The Battle of Gettysburg

Shot on location at the battlesite, this short, which was nominated for two Academy Awards, uses visuals from what is now a national landmark and monument to tell the story of a critical moment in American history. Visually arresting and impressive, the cinematography is incredible for a short. The narration doesn't always flow, but it doesn't have to. This shows periodically on Turner Classic Movies and almost certainly will be run in March for the "31 Days of Oscar" festival they run each year. Most recommended.

Imagine the dry, didactic verbiage of your fourth grade history textbook come to life, set to still images of the illustrations within the book that occasionally cut to shots of famous memorial statues and on-location pans of Gettysburg, and you have The Battle of Gettysburg. If you recall those days in high school history class, where the teacher would lecture you about history you've already memorized and regurgitated enough times to be able to author a textbook about the events and your experiences learning said material, The Battle of Gettysburg might trigger post-traumatic stress disorder that even the glorious colors and wide-angle camera lens of early CinemaScope, nor Leslie Nielsen's soothing narration, couldn't cure. The approach director Herman Hoffman and writer Dore Schary take is one of incredibly redundant, historical prose, that lacks any kind of emotional attachment to the battle and the noteworthy figures that were involved, let alone sacrificed, in Gettysburg. Shockingly dry and almost unbearably long at thirty minutes, it's stunning to see such acclaim for a short that would've probably drove kids batty and restless if shown in schools.

Narrated by: Leslie Nielsen. Directed by: Herman Hoffman.

An MGM Short Subject.

THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG in 1863 was a turning point in America's history.

This short film, narrated by Leslie Nielsen, relates the story of the great pivotal battle during the War Between The States. Dispassionate & evenhanded, it deals with its subject in a noncontroversial manner. Touching upon each of the major aspects of the days of engagement, the film ends with Abraham Lincoln's beautiful Gettysburg Address.

***************************

Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.

"...the crucial and deciding conflict of the War Between the States," when 75,000 Confederates were "pitted against" 93,000 Federal troops in a battle which Gen. Robert E. Lee hoped would force a settlement for independence for the South from the North is the subject of this perfunctory job. Filmed entirely at Gettysburg National Military Park, the landscapes, statues and cannons are the visual content, but there are no maps, diagrams or photographs of note, despite two Oscar nominations. It's not to be confused with the far more informative and entertaining "Gettysburg" (1993).

I noticed something very strange about this film when I looked on IMDb--it was nominated in two different categories for an Oscar (Best Short, Two Reels and Best Documentary Short). It is very odd that it was nominated twice--that's for sure.

Leslie Nielsen narrates this odd retelling of history. I say odd because no live actors are used in the film...none! It was filmed at Gettysburg and the sound effects of war and the narration were all supplemented with pictures of the battlefield as well as statues and art (such as from the Gettysburg Cyclorama) from this national battlefield memorial and the nearby country. While this may sound pretty dumb, it worked pretty well--mostly because the sound effects and storytelling were very compelling. A highly unusual film that will likely appeal mostly to Civil War buffs and history teachers. See it for yourself and let me know what you think.