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Charles Robinson, Denver Pyle, Doug McClure

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78% liked it

5,320 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Andrew V. McLaglen

Release Date: June 3, 1965

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DVD Release Date: May 6, 2003

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Doug McClure and Rosemary Forsyth Shenandoah
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Flixster Reviews (199)

  • FangsFirst
    January 20, 2008
    FangsFirst
    I picked this movie up because it came recommended and I've always liked ol' Jimmy Stewart.

    I'm not sure what I was expecting of it, as I had forgotten anything and everything I'd read of it by the time I sat down to watch it. We start off learning of Charlie Anderson (Stewart),...( read more) Virginian farmer and father of eight. Or is it seven, plus a daughter-in-law? Oh whatever, they all kind of blended together, honestly. The film is set in the middle of the Civil War, and Anderson is staunchly determined not to be involved. He does not feel the need of 'state' or duty to it, nor any other kind except to his family and his deceased wife. Her final wish was for him to raise their children as Christians, so he takes them into church every week inbetween their usual farmwork, often interrupting the service by arriving late and occasionally with familial noise or business on the part of the younger family members.

    As is inevitable with a civil war, though, Anderson and his family (all sons but one daughter, whatever the total number was) are not able to keep out of its reach. It wanders in quietly and inanimately through a Confederate hat that washes down a stream to his youngest, "The Boy." He only questions the Boy wearing it at the dinner table, but says little of it otherwise. He argues with his eldest, James (Patrick Wayne, son of John) about his stance on the war itself, winning in at least authority if not philosophy. But soon the involvement is more immediate--a Confederate soldier marries his daughter, and a small group of Confederate soldiers come to request his sons join up. Then the Union comes to buy or take his horses, leading to a brawl between the Andersons and the soldiers, determined to hold their ground, even as cannonfire echoes from miles around their farm. Finally the Boy is captured thanks to his "Johnny Reb" cap, and Charlie takes the family out to find him.

    I was a little confused by the movie. Not the plot, certainly (it's simplistic enough), but by what it was trying to do and accomplish. It bears the cringe-inducing fumbling and inarticulate dialogue of early Hollywood westerns that worried more about gunfights than characters, and the portrayal of the soldiers in the film is slightly confusing. Confederate soldiers are by and large polite and generally friendly, and all Union soldiers are snotty, arrogant and sarcastic. In the end the movie seems to be taking a stance against war, but this seems incongruous when it feels like it's taking sides. Certainly I don't mean to imply that it should have been the opposite, but this blanketing of attitude is the kind of poor writing I'm referring to. Many character actions are unbelievably ridiculous, too. Why on earth did the Boy keep the hat on after it got him into that trouble? Why did he so readily and stupidly follow the other Confederate prisoners? Why on earth did the entire family go out as a GROUP to find the missing son?

    Dramatic events are just as clumsy as the dialogue, having no sense of pacing or emotion, often trying to focus on one or two characters with the rest paralyzed or milling around behind it all. Jimmy shines through it all, bringing a bitter, down-trodden pride to Charlie Anderson, showing him as a man who will stand by what he thinks is the right thing to do. Even when faced with loss, he barely contains his frustration, rage and sorrow--but I did say barely, and he does do it, and holds to his principles. He makes (seemingly) clear the movie's feelings about war, that sides are irrelevant and pain, death and loss are the only real inevitable results.

    I was happy to note the presence of George Kennedy ("sidekick" to Leslie Nielsen in the Naked Gun series and a character actor who has appeared regularly in a slew of other films) and Strother Martin. Unfortunately Strother does not get to put much of his voice or character into his very minor role, and with a distinctive voice like his it almost seems a waste. I had to strain to hear that peculiar timbre his voice has, as I fought off an irritation at the scene it occurred in.

    One of the more disappointing films I've gotten around to seeing these days.
  • organgrinder136
    January 5, 2008
    organgrinder136
    as usual a gripping performance from james stewart as the father of a southern family trying simply to survive the civil war. not one to get involved until a person sets foot on his property or tries to steal what is his he tries to lead his family with the rules of christianity ...( read more)owing to his dead wifes last and dying request. eventually the war does come to his doorstep and he helplessly has to get involved. a very strong story, a very strong performance from stewart and a very emotional family adventure
  • garyX
    July 14, 2007
    garyX
    More a rugged outdoor family drama than a cowboys 'n' injuns shoot 'em up, it features a typically reliable performance by old warhorse James Stewart who plays the pragmatic patriarch of a Virginia farming family caught up in the civil war. It's episodic and a little cloyingly se...( read more)ntimental, but it has it's moments, particularly the cow stopping play during a battle and a memorable cameo from George Kennedy as a world weary union colonel.
  • agonzalez7000
    May 30, 2009
    agonzalez7000
    Classic 1960's western with a strong underlying anti-war theme It was some of James Stewart''s best acting later in his career, but the plot is so sad and devastating.
  • xXxXHorrorFanxXxX
    May 5, 2009
    xXxXHorrorFanxXxX
    This was a great civil war film i really liked it and a bunch of good actors in here like Charles Robinson, Denver Pyle, Doug McClure, George Kennedy, Glenn Corbett, James Best, James Stewart, Jim McMullan, Patrick Wayne, Paul Fix, Phillip Alford, Tim McIntire and thats all i c...( read more)an think of right now
    and a peaceful, hardworking farming family suffers the strains and unavoidable losses of the Civil War in `Shenandoah.' James Stewart is the head of the clan, who does not keep slaves and refuses to fight for men who do. Since the death of his wife, he has raised his large family to work hard and fight for what is right, and now the onset of the war forces them to come to terms with everything they believe in.

