The Confederate

At times the acting was okay. Most was VERY wooden. Watched to the end because plot was interesting.

Christopher Forbes would, in a more civilized world of more reason and knowledge, be called a renaissance man: He does it all, including writing, acting, even scoring.

As a director, he gets some great shots, with impressive framing and angles, but, alas, too many of his actors really aren't.

His leading lady here, Heather Clark, is an exception. She has some talent, probably some training, and looks believable on camera.

Some carp that she is not a believable boy, but in those circumstances she could have been accepted as a young boy. Other than her very pretty face, her female attributes are hidden by her clothes.

Writer Forbes, about whom I can find no information, seems to know his history. But I have one carp about the reference to that horrible prisoner of war camp, Andersonville.

There is a somewhat vague reference to an attempted raid that would have freed the Yankee prisoners from that obscenely over-crowded prison. "General Sherman" tells his subordinate general he expects that some of the freed prisoners would be able to re-enter the fighting units.

The commander of that camp was hanged by the vengeful Yankees after the war but, in fact, the Confederate government had tried and tried to effect a prisoner exchange, and the federals kept saying no. They wanted their own people to suffer, to be kept penned up, hungry and without medical care. If they had agreed to the exchange, it would have saved a lot of lives of their own soldiers but it would have eased some of the strain on the Confederacy -- caused by both Sherman's and Sheridan's hordes rampaging through Southern farms and destroying homes and crops.

Naturally those facts are not widely taught in government schools, so it would be nice to see them spelled out in movies about that conflict. (Federal treatment of Confederate prisoners was often nearly as bad, with very shortened rations and missing or poor medial care. Also, prisoners were outright murdered, especially after the assassination of Lincoln. Also not widely taught in government schools.)

Still, I give writer Forbes a lot of credit and I hope to be able to see the other films he has created.

And I hope he gets the recognition he deserves so he can also get the budgets he deserves.

During the summer of 1864, Sherman's troops are closing in on the heart of Dixie. In the woods many miles north of Atlanta, a nubile female is forced to leave her homestead and hooks up with a Confederate cavalry in the area.

Based by the book "Perfect Disguise" by Lydia Hawke, "The Confederate" (2018) is a Civil War movie, but of the low-budget Indie variety similar to "War Flowers" (2012), "The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams" (2005) and "Dog Jack" (2010). As such, the production values are rudimentary with wooden acting and the service of Civil War reenactors. This is the least of the four with "War Flowers" and "The Last Confederate" being the best.

The biggest problem is that it's impossible to buy the protagonist (Heather Clark) as a male. The big-budget Western "The Ballad of Little Jo" (1993) had the same problem. "Just One of the Guys" (1985) was able to succeed with this challenge because Joyce Hyser looked stunning as a female, but also convincingly passed for a dude when made-up appropriately. So, to appreciate this flick, you have to imagine the protagonist looking more male than depicted.

It's vital that a movie like this have human interest (otherwise it's a lost cause) and it scores pretty well in this area if you can roll with the very basic production values. I was able to acclimate to its limitations and enter into the world of the characters and enjoy it.

The folk songs by Jennifer Gatch are a highlight, particularly the outstanding "I Am a Rebel Soldier (and Far From My Home)."

If you like quality low-budget Civil War flicks, like "Pharaoh's Army" (1995) and "The Colt" (2005), and don't mind micro-budget Indies with the corresponding flaws, give it a try.

The film runs 1 hour, 45 minutes, and was shot in the Augusta, Georgia, region, which includes nearby South Carolina.

GRADE: C-

It is a movie starring re-enactors...............perhaps as some of the other reviews say not great acting.............but made by people who go out there and keep the history alive.

That being said, a cohesive story - plot easy enough to follow that gives you the end you want..........and, if you re-enact or have seen re-enactments, then realize these people probably didn't go to a prop department - they supplied their own gear. Personally, I found it enjoyable.

Confused. I see Parker Stevenson's name at the top of the photo but no where in the cast.