Shermans march to the sea in the fall of 1864 has been the focus of countless books and studies for the past 143 years, and even today remains the source of vocal and widespread condemnation in the south and measured respect in the north. As helmed by rick king and adapted from the memoirs of general william tecumseh sherman, the 2007 history channel documentary shermans march recounts the details of the famous. The problem is that the program goes a bridge too far, adding insult to injury, in its gratuitous abjuring of shermans brutal violence towards civilians. Shermans march 2007 out of 4 good, welldetailed documentary taking a look at the controversial move by gen. Tara brennan, howard county school system, maryland. The fearless chronicler and defender of the south, history professor clyde wilson, was not amused. Overview of shermans march, 2007, directed by rick king, with chris clawson, bill oberst jr.
And he was checked whenever he met a real confederate force, even one greatly outnumbered. He also had every film of michael jordans nba basketball games and had. At the beginning of ross mcelwees shermans march, the film maker tells us that he had originally planned a documentary about the aftereffects, which are still to be found in georgia and the. Shermans march is certainly an extremely wellmade movie that goes into great detail in regards to just about everything that was going on during this period. Race riots are common, terrorist groups form, and some confederates refuse to release their slaves. When first run released ross mcelwees sundance award winning shermans march in 1986, it went on to become one of the largest grossing documentaries ever. The film is directed by rick king and the executive. Whereas burns used period photographs and regional music, shermans march leans on reenactments, maps and, like burns, academic talking heads. If there is a quibble, its that the music tends to distract, not enhance, the effect. A meditation on the possibility of romantic love in the south during an era of nuclear weapons proliferation is the least favorite film i have watched for this column. Shermans march is a documentary following general william shermans civil war fall of 1864 march to the sea. At the beginning of ross mcelwees shermans march, the film maker.
He is currently at work on a documentary about the cable television remake of shermans march. As helmed by rick king and adapted from the memoirs of general william tecumseh sherman, the 2007 history channel. A meditation on the possibility of romantic love in the south during an era of nuclear weapons proliferation is a 1986 documentary film written and directed by ross mcelwee. Mcelwee began the film with the idea of tracing general shermans decisive campaign through the south, showing how its devastations. Shermans march has some outstanding moments that capture the difficulties of relationships, but the lengthiness and lack of focus make it difficult to praise. Audiences and critics alike fell in love with mcelwees quirky, funny and fascinating newsweek firstperson narratives that would help define a new era of personal documentaries. The campaign began with shermans troops leaving the captured city of atlanta on november 15 and ended with the capture. Shermans march 2007 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. In late 1864, sherman decides to march his army from atlanta to savannah. Shermans march documentary, history, war tv movie 22 april 2007 this documentary chronicles general william tecumseh shermans fabled march to the sea through georgia and the carolinas, utilizing state of the art production techniques including cgi, special effects and historical re. Shermans march, different in tone and approach, more than holds its own.
Retrace shermans path into columbia, stand where he stood, walk the same streets, see the preserved ruins and visit the structures spared a. Sherman to take 60,000 union troops through the heart of georgia and all the way to the sea. Shermans march itself the historical event, and its aftermath is used as an. Shermans march through georgia while completing the document analysis chart. Vengeful attitude fueled by drunkenness culminated in the looting and burning of the cityan act described by a union war correspondent as the most monstrous barbarity of the barbarous march.
William tecumseh sherman during the final months of the civil war. Battle of averasboro, north carolina chicora civil war cemetery. Its a minor point because this film is unlike any conventional documentary or comedy. This documentary chronicles general william tecumseh shermans fabled march to the sea through georgia and the carolinas, utilizing state of the art production techniques including cgi, special.
Not only is shermans march a beautiful portrait of one mans personal journey through the strange tapestry of love and history, its a wonderful snapshot of the american south in the early 80s. Ross mcelwee department of art, film, and visual studies. This documentary chronicles general william tecumseh shermans fabled march to the sea through georgia and the carolinas, utilizing state of the art. Ross mcelwee allowed personal travails and outside forces to be included in his final edit of a project which was ostensibly a straight documentary to retrace key landmarks of gen shermans march through the south during the civil war. The production combines narration with reenacted dramatic sequences as its foundation. It was awarded the grand jury prize at the 1987 sundance film festival.
William tecumseh sherman of the union army in the american civil war. At times he comes dangerously close to exploiting his subjects trust when an exgirlfriend says youre gonna make me cry is when he zooms. Even this opposition gave sherman trouble whenever it became active. During this time mcelwee also made his own documentary films, including space coast 1979, charleen 1980, and backyard 1984.
