Field of Lost Shoes

Who directed this movie? Grapeshot after grapeshot were exploding inches from the attacking Confederates yet no one was falling. It's clear that this is an obvious attempt to glorify elitist Confederates. It also seems very low budget, as the battle scenes are what I'd expect from a pre-CGI time period. Tom Skerrit is the best part of the movie.

"Field of Lost Shoes" is far from perfect. After all, it's obvious that the folks making the film had a rather limited budget. In many scenes which should have featured many hundreds, only a few dozen are used. However, I don't necessarily see this as an awful thing. After all, the Battle of New Market is NOT the sort of thing that Hollywood would ever make a movie about, so of course the film isn't as fancy or has quite the look of a big production. I can look past this to a certain extent and think considering everything, the film actually looks pretty good. As for the film apart from the low budget, it's okay...not great, but okay. Instead of focusing on the battle like a documentary, the filmmakers chose to include a lot of fictional subplots--some of which worked and some of which seemed a bit anachronistic (such as Southern students who believe in equality and hate slavery--not something you would have likely heard ANYONE say in the South at that time) or which just didn't work (the love story). I see it as a noble attempt and a reasonably good one at that. Worth seeing if you are a Civil War buff or love history. The ending was quite touching as well. Otherwise, there are a few better films about the era, such as "Glory". Hmmm....now that I think about it, there really AREN'T that many good films about the Civil War and this one is about as good as any...and not nearly as long and ponderous as "Gettysburg".

The American Civil War is by far the war that lasts forever in this countries collective memory and was decreed in absentia by the flawed original signing of the Declaration of Independence leaving slavery intact. You would think that makes for great films and in many cases it did,however rarely do they have mass appeal. This 2014 release that sometimes seems longer then its 96 minutes,a flaw in pacing,is not preachy yet stark in some of its depiction that may seem uneven at times.Its based on a historic battle fought by cadets from VMI (Virginia Military Institute) that still exists today.However its also a coming of age film and in that sense some might find it corny,I didn't.The young actors were good but unknown to me.The "b"level adult actors were also good and you'll recognize a few,yet less screen time than the youngins.So if you like a somewhat different twist to a Civil War film yet keeping it "real"you might enjoy it.I certainly was pleasantly surprised.One of my lesser known gems.

It had just about everything you would expect for a movie about the civil war. Ithought the reinactors did a great job. There were no fake beards, the uniforms looked good, there were some not so original Southern accents but not as bad as some I've seen. As with most movies they embellished in a lot of areas and some parts were not historically correct but it was overall close enough for entertainment. There was a love story in the movie and there was some humor too. There was reference to slavery but it was not over done, they didn't make the whole movie about racism. The movie was much better than I had anticipated judging from some of the reviews.

When I watch films about American civil war I really figure it out how civil war is so stupid in general. I lived trough one and i am amazed about what people can fight about. Although American civil war abolished slavery in America, it also made South dependent on the North, and it still feels today. Now about the film itself. I saw worse period costume war films. This one was obviously made to commemorate that South had bravery during that civil war. Their soldiers, although out gunned and poorer in supplies and matériel fought with great bravery. This film certainly remands me of war films they made about World War II in the former Yugoslavia, I even saw they used Macedonian Orchestra to perform the music. If you like American civil war films this one is for you, otherwise I would not bother.

I thought the acting was fine and the costuming and photography was good as well. Unfortunately, the writers/producers made the war about slavery, when there were higher issues at play, such as states rights and a northern industry-controlled federal government that was violating the Constitution under the leadership of a man who had little regard for the document. That having been said, I am pleased that the Southern characters were not made to be Simon Legrees, but were instead shown as thoughtful and caring humans. As the VMI cadets tried to help the black VMI baker and the black woman trapped under a wagon, it showed a real picture of the more common relations between black and white people in the South. I am pleased that this aspect of human relations was shown. The film appeared to be fairly true to the events leading up to the battle and during the battle. It was a terrible war (and one that would never have happened if the North had not invaded the South). But it is nice to reminisce about a time when men were gentlemen, women were ladies, and race relations were not as volatile as they are today (after 150 years of government meddling).

