Shenandoah, a film well-liked in its day, recalls Friendly Persuasion and foreshadows The Patriot as it tells of an American clan traumatized by war on native soil. Virginia farmer James Stewart has never owned slaves, owes allegiance to no one beyond his own kin, and adamantly disregards the North-South strife rumbling just over the hill: "This war is not mine and I take no note of it." That changes when youngest son Philip Alford (To Kill a Mockingbird's Jem) is carried off by Yankees, and the family must ride out to reclaim him. Shenandoah has several affecting moments--notably a homefront atrocity--but much of it is lit and played like a television show. Script and direction are formulaic, Stewart falls back on cozy shtick, and the supporting cast is a collection of bland studio contract players. As the closing credit says: "filmed entirely at Universal City." --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Rating:
Summary: Shenandoah
Comment: I purchased this item for my husband at Christmas. He loves old classic movies.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: disappointed
Comment: My tape is faulty and skips video and audio in the middle of the movie.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: DVDs
Comment: Is there anyone out there who does not like James Stewart!!!! If you are a history buff and enjoy Stewart at his best - buy this DVD!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Jimmy Stewart gives a great performance
Comment: I have always been a fan of Jimmy Stewart and also enjoyed the history behind the story

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A metaphor for the war which would divide 1960s America
Comment: I recall seeing this film as a child and then later on DVD while working at an Aid Station in Diyala Province (FOB Warhorse). I've always viewed this film as somewhat of a backdoor critique of Viet Nam. As others have noted, production on this film was completed in '65. This would have been well before a broad cross-section of America came to see the war in SE Asia as futile and unwinnable by the restrictions placed on our forces there. But I nonetheless believe that the film was Hollywood's metaphor about having to take sides even when you dont wish to in actual shooting wars or in no less fiery "culture wars". How did audiences in Selma or Montgomery or Atlanta react to the sight of the young freed slave in the heat of an assault pausing to recognize his old friend and NOT bayoneting him?
Historical inaccuracies in this film will be pointed out by gleeful "gotcha!" purists, as they've done above. Weapons are anachronistic, to say the least.
Stewart shines and saves what might have otherwise been a mediocre film

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