Gettysburg-Film Study
The Battle of Gettysburg fought on the 1st to the 3rd of July between George G. Meade’s Union forces and Robert E. Lee’s Confederates. Meade commanded 93921 men known as the Army of the Potomac. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was 71699 strong. Gettysburg was seen as a major turning point for the union in the war prior to this they had lost most major battles and were being pushed back north.
Following the success at the Battle of Chancellorsville Lee had moved his invasion force up through the Shenandoah Valley to begin his second invasion of the North. Lees aim was to shift the focus of his summer campaign away from North Virginia hopping by pushing the Union back the North would surrender.
Battle Day 1
Guessing that the Rebels would move on Gettysburg Buford laid out his defences along 3 ridges Herr Ridge,
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The film steers clear of war film clichés like making the battle the backdrop and having the dramas of the characters as the main point of the film. Gettysburg is a war movie at heart with the battle at the front and centre and character building as a side note.
Gettysburg focus on Day 2 and 3 of the battle of Gettysburg and follows the 20th Maine and there defence of little Round Top one of the biggest parts of the Battle of Gettysburg. The film shows the defence of Little Round Top well and the director definitely did some study on what actually happened. Throughout the battle and the film we see accurate portals’ of men who commanded the Union and Confederate forces such as Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain commander of the 20th Maine played by Jeff Daniels and Longstreet played by Tom Berenger. The director gas done a good job of showing how the battles took a toll on the men who fought in them through the sense of sheer physical exhaustion and fear we see the characters have to overcome to keep