APrior to its theatrical release the movie was cut down significantly. Nearly one hour of footage was left out. Thus the movie "only" had a running time of approx. four hours. For its recent release on Blu-ray director Ronald F. Maxwell had the chance to put the missing hour back into the movie and therefore the audience can now see, e.g. a subplot about the actor and designated Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth, more scenes of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the 20th Maine and several other extensions. A detailed comparison between both versions with pictures can be found here.
QGiven that slavery was a brutal and immoral practice, why would anyone today (including the makers of this film) side with the Confederates, who supported slavery, against the Union, which sought to abolish it?
AWhile slavery was the primary cause of the American Civil War, and was a brutal, inhuman practice, there were a number of Confederate officers, including Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and Robert E. Lee, who were uncomfortable with slavery, and were among those who wanted to see it abolished. But like many of the soldiers who fought in the war on the side of the Confederacy, their reasons for fighting did not involve slavery. They claimed to be fighting for their homes, including Virginia, the native state of Lee and Jackson.Also, the abolition of slavery was not the Union's primary goal at the beginning of the conflict. The goal at first was to restore the Union. Lincoln felt that, at that time, freeing the slaves in the South was beyond his power. When Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 the primary rationale (and trigger) was to deny the Confederate Army the use of the slaves; labor to support the war effort. He was, in fact, actually keen on shipping the freed African Americans to other places (both Cuba and Africa were considered). But when he saw how African Americans were willing to fight and die for their own freedom, he again changed his views. By the end of the war in 1865, he had evolved into the "Great Emancipator" we all know today. Most Union troops would say they were fighting for the preservation of the Union, and while many disliked the practice of slavery, many of them were not willing to die to end it at first. The movie "Glory" depicts this issue as well.In the case of the film, "Gods and Generals" is the first film of a proposed Civil War trilogy, which is followed by the previously filmed "Gettysburg," and the still-to-be produced conclusion, "Last Full Measure." "Gods and Generals" focuses on the war primarily from the Confederate side, whereas "Gettysburg" gives equal time to both sides. "Last Full Measure," when produced, will see the conclusion of the war primarily from the Union perspective, so when the trilogy is completed, it will give a balanced look at the American Civil War from both sides of the conflict.
