Peter Batty presents a gripping account of the bloodshed and horror of the American Civil War. From the origins of the unrest between North and South, the specific events of the war and the eventual assassination of Abraham Lincoln, this program is a powerful, comprehensive account of the American Civil War with large scale battle re-enactments, superb contemporary photographs and period music.
Practical Effects
Battle re-enactments with hundreds of sweaty committed nerds.
Score
Period music that actually slaps — fifes and drums hit different.
Production
Contemporary photographs that feel illegally intimate.
Director
Peter Batty
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 1987 production aired when Civil War re-enacting peaked in American pop culture, thanks to Ken Burns' forthcoming influence.
Peter Batty was a British director — the documentary's outsider perspective on American bloodshed was deliberately chosen for objectivity.
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