Battle Hymn: A complex look at Civil War believers. (Gods and Generals)

It would be nice to see an accurate portrayal of the Southern cause for a change.
Both sides had their good & bad.

If the socialist/liberal media hates it than it's a pretty good bet that the movie is good.

I never pay much attention to nay-saying reviewers of this kind of movie. Gettysburg was an excellent movie, and the prominent reviewers I read said it was deficient in "human interest." I can't see this one this weekend, but plan to convince the bride to see it with me next weekend.

Gods and Generals is filled with challenging theological questions, but the movie appears to have struck historically and theologically illiterate reviewers as showing little more than a bunch of Bible-thumping rednecks sitting around talking about Jesus while fighting to keep the slaves back on the plantation.

That kind of says it all. I am so sick of all this pc crap. Some of you might disagree with me, but I think there is pretty good chance slavery in the South would have died a natural death. I think the way reconstruction was handled caused racism to flourish. Also even though segregation was wrong I think the white leadership in the civil rights movement from the North in the fifties, and sixties were rife with communist agitators who thought the civil rights movement in the South was a way to divide the country under the guise of a noble cause.

Southerners have always had much in common with the Southern blacks, and I think in time things would have worked out.

‘Gods and Generals'
Succeeds ‘Chariots of Fire’ as the
Christ-Honoring Film for This Generation

Review by Doug Phillips

Jackson: "My esposita! Come, before I leave, we must sit, read together
... a verse."
Jackson finds his Bible on a shelf.

Jackson: "Yes, yes, here. Corinthians. Second Corinthians, chapter 5.
I have been thinking about this verse."
Anna puts her hand on his, and they read it together.

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved,
we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens."
They kneel together, his arm is around her.

From the script of Gods and Generals

In every generation, one film emerges from the dust heap which is
Hollywood and reminds even the most hardened of us skeptics that God can
turn ashes into beauty, that He often works outside our tidy little
mental boxes, and that there yet remains a witness for Jesus Christ in
our culture -- though that witness may take the form of a hero speaking
from the grave.

When I was a young man en route to college, that film was Chariots
of Fire, the epic tale of Christian Olympian Eric Liddell. For our
children's generation, that film is Gods and Generals, the stunning
prequel to the Civil War masterpiece Gettysburg.

THE HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR'S CUT

In February of 2002, I flew to Hollywood with my father to see a
private five-and-a-half-hour director's cut with Ron Maxwell,
the genius behind the movie.

None of us were prepared for what we saw that day -- what can only
be described as the most compelling and distinctively Christian tribute
to principled biblical leadership that this generation has seen on celluloid.

It took me more than a week to recover from what I experienced.

For one brief moment in our lives, those of us in that forty-person
theater were transported out of the twenty-first century and into the
more distant time of the Civil War, the events of which would help define
the people which we are today. And for a few hours, we were allowed to
live and breathe with the man whose very sobriquet has become synonymous
with manhood. We rode with Stonewall.

The heart and the soul of Gods and Generals is Stephen Lang's
never-to-be-surpassed portrayal of Thomas Jonathan Jackson, the most
misunderstood, but most overtly evangelical and Christian general in our
nation's history. (See Life and Campaigns of Stonewall Jackson by Robert
Louis Dabney.)

Here we see Jackson seeking to win dying souls, not to some god, but
to Jesus Christ. Here we watch him praying that God would allow a
cessation from battle to honor the Holy Sabbath. Here we weep with him as
he rejoices that God would bless the fruit of the womb. Here we see the
man, who was known to most as a warrior, demonstrate a love and loyalty
to his wife so precious and sanctified that an aura of holiness engulfs
the couple as they pray before their God. Here we watch in awe, as we
have never watched a man before, embrace a holy ferocity in battle
motivated by the singular belief that the warrior of Christ need never
fear bullets, for he will not die one day sooner nor later than the
sovereign God decrees. And here, with heartbreaking anguish, we watch the
dying warrior commend his soul to his God, while the loved ones around
him bathe him with hymns of eternal love to the Savior.

After seeing the film, James Robertson, our nation's premier Civil
War historian, declared that "Gods and Generals is the greatest Civil War
film I have ever seen, and I have seen every one of them."

Historian Bill Kauffman commented:

Mr. Lincoln said he liked his speeches short and sweet, so here it is: The
new Warner Brothers picture Gods and Generals is not only the finest movie
ever made about the Civil War, it is also the best American historical
film. Period. Writer-director Ron Maxwell's prequel ... is so free of
cant, of false notes, of the politically conformist genuflections that we
expect in our historical movies, that one watches it as if in a trance,
wondering if he hasn't stumbled into a movie theater in an alternative
America wherein talented independents like Maxwell get $80 million from
Ted Turner to make complex and beautiful films about what Gore Vidal has
called "the great single tragic event that continues to give resonance to
our Republic."

