Gettysburg
Same Land. Same God. Different Dreams.
Gettysburg (1993)
Production
Budget
$25 000 000
Revenue
$10 769 960
Director
Scenario
Michael Shaara
Author
Composer
Producer
Robert Katz
Actors
Jeff Daniels
Col. Joshua Chamberlain
Tom Berenger
Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet
Martin Sheen
Gen. Robert E. Lee
Sam Elliott
Brig. Gen. John Buford
Stephen Lang
Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett
C. Thomas Howell
Lieut. Thomas D. Chamberlain
Richard Anderson
Maj. Gen. George G. Meade
Richard Jordan
Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead
Short description
Gettysburg is a historical war drama about the three-day battle fought in Pennsylvania in July 1863, a turning point in the American Civil War. Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee march north, aiming to push on toward Washington, while the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by General George G. Meade, moves to block them. The film follows the fighting itself and the decisions of the officers on both sides, including Confederate generals James Longstreet and George E. Pickett and Union colonel Joshua Chamberlain. It is based on Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Killer Angels.
Ronald F. Maxwell directed and wrote the screenplay, his third feature after Little Darlings and Kidco, and he later returned to the same conflict with Gods and Generals. Around forty credited cast members appear, among them Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Jeff Daniels, Sam Elliott and Stephen Lang. The film runs well over four hours. Made for about 20 million dollars, it took roughly 11 million at the worldwide box office, a modest return for a production of its scale.
On IMDb it holds 7.6 out of 10 from about 33,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7 out of 10 from a much smaller group of 343 voters. A critics' rating of 7.6 out of 10 from 21 reviews places it alongside the IMDb figure.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on Michael Shaara's novel "The Angels of the Battlefield".
- The film was made to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the battle.
- One of the costumes used during the filming of the movie was later used in the prequel film "Gods and Generals" by the well-known American media mogul Ted Turner.
- Sam Elliott was the only actor who wore the old, faded uniform. After receiving a brand new uniform, he turned to costume designer Luster Bayless for advice on how to best age it, and then meticulously followed the instructions in his motel room.
- During the film’s premiere in Atlanta, Martin Sheen (who played General Robert E. Lee, 1807-1870) was extremely irritated by someone in the audience sitting directly behind him who constantly made comments about the film’s characters. When the lights came up during an intermission, the actor turned to the back row to express his frustration and discovered that sitting behind him was none other than former US President Jimmy Carter.
- During filming, only some of the explosions were truly loud, as the filmmakers feared the explosions might frighten the numerous horses on set, and they might get spooked and throw their riders. A significant portion of the sound for the explosion scenes was added during post-production.
- The project was initially conceived as a miniseries for the “TNT,” or “Turner Network Television” channel. Once, while reviewing the footage shot that day, the founder of “TNT,” Ted Turner, realized that this could become a great project – on the level of “Lawrence of Arabia” (David Lean, 1962) and “Gone with the Wind” (Victor Fleming, George Cukor and Sam Wood, 1939). Turner came up with the idea of first releasing the film in theaters to build popularity before its broadcast on “TNT,” and releasing it on video cassettes. The most serious objection to his idea was that the film was too long, and even with ruthless editing, it would be difficult to make it less than 5 hours long.
- News of the death of actor Richard Jordan reached the filmmakers at the moment they were editing the scene of his character's death (Brigadier General Lewis Armistead, 1817-1863).
- The role of General Lee, played by Martin Sheen, was originally intended for William Hurt, but he left the project due to the financial difficulties of the film studio working on it at the time (the studio went bankrupt altogether). The role was offered to Tommy Lee Jones, but he was busy with other projects. Robert Duvall was the next candidate. He prepared for the role and offered his candidacy to the filmmakers himself, but at the very last moment they preferred to see Martin Sheen in the role.
- At the very beginning of work on the project, Tom Berenger (who played General James Longstreet, 1821-1904) gifted each member of the film’s cast who played a Confederate officer with a saber engraved with the names of that officer and General Longstreet on the blade. Berenger paid for this gift to the actors out of his own pocket.
- Almost all of the extras in the film were participants in historical reenactments. They owned the army uniforms, weaponry, clothing items, tents, and telescopes of the appropriate era, which were used as props. During filming, they also acted as consultants on a wide range of issues and aspects of the corresponding historical period.
- After filming ended, by agreement with the historical reenactors involved in the film, “Turner Pictures” donated $100,000 to the preservation of Civil War battlefields.
- Approximately $40,000 was spent on building a model of the Lutheran Theological Seminary building. The authentic building itself was shown in only one shot, filmed from a carefully chosen angle. This building can be seen in a night scene before the battle, when Sam Elliott's character writes a dispatch to General Reynolds (1816-1876), played by John Rothenberg.
- Director Ron Maxwell instructed James Lancaster (who played a British Army officer) to wear a bright red uniform and carry a cup of tea. In reality, a British Army officer's uniform should have been dark blue, similar to the uniforms of Union Army officers. Furthermore, the character played by Lancaster did not wear a uniform at all while in America, but rather civilian clothes.
- George Lazenby (who played General James Pettigrew, 1828-1863) insisted on growing a real beard, like his historical counterpart. Scenes with Pettigrew were not started until the actor's beard had grown in.
- To prepare for the role of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, actor Jeff Daniels deliberately stayed awake and refused to eat.
- Work on the film took almost 15 years – from the first ideas and script drafts to the final editing and post-production.
- The hat that Tom Berenger wore during filming as General Longstreet was a source of constant contention. Consultants disliked it because it wasn't authentic, while cinematographers argued that it obscured the actor's face. During close-ups, Berenger was sometimes persuaded to do without the hat. The actor's fondness for this particular headwear remained a mystery to everyone.
- The stone wall that the military used as cover was built by the extras (historical reenactors) literally a couple of minutes before the start of filming.
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Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
