Gone with the Glory

The Civil War in Cinema

By (author) Brian Steel Wills

Not available to order

Publication date:

16 October 2011

Length of book:

252 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781461739579

From Birth of a Nation to Cold Mountain, hundreds of directors, actors, and screenwriters have used the Civil War to create compelling cinema. However, each generation of moviemakers has resolved the tug of war between entertainment value and historical accuracy differently. Historian Brian Steel Wills takes readers on a journey through the portrayal of the war in film, exploring what Hollywood got right and wrong, how the films influenced each other, and, ultimately, how the movies reflect America's changing understandings of the conflict and of the nation.

Introduction: Hollywood's Civil War
Chapter 1: The Birth of Civil War Cinema
Chapter 2: Victory on the Rails
Chapter 3: The Romantic Era of Civil War Cinema
Chapter 4: The House Divided
Chapter 5: The Personal War
Chapter 6: War without Boundaries
Chapter 7: The West's Civil War
Chapter 8: Shiloh's Bloody Harvest
Chapter 9: Confederates Raid Vermont
Chapter 10: The Music Teacher Raids Mississippi
Chapter 11: A Stomach for War
Chapter 12: Enough Glory for All
Chapter 13: The Angels of Gettysburg
Chapter 14: The Plight of the Prisoners of War
Chapter 15: The War and the Waves
Conclusion: Screening the "Real War"
Appendix A: Filmography
Appendix B: Actors Who Wore the Blue
Appendix C: Actors Who Wore the Gray
Appendix D: The Best and Worse of Civil War Cinema
Bibliography

This book is a must-read for those with a penchant for Civil War movies and will be invaluable to instructors wishing to screen films in class. But beware, after reading this book you will likely find yourself in search of some of these titles—and you will no doubt watch with Wills's commentary running through your head.