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| Advertising poster for the 1965 movie"Shenandoah." |
Recently (F11/20), I pulled out my DVD for the 1965 movie, Shenandoah starring (among others) Jimmy Stewart. Although I had not watched it for a long time, I have seen the movie many times and it is a favorite as well as an influence.
I don't exactly remember when I first saw Shenandoah. I am pretty sure that I saw it at a Drive-in, probably during the summer. That was a popular entertainment event for our family at that time (especially in pre-Air Conditioner days). I remember seeing it multiple times on TV, probably during the 70s (probably with my dad at my side).
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| DVD cover |
You can click the link above (and referenced below) to find out about the plot, etc. Essentially, it is an anti-war, Civil War movie. Some have described it as Libertarian. I wasn't thinking about that (i.e., politics) during early viewings. Rather, it was the story and adventure and ideals that got my attention.
- It is anti-war. Jimmy Stewart as Charlie Anderson firmly is avoiding participating in the Civil War (aka "War of Northern Aggression") even though his family lives in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The slogan on the poster above referencing "the Fighting Virginians" is a misnomer because the only real fighting that the family does in this movie is to fight to stay out of the war.
- It has a strong father figure with respectful and loving children. The father has his views but encourages his children to express their perspectives and defend them.
- Although the family lives in a "slave" state, they do not own slaves.
- Jimmy/Charlie is loyal to his marriage even though he is a widower. There are multiple scenes where he "talks" to his wife (Martha) at her grave.
- Jimmy/Charlie is the "Good Shepherd." When one of his sons is captured by soldiers, the family goes after them to get them back.
- Marriage is taken seriously. The scene where Doug McClure's character confronts Charlie to ask for permission to marry Charlie's daughter is a sermon on the difference between "like" and "love." We use the word "love" so lightly and yet there is a profound difference. While it might be rather silly to debate the difference in use, contemplation about what it means to love someone is a worthwhile result of this scene. One blogger summed it with noting that 'love is a choice, not a feeling.' Oh, that would make such a difference today if more understood that.
- The horrors of war. This is not a graphic movie that realistically shows wounded flesh but it shows enough to get the point across. There is a battle scene where a Confederate is shot in the forehead. The horror of that has remained with me as a sudden and awful aspect of combat. Another scene involves a group of Confederate scavengers who attack those left at the farm. The horror of these scenes are imprinted in my memory despite the lack of graphic depiction.
- Family loyalty. A unity is expressed in various ways throughout the movie. There is also the contrast between death/past (e.g., wife/mother/Martha), the trials of today, the future (marriage and grandchildren). Despite some dreadful losses, the family survives and continues on.
- Religion. I noticed this this time. There is tension between Jimmy/Charlie and the preacher. Charlie is not religious (and is somewhat skeptical) but promised his late wife he would bring the children up in the church. And so, he keeps his word.
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Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenandoah_(film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive-in_theater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenandoah_Valley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Shepherd
http://kindredgrace.com/journal/wisdom-on-marriage-from-jimmy-stewart
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/19069/Shenandoah
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Written Wednesday 23 December 2015.
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