"Dedicated to the USS Monitor and the men who fought for and against her"
What a lovely beginning to a thought-provoking Civil War drama.
This film points to the insanity of how war pits one human against another just as worthy. On a more micro level, it challenges assumptions that the Yanks and Rebels fought only on land.
Here we have the story of Northerner Kenneth Reynolds (James Dunn), his best friend, Raymond Jordan (David Manners), who is loyal to his home state of Virginia, and Ray's pacifist sister, Constance (Mae Clark). When war separates the buddies, crushing Connie's heart, nobody really wins.
The Monitor made history in an 1862 sea battle with another ironclad, the CSS Virginia. The film shows President Lincoln, apparently in the days before bodyguards, strolling alone beside the Potomac, offering words of counsel ("Ideals, a costly thing").
Along the way we hear some lovely music of the era, from a funereal spiritual to sprightly marching tunes.
I discovered this film in a roundabout way, after some web surfing inspired by a naval-history show on C-Span. I'm glad I caught it.
What a lovely beginning to a thought-provoking Civil War drama.
This film points to the insanity of how war pits one human against another just as worthy. On a more micro level, it challenges assumptions that the Yanks and Rebels fought only on land.
Here we have the story of Northerner Kenneth Reynolds (James Dunn), his best friend, Raymond Jordan (David Manners), who is loyal to his home state of Virginia, and Ray's pacifist sister, Constance (Mae Clark). When war separates the buddies, crushing Connie's heart, nobody really wins.
The Monitor made history in an 1862 sea battle with another ironclad, the CSS Virginia. The film shows President Lincoln, apparently in the days before bodyguards, strolling alone beside the Potomac, offering words of counsel ("Ideals, a costly thing").
Along the way we hear some lovely music of the era, from a funereal spiritual to sprightly marching tunes.
I discovered this film in a roundabout way, after some web surfing inspired by a naval-history show on C-Span. I'm glad I caught it.