Movies about the Civil War in the US: "Good, bad, evil," "Dancing with wolves," "Five guns of the West"

Movies about the Civil War in the United States occupy a prominent place in the world of cinema. It is the films of this theme that largely determined the development of such a popular genre as the western. Until now, many tapes are considered classics and are of interest not only to the modern spectator, but also to directors who often imitate this style.

a brief description of

Movies about the Civil War in the United States, usually removed in the genre of western or spaghetti western. For these films, the following features are characteristic: the action of the plot unfolds in the Wild West, ie, in the western states, as well as in Canada or Mexico, the main theme is the development of deserted or already inhabited spaces (in the latter case, the struggle of American settlers with Indians is shown) , The opposition of an innovative and backward lifestyle. The protagonist is a person with his own code of honor, which does not comply with the current legislation. Movies of this kind are full of action, shootings, chases, robberies, etc. Movies about the Civil War in the US are extremely popular due to the dashingly twisted plot, ambiguous characters, complex tricks.

The main difference between the two genres is that westerns tend to be more or less oriented to the historical realities of the era, while spaghetti westerns present the viewer with some kind of conditional reality that is very remotely similar to the situation in the country in the nineteenth century.

"Gone With the Wind"

This film, released on screens in 1939, is still, perhaps, the most famous film about the Civil War. The cinema is interesting because it contains the idea that in this tragic confrontation there is neither right nor guilty. The Losers that have lost are shown in this story with sympathy and compassion. In this adaptation of the novel, M. Mitchell perfectly recreates the atmosphere of American life in the second half of the nineteenth century, the way of life and life of landowners, ordinary workers, military men. Pictures of military actions convey the spirit of the era and the grave consequences of this terrible tragedy.

"Good bad evil"

The genre of spaghetti westerns is the famous film, shot in 1966. This movie tells of three men who in the midst of the Civil War are busy searching for hidden gold. One is the shooter, the other is the retired soldier, the third is the raider who trades with dangerous adventures along with his partner. A feature of this film is that it does not focus on specific historical events of the Civil War in the United States, which serves only as a background for the main action. Nevertheless, in the film there is a scene in which a military operation of the northern army is shown. Having removed the movie "Good, Bad, Evil", Leone laid the foundation of a new genre in cinema - a spaghetti western, which was later imitated by such famous directors as K. Tarantino, S. King, N. Mikhalkov. The picture was remembered not only for the principled novelty of the theme and filming, but also for the magnificent actors' play, as well as the beautiful soundtrack for E. Morricone.

"Dancing with wolves"

The film, which was released in 1990, is devoted to a very complex problem of the relationship between American settlers and Indians. The protagonist, an American lieutenant, goes to serve in a remote fort, where the conditions of nature are very harsh, and the local population seems very inhospitable. However, after a while, the lieutenant approached the Indians and, despite the difference in culture and language, became friends with them, and then even became a member of the tribe. The movie "Dancing with the Wolves" is devoted to the traditional theme of confrontation between whites and Indians. The picture shows how the settlers are attacked by the colonists, by forcibly seizing foreign territories.

Other paintings

There are a lot of films in the world cinema that are dedicated to these tragic events in large part because the four years of confrontation between the North and the South along with the War of Independence were the most dramatic in the history of the United States. The film "How the West Was Won" narrates about several generations of American colonists. Through the fate of the main characters, the director skillfully demonstrated the events of several decades. The movie consists of several stories, each of which is dedicated to a certain stage in the life of the family. A wide panorama and geography of action allow the viewer to feel the spirit of the era and get an idea of what has been happening in different parts of the country for several years.

The film Five Guns of the West tells how several Confederates were captured and sentenced to death, but they were offered a pardon in exchange for fulfilling one dangerous task: to track down a double agent who stole from the authorities a decent amount of money. If the operation is successful, the heroes can begin a new life. The film "Major Dundee" tells how the main character was led by a detachment of captured Confederates, soldiers of the Union, local residents to chase the Indians in Mexico. This story line is based on real facts, when captive southerners often crossed over to the North and fought against the slave states.

Modern tapes

Films about the Civil War in the United States are also being shot in our days. One of the most famous is the picture "Gangs of New York", which fairly faithfully conveys the atmosphere of those terrible years. The movie combines elements of an action movie, a gangster style, a political detective.

The tape shows the difficult realities of the North of the war: poverty, immigration, corruption, riots, as well as some real episodes from the life of New York at the time, such as river piracy, wars between city gangs.

Another modern picture devoted to the subject of the Civil War is Steven Spielberg's film Lincoln, in which the history of America in the 1860s is shown through the biography of the president. The director paid special attention to the description of the struggle of the states and the adoption of the famous amendment to the Constitution on the abolition of slavery.