Jeff Daniels talks about his role in Gettysburg

[snappy452]

Few people have owned their character and done it justice the way Daniels did for Chamberland in Gettysburg and even Gods and Generals (though playing a younger version while looking noticeably older took away from it a bit, though obviously thats not his fault.)

[blueandgrayfamily]

Mr. Daniels, Thank you for playing some wonderful historical roles in our history.

[mpetersen6]

I wonder if Turner will ever film The Last Full Measure"

[Imachowderhead]

@mpetersen6 He said he wasnt...Ron Maxwell is looking for funding now, I hope it gets off the ground because most of its supposed to be filmed around where I live, Near Petersburg, City Point, etc.

[LordHannigan]

@mpetersen6 I think he will if enough people demand it.

[SouthernPacific8984]

@mpetersen6 If he ever does i think the main characters should be; General Sherman (Stephen Lang), General Grant (Martin Sheen), Robert e. lee (Robert Duvall), Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels), J.E.B. Stuart (Joseph Fuqua)

[KnightOwl2006]

Daniels was good in both roles.

[MatlockJack]

IIRC Ellis Spear called Chamberlain's emergency command of Little Round Top into question - ie he suggested that another (unnamed) officer initiated the iconic bayonet charge, in response to otherwise unsustainable pressure. If anyone has better information, then fair enough.

[JoeHooker11]

@MatlockJack I've heard three different versions of the battle. One is the Chamberlain gets the idea, the other is actually Ellis Spear came up with the idea, and the last states that the color guard went out to bring in some wounded and ended up causing the charge. In the end though, we'll never know the full story.

[rickcee]

The only thing I disagree with is Daniels's thought that Chamberlain was an unsung hero. He was VERY sung LOL. In fact, Chamberlain continued to sing his own praises for years following his heroics at Little Round Top. He also denied any credit to his other officers who were quite instrumental in those heroics. Chamberlain obviously deserves his accolades, but so do a few others, and Chamberlain never gave them proper credit. He lived 50 years beyond July 2, 1863 and had time to do so.

[alienhuman]

Chamberlain was no hero. He was as lucky as any 'hero' of any war.

[rivercityhobo]

him and Tom Berenger were the best in the Gettysburg movie. Super award for drama role!

[yamsid]

People still argue about Little Round Top from an historical point of view but from a movie point of view when Jeff Daniels shouts "bayonets!" that's right up there with "here's looking at you, kid" or "I don't give a damn". No matter how many times I watch that scene it sends chills up my spine.

[EricW1063]

@yamsid So true.

[hollywoodwerewolf]

@yamsid the look on his face, the frustration the desperation and the finality of his decision to give the Rebs the cold steel...not surprised it gives you chills. It was great.

[SoulKiller7Eternal]

@yamsid Well...what really happened and I got this from books on Gettysburg, when Chamberlain led the charge most rebels either turned tail or ran, or surrended right on the spot. All of them were nonetheless stunned when they charged though. Even reading some bios from Union troops about that battle it said close to the same thing.

[margsyn]

@yamsid Totally agree. Also, did you notice how, at the beginning of the movie, he fastened all the buttons of his coat using his left hand as he's walking and talking with Kilrane? That takes real skill. He was totally into the part. My other favorite was Martin Sheen as Lee. They carried the film, although the others were really good as well.

[corpralkirsch]

hes right 2 years ago in 10th grade we went on a field trip to gettysburg, at that i had underestimated the civil war i was the typical ww1 ww2 vietnam person, when we were on the bus riding in to the town it just seemed like you could have no knowledge what so ever and still know something had happened there, and now the civil war is my favorite to learn about

[ryancohenmusic]

he truly IS Colonel Joshua Chamberlain of the 20th maine.

[deerhunter59ify]

@ryancohenmusic Chamberland lived a very long life and it was said that everytime he told his story about little round top, he made himself greater and greater. Acually Col. Rice should probably get more of the glory, If you ever study the 20th maine closely.

[ryancohenmusic]

@deerhunter59ify wow that is kind of upsetting if it's true. i can kind of see how that could happen. either way, the story is incredible and is a part of our history. but i definitely can see chamberlain being glorified, because someone had to be.

[rickcee]

@deerhunter59ify That's exactly correct. Which is not to say that Chamberlain did not deserve the attention that he got. He apparently did, and other historians will agree that he did. His cardinal sin was not giving proper credit, however, to Rice, who also deserved to be noted. Chamberlain seemed to blow up bigger and bigger after the fact--not unusual at all for a politician. After all, once he was done as chancellor of Bowdoin, he served several terms as Maine Governor. Typical politician.

[deerhunter59ify]

@ryancohenmusic Hey, did anyone out there see Ted Turner make his cameo during "Picketts Charge in the movie? Patrick Falci played AP Hill in the movie and he told me it took about 50 takes to get this right. Everytime "Turner" would get shot, he would exaggerate and it would take him forever to fall. His wife at the time, Jane said he even wore his uniform to dinner at night at home. This is great!

[deerhunter59ify]

@ryancohenmusic Anyone who can portray someone like "Chamberlain" then turn around and do a "Dumb and Dumber", which I loved, has to be great actor. Heres to you Harry! I mean Lawrence!

[SCE2AUX]

@deerhunter59ify One of these days....one of these days, I'm gonna write a fanfiction in which Harry and Lawrence switch places.