MAXWELL: HUMBLE, VISIONARY, FEARLESS

By this film, Maxwell has emerged as the most humble, the most
visionary, and the most fearless director of the day. His humility is
evidenced by what the film does not say, as much as by what it does say.
Maxwell understands that the poignant complexities surrounding the Civil
War and the profound nobility of purpose imagined by the players on both
sides of the conflict demand a film that neither preaches nor skirts the
true issues. He not only refuses to reduce history to trite sound bites,
but he weaves a film that requires the viewer to understand the heart and
soul of the key players on both sides before making judgments.

Maxwell's vision is especially impressive. He has understood what no
other producer of note has understood -- namely, that a profanity- and
sensuality-free epic battle film with an overtly evangelical Christian
protagonist can be utterly compelling to the people of this nation. Not
since Cecil B. DeMille has this even been attempted. Yet many viewers
will find that Maxwell surpasses even DeMille in his open enthusiasm for
teaching history through the lens of Christian heroism.

Maxwell is simply fearless. My first reaction after seeing the movie
in 2002 was, "it will never reach the theaters -- someone will blackball
the project." Maxwell has dared to tell the truth about the much-maligned
Southern cause: Namely, that the leadership was predominantly made up of
men whose entire ethic was defined by their personal relationship with
Jesus Christ; and that black men and women -- many of them brothers and
sisters in Christ with their white counterparts -- willingly and proudly
served with the Confederacy, standing against those whom they perceived
to be the invaders of their homeland.

But note: Maxwell is not taking sides. He is simply presenting
truths that are not easily processed by those who want to reduce the
complexities of history to socially acceptable sound bites about slavery.
Equally compelling is Maxwell's portrayal of the federal soldier,
personified through the character of Joshua Chamberlain (played by Jeff
Daniels). I predict that even the most ardent Southerner will find
himself deeply touched by Chamberlain and the heroic battle of the Irish
Brigade.

I spoke with actors Stephen Lang (Stonewall Jackson), Jeff
Daniels (Joshua Chamberlain) Bruce Boxleitner (General Longstreet) and Bo
Brinkman (aide to Lee) during a visit to the film set just a few weeks
following the 9-11 disaster. (I was visiting with my sixteen-year-old
brother, whose "home school project" was to personally assist director
Maxwell for several months.) Each of these men, in their own way,
indicated that this film was different from any other project on which
they had previously worked, that their participation was a labor of love,
and that their own lives had been influenced by discovering the nobility
of the men they portrayed.

Which brings me back to my own amazement about Gods and Generals: In
one of the more remarkable episodes in the history of modern film, the
Lord moved in the life of a Hollywood writer/director/producer to speak
to the issue of manhood and faith, and then gave him favor in the eyes of
media mogul Ted Turner, who opened up the door by bankrolling the $80
million project.

Impossible, you say? We serve the God of the impossible.

Now here's some tough medicine: If this film had been left to the
Christian community to produce, it probably would never have been made --
not for lack of money, not even for lack of ability -- but for lack of a
courageous vision.

Too many Christians would have been afraid of the inevitable and
bogus charges of racism which abound whenever Confederate leaders are
portrayed favorably. They would have been afraid of Jackson's
uncompromising and manly Christianity. But most of all, they would have
been afraid that the film was, well, just too Christian!

That's right. Christians are afraid of overtly Christian culture.
Most Christian filmmakers and cultural communicators have bought into the
notion that one must either reduce the Gospel message to trite little
maxims, or present it with such subtlety that the Gospel message is
almost undecipherable. Don't get me wrong. There's a place for subtlety,
but there is also a place for the overt proclamation of truth.

Gods and Generals presents orthodox, no-holds-barred
Christianity. Not because the film was designed as a tool of evangelism,
but because the film is faithful and true to the life of a soldier who
was first and foremost an obedient evangelist for Jesus Christ.

This is not a "nice" film, but Christianity is not always "nice."
It's not nice when a general is called to execute his own soldiers for
desertion. It is not nice, but it is biblical, as Jackson explains with
tremendous clarity and precision. It is not nice to pick up the sword and
go to battle, but when one is defending one's homeland, it is mandatory.

My single greatest concern is that many Christians will lack the
spiritual and theological maturity to understand the consistency and
orthodoxy of Jackson's worldview. They will seek to evaluate this man
through the twenty-first century grid of pop-Christianity, or brand him a
self-contradiction, or an enigma.

The truth is that Jackson was one of the most rigorously
consistent and principled leaders in American military history. He
represents the type of man we rarely see any more: focused under
pressure, fearless in the face of death, ferocious in battle, but
singularly tender in home life and wedded bliss. (Important: Please order
a copy of our new book Beloved Bride: The Life and Letters of Stonewall
Jackson to His Wife to better understand the Christian character of this
great man. Click here to see how you can receive a free copy.)

