Gods and Generals is a 2003 American epic war drama film written and directed by Ronald F. Maxwell. It is adapted from the 1996 novel by Jeffrey Shaara and prequel to Maxwell's 1993 film Gettysburg. The film follows the story of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson from the beginning of the American Civil War to his death at the Battle of Chancellorsville. It stars Stephen Lang as Jackson, Jeff Daniels as Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and Robert Duvall as General Robert E. Lee. The cast also features Mira Sorvino, Kevin Conway, C. Thomas Howell and Frankie Faison.
Most of the film was personally financed by media mogul Ted Turner. Originally running over five hours in length, the film was cut by an hour and a half for its 2003 theatrical release, with the full "Extended Director's Cut" being released eight years later in 2011.
The film was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on February 21, 2003, and was both a critical and commercial failure, grossing $12.8 million against a $56 million budget. Although film critics complimented its performances and historically accurate details such as costumes, they criticized its length, pacing, and screenplay. The film was also heavily criticized by both critics and historians for its "pro-Confederate slant". The Southern Poverty Law Center, as well as numerous writers and historians, said that the film endorsed the "Lost Cause" myth.
Both Shaara and Maxwell expressed displeasure at the theatrical edition of the film, and its poor returns forced Turner to cancel Maxwell's planned adaptation of Shaara's final Civil War novel The Last Full Measure.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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