[hollywoodwerewolf]

@deerhunter59ify Don't call him Lawrence hehe

[RubenVW95]

does anywone know the tittle of the film with him when he is playing in a movie with 3 couples i think and everything goes wrong it's a comedy please help

[GabrielDeafBlindPupF]

I can only shake my head YES! He truly connected with J.L. Chamberlain and brought this incredible American to Life. It's as though he was chanelling him.

[imperatorcaesar100]

I loved his role as Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is I agree I also think the best role he had played Is as Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamerlain. I enjoyed his performance as Chamberlain in Gettysburg, and Gods and Generals. I hope to see the Last Full Measure He brought a little known american hero to life in Gettysburg, and Gods and Generals. He deserved the best oscar role for that character. Just as Chamaerlain deserved, and received his Medal of Honour.

[MarcusBritish]

@imperatorcaesar100 Sadly, "Last Full Measure" has been abandoned by Ron Maxwell due to "Gettysburg", and "Gods and Generals" moreso, being flops at the box office. It is a great shame the trilogy will not be completed. People seem more interested in crap remakes of things, than original movies that honour great men.

[Hedronox]

@MarcusBritish ..........They aren't making the 3rd one? What....I have both dvds....and I need the 3rd!

[MarcusBritish]

@Hedronox Nope, they aren't for the forseeable future. If you want it, you need to find someone willing to fund it, and probably lose out, sadly. It's a shame they ended G&G with that outro message about it being a Trilogy, as part 3 had to be dropped. I would have expected more Americans to respect their history and only civil war and see it. I love it, and I ain't even American.

[deerhunter59ify]

@Hedronox Hollywood is afraid of another flop. They are not making a third. Sorry!  I would like to see one myself though.

[dropkick426]

@MarcusBritish Gettysburg was an incredible movie, but Gods and Generals sucked ass. It was one of the worst of all time. Maxwell doesn't deserve another shot after that....let someone else make the movie who can do it justice.

[MarcusBritish]

@dropkick426 I disagree. Sure, G&G wasn't as good as G'burg, but he was trying to fit a far longer period - 3 years vs 3 days - into a similar length movie. I found the battle scenes at Bull Run and Fredricksburg exceptionally good, and cannot accept that the movie "sucked ass". Seeing Chamberlain join the army and progress as an inexperienced soldier into the formidable officer who protected the Union flank at G'Burg was rewarding. Seeing the campaigns of "Stonewall" Jackson was brilliant also.

[horriehomepage]

@dropkick426 One of the worst what of all time? Civil War movies? Dude there aren't that many lol. Just take what you can get. I must say I was very disappointed by Robert DuVall's performance though. He always seems so convincing to me in his roles and he just seemed to weak and tired to be Robert E. Lee. I hate Martin Sheen and his lame-o sons, but I'll admit he did a way better job haha.

[dredandmrbears]

@horriehomepage Lee was weak and tired he was an old man and not well. What with his own troops constantly killing his own generals he's lucky he survived the war.

[deerhunter59ify]

@MarcusBritish The movie "Gettysburg" made 100 million dollars! It was not a flop! Gods and Gen. only made under 20 million. It was a flop. It was said that it cost 15 million to make "Gettysburg" and it grossed 100 million and it cost 100 million to make Gods and Ge. and it grossed 15 million! This is from one of the actors in the movie!

[MarcusBritish]

@deerhunter59ify "Only being released to 248 theaters at its widest release, and limited to just one or two showings per day because of its length, the film still managed to gross $10,769,960 at the box office, but statistically speaking was still a box-office flop." /quote

[deerhunter59ify]

@MarcusBritish I watched "Gettysburg" so many times my wife tried to get rid of it one day. Sad hu? I took the test to be a guide at Gettysburg about 12 years ago. They were hiring 3 people. There were 350 in the gettysburg middle school auditorium. The test was 2 parts. Gettysburg only, and Civil war questions. I got an A on both but guess what! The 2 guys at my table had doctorates in History. Had my work cut out for me. I just guide my friends and family now. For free too!

[MarcusBritish]

@deerhunter59ify I'm sure if I was married, I'd have had the same problem, as I used to watch it a LOT ande collect a lot of ACW books/movies/documentaries. Now I only watch Gettysburg yearly over 1-3 July, with maybe the odd scene during the year. G&G I watch parts randomly but rarely in its entire. Shame you didn't get the job - I should very much like to visit the battlefield, one day.

[filmfan09]

His role as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain in GETTYSBURG is without a doubt one of his best, if not his best, performance. Although every Jef Daniels performance is so great and powerful that it's hard to decide which is his best.

[hollywoodwerewolf]

Jeff Daniels was denied a deserved Oscar nomination for Chamberlain. Not only for his acting but the fact that his facial hair was the most real in the entire production.

[horriehomepage]

@hollywoodwerewolf Hats off to you for noticing that :-D

The fact that this guy can play Dumb and Dumber, AND Joshua L. Chamberlain proves he has talent. He's not just some Robin Williams type person who can only play himself on a big screen.

[hannigan06]

I've got respect of JD

[makdak420]

@hannigan06 i fuckin dont.... i was just in chelsea and i heard from ppl that all he does is ignore ppl when kids ask for his autograph........at least speak to the kid instead of walking by them from point blank when they ask politely

[joseph9755]

@makdak420 it is true he wont even come out and be in the Chelsea fair parade. and its his home town