The campaign began with shermans troops leaving the captured city of atlanta, georgia, on november 16 and ended with the capture of the port of savannah on. This cemetery, named after an indian word for carolina, is the final resting place of 56 confederate dead from the battle. Shermans march meet the social worker turned nuclear negotiator whos trying to keep iran from getting the bomb. Chicora cemetery was dedicated may 10, 1872, by a womens group called the smithville memorial. When first run released ross mcelwees sundance award winning shermans march in 1986, it went on to become one of the largest grossing. An army of 60,000 men marched through territory undefended except for a few thousand cavalry and home guards. Civil war follower and have most films on the subject both factual and fictional as. He won a best documentary award from the usa film festival, which later became the sundance film festival. The overall structure of the film is a clever look at the unpredictability of an artists focus, in that filmmaker ross mcelwee set out to make a documentary about the savannah. The opening scene to ross mcelwees sherman s march. Meet the cast and learn more about the stars of of shermans march with exclusive news, photos, videos and more at.
America enters reconstruction but the tremors of the civil war can still be felt across the country. The actual feature looks as good as its 16mm roots, with variable color and sound. If ever a movie fit that description, it would be ross mcelwees groundbreaking 1986 documentary shermans march, a loping, idiosyncratic reverie through history and the heart, loosely conjoined by the camera lens. Mcelwee received the full frame documentary film festivals career award in 2007.
Shermans march to the sea is the name commonly given to the savannah campaign conducted around georgia from november 15, 1864 to december 21, 1864 by maj. I was really on board with shermans march from its premise. He marched 62,000 union troops over 650 miles, through georgia, south carolina and north carolina, in less than 100 days. My only criticism of shermans march is that its a bit indulgent with respect to its length. Perhaps the originator and the first practitioner of what the twentieth century came to know as total war, william tecumseh sherman in 1864. We get a brief history of what sherman had been doing with his life up to the civil war and then we get to hear how he was able to rise during the war. Close reading, corroboration, contextualizing authorschoolsystem. I cant think of another film in which erotic interest has been so finely tempered with respect not even woody allen appreciates and. And davis notes, without bias, that shermans march to savannah went virtually unopposedthis despite the dire predictions of military men everywhere who shared an apocalyptic vision of the fate awaiting shermans army, surrounded in swamps and woodlands, fired on from fences and hedgerows, and bled to death by georgia guerrillas. First run features dvd of shermans march augments the film with some wellchosen extras. Shermans march won several awards, including the grand jury prize for best documentary at the sundance film festival in 1987.
Sherman march to the sea civil war crimes civilian diary. The first i read of the film was that it was a mans attempt to make a civil war documentary, but he ended up getting distracted and making it about his personal. Shermans total war in georgia was brutal and destructive, but it did just what it was supposed to do. Shermans march is undoubtedly a good film, amusing enough that its nearly threehour length fairly slides by, but sometimes you have to wonder why mcelwee keeps that damn camera running all the time. Shermans devastating sweep through georgia and the carolinas during the last days of the u. See photos from shermans march episodes, red carpet events and get the latest cast images and more on. Mcelwees sequel, time indefinite 1993, which covers the postshermans march years, dealing with his wedding to another documentarian, a relatives death, and the birth of his son, is equally quirky and rewarding. In addition to the thorough and engaging narrative, davis includes eyewitness accounts from hundreds of soldiers and civilians that serve to make history come alive in this work of non. Shermans march to the sea academic dictionaries and. When first run released ross mcelwees sundance award winning sherman s march in 1986, it went on to become one of the largest grossing. Shermans march documentary, history, war tv movie 22 april 2007 this documentary chronicles general william tecumseh shermans fabled march to the sea through georgia and the carolinas, utilizing state of the art production techniques including cgi, special effects and historical recreations. As mcelwee himself explains onscreen, the film was originally meant to be a documentary about, yes, william tecumseh shermans march to the sea through georgia in late 1864, and his followup march. The film is directed by rick king and the executive producer is jason williams. This march removed the distinction between warriors and civilians.
Most of mcelwees camerawork is excellent under the circumstances and his framing always gives us. A good 20 minutes could have been hacked away, resulting in a stronger film. In 2000 the library of congress national film registry chose the film for preservation, citing it as a historically significant american motion picture. Shermans march is a 1986 autobiographical documentary film written and directed by ross mcelwee. Shermans march 2007 film academic dictionaries and. Shermans march to the sea also known as the savannah campaign or simply shermans march was a military campaign of the american civil war conducted through georgia from november 15 until december 21, 1864, by maj. Shermans march is a 2007 american civil war television documentary film first aired on the history channel. A meditation on the possibility of romantic love in the south during an. Was general shermans use of total warfare justified. Shermans march is an excellent account of william t. Movie info as helmed by rick king and adapted from the memoirs of general william tecumseh sherman, the 2007 history channel documentary shermans march recounts the details of the famous march to.
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