And Then I Said…

8

I am interviewed about the movie Copperhead by the excellent Gerald Russello in The University Bookman.

 

8 COMMENTS

  1. “Copperhead” sounds like a movie worth seeing — and I say that as someone who sees the hand of God moving through the history of the Civil War, much as Abraham Lincoln suggests in his Second Inaugural Address. That’s not a linear interpretation: it leads to the conclusion that nobody did more to make the 13th, 14th and 15th amendment possible than Robert E. Lee. But I do thank God that we have those amendments, for many reasons besides slavery.

    You describe your co-maker of the movie as “our foremost cinematic interpreter of the Civil War.” I have a DVD of “Gods and Generals,” and I found it disappointing, compared to the balanced presentation of the book. The movie focuses disproportionately on Stonewall Jackson, giving short shrift to Winfield Scott Hancock, and presents a rather flat Robert E. Lee. You would never guess how conflicted he was from the way, in the movie, he turns down Scott’s offer of command.

    Its been a while since I watched “Gettysburg.” As far as I recall, the movie conflates Seminary Ridge and Cemetery Ridge, perhaps because there simply wasn’t sufficient time to do a movie that covered the full course of the actual battle. In an age when movie watchers think they can learn how history really happened from the action on the screen, distortions like this can have big consequences. To really understand the Civil War, there is still no substitute for Bruce Catton.

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  3. Congrats Bill! If Sacheen Littlefeather isn’t available to decline the Oscar for you, I’d be happy to fly out to L.A. for you and tell them “Thanks, but no thanks.”

  4. Thanks, Tom. Book that ticket now. And congrats on your new Rowell book; I look forward to reading it.

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