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Films that Promote Peace & Nonviolence |
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Films that Promote Peace & Nonviolence |
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The year is 1863. Wealthy Virginia landowner James Stewart, a man of peace despite his autocratic behavior, steadfastly refuses to take sides in the Civil War. Bit by bit, Stewart's isolationism--and his way of living--is torn apart. Stewart's daughter Rosemary Forsyth falls in love with Confederate soldier Doug McClure. His youngest son Philip Alford is captured by the Union Army and accused of being a spy (Alford is rescued from immediate execution by his childhood friend, an ex-slave). His farm is confiscated by Northern troops, and another son, Patrick Wayne and his wife, Katherine Ross, are murdered by looters. And his oldest son, Glenn Corbett, is accidentally killed. How all of these personal tragedies culminate in a successfully sentimental finale is the peculiar charm of Shenandoah, which proved to be a hit with audiences on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. James Lee Barrett's screenplay was later adapted into a successful Broadway musical, starring Northern Exposure's John Cullum in the Stewart role. Hal Erickson
An offbeat performance from James Stewart as Virginia farmer Charlie Anderson makes SHENANDOAH an involving and entertaining look at one family's attempt to deal with the Civil War. A prosperous farmer with six sons and one daughter, Charlie is a widower whose wife died during the birth of Boy (Phillip Alford). Charlie, who is opposed to slavery, tries to maintain a neutral stance in the conflict between North and South. However, a number of events threaten to change his pacifist leanings: 16-year-old Boy is captured by Union soldiers; Confederate son-in-law Sam (Doug McClure) is called to duty; son James (Patrick Wayne) and his wife, Ann (Katharine Ross), are murdered by Confederate looters; and another son, Jacob (Glenn Corbett), is killed by a Confederate guardsman. Andrew V. McLaglen's excellent direction and carefully crafted battle scenes successfully combine with one of the best supporting casts you're likely to find outside of a John Ford film, including Harry Carey, Jr., Warren Oates, Strother Martin, Denver Pyle, George Kennedy, Paul Fix, and Bob Steele.