I enjoyed this movie about the involvement of cadets from the Virginia Military Institute in the Battle of New Market which delayed U. S. Grant's invasion into the Shenandoah Valley. Most of the movie takes place at the academy in 1863-4 showing the cadet's dedication to duty, honor and concern about the war. The movie takes a decidedly ant-slavery stand though this is mostly in the background. This first scene in 1858 shows the governor of Virginia, who opposed secession, taking his 12 year old son to a slave auction to see the misery and pain inherit in the practice of slavery. Five years later the son is one of the cadets called to serve in the reserves of CSA General Breckenridge's army for the battle. The cadets experience romance, fear, death, loss of comrades, fear but finally victory. The title comes from one of the last scenes when Confederate soldiers recover boots and shoes from the battlefield. Their sacrifice is still honored each year at VMI. This movie will only appeal to a small audience of course. It received no advance publicity of any kind. I was the only person in this theater at the multiplex. It probably won't last long wherever it plays.

This movie had a chance to present the main topic of honoring the real life cadets, and their sacrifice to serve in the Civil War. Unfortunately, this film tried to reach too far. Most of the back stories watered down any chance for this film to retain any sense of cohesion. They all lacked any sophistication of presentation. Additionally, those same back stories were presented in a fashion that would captivate today's teen audience. Sparkly vampires, Harry Potter, that sort of thing. Sorry teens, however, times were very different obviously from today. Mostly Hollywood tries, and fails to romanticize the Civil War and that conflict of our Nations History was far from romantic, but I digress. The Back stories tried too hard, and again slowed the timing and flow of the film, and just when you thought it may pick up, it slooows down. Perhaps the most hokey, and pretentious part of the film was when the commanding general sat with the cadets on the evening before the battle... (face palm). The battle scenes were not very well edited either, and the battle was not presented in any real coherent fashion, except for the end of the battle, and even then I was waiting for the cliché finger point, you know the one that you see in football movies? O_o Still, I did watch it beginning to end, and if it wasn't raining buckets outside (which at times was more interesting) I think I would have found something else to do. My apologies to every involved with this film, however this was not a good effort at presentation at all.

A great part of the movie was it's historical accuracy. Showing confederate soldiers without shoes and low on supplies, with the facts about the tributes to the group of cadets by the Virginia Military Institute today in the beginning and the end. It tells stories of perseverance, love, and sacrifice all at once. Right when it felt like it was starting to drag in the middle it threw a twist to keep things interesting. This movie is underrated, and a great showing of the side that isn't shown as often.

Unlike the reviewer in "The Village Voice," I found this film to be moving and touchingly old fashioned. The "love at sight,' for example, between one of the cadets and a southern girl rings true and is a familiar, though often sad motif to those of us who work with teenage boys and girls. The jocular and sometimes hostile relations between the older boys seems authentic, as does their possessive and protective feelings toward the boyish 'Sir Rat.' To return for a moment to "The Village Voice" review: the arrogance and 'know it all' attitude of the reviewer toward the South reminded me why my southern relatives refer to this conflict as "The War of Northern Aggression." It is precisely this air of superiority which contributed to the Southern break with their brothers in the North. I do, however, find the modernist desire on the part of the producers to distance the cadets from their region's stance on slavery to be forced. I feel that history and a better story would have been served to portray the boys as fighting for Virginia and their nation, the Confederacy. Part of the southern lore surrounding the Battle of New Market is that Breckenridge wept when he ordered the cadets into battle. I can believe that he cried when he gave the order. What a terrible burden it would be to send boys into battle! I can't believe that the northerner commander would not have felt, at least, a twinge of conscience when he ordered his troops to fire upon and engage with the cadets. The film's portrayal of that man as a ruthless murderer ordering his men to kill boys does not ring true. The fact that the cadets fought like lions might have surprised him and his men--but those of us who have worked with this age group know that teenage boys would make fearsome opponents. In the end, I applaud the film makers for their efforts—they did much more than produce a period piece bedecked with false whiskers—they gave the viewer insight into this brave but terrible episode in the Civil War, or the War Between the States, as my southern relatives would ask me to write.