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Shenandoah (1965)
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| Editorial Reviews: | | |  | | Shenandoah, a film well-liked in its day, recalls Friendly Persuasion and foreshadows The Patriot as it tells of an American clan traumatized by war on native soil. Virginia farmer James Stewart has never owned slaves, owes allegiance to no one beyond his own kin, and adamantly disregards the North-South strife rumbling just over the hill: "This war is not mine and I take no note of it." That changes when youngest son Philip Alford (To Kill a Mockingbird's Jem) is carried off by Yankees, and the family must ride out to reclaim him. Shenandoah has several affecting moments--notably a homefront atrocity--but much of it is lit and played like a television show. Script and direction are formulaic, Stewart falls back on cozy shtick, and the supporting cast is a collection of bland studio contract players. As the closing credit says: "filmed entirely at Universal City." --Richard T. Jameson | |
| Custom Reviews: | |
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| | "Shenandoah" is my favorite film of all times. Jimmie Stewart was sensational in it. I've lost count of how many times I've seen this but I've had to stop watching it because I actually start crying before the emotional scenes in anticipation of their arrival!
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Jimmy Stewart (playing Charlie Anderson) is a pacifist who has 500 acres in Virginia during the "civil" war. He also is head of a family including six sons and a daughter, and is trying his best to ignore the war swirling around him. This apparently is set in northern Virginia, which borders Washington D.C. (the north) and the Southern forces.
Doug McClure and Patrick Wayne are two of the lesser lights playing supporting roles. The entire cast is well directed and plays their parts well. A great job of casting, directing, acting, and a wonderful story. Forget the "allegories, allusions, irony, and metaphors." You ruin a picture like this trying to take it apart, or alluding to the political nuances that it is supposedly portraying on behalf of Hollywood propaganda. It is a moving story, and one of the great ones. As for being "superficial" or "overacted" (one critic's complaint about old and classic movies), I find just the opposite is true. I find those categories better acted, with more depth and honest acting than most of the trash we get foisted off on us today. Maybe it's just a generational thing. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
| | A very good heartfelt movie for the whole family | |
| | | While this movie doesn't fit today's tastes for irony, cynicism, and action that is as violent and graphic as possible, I like this movie a great deal. Actually, it is because it isn't like today's movies that I appreciate it more. Some find its earnestness too sweet and the humor a bit ham-bone. But I am willing to transport myself into a time when such things were possible in movies. All movies have conventions and none are "realistic" - not even documentaries. So, if you can accept one set of conventions, you should be able to adapt to another and appreciate the movie for what it sets out to be. This is not a movie about violence per se. It is about family and loss, and deals with the notion of trying to be in the world but apart from it and how difficult that can be because the world has a way of rolling over you. The Civil War is the backdrop of this question. Jimmy Stewart's character, Charlie Anderson, is a widower who still grieves for his lost sweetheart. He has a bunch of sons and one daughter. He tries to keep them out of the war, but cannot. His daughter is pursued by Lieutenant Sam (Doug McClure) who fights for the Confederacy. (If both armies are bad to Charlie Anderson - the Yankees are the worse army in this movie.) My two favorite scenes are the family prayer over the meal where Charlie thanks God for the meal and food while noting without their hard work it wouldn't be on the table. The other is when Lieutenant Sam asks Charlie for Jennie's hand in marriage. Charlie asks Sam why he wants to marry Jennie. Sam say's its because he loves her. Charlie says that isn't good enough. Sam is nonplussed. Charlie asks if he likes her. Sam doesn't get it. And the explanation Charlie gives should be printed on a card and handed to EVERY young couple contemplating marriage. It is wonderful and true. This is a good movie if not a great one. If you enjoy Jimmy Stewart, this is a very good performance. If you like heartfelt movies and enjoy something not laced with the bitter taste of modern movies, then this is one you will likely enjoy. I still like to watch it now and again.
| | | This is a film that is basically about the evils of abolishing limited government. The message is clear. Whenever the main character walks outside of his self-sufficient context and begins to rely on big government he is stabbed in the back. Eventually he loses two sons in the story because he is cornered into taking sides in the civil war, which he vowed not to get involved in. Libertarians will like this film. Conservatives will likely be intrigued and provoked into thinking about what has happened in our country.
| | | | I first saw the movie in my English 10 Honors class in high school. We were supposed to look for allusions, allegories, irony, and metaphors within the movie. I was prepared for a boring old western (even though it was a Jimmy movie). I was surprised but pleased about how poignant and mature the movie was. The acting, for the most part, was very effective; the family's initial happiness and the tragedies they go through are played out perfectly with heart-wrenching emotion. I am not a big fan of "old movies" or "classics," because sometimes I find them superficial or overacted. Shenandoah effectively battles those annoyances of mine with its mature themes and honesty. The movie is funny, sad, nostalgic, simple, and complex, but any emotion you're going to feel will be geared toward the characters, not the movie itself. That's the power of a true "classic." Also, the music is just beautiful.
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