Starting tomorrow (May 30th--Memorial Day) and continuing all week, the
History Channel will be commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with related programming. The first special (
Gettysburg) promises to be a "don't-miss-it" event. Airing at 9pm eastern on History, this two hour special will depict the battle of Gettysburg like it has never been seen before, utilizing the gut wrenching visuals of CGI.
I must admit that I am not a Civil War fanatic, although I certainly understand how it can be a magnificent and horrifying backdrop for many cinema masterpieces from old (
Gone with the 
Wind) to new (
Glory). What really caught my attention when I first saw the promos for this event was that it was executive produced by British film directors extraordinaire Ridley and Tony Scott. Ridley is best known for two of the best sci-fi movies ever made (
Bladerunner and Alien) while his younger brother Tony is the action film auteur, with
Top Gun, The Crimson Tide and
Unstoppable in his repertoire. The Scott endorsement sealed the deal for me...my DVR is already set to record "Gettysburg" tomorrow. Take a look at the promo below to see if you'll be there too. That haunting music in the background (by the way) is a cover of the old Kate Bush song, "
Running up that Hill".