CONCLUSION

Those of us privileged to watch the director's cut with Maxwell last
February knew that we had observed something truly extraordinary,
something which was bigger than the film itself. Here was a movie that
would do more than accurately record history; it would make history.
Maxwell has given the children of this generation the opportunity to gain
rich insights into the fathers of their fathers. Only by engaging their
history truthfully can we even dare to understand our present identity or
our future destiny as the American people.

We sat motionless, completely unable to speak even after the last
credit rolled and the music came to an end.

The first words I heard came from a man sitting near me, a writer of
some note. Fighting back the emotions, the writer whispered: "He's given
me my country back."

And so he has. Ron Maxwell has defied the political correctness
police of both the Right and the Left by giving the American people a
truthful vision
of their past. He has shown a time when men defended women, when faith in
God defined a man's vision of duty, when the greatest leaders were also
the most committed Christians. For the first time in the history of modern
major motion pictures, a director with guts has given us the opportunity
to understand the complexities, the beauty, the horror, the glory, the
tragedy, and the Gospel witness found in one of the greatest fratricides
in the history of any people.

After the review, my father and I drove director Maxwell home. That
night we prayed with him and for him. We prayed that the final product
would be pleasing to God, that God would use the film to bring honor to
Jesus Christ, and that millions would better understand manhood as a
result of watching the film. What a blessing to think that the testimony
of a warrior who died more than one hundred and thirty years ago could
lead people to Christ today.

Gods and Generals is rated PG-13 for battlefield violence

Doug Phillips is the president of Vision Forum and the producer/director
of the documentary film Raising the Allosaur. He is the proud 38-year-old
big brother to Samuel Phillips, a 16-year-old home educator who served as
personal assistant to director Ron Maxwell on the film set of Gods and
Generals, and both a Yankee and a Confederate extra in the film. At the
time of this writing, Doug has yet to see the edited and final 3.5-hour
version of the film.

To learn more about Christianity during the Civil War, we suggest:

Beloved Bride: The Letters of Stonewall Jackson to His Wife

Christ in the Camp: The True Stroy of the Great Revival During the War
Between the States

The Life and Campaigns of Stonewall Jackson, by Robert Louis Dabney

Yankees vs, Rebels An audiocassette discussion of the issues behind the War

VisionForum.com Copyright © 2003 The Vision Forum, Inc. This e-mail has been sent as a
special service of The Vision Forum, Inc. Please feel free to forward this
e-mail to your friends!

I thought that I saw a blooper though. When Lee first looked upon Fredericksburg the view was looking accross the river toward the town.

The Cult of Lincoln will choke on this one

For the record, as a worshipper in the "cult of Lincoln," I thought the film was outstanding. But, then, I'm a stickler for historical accuracy. This film comes very close to what I know of the historical characters it portrays. A weakness of the film is that it doesn't go into the causes for the war from the perspective of the two sides. But as character studies of Lee and Jackson, and to a lesser extent, Chamberlin, this film was outstanding.

bump to read later

The Cult of Lincoln will choke on this one...

So you're saying that the Cult of Davis and the Cult of Jackson will give it two thumbs way up?

far too much treacle

What did you find treac-ly? If it was the scenes with the little girl, that story happens to be true, and faithfully told.

On the whole I was a little disappointed with this movie. Many of the same flaws of Gettysburg were here too: Distracting, overdramatic and repetitive music; slow pacing; battle scenes that were too sanitized.

But thank God Martin Sheen has been ditched as Robert E. Lee! Sheen was an abomination in all respects -- accent, horsemanship, and, above all, attitude.

One brilliant bit of casting was Kali Rocha as Mary Anna Morrison Jackson. She was perfect for the role, and a beautiful woman too.

Worst casting for this movie: Mira Sorvino as Mrs. Chamberlain.

I thought that I saw a blooper though. When Lee first looked upon Fredericksburg the view was looking accross the river toward the town.

I thought I caught one too: As Jackson lay dying, his wife embraced him on his left (amputated arm) side.

(But as I said earlier, Mrs. Jackson was otherwise beautifully portrayed by the lovely Kali Rocha.)

I realize the scenes of Jackson with the little girl were accurate, but like the presentation of his death, they were too LONG. The producers failed to recognize that you can say a lot more with a lot less. They did far better with Gettysburg, even though Duvall made a much better RE Lee than Martin Sheen.

Mrs. Jackson was otherwise beautifully portrayed by the lovely Kali Rocha.

I thought that she stole every scene she was in. If Jackson's wife, in real life, was half as courageous as portrayed I can see why Stonewall was such a great leader of troops.

I realize the scenes of Jackson with the little girl were accurate, but like the presentation of his death, they were too LONG

You're right, they were too long. But that little girl won my heart from her first line -- "General Jackson, do you know what these Christmas ornaments signiFAH?"

I totally agree. Any movie with that much reading would not be popular with a leftist!!!!
"God and Generals" was a wonderfully noble movie!!!

You have mail from ca. :^)~