Gettysburg & Stories Of Valor – Civil War Minutes III
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: B- Episodes: B
So many products on video and otherwise have surfaced
since Ken Burns’ PBS hit documentary on Gettysburg that “glut” is the only word
to describe it. However, there are
exceptions and Mark Bussler’s long-running series on the subject is better than
most. Gettysburg & Stories Of
Valor – Civil War Minutes III (2004) is narrated by Keith Carradine and is
very good, thinks to his great reading and the co-writers Michael Kraus and
David M. Neville. This recent Inecom
Entertainment Company set is nicely boxed.
The program is spilt on the 2 DVDs at 90 minutes each,
with the first show covering specific figures of the Battle Of Gettysburg that
reflect the way the war went. DVD 2
covers the infamous prison camp Andersonville, the Confederate President, the
medical and surgical side of the war and a few more key figures. A whole new generation of scholars, fans and
experts are now among us and this is so well worked out that I cannot imagine
any of them being disappointed. Even
non-fans will be impressed at the flow, facts and good pacing involved. The production has less plasticity and still
born sense than Burns’ works generally tend to have, so that is a plus.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is shot on
digital video, but not high definition from the looks of it. There is a softness and sense of detail
limit in the newly shot footage that suggests that, but it plays back well
enough to enjoy. The Dolby Digital 5.1
mix and 2.0 Stereo with Pro Logic surrounds are fine, but not spectacular, nor
does it need to be. Carradine’s voice
is what counts and it comes through loud and clear. Extras include full-length audio commentary by the director and
writers on both discs, the writers talking over deleted scenes from these
installments and previews for the previous two volumes in this Minutes Of
History series, plus The Johnstown Flood that we will be covering when
we return.
- Nicholas Sheffo
