The Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg, The (1955)

*** (out of 4)

Oscar-nominated short was filmed at the Gettysburg National Military Park with Leslie Nielsen narrating the story of the famous battle. This is a rather interesting short because it runs a full 30-minutes, which wasn't too normal for the day. Another interesting aspect is that MGM decided to film this in a 2.35:1 ratio, which makes for some beautiful scenes. The final interesting thing is that they decided to make the movie without the use of a single actor. Instead we just get various shots of the actual battlefield mixed in with paintings of the battle and other photos. This was a strange way to present the documentary but for the most part it works just fine even though it does start to feel a bit long towards the end. What I enjoyed the best were the helicopter shots, which give us a grand view of the entire field where the battle was fought.

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.

This is a no-frills, no-thrills and no-action short documentary about The Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. The July 1-3, 1863 battle was considered a key battle in the war. It was the largest and bloodiest by far. More than 165,000 Union and Confederate troops were engaged. And it had more than 50,000 casualties.

MGM sent a crew to, Pennsylvania, to film the Gettysburg National Military Park. Dore Schary wrote the script for this dry documentary. It uses voice over and background war sounds. Leslie Nielsen tells the story of the battle as the camera moves from one place to another.

This is a bare-bones documentary that won't appeal to many people. But what I especially like and credit the film industry for, is its shooting of real places of history for posterity. This 30-minute short picture did get two Oscar nominations.

Those who like history, scenic places and travel should enjoy this brief glimpse of Gettysburg. Of course nothing beats going there when one can.

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.

This bizarre little educational short attempts to tell the story of the battle of Gettysburg without a single live actor appearing on screen. Leslie Nielsen narrates as we are treated to footage of empty fields, cannons, and statues of Civil War Heroes. Some sequences are quite informative, though a long way from being entertaining. This is probably a film better suited to Civil War enthusiasts than the average viewer.