At the beginning of ross mcelwees shermans march, the film maker tells us that he had originally planned a documentary about the aftereffects, which are still to be found in georgia and the. Sherman s march to the sea union leader william tecumseh sherman introduced scorched earth burn crops, kill livestock, and gather supplies the union 62,000 confederates 39,000 union. Create marketing content that resonates with prezi video. Sep 05, 1986 at the beginning of ross mcelwees shermans march, the film maker tells us that he had originally planned a documentary about the aftereffects, which are still to be found in georgia and the. And davis notes, without bias, that sherman s march to savannah went virtually unopposedthis despite the dire predictions of military men everywhere who shared an apocalyptic vision of the fate awaiting sherman s army, surrounded in swamps and woodlands, fired on from fences and hedgerows, and bled to death by georgia guerrillas.
The civil war was a fight for people, by people, and about people. At the beginning of ross mcelwees shermans march, the film maker tells us that he had originally planned a documentary about the aftereffects, which are still to be found in georgia and the carolinas, of the total warfare waged by gen. Shermans march to the sea union leader william tecumseh sherman introduced scorched earth burn crops, kill livestock, and gather supplies the union 62,000 confederates 39,000 union. Shermans devastating sweep through georgia and the carolinas during the last days of the u. Shermans march to the sea devastated georgia and the confederacy.
Why was shermans march to the sea so important to union victory. On the eve of making a documentary on william tecumseh sherman, the civil war. Shermans march to the sea was 285 miles in length extending from atlanta to the confederate beachfront town of savannah. Sherman s famed march to the sea began in november 15, 1864, when federal forces began leaving atlanta. The actual feature looks as good as its 16mm roots, with variable color and sound.
And davis notes, without bias, that shermans march to savannah went virtually unopposedthis despite the dire predictions of military men everywhere who shared an apocalyptic vision of the fate awaiting shermans army, surrounded in swamps and woodlands, fired on from fences and hedgerows, and bled to death by georgia guerrillas. Shermans march to the sea also known as the savannah campaign or simply shermans march was a military campaign of the american civil war conducted through georgia from november 15 until december 21, 1864, by maj. Not only is sherman s march a beautiful portrait of one man s personal journey through the strange tapestry of love and history, it s a wonderful snapshot of the american south in the early 80 s. His forces followed a scorched earth policy, destroying military targets as well as industry, infrastructure, and civilian property, dis. Jul 11, 2017 movie loosely based on the actual sherman s march. A meditation on the possibility of romantic love in the south during an era of nuclear weapons proliferation is the least favorite film i have watched for this column. After leaving the decimated city of atlanta on november 16, sherman led his troops. From november 15 until december 21, 1864, union general william t. The sea was the goal, the end result, for the union leader.
Ross mcelwee is a beguiling amateur, and the virtue of his quirky documentary, shermans march, is that it cuts against the grain, communicating the texture of real life with lazy intimacy. Grant directed sherman to establish a base on the coast and with the balance of his command, come to grant by water with all dispatch. This documentary chronicles general william tecumseh sherman s fabled march to the sea through georgia and the carolinas, utilizing state of the art production techniques including cgi, special effects and historical recreations. There were approximately 3,100 casualties of which 2,100 were union soldiers, but the countryside took years to recover. Sherman s march is a 1986 autobiographical documentary film written and directed by ross mcelwee as mcelwee himself explains onscreen, the film was originally meant to be a documentary about, yes, william tecumseh sherman s march to the sea through georgia in late 1864, and his followup march through the carolinas in early 1865, which concluded with confederate surrender and the end of the. Depending on the students level of comfort and experience with analyzing documents, the teacher should choose a method to suit the specific class. Shermans march to the sea was a military campaign of the american civil war conducted through georgia from november 15 until december 21, 1864, by maj. Rather than looking ahead to the twentieth century we should appreciate the extent to which sherman s policies reflected a continuation of previous wars. An abundance of alcohol greeted the union army as it entered columbia on february 17, 1865. The campaign began with shermans troops leaving the captured city of atlanta on november 15 and ended with the capture of the port of savannah on december 21.
Mcelwee began the film with the idea of tracing general shermans decisive campaign through the south, showing how its devastations. Shermans march is an excellent account of william t. Extras a sixminute interview with ross mcelwee allows the director to discuss his filmic approach but it also serves as an excellent introduction to his other films, from time. To this day, many believe that sherman did not bring any supplies with him on his famed. An analysis of shermans march, cultural anthropology 6 november 1991. The image that i am analyzing comes from her untitled film stills that were created during 1977 to 1980. In shermans march, the times shaped the individuals. Shermans march to the sea analysis 1518 words 7 pages.
