Andersonville
The Great Untold Story of the Civil War
Captured Union soldiers arrive inside the barracks-less POW encampment called Andersonville. The new arrivals, like the hapless souls there before them, are quick to learn the ways of survival. Wring rainwater from clothes for drinking. Use brass uniform buttons as currency. Stay clear of the roving gang of Union thieves called Raiders. And tell no one about the secret plan to tunnel to freedom.
Master moviemaker John Frankenheimer directs this epic tale about life inside the most notorious of the American Civil War's prison camps. Haunting scenes of conflict and inhumanity, the trial that brought the Raiders to justice: Frankenheimer includes them all with a skill that brought him a Best Director Emmy.
Member Reviews
Life In Hell - revsdd
This is a sobering, if a bit too long, recreation of life in the notorious Confederate POW camp at Andersonville, Ga. which housed almost 50000 Union prisoners during the last months of the Civil War. It was difficult to determine the perspective of the story - which perhaps makes it a fairly balanced movie. The Confederate guards were portrayed as ruthless, and Capt. Henry Wirtz, the Camp's commander, was portrayed as both ruthless and a bit insane, but the bulk of the movie deals with the problem of factionalism between the Union prisoners, as a group known as the "Raiders" establish their own ruthless control over the other prisoners, stealing from them, withholding supplies from them and sometimes murdering them. The first half of the movie dealt largely with this conflict, and was very interesting. The point at which the other prisoners rebel against them and with Wirtz's approval put them on trial, seemed to mark a transition in the movie. After their trial and the execution of the ringleaders, the movie took on an air of hopelessness (and perhaps became a bit less interesting) as the prisoners await a liberation that, in the movie at least, never comes, as the movie ends with the prisoners being transferred to other prisons.
This begins somewhat abruptly with Union soldiers captured in battle being sent into the hellhole that was Andersonville, but there was no real historical context. It would have been interesting to see the camp from its start, and to trace the descent of the camp into what it became. The whole Andersonville issue is historically controversial, and the movie alludes to the controversy, with Wirtz pleading with a Confederate colonel sent to inspect the camp for more supplies, and many today think Wirtz was unfairly condemned for a situation that was largely out of his control. Others note that Union POW camps were also harsh, but that's an unfair criticism of this movie, which deals only with this particular camp.Andersonville - Wookie2630
This movie gives viewers an in depth look at one of the lesser studies parts of the Civil War: POW camps. The movie shows viewers what happened within the walls of the most notorious Southern POW camp "Andersonville" which was a prison designed for 8,000 prisoners but had 33,000+ POW's imprisoned there.
The main characters are captured around a time shortly after the battle of Gettysburg. With the tide of the war shifted in the North's favor, it is only a matter of time before the war ends as the Northern forces are advancing slowly but surely southward. As the Rebels start to run short on supplies for themselves, these conditions prove even more dire for the Northern POW's. The POW's are reduced to suffering and hoping to hear of good news from incoming POW's as to the status of the war. Issues such as escape attempts, prison gangs, suffering and pride are all displayed in this film.This Movie Rocks - bUgs1
I first watched this on television, and I was tired of seeing it with commercials and cutting the parts of the movie out. When I bought the DVD it was good. I mean the volume, surround sound, everything a person could ask for in a war time movie. I tell you if you see this DVD and then go visit Andersonville this is a true story and you get to see where the hole was that they buried to try to escape and stuff like that.
Member Reviews
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Life In Hell - revsdd
This is a sobering, if a bit too long, recreation of life in the notorious Confederate POW camp at Andersonville, Ga. which housed almost 50000 Union prisoners during the last months of the Civil War. It was difficult to determine the perspective of the story ...Andersonville - Wookie2630
This movie gives viewers an in depth look at one of the lesser studies parts of the Civil War: POW camps. The movie shows viewers what happened within the walls of the most notorious Southern POW camp "Andersonville" which was a prison designed for 8,000 prisoners ...This Movie Rocks - bUgs1
I first watched this on television, and I was tired of seeing it with commercials and cutting the parts of the movie out. When I bought the DVD it was good. I mean the volume, surround sound, everything a person could ask for in a war time movie. I tell you ...