I'm looking forward to seeing Gods and Generals for reasons of my own. First, the movie portrays Christianity and prayer in an entirely positive and sober light, without today's usual elitist condescension. Second, there is no greater character actor in America than Robert Duvall, who portrays Robert E. Lee. And third, Dr. James Robertson, Virginia Tech history professor and leading Stonewall Jackson scholar, calls Gods and Generals "the greatest Civil War movie I have ever seen, and I have seen them all."
It sounds to me like Ted Turner might have done something right for a change -- and with $91 million dollars of his own money. Good for him...
Although it's long, it sounds like a movie well worth seeing. I hadn't really been excited about seeing it (my husband wants to go), but after reading this thread -- especially knowing that Ebert gave it such a low rating !! -- I will see it gladly.
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.
So you're saying that the Cult of Davis and the Cult of Jackson will give it two thumbs way up?