Just the mention of william tecumseh shermans name conjures. This documentary chronicles general william tecumseh shermans fabled march to the sea through georgia and the carolinas, utilizing state of the art production techniques including cgi, special effects and historical recreations. Sherman s devastating march through georgia and the carolinas davis, burke on. Shermans march is a 1986 autobiographical documentary film written and directed by ross mcelwee as mcelwee himself explains onscreen, the film was originally meant to be a documentary about, yes, william tecumseh shermans march to the sea through georgia in late 1864, and his followup march through the carolinas in early 1865, which concluded with confederate surrender and the end of the. Sherman s march to the sea was 285 miles in length extending from atlanta to the confederate beachfront town of savannah. The march to the sea has come down to us as an act of savage brutality perpetrated by one of the great villains of american history. In 1864 we took a little tripalong with general sherman near the mighty mississippiwe took a little hardtack and we took a lotta beans. It s mostly about ross mcelweethe director and his adventures with hot southern women. Sherman s march to the sea likewise called the savannah crusade was embraced by general william tecumseh sherman between november 12, 1864, and december 22, 1864. Shermans march through georgia while completing the document analysis chart. Autumn, 1864, and the civil war has ground to a bloody stalemate.
As helmed by rick king and adapted from the memoirs of general william tecumseh sherman, the 2007 history channel documentary sherman s march recounts the details of the famous. The purpose of shermans march to the sea was to frighten georgias civilian population into abandoning the confederate cause. Shermans march nr by paul attanasio washington post staff writer december 25, 1986 ross mcelwee is a beguiling amateur, and the virtue of his quirky documentary, shermans march, is. Sherman s march to the sea also known as the savannah campaign or simply sherman s march was a military campaign of the american civil war conducted through georgia from november 15 until december 21, 1864, by maj. One of the interesting aspects of grimsleys analysis is the way he places shermans march within the broader context of previous wars. The yeasty comic conceit of shermans march is this. Ross mcelwee sets out to make a documentary about the lingering effects of general shermans march of destruction through the south during the civil war, but is continually sidetracked by women who come and go in his life, his recurring dreams of nuclear holocaust, and burt reynolds. Aug 15, 2016 fashion and female identity is a recurring theme in cindy shermans art. Nov 17, 2014 from the vantage point of the 21st century, shermans way of war seems a dramatic departure from earlier methods and has prompted some historians to characterize his march to the sea as the birth of modern total war. We watch as harvardbased documentarian ross mcelwee, planning a 1981 film about the lingering effects of william tecumseh shermans.
An extraordinary documentary by ross mcelwee that mixes american history, a romantic quest, and the search for meaning in the early 1980s. When first run released ross mcelwees sundance award winning shermans march in 1986, it. Ross mcelwee documents his march, akin to admiral shermans, from north carolina through the south. Ross mcelwees shermans march on first run features.
Oct 19, 2009 one of the interesting aspects of grimsley s analysis is the way he places sherman s march within the broader context of previous wars. Ross mcelwee is an award winning documentary film maker whos films include shermans march, bright leaves, six oclock news and something tho do with the wall. This essay begins by explaining its absence and shows that, when it appears, romantic love is usually depicted unfavorably. He captured savannah, 285 miles 460 km from atlanta, on december 21.
First run features dvd of shermans march augments the film with some wellchosen extras. Shermans march to the sea is the name commonly given to the savannah campaign by maj. It was awarded the grand jury prize at the 1987 sundance film festival. General sherman was a rogue if only for a few months, the general of the union army stationed in the heart of the. Shermans march to the sea likewise called the savannah crusade was embraced by general william tecumseh sherman between november 12, 1864, and december 22, 1864. Shermans march to the sea by daniel sidman1 on prezi. Its mostly about ross mcelweethe director and his adventures with hot southern women. Roseman, a documentary fiction and ethnographic production. Shermans devastating march through georgia and the carolinas.
Was general shermans use of total warfare justified. Rather than looking ahead to the twentieth century we should appreciate the extent to which shermans policies reflected a continuation of. November 15december 21, drawing, 18621865, by alfred r waud, 18281891, an american artist famous for his american civil war sketches, america, us. The brutality of shermans march has been well documented. Not only is shermans march a beautiful portrait of one mans personal journey through the strange tapestry of love and history, its a wonderful snapshot of the american south in the early 80s. Sherman s march to the sea analysis 1518 words 7 pages. In addition to the thorough and engaging narrative, davis includes eyewitness accounts from hundreds of soldiers and civilians that serve to make history come alive in this work of non. On january 30, 1865, shermans 65,000man army launched the invasion moving 10 to 12 miles a day, burning a swath 60 miles wide in grim determination readily viewed as retribution.
