent
Run Time: 254 minutes
Format: Array
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Discs: 1


Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com essential video
Three days in the summer of 1863, at a place called Gettysburg. Although it received a theatrical release, this four-hour depiction of the bloody Civil War battle was shot as a made-for-television film. But no taint of cheapness or shortcuts should stick to this magnificent picture (well, except maybe for those phony-looking mustaches). Based on Michael Shaara's book The Killer Angels, this film takes a refreshingly slow, thorough approach to the intricacies of battle. In ordinary circumstances, those intricacies might seem of importance only to fans of military strategy or Civil War enthusiasts, yet in Gettysburg they come across as the very stuff of life, death, and unexpected heroism. If the film has a problem, it's that it climaxes too early: the first long segment, detailing the struggle of a "civilian soldier," Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels), to hold his ground against long odds, is an enthralling piece of moviemaking. Daniels, in a heartbreaking performance, does his best film work. Other cast members include Tom Berenger, Sam Elliott, and Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee. Richard Jordan, in his final role, gives a powerhouse performance as Confederate general Lewis A. Armistead. Oh, and you can also try to spot Ted Turner, whose company produced the film, as a Confederate soldier. Writer-director Ronald F. Maxwell seems inspired by the gravity of the battle; long as it is, every moment of Gettysburg is informed by a nobility of purpose. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) Please release extended Collector's version on DVD!!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
A five star movie that is a tad diminished in the currently released editions due to lack of a complete and full release in DVD.The 271-minute version is longer than this theatrical version of 254 minutes, which tends to be the one mostly encountered in DVD. Moreoever, the more extensive Collector's edition, originally sold at a premium price as part of a kit of memorabilia, included the truly longest, most complete version of this great film on VHS (nearly 30 extra minutes), but has never been released on DVD. This version included extended and deleted scenes that were important to story and character development, especially Lee's decision to attack the Union Army despite disadvantageous situation, as well as Buford's defense leading up to Reynold's arrival. The latter scene is instrumental in seeing the role of Reynolds and knowing more about him and the respect he commanded from his troops(not to mention some fine acting). These scenes should never have been cut. Many fans are anxiously awaiting a full release in DVD format that this truly great film warrants.

2) Gettysburg   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I bought this movie for my husband, because he loves civil war history. He loves this movie! I am not a history buff but my husband explained to me that the actual Gettysburg battle only lasted several hours but was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. (He knnows the statistics, but I don't remember how many men were killed.) So it's like the movie happens in real time. He just loves the movie. He watches the DVD over and over. It's a long movie, but he loves it!

3) A fine Civil War film!   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
I won't spend a huge amount of time describing the story beyond saying that this film tells the horrific saga of the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg where thousands of Americans on both sides were slaughtered. This was the final turning point of the war, the Confederates getting decimated by the Federals at this tragic 1863 battle.Here are some things I really liked about the film:1. The widescreen cinematography and settings are all nothing short of superb.2. The film-maker pretty much stuck to the truth of how events transpired.3. I expected to be bored with a huge chunk of historical wallpaper building up to the actual battle -- this did NOT happen and the action commences almost right away.4. The considerable length of this epic film allowed for good story development, but at the same time, did result in making the film drag at any point.Unfortunately, I have to comment that Martin Sheen manifested the weak link in this otherwise fine movie. He grossly over-acted his central role and, in the end, one comes away thinking that Robert E. Lee was a half-crazy and demented old man, well-past his prime as a Commanding General. You likewise end up embracing a false sense that Lee was the SOLE cause that the Rebels endured a drubbing at Gettysburg while, in truth, there were multiple additional factors affecting the final outcome. Part of this is the fault of the screenwriters but part is also linked to Sheen's tainted portrayal of Lee. Since Sheen played such a major role in the film, for me at least, his poor acting dragged this excellent film down from five stars to four. In every other instance, as far as the actors are concerned, I felt that everyone played his role to near-perfection. Also, the little summary at the end of the film which relates what happened to the principal real combatants was a great way of ending the movie.To summarize, if you are at all a fan of either war films, or of Civil War trivia, you'll certainly not be disappointed in the overall excellent quality of "Gettysburg".

4) Well done   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Some beards are jarring, some persnickity details are off (Buford's men were better armed), and time doesn't permit representing every engagement, but this movie gets better with each additional watching and is well-crafted such that plausible drama is created. Enjoyable reenactments, relatively good acting and even better writing. Best civil war movie out there. Louis J Sheehan

5) The Killer Angels   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Gettysburg is actually the second part in an intended trilogy that will now probably never be completed in the wake of the dismal box-office for the bloated Gods and Generals. Thankfully it gains more by having a smaller canvas, focussing on one single battle and largely on three actions - Buford's inspired initial defense on the first day, Little Round Top and Pickett's Charge - and by seeing the action from the viewpoint of both sides throughout. The characters are better drawn, the dialogue feels more natural and you get much more of a sense of what a human tragedy the war was. As a British observer on the Confederate side points out, it all boils down to "same people, different dreams." The problem with most epics devoted to single battles or campaigns (Waterloo, Zulu Dawn, The Battle of Neretva etc) is that without a single dominating personality they often get so bogged down with history or strategy that the human element gets lost, with a succession of stars acting almost like anonymous interchangeable sports commentators only there to explain what's going on for the layman. Gettysburg has its share of characters primarily there for exposition, but by narrowing its focus to a few of them and drawing on their own letters and memoirs it's able to give them a little more depth and personality. Martin Sheen's Lee's increasingly wrong-headed strategy as he consigns more and more men to pointless deaths with a homespun rationale that leads to horrifying casualties contrasts well with Tom Berenger's more cautious Longstreet gradually realising that the tide has turned against them while Jeff Daniels' awkward but sincere Lawrence Chamberlain gives a humane and decent voice to the Union's case. Richard Jordan is genuinely affecting in his last role - his final scene is even more moving with the knowledge that he really was dying at the time - and even George Lazenby even turns up briefly. As a result, there's more involvement in what's happening and more understanding of what's at stake on a personal level to both sides during the battle. Although shot as a TV miniseries before being released theatrically, it actually looks like a feature film, and one that manages to hold the interest over its four hour running time. It's such an impressive piece of work that you can't help but wonder why so many of the same people got it so wrong so often on Gods and Generals. Excellent extras on the double-sided DVD, but sadly none of the deleted scenes from the 270-minute laserdisc director's cut.