The Big Picture

Gettysburg is considered the definitive Civil War movie, chronicling the pivotal battle of 1863 and exploring the strategies and mindset of both Union and Confederate forces. Originally intended as a miniseries, Gettysburg was released theatrically due to the impressive support from its founder and control of the theatrical distribution company. While Gettysburg remains a significant achievement and offers a captivating portrayal of a pivotal moment in history.

While there have always been long movies, it has become more common in recent years to see widely available, mainstream films that surpass the three-hour limit. Such an excessive runtime used to be afforded to only prestigious auteur projects like The Godfather: Part II or Once Upon A Time In America. However, the last few years have seen films generally surpassing a three-hour length, like The Batman, Oppenheimer, and Killers of the Flower Moon finding both immense commercial and critical success. In this way, it should be noted that length doesn’t have to be a detriment to enjoyment if a film justifies it in some way. Some stories are so packed with detail that they require an extended running time to have it told completely. Although one of those films was originally intended to be a miniseries, the 1993 Civil War film Gettysburg stands as the longest American theatrical movie in history.

Gettysburg In 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War. Release Date October 8, 1993 Director Ron Maxwell Runtime 271 minutes

‘Gettysburg’ Is the Definitive Civil War Movie
Although there have been many films about the American Civil War, Gettsysburg serves as the definitive depiction of one of the most consequential conflicts in American history. The film chronicles the pivotal battle of 1863, which signified a major turning point in the conflict and left behind significant casualties on both sides. The three-day battle was waged by Union and Confederate forces in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with forces concentrated in the Eastern theater. While the battle represented the Confederacy’s best attempt to establish itself as an independent nation, the Union’s victory ended the prospects of a divided nation altogether. It’s due to this success that the Union was able to win the war two years later in the Battle of Appomattox.

Although a film of standard length would struggle to find the time to depict all of the historical figures involved in the battle, Gettysburg takes the time to explore the strategy that was involved in the decisive battle. The film explores how Union Colonel Joshua Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) fought against weathering circumstances to raise his army to their potential; despite facing low ammunition, starvation, loss of resources and extensive casualties, Chamberlain was able to pool his knowledge with Brigadier General John Buford (Sam Ellliot) and Lieutenant Thomas Chamberlain (C. Thomas Howell) to goad the Confederacy into making critical battle errors. Even compared to other epic films, Gettysburg is remarkable in its attention-to-detail.

Although the film makes no attempts to lionize the philosophies that motivated Southern rebels, Gettysburg dedicates just as much time to the Confederate characters as it does to the Union heroes. Much of the film focuses on the mindset of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee III (Martin Sheen), whose decision to dispatch his troops in open conflict with the Union Army in the field contributed to the decisive loss. The film examines how Lee’s allies, Lieutenant General James Longstreet (Tom Berenger) and Major General George Pickett (Stephen Lang), came to doubt his approach as the conflict waged on. The extensive time spent detailing how each historical figure contributed to the conflict is what made Gettysburg the longest American theatrical film of all-time.

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How the ‘Gettysburg’ Miniseries Became a Movie
Image via New Line Cinema

While it ultimately proved to be a sensational epic that was worthy of being distributed theatrically, Gettsburg was originally intended to be a miniseries for TNT. With a modest budget of $20 million, Gettysburg was intended to air in multiple installments on the broadcast television network, with different episodes focused on individual characters. The series was funded by Turner Pictures, whose founder Ted Turner was so impressed with what he saw that he decided to release it theatrically. Turner also had control over the theatrical distribution company New Line Cinema, giving the film an easy route to moviegoers. The success of Kevin Costner’s Civil War epic Dances With Wolves in 1990 indicated that audiences were interested in action-packed epics about major historical events.

Despite the strong praise that the film earned from audiences, film critics, and historical pundits, Gettysburg struggled at the box office due to its excessive running time. Scheduling a four-hour movie meant that theater owners could only slot in a few screen times per day, which limited the film’s availability to audiences. While Gettysburg may not have been a blockbuster, the strategy of releasing it in theaters first ended up building anticipation for its eventual debut on TNT broadcast and home video markets. The film’s budget was relatively small compared to many of the best war films ever made, ensuring that its somewhat underwhelming box office performance did not harm its reputation. Those who did get to see the film in theaters got the chance to see a rousing, educational masterwork in the best possible format.

What Are the Longest Movies Ever Made?

While it surpasses the running time of all other American theatrical films, Gettysburg isn’t actually the longest movie ever made. There are many experimental films released only in select markets and festival events that run much longer, with the 2012 Swedish film Logistics reaching an astounding 857 hours, or 35 days. Even within the realm of narrative war films, Gettysburg is shorter than such international films as the French silent epic Napoleon (333 minutes), the 1966 Russian adaptation of War and Peace (422 minutes), and the 1961 Japanese masterpiece The Human Condition.

Even if its running time has been dwarfed by international cinema, Gettysburg is a tremendous achievement that is certainly worth watching for anyone interested in this pivotal moment in history. Epic war stories like the ones in Gettysburg are now more often seen on television, as shows like Band of Brothers have been able to explore historical events over the course of multiple episodes. The added runtime has allowed the creators of these shows the opportunity to tell all-encompassing stories that don’t have to be condensed to fit the parameters of a standard theatrical release. While it seems like the era of long war epics may have passed, the recent success of historical films like Oppenheimer, Napoleon, and Killers of the Flower Moon suggests that there still may be some enthusiasm for this genre among cinephiles.

Gettysburg is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.

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