Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 11/06/2001 Run time: 380 minutes Rating: NrBefore Ken Burns, Glory, and Gettysburg, the Civil War proved an effective backdrop for this 1982 miniseries–available complete and uncut on this three-disc set–about two families divided by the War Between the States. John Hammond stars as John Geyser, a Southerner caught “betwixt and between” when he becomes a war correspondent for the Northern newspaper published by his uncle. Like a Civil War-era Forrest Gump, he finds himself “where history’s in the making,” from the Battle of Bull Run to the scene of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Stacy Keach costars as an Army scout who takes the “fresh off the farm” Geyser under his wing. Julia Duffy is the schoolmarm who loves Keach. The ham-handed dialogue is a guilty pleasure (“What’s wrong with this land that produces such a bitter fruit?” asks the embittered Geyser). The meticulously mounted battle scenes, though, are a Civil War reenactor’s dream. –Donald Liebenson
Buy “The Blue and the Gray “ For Only $8.06
March 4, 2010
#1
It was decent until the main character killed Federal soldiers, that was unexcusable. Notice to all producers: Make more Civil War movies! There is a shortage of good ones!
March 4, 2010
#2
I FIRST SAW THIS MOVIE WHEN I WAS IN THE FIFTH GRADE,I KNEW I JUST HAD TO HAVE IT,OH, IT IS SOOOOOOOO GOOD,AND WHO PLAYED MARK GEISER? HE WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE! IF YOU FIND OUT,LET ME KNOW!
March 4, 2010
#3
It’s bad – really, really bad. If you are able to get past the early 80′s haircuts, uniforms which don’t look quite right, Civil War battles that look they were fought by maybe 30 people, and painfull to watch overacting, then there is still the writing. Stacy Keach’s character for example, had dreams in which he predicts the future (you hear about them throughout the movie – somehow Keach is able to deliver his lines with a straight face). Hard to believe someone wrote this movie on purpose, harder still to believe that someone thought it was a good idea. Save your money and get Gettysburg instead, or make your own movie with sock puppets, which will still be much better than The Blue and the Gray.
March 4, 2010
#4
OK people. No way could this be rated five stars. Anyone who did is way to easy to please. I watched the whole thing and thank god I had a fast forward button that was used quite often. The whole war seemed to be fought by 50 of the same people. Uniforms were ridiculous. Gregory peck should be ashamed, though he did a splendid job of acting the script was un-believable. Stacy keach did a great job of acting. The Geyser family did not make you feel like they were a real family. This really took away from the reality of the whole mess. Again, I watched it. I will never watch it again so Im going to sell this. I made the mistake of watching Maxwells Gettysburg and God and Generals. Those were the BEST EVER MADE SO FAR! All other movies cant compare to those. Blue and Grey is a joke compared to them. Now that I think about it. I really should have given this series one star. Sorry but it was corny as hell.
March 4, 2010
#5
This is not just a bad civil war movie – it is one of the worst movies ever made about anything. It has no point, it makes no sense and it assumes the viewer is either brain dead or simply stupid. Imagine – in the middle of this terrible war, a southern private gets a message to his cousin in the federal army to meet him that night for something important. Two yankee soldiers and a correspondent (southerner’s brother) meet the southern private, ride in his rowboat together to get to a barn dance behind southern lines – punch and girls and music to dance to. Southern general catches them and is going to send the yankees away as POW’s. Southern private complains because he gave his word he’d see them back to their side of the river safely. General relents because, as his private wonders, what’s the point of the war if the southerner doesn’t honor his word. Then – he offers the southern private his choice of hard labor or joining the “balloon corps.”
Awful, awful, awful. Bruce Catton was either asleep, away or drunk when he gave permission to use his name on this piece of trash. It’s not just inaccurate – the only relationship to the civil war is the statement that’s when it takes place – it is badly acted, badly conceived, badly staged and just plain stupid.