Gettysburg

Gettysburg (1993)

Timing: 4:14 (254 min)

6.888/10
282

7.361/10
1620

7.6/10
33000

All about film

Video 1

Photo 15

Actors and characters

Release date

1993-10-08

Country

United States

Production

New Line Cinema, Mace Neufeld Productions, Turner Pictures, Esparza / Katz Productions, Robert Rehme Productions, TriStar Television, Turner Pictures (I)

Genre

Drama, History, War

Budget

$25 000 000

Revenue

$10 769 960

Website

Director

Ronald F. Maxwell

Actors

Jeff Daniels, Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Sam Elliott, Stephen Lang, C. Thomas Howell, Richard Anderson, Richard Jordan, Kevin Conway, Andrew Prine
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Robert Katz, Moctesuma Esparza, Mace Neufeld, Robert Rehme

Operator

Kees Van Oostrum

Composer

Randy Edelman

Artist

Audition

Joy Todd

Editing

Corky Ehlers
All team (56)

• The film is based on Michael Shaara's novel "The Angels of the Battlefield".
• The film was made to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the battle.
• One of the costumes used during the filming of the movie was later used in the prequel film "Gods and Generals" by the well-known American media mogul Ted Turner.
• Sam Elliott was the only actor who wore the old, faded uniform. After receiving a brand new uniform, he turned to costume designer Luster Bayless for advice on how to best age it, and then meticulously followed the instructions in his motel room.
• During the film’s premiere in Atlanta, Martin Sheen (who played General Robert E. Lee, 1807-1870) was extremely irritated by someone in the audience sitting directly behind him who constantly made comments about the film’s characters. When the lights came up during an intermission, the actor turned to the back row to express his frustration and discovered that sitting behind him was none other than former US President Jimmy Carter.
• During filming, only some of the explosions were truly loud, as the filmmakers feared the explosions might frighten the numerous horses on set, and they might get spooked and throw their riders. A significant portion of the sound for the explosion scenes was added during post-production.
• The project was initially conceived as a miniseries for the “TNT,” or “Turner Network Television” channel. Once, while reviewing the footage shot that day, the founder of “TNT,” Ted Turner, realized that this could become a great project – on the level of “Lawrence of Arabia” (David Lean, 1962) and “Gone with the Wind” (Victor Fleming, George Cukor and Sam Wood, 1939). Turner came up with the idea of first releasing the film in theaters to build popularity before its broadcast on “TNT,” and releasing it on video cassettes. The most serious objection to his idea was that the film was too long, and even with ruthless editing, it would be difficult to make it less than 5 hours long.
• News of the death of actor Richard Jordan reached the filmmakers at the moment they were editing the scene of his character's death (Brigadier General Lewis Armistead, 1817-1863).
• The role of General Lee, played by Martin Sheen, was originally intended for William Hurt, but he left the project due to the financial difficulties of the film studio working on it at the time (the studio went bankrupt altogether). The role was offered to Tommy Lee Jones, but he was busy with other projects. Robert Duvall was the next candidate. He prepared for the role and offered his candidacy to the filmmakers himself, but at the very last moment they preferred to see Martin Sheen in the role.
• At the very beginning of work on the project, Tom Berenger (who played General James Longstreet, 1821-1904) gifted each member of the film’s cast who played a Confederate officer with a saber engraved with the names of that officer and General Longstreet on the blade. Berenger paid for this gift to the actors out of his own pocket.
• Almost all of the extras in the film were participants in historical reenactments. They owned the army uniforms, weaponry, clothing items, tents, and telescopes of the appropriate era, which were used as props. During filming, they also acted as consultants on a wide range of issues and aspects of the corresponding historical period.
• After filming ended, by agreement with the historical reenactors involved in the film, “Turner Pictures” donated $100,000 to the preservation of Civil War battlefields.
• Approximately $40,000 was spent on building a model of the Lutheran Theological Seminary building. The authentic building itself was shown in only one shot, filmed from a carefully chosen angle. This building can be seen in a night scene before the battle, when Sam Elliott's character writes a dispatch to General Reynolds (1816-1876), played by John Rothenberg.
• Director Ron Maxwell instructed James Lancaster (who played a British Army officer) to wear a bright red uniform and carry a cup of tea. In reality, a British Army officer's uniform should have been dark blue, similar to the uniforms of Union Army officers. Furthermore, the character played by Lancaster did not wear a uniform at all while in America, but rather civilian clothes.
• George Lazenby (who played General James Pettigrew, 1828-1863) insisted on growing a real beard, like his historical counterpart. Scenes with Pettigrew were not started until the actor's beard had grown in.
• To prepare for the role of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, actor Jeff Daniels deliberately stayed awake and refused to eat.
• Work on the film took almost 15 years – from the first ideas and script drafts to the final editing and post-production.
• The hat that Tom Berenger wore during filming as General Longstreet was a source of constant contention. Consultants disliked it because it wasn't authentic, while cinematographers argued that it obscured the actor's face. During close-ups, Berenger was sometimes persuaded to do without the hat. The actor's fondness for this particular headwear remained a mystery to everyone.
• The stone wall that the military used as cover was built by the extras (historical reenactors) literally a couple of minutes before the start of filming.