A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to buy a four-hour-long disc "Gettysburg," which is an American epic blockbuster about the battle and the only blockbuster that is considered to be a completely true panoramic view of the Civil War. After watching that film, I was very excited, and from this, I was deeply interested in historical figures such as Robert E. Lee.
At that time I knew that the Americans had also made a sequel to "Gettysburg" (actually a prequel) "Gods and Generals", but I have never found it. Last weekend, I happened to see "Gods and Generals" on TV, but unfortunately I didn't watch it all. So I bought a full version of the disc with a long backstory from the Internet, and finally achieved my wish for several years.
Compared with "Gettysburg", "Gods and Generals" pay more attention to the portrayal of personal fate, especially the protagonist "Stone Wall" Jackson. The greatest commander of the Southern Army is Robert. Lee, but the greatest frontline commander belonged to Jackson, and the "Stonewall Brigade" led by him became the invincible force of the Southern Army.
I won’t say much about the plot and the war. The director focused on Jackson’s religious spirit, citing large passages from the Bible many times. In Jackson’s eyes, the Southern War of Independence was a mission given to him by God. God will surely make him win and give his battle the atmosphere of religious jihad. The United States has always been a country with a strong religious atmosphere. The American president still retained this tradition, and Jackson’s piety surpassed others, and he suffered fatal injuries. He underestimated the enemy and left his headquarters carelessly. When he returned from the enemy camp, he was mistakenly hit by his own people. As a result, he was hit by a bullet from his side and died of pneumonia after amputating his left arm.
Only two months later, the Southern Army was defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg!
Robert. Li lost the "stone wall" and the South lost hope of victory.
Although, whether it is Robert. Li is still the "Stonewall" Jackson. They are all the defeated parties in the Civil War. If we Chinese people follow the habit of "the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit", it is likely to be completely liquidated and classified as sinners. In the history books we wrote in the past, all the generals of the Southern Army can be regarded as the slave-owning class that oppresses the black slaves.
But is the historical fact really so? Today, Robert. Both Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson have become heroes adored by all Americans. Although they are losers, they are glorious of defeat. Although their loyal government wants to secede from the United States and maintain the slavery system, people don’t think so. And despise them, on the contrary, they are also representatives of the American spirit.
The cause of the Civil War was not slavery, but the difference between sovereignty in the Union or the states. The North believed that the Union had sovereignty, and the South believed that the states had sovereignty. This is not surprising in the United States, which had states first and then states. And Robert. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson were first loyal to their hometown, Virginia, and secondly to the United States of America. When the people of Virginia decided to leave the United States, they had no choice but to open fire on their former colleagues.
Strictly speaking, both sides of the Civil War fought for freedom. At least for the soldiers on the battlefield, there is no righteous or evil side. They are loyal to their beliefs. Their integrity, goodness and masculinity are enough to make Americans today are ashamed.
The order to liberate the black slaves was issued only halfway through the Civil War. The South believed that this was a means by the North to instigate the black slaves' rebellion in the South. In fact, as an individual, Robert. Both Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson opposed slavery, and this is reflected in the movie, Robert. Li had freed all the black slaves in his family before the war. At this time, the Northern General Grant still had slaves in his family (later ascended to the throne of the President of the United States).
The whole film is full of sense of history. Every scene, every character, and every piece of clothing has been rigorously verified by the creators, striving to be the most realistic and restore history. Presumably, Chinese movies are too sloppy. too much. Although the history of the United States is short, Americans attach great importance to history, especially the study of the Civil War. There have been countless literary and film works. However, whether it is "Gone with the Stone" in the 1930s or "Cold Mountain" in recent years, as well as "Gettysburg" and "The Gods and Generals", they are mainly based on the southern perspective, sympathy and sympathy. The characters and generals beautifying the South, and it can also be seen that the Civil War is not a battle between justice and evil in the eyes of Americans. Americans have a deeper sympathy for the defeated in the South, especially the Southerners themselves still cherish defeat. .
But through this war, the American spirit can also be seen. It is no accident that the United States has become the world's number one country. As the behind-the-scenes footage said, "The Civil War is the American Iliad"!
Looking forward to seeing the third part of the Civil War trilogy, "The Last Full Measure".
Finally, let me quote a poem by Haizi-
Witnessing the death of the gods, a piece of wild flowers on the grassland, and
the wind in the distance is farther away than
me. The sound of the piano, sobbing and tears, there is no
I return this far away to the grassland,
one is called a wood, and the other is called a horsetail,
my piano is whimpering, there is no
distance, only in the death of wild flowers, a
bright moon like a mirror, high hanging grassland reflecting
the sound of my piano for thousands of years Sobbing and tears, no one
beats a horse across the grassland
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