Shenandoah (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Set in the Virginia farm country during the Civil War, 'Shenandoah' (directed by Andrew V. McLaglen) tells the story of a wealthy, widowed landowner named Charlie Anderson (James Stewart), who believes that the rapidly growing conflict btwn. the North & the South does not concern him or his household. A man of peace who refuses to take sides in the war, Charlie has never owned a slave, & he takes pride in the fact that he & his family have always worked hard for what they have. Nonetheless, the harsh reality of the war interferes, & it hits close to home when the youngest of Charlie's 6(!) sons, Boy (adorable Phillip Alford), wears a confederate cap he found in a river & is captured by the Yankee troops. Boy is initially spared from death by his childhood playmate, who's now a freed slave.
So Charlie, joined by 4 of his strapping sons & 1 beautiful daughter (newcomer Rosemary Forsythe), goes searching for Boy, which means that his family's longstanding isolation days are over; and they are drawn deep into the violent conflict at hand. Boy, whose mother died giving birth to him, occupies a particular soft spot in his father's heart. So the pursuit to (hopefully) find him alive takes on deeper meaning. During the midsection of the movie, the Andersons endure a plethora of obstacles such as fear, separation, & tragedy as they reluctantly become participants in a war they hoped to avoid ... but never could have.
Jimmy Stewart thrives as our classic American hero; a man who initially cherishes isolation & lack of involvement only to be forced into conflict through circumstances. One of the early difficulties Stewart's character faces is allowing his only daughter to marry a Confederate Officer (Doug McClure). Of course, once Boy is captured by the Yankees, more dire situations & dangers face him and his brood. The rest of the cast features Patrick Wayne, John Wayne's real life son, as one of the Anderson sons. In the film, his character is married to a lovely woman played by Katharine Ross who, in 2 years time, would be thrust into stardom by playing opposite Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. Ross has a small role, here. But she makes an impression, nevertheless; as does Rosemary Forsythe.
How all of the personal tragedies culminate in the final 2 scenes of this movie is something to see. The 1-2 combination of those 2 scenes offers a sentimental, yet powerful finale; one that had me wiping tears from my eyes for a number of reasons. 'Shenandoah' also assumed strong political resonance at the time of its release (during the Vietnam War), raising recognition & questions concerning the moral issues about war, in general. As I think back upon this film, I'll never get the image of Charlie Anderson out of my mind: gray-haired, seldom without a cigar butt in his mouth, imbuing his grizzled role with the typical warm Jimmy Stewart conviction that we've come to love. 'Shenandoah' is a well crafted, wonderful family film that says a lot about family in wartime and surprised me by how affecting it is.
So Charlie, joined by 4 of his strapping sons & 1 beautiful daughter (newcomer Rosemary Forsythe), goes searching for Boy, which means that his family's longstanding isolation days are over; and they are drawn deep into the violent conflict at hand. Boy, whose mother died giving birth to him, occupies a particular soft spot in his father's heart. So the pursuit to (hopefully) find him alive takes on deeper meaning. During the midsection of the movie, the Andersons endure a plethora of obstacles such as fear, separation, & tragedy as they reluctantly become participants in a war they hoped to avoid ... but never could have.
Jimmy Stewart thrives as our classic American hero; a man who initially cherishes isolation & lack of involvement only to be forced into conflict through circumstances. One of the early difficulties Stewart's character faces is allowing his only daughter to marry a Confederate Officer (Doug McClure). Of course, once Boy is captured by the Yankees, more dire situations & dangers face him and his brood. The rest of the cast features Patrick Wayne, John Wayne's real life son, as one of the Anderson sons. In the film, his character is married to a lovely woman played by Katharine Ross who, in 2 years time, would be thrust into stardom by playing opposite Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. Ross has a small role, here. But she makes an impression, nevertheless; as does Rosemary Forsythe.
How all of the personal tragedies culminate in the final 2 scenes of this movie is something to see. The 1-2 combination of those 2 scenes offers a sentimental, yet powerful finale; one that had me wiping tears from my eyes for a number of reasons. 'Shenandoah' also assumed strong political resonance at the time of its release (during the Vietnam War), raising recognition & questions concerning the moral issues about war, in general. As I think back upon this film, I'll never get the image of Charlie Anderson out of my mind: gray-haired, seldom without a cigar butt in his mouth, imbuing his grizzled role with the typical warm Jimmy Stewart conviction that we've come to love. 'Shenandoah' is a well crafted, wonderful family film that says a lot about family in wartime and surprised me by how affecting it is.