SHENANDOAH is an engaging little war movie with a topical twist. It must have hit home for American audiences watching at the outset of the Vietnam War and wondering if they were going to see their sons again. Jimmy Stewart is an excellent choice for the lead role, a mild-mannered farmer who finds himself drawn into the American Civil War despite his best wishes, due to Yankee soldiers trespassing on his land.Andrew V. McLaglen was a good choice for director as he creates a strong and compelling movie. The famous theme tune is worth catching in itself and the casting director has done well to populate the film with the likes of Doug McClure and Patrick Wayne, with Katharine Ross shining in a small star-making turn. There isn't a great deal of action here but the battle and fight scenes that do take place are fine. The ending deserves mention for being particularly poignant.

Released in 1965 and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, "Shenandoah" is a Civil War drama/western starring James Stewart as a curmudgeonly widower in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, trying to keep his sons out of the war because (1.) his big farm needs them since they have no slaves and don't believe in slavery, and (2.) he feels the war isn't his concern; at least, not until his youngest boy (Phillip Alford) is captured by the Yanks. Glenn Corbett and Patrick Wayne are on hand as his other sons while Rosemary Forsyth and Katharine Ross play his daughter and daughter-in-law respectively. The former is romanced by a Confederate soldier, played by Doug McClure. Mel Gibson & Roland Emmerich took the basic plot of "Shenandoah" to forge 2000's "The Patriot," which is okay because they changed more than enough to make it stand on its own. The only problem I have with "Shenandoah" is that it substitutes California & Oregon for Virginia and you can always discern the difference when the movie shows the decidedly coniferous hills in the background. Other than that, they do a pretty good job of making the locations look like the Shenandoah Valley.The movie was released during the Centennial of the war's end. It doesn't focus on conventional Civil War-type battles, but is dramatically-driven within the war's context and effectively so. Stewart easily carries the movie. Unfortunately, there are some dubious or eye-rolling elements, like the kid wearing a Confederate cap he finds and his dad & brothers not objecting to the folly of this with Yanks operating 5-12 miles away. There are other obvious examples, but the film accomplishes what it sets out to do: It entertainingly brings the viewer into the midst of the conflict and the inherent challenges thereof. But the movie will likely drive erudite sticklers nuts. The film runs 105 minutes. GRADE: B

Shenandoah is directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and written by James Lee Barrett. It stars James Stewart, Patrick Wayne, Doug McClure, Glenn Corbett, Rosemary Forsyth, Phillip Alford and Katharine Ross. Music is by Frank Skinner and Technicolor photography is by William H. Clothier.As the American Civil War rages, a Virginian patriarch keeps his large farming family in the act of isolationism. But will the war leave them alone? A superbly acted and written Civil War Oater, Shenandoah is moving and poignant without over doing the anti-war message. First half of the pic lets us into the lives of the Anderson family, their beliefs, their loves and losses, and decisions that will shape their futures. Circumstances will of course come knocking at the door, which shifts the film into darker territory, where it is here that McLaglen and his team brilliantly show the emotional and physical hardships of the war between the North and the South. Story and the characters are consistently compelling, all while the locations envelope the dramatics with a beauty that is realised by the legendary Clothier. And then there is Stewart, a class act and the axis, the fulcrum of everything that is great about the pic, his character brought vividly - and crucially believably - to life, one of the best father portrayals in classic film. Battles rage, of the war, the heart and of the mind in one of the 1960s best American Oaters. 9/10

A mildly interesting take on the American Civil War, and its effect on the civilian population. Poses some good questions on the morality and reasons for the war, and picking sides. More particularly, not picking sides, and the consequences thereof. Problem is, it doesn't really answer these questions. Maybe that is the answer, that there is no solution, but some degree of attempting an answer would be good.So-so plot. Historically inaccurate at times, and many of the battle scenes seem quite contrived and/or flawed. Could also have been grittier - sometimes felt overly folksy and idealistic. Being made in 1965, however, I guess the producers couldn't be too graphic or tough-minded.Decent performance by James Stewart in the lead role. However, hardly anyone else gets a word in...