Tempo de Guerra

I likes the first and last 20 minutes, when there is dramatic action. But between the two, there was much too much banal personal stuff.

None of it done well enough to be interesting. I found myself uninterested in their personal concern

I also found it offensive in the way it showed a lot of misbehavior on the Union side but not similar stuff among the Confederates.

Both sides were intolerant and the Confederates were first with conscription. The Confederate government was so corrupt that the front line troops were hungry even thought the Confederacy had plenty of food. (Enough for General Sherman to live off later.)

The battle scenes were realistic, but at the end of the day it was unclear what had happened. An explanation afterward would have improved the film for me.

The "Class of '61" looks at the splitting apart of the Union through the lives of three West Point graduates and their ramifications of families and friends imparting a sense of the times; sentiments, circumstances, and political climate. From Sumter to First Manassas, this didactic presentation is an even blend of drama and history with enough of each to entertain and inform though it does spread itself to a necessary thinness. Not sufficient as a stand alone drama, "Class of '61" is worth a look for anyone interested in Civil War history. C+

RELEASED TO TV IN 1993 and directed by Gregory Hoblit, "The Class of '61" details what happens when three West Point graduates & their friends opt for opposite sides when the The Civil War breaks out and the impending Battle of Bull Run destroys any delusions of a quick, glorious victory for the Union.

Despite the limitations of a TV budget, this is a well-done Civil War drama that leads up to the Battle of Bull Run. While there aren't any sweeping shots of this initial battle (because the budget wouldn't allow for it), I liked the way the movie focuses on the individual's experience during battle with those in the immediate vicinity.

Dan Futterman stands out as the main protagonist, but there are some future stars as well, like Clive Owen and Josh Lucas, the latter playing Armstrong Custer. The movie scores well on the female front with the jaw-dropping Sue-Ann Leeds, as well as Sophie Ward and a young Laura Linney. It's also interesting seeing Robert Newman again.

Besides the closing battle sequence, a couple of scenes are dramatically exceptional: The compelling train sequence and, especially, the quiet fishing boat scene where the protagonist has an honest talk with his black friend, who also happens to be a family slave (Andre Braugher).

FYI: This was originally intended as the first of a 13-episode miniseries.

THE MOVIE RUNS 95 minutes. WRITER: Jonas McCord.

GRADE: B-

While there are issues with this project because it was intended to be just the beginning of a series, the quality of this work is higher than most say. I wish the battle scenes were more realistic and compelling, as I believe they are neither. But the connections between the main characters who were 1861 West Point cadets are quite interesting. Spielberg, Burns and Foote being connected to this project is evident. Historically, it is strong. Much of the script is adapted from historical documents and accounts. Anyone who's studied the Civil War will note the familiar lines of dialogue and pieces of letters. Unfortunately, ABC did not pick up this pilot for series, so it's now seen as what it is, a 90-minute TV movie.

This made-for-TV drama meanders through the opening salvos of the American Civil War.

Written by Jonas McCord, directed by Gregory Hoblit, and produced by Steven Spielberg, Class of '61 premiered on ABC in April 1993. This confusing drama follows members of the West Point class of 1861 and their families as they head off to join opposing sides of the war. It's notable for an early appearance by Clive Owen, who is the only actor to stand out among the myriad of stock characters.

As the film opens, three friends, Shelby Peyton (Dan Futterman), George Armstrong Custer (Josh Lucas), and Devin O'Neil (Clive Owen), are attending the United States Military Academy at West Point. Tensions are high as Confederate troops fire on Fort Sumter, leaving cadets with divided loyalties. Shelby Peyton, a Virginian, decides to resign and head south to join the Confederacy, despite his engagement to O'Neil's sister, Shannon (Sophie Ward).

Back home in Maryland, Devin O'Neil learns his brother Terry (Christien Anholt) has joined pro-Southern partisans, which upsets his pro-Union Irish family. Things get complicated when O'Neil is unable to secure a commission in the Union Army. He rooms with George Custer in Washington, DC, where he falls in love with Lily Magraw (Laura Linney), who also happens to be a Southern spy.

Things get even more complicated when Shelby Peyton returns to his plantation, where his favorite slave, Lucius (Andre Braugher), has killed two slave catchers in an escape attempt. He is forced to flee northward in the Underground Railroad, leaving his pregnant wife behind to an uncertain future. Will destiny reunite all these characters at the First Battle of Bull Run?

Dozens of characters, several interweaving and marginally related side plots, and constantly changing settings make Class of '61 a baffling and unenjoyable mess. I understand the filmmakers were trying to present all sides of the Civil War, with participants from a variety of backgrounds, but this is difficult to achieve in a 90-minute film. It took productions like Roots (1977) and The Blue and the Gray (1982) six to nine hours to weave such complex and compelling drama.

Though several characters were fictional, with the obvious exception of George Armstrong Custer, Class of '61 does strive for some historical accuracy. In one dramatic scene, Southern students at West Point walk out before graduation after being told they would have to swear a loyalty oath to the Union. In fact, of the 26 cadets set to graduate in 1861 who would later fight for the Confederacy, 17 resigned prior to graduation.

As a historical subject, the American Civil War is a treasure trove of drama, tragedy, and unbelievable stories, but Class of '61 lacks the necessary focus for a compelling drama film. We don't spend enough time with any of the characters to become invested in them. The character played by Clive Owen, this film's strongest actor by far, is given a dead end storyline that eye-rollingly concludes with him running onto the Bull Run battlefield just at the right moment to reunite with his old friends.

On a recent trip to Manassas National Battlefield Park, I watched a short film commissioned by the National Park Service to tell the story of the First and Second Battles of Bull Run. It effectively portrayed the battle while telling the story of individual soldiers and civilians who were caught up in the conflict. That film was far more compelling and emotionally engaging than Class of '61, which didn't even try to get the battle right. What a disappointment.