Civil War stories related on the big screen

Mention movies about the American Civil War and the first thing that comes to most minds is the classic 1939 film "Gone With the Wind;" but many others -- from fictional tales to documentaries -- were set in that turbulent time in history.

The American Civil War has been the subject of a prodigious number of films of several types. Some of them reach back in film history to the silent era. One of the first silent films made about the war was the epic film by the ground breaking D.W. Griffith. If the Civil War changed America and the world, Griffith's 1915 release of "Birth of a Nation" changed the film industry with its cinematic innovations, refinements, camera angles and special effects. Some film scholars consider it the most important film in movie history because of the changes it made in the way movies were filmed.

There were some other silent films about the war, but many of them were shorts instead of full length. The Civil War has continued to be a popular subject for film studios, authors and even television. The list of films about the great American struggle is too long to get into here, but a list of some of the time tested favorites and new or influential work on the subject is interesting.

Some of the newer films about the war are very good and not quite as idealized or stylized as "Gone with the Wind" or "Birth of a Nation." Current filmmakers seem to strive for historical accuracy as well as a compelling story line. One movie that many critics say has achieved both of those goals is the 1989 film about the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, "Glory." Much of the material for this film was taken directly from the letters of that unit's commanding officer, Robert Gould Shaw.

Many other favorite movies are taken from novels. Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage" not only changed the way this nation viewed war, it reshaped American literature into what was known as American realism. Crane's little book was also made into a movie starring the most decorated United States soldier from World War II. Audie Murphy played the part of young Henry in the film.

Movies about Bushwhackers

Forrest Carter's "Gone to Texas" was adapted for the screen and hit the theaters in 1976 as "The Outlaw Josie Wales." Set in Missouri, the film tells the story of Wales, Clint Eastwood, who joined up with Bushwhackers led by Bloody Bill Anderson after Kansas Jayhawkers killed his wife and son. Even after the war ended, Wales refused to surrender and went to Texas with the "Redlegs" on his tail all the way.

Another film set and actually filmed in Missouri is "Ride with the Devil" starring Toby Maguire and Skeet Ulrich as Bushwhackers doing their best to defeat the Jayhawkers during good weather and to stay hidden during the winter months. This is another story about Jayhawkers and Bushwhackers, but as with many Civil War tales there is a love interest thrown into the mix.

"Bad Blood," a documentary film, made its television debut on KCPT, March 4, 2007. Documentary filmmakers Pam Reichart and Angie Simmons of Kansas City had delved deeply into the subject, combining letters, articles, photographs and more, the filmmakers produced what they hope is a balanced and comprehensive view of the lives of Missourians and Kansans, 1853-1861. Photos and narration are combined in the film with re-enactments and stories told by actors portraying characters from that time period. One of these is "Vernon County Man," based on a character she found during her research at the Bushwhacker Museum and Vernon County Historical Society in Nevada. "Vernon County Man" is known in the movie only as "Missourian No. 3" but proved recognizable to many local folks.

Other blockbusters

Many claim that the film "Gettysburg" is the best Civil War film ever made. It, of course, focuses on the officers and men who fought that famous battle. Others say that it is "Gods and Generals" that should be considered the best work on the subject. That movie centers on the private and professional life of the Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who was accidentally killed by his own men.

John Wayne starred in "Dark Command" and "The Horse Soldiers." Jimmy Stewart was a Virginia planter in "Shenandoah," and Jeff Chandler and Fess Parker had equal billing in "The Jayhawkers." The list of stars and films is very long and the way they have been made has gone from simple, silent shorts like the 17-minute "The Informer" made in 1912 to full scale expensive Hollywood productions like "Cold Mountain" which was released in 2003.

Television has also gotten into the Civl War act. A television documentary, "The Civil War," by Ken Burns aired on the Public Broadcasting System in September 1990. This was an ambitious undertaking that took five years to produce. It makes use of period photos, official documents, books, letters and many, many actors doing voice work on the letters to family and soldiers that are read during the film.

"North and South," an epic Civil War tale, is based on the book of the same title by John Jakes. It is a long tale of two friends, Orry Main, played by Patrick Swayze and George Hazard, played by James Read. The two young men strike a friendship and love interests develop between family members and then war tears all of it apart. Main is a southern planter and Hazard a northern industrialist. They end up meting on the battlefield and realize the implications of their past and present lives.

Even the old show "The Twilight Zone" produced a Civil War story or two, like the one taken from a short story by Civil War veteran and author Ambrose Bierce. "An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge" is a classic in American short fiction and was made into an episode of "The Twilight Zone" in the early 1960s. The story's protagonist Peyton Farquhar is a secessionist but a civilian who is being hanged as a spy from the Owl Creek Bridge by Union forces.

In the macabre tale, as Farquhar is dropped from the bridge the rope breaks and he escapes to make his way 30 miles home. When he arrives there his wife comes out to meet him, but before she can reach him a "stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light" signals to him that it was a dream and he is not at home; but hanging dead from the bridge with a snapped neck.