A meditation on the possibility of romantic love in the south during an era of nuclear weapons proliferation is a 1986 documentary film written and directed by ross mcelwee. A documentarians attempts to study the effects of general sherman. Sherman s march is a story that would have been a better read at the late elementary school and early middle school level. Romantic love, the heart of many fiction films, is rare in documentary films. Sherman led some 60,000 soldiers on a 285mile march from atlanta to savannah, georgia. Sherman was a southerner turned yankee during the civil war. Was it sherman who drove the final nail in the onfederacys coffin, or was it grant to the north. But on december 16, 1864, sherman received a letter from lieutenant general ulysses s. The first fulllength narrative of general william t. Shermans march was awarded the grand jury prize in the field of documentary at the 1987 sundance film festival. Mclane, a new history of documentary film new york. Shermans march to the sea was followed by a similarly devastating march through the carolinas early in 1865, but the message was clear. As helmed by rick king and adapted from the memoirs of general william tecumseh sherman, the 2007 history channel documentary shermans march recounts the details of the famous.
Ross begins his documentary intent on the journeys of w. Her art addresses issues in femininity and the role of women in society. Then the focus turns to shermans march, the documentary that best reveals romantic love in all its. Shermans march to the sea would set the south ablaze. William tecumseh sherman taking place from november 15, 1864 to december 21, 1864.
Shermans march was a hit, despite its length nearly three hours. Mcelwee began the film with the idea of tracing general shermans decisive campaign through the south, showing how its devastations still linger psychically, if not visibly. While the march destroyed property and infrastructure and visited suffering and fear on. It won the grand jury prize at sundance, and until the midnineties was ranked as one of the highestgrossing. If ever a movie fit that description, it would be ross mcelwees groundbreaking 1986 documentary shermans march, a loping, idiosyncratic reverie through history and the heart, loosely conjoined by the camera lens. When first run released ross mcelwee s sundance award winning sherman s march in 1986, it went on to become one of the largest grossing. Most of mcelwees camerawork is excellent under the circumstances and his framing always gives us. Shermans march looks and sounds like its from 1986, but no amount of dirt and noise and theres some here and there can diffuse any of the film s magic.
It has won best documentary awards at numerous film festivals, been cited by the national board of film critics as one of the five best films of its year, selected for a cinema du reel. Shermans famed march to the sea began in november 15, 1864, when federal forces began leaving atlanta. Cindy sherman is an american photographer and film director, best known for her photographs in which she is dressed in costumes representing another person. After his girlfriend leaves him, mcelwee takes a voyage along the original route followed by general william sherman but. Jun 17, 2007 the opening scene to ross mcelwee s sherman s march. Shermans devastating march through georgia and the carolinas davis, burke on. William tecumseh sherman during the final months of the civil war. Shermans march is a story that would have been a better read at the late elementary school and early middle school level. After his girlfriend leaves him, mcelwee takes a voyage along the original route followed by general william sherman but rather than cutting a swath of destruction designed to force the confederate south into submission, as. A contentious debate about shermans march film school rejects. The analysis shows the film s remarkable construction, sound track and voiceovers, its images and camera movements.
Sherman s devastating sweep through georgia and the carolinas during the last days of the u. Shermans march looks and sounds like its from 1986, but no amount of dirt and noise and theres some here and there can diffuse any of the films magic. An ideal model for the blogging generation, shermans march integrates the personal and the universal without. The campaign began with shermans troops leaving the captured city of atlanta on november 15 and ended with the capture. In the film shermans march 1986, ross mcelwee parodies. Sherman s march is an excellent account of william t. In sherman s march, the times shaped the individuals.
Grant, commander inchief of the union army, dashing his plans. Though he almost always starts off to make a film about some legitimate subject in this case, general william shermans infamous march to the sea during the civil war, the movies ultimately never pan out, or the focus changes as mcelwee finds something more interesting to focus on. In november and december of 1864, william tecumseh sherman was given the task to bring total war to the south. Ellen draper, shermans march, film quarterly 40 spring 1987. Acquired through the generosity of jo carole and ronald.
Why was shermans march to the sea so important to union. Other articles where march to the sea is discussed. Ross mcelwee documents his march, akin to admiral shermans, from north carolina through the south, in search of true romance. He recalls seeing a atmosphere nuke test as a child.
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