    The film is largely set on Stewart's farm in the Shenandoah Valley. At the start of the film, the family tries to go about its business as if the war did not exist. Ignoring the war becomes increasingly difficult, however, with soldiers constantly marching through the property trying to recruit the sons and requisition the livestock. When the youngest son is taken prisoner Stewart decides the time has come to take action, so they set out to find the boy. Along the way, lives are lost, values are tested, and mindsets are changed with experience.

    Stewart's performance as the proud patriarch is excellent. It is a grizzled, more mature Jimmy Stewart than one is used to, with a cigar stub constantly dangling from his mouth and a perpetual scowl on his face, but in essence it is the same proud, upright character that he has always specialized in. He is effective in conveying the fear and vulnerability of a man who is unsure of the right thing to do, looking out for his family and land in the midst of a war-torn nation. His conversations at his wife's gravestone stand among the most poignant work of his career.
    Photobucket
    Boy Anderson: What'd I do?
    Charlie Anderson: It's what you haven't done, boy. A man who eats with his hat on is going nowhere in a hurry. Now, your mother wanted you all raised as good Christians, and I may not be able to do that thorny job as well as she could, but I can do something about your manners.

    Lt. Sam: I'd be eternally grateful if you'd permit me to call upon you this evening.
    Jennie Anderson: Eternally is a long time, Sam.
    Lt. Sam: Not when one carries a memory of you, Miss Jennie.

    Pastor Bjoerling: Charlie Anderson, I wonder if you'd be good enough to tell me why you even bother coming to services. Meaning no disrespect, of course.
    Charlie Anderson: It was my wife's last request, Pastor Bjoerling. Meaning no disrespect, of course.

    Charlie Anderson: I'm glad you're here, Johnson. I've been meaning to have a word with your people about those cannons of yours. The chickens have stopped laying, the cows have dried up. Who do I send the bill to?

    Boy Anderson is wearing a confederate cap]
    Charlie Anderson: Where'd you get the hat, boy?
    Boy Anderson: Down by the creek, sir.
    Charlie Anderson: Some fella down there handing out hats?

    Charlie Anderson: What about you, James? You ever think you might like to own a slave?
    James Anderson: Well, I guess I never thought about it, Pa.
    Charlie Anderson: Well, think about it! Think about it! If you had money would you go out and buy a slave?
    James Anderson: No sir, I wouldn't.
    Charlie Anderson: Why not?
    James Anderson: Well, if I can't do my own work with my own hands it'd never get done.

    pouring whiskey to celebrate the birth of his granddaughter]
    Charlie Anderson: How old are you now, Boy?
    Boy Anderson: Eighteen, sir.
    Charlie Anderson: That means you'll be twenty in four years. Eighteen to you, sixteen to me.
    Boy Anderson: Just a little bit, sir. I've never tasted it.
    Charlie Anderson: Well, that's no good reason at all. I've known men who've been drinkin' hard and steady all their lives that have never tasted it, either.

    Carter: You can have your chance tonight, if you want to take it.
    Boy Anderson: Chance for what?
    Carter: To run. They don't waste men on prisoner duty and they're usually the worst of the lot. They plan on herdin' us onto that sternwheeler and some of us don't fancy no sightseein' tour up North. When they open that gate tonight, you stay as close to me as a flea on a hound dog. Somethin' else. Once we get goin', you're on your own. I gotta forget you ain't nothin' but a lap baby.
  • Soundsofmadness
    March 28, 2009
    Soundsofmadness
    No thankyou - Not interested
  • stephenfrakes
    March 5, 2009
    stephenfrakes
    James Stewart is always great. Love this movie.
  • xxxcli213xxx
    December 10, 2008
    xxxcli213xxx
    no thanks not my kinda thing
  • daghka
    October 4, 2008
    daghka
    This movie in my opinion sort of impressed me. It feels almost like tale where certain things came out right but hard to see. I really like how the events unfold here the most, for example in the middle when the group escapes, some of them jump into the water, those get shot but ...( read more)the others hid and it really emphasized the early opinion of the opinion of people used as fodder for some to gain and others to lose. These kind of minor themes are seen throughout this movie and my guess is that considering commercial inclinations, some stuff had to be shown rather told. Another thing is, as much as it is conventional down to the very end scene, this story is really good and is atypical of the western with its strange themes of happiness amidst disaster and of just keeping along with everything. I mean, looking at the last dinner scene, the way the children tucked in bothered me, it seems to have lots of these hidden tones in them.
  • SHOLLY72
    September 24, 2008
    SHOLLY72
    I'd forgot about this one! a good one too!

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  • Which James Stewart film takes place in Civil War time?  Answer »
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