Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		1.0
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Ultimate Civil War Blu-ray Movie Review

Poor video and audio relegate this release to strict classroom/educational duty.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 1, 2013

A house divided against itself cannot stand.

There may not be a period of American history that so captures the imagination, stirs up emotions, and is understood both so deeply and sometimes so dubiously as the Civil War. It's been the subject of countless scholarly works, classroom study hours, and professional documentaries. Its proliferation as a subject of high interest still today in academia and entertainment both have made it into one of the most studied times for both educational and leisure purposes, so much so that there may be more "amateur" experts than "professional" experts. War seems to do that. With so many dynamics, such a broad array of personalities, countless consequences on history, and a tremendously wide berth of people, places, and things to study, it's no wonder the Civil War has become one of the most read and discussed periods in history. Mill Creek's The Ultimate Civil War offers the Civil War novice a nuts-and-bolts overview of the conflict; it will likely bore hardcore buffs but should satisfy interested parties looking for general information and educators in search of a visual aid to reinforce classroom lessons.

To war!

The Ultimate Civil War will satisfy most educators as a basic classroom tool that conveys a fair bit of basic information in a rather fast, easily digestible manner. It's neither dry nor lacking in facts or figures, and it's certainly not on the short end of production quality, but it's also clearly not a benchmark documentary, one to rival Ken Burns' masterpiece on the same subject, for instance. The film does lack real polish; reenactments show "breathing" dead soldiers with regularity. They also turn their heads at times and passing automobiles can be seen off in the distance (around the 41:45 mark of the first chapter). In the last episode, a letter is to be read aloud that is never heard, replaced by random background sound effects. Nevertheless, the visual and technical shortcomings are relatively minor amidst the larger picture. While The Ultimate Civil War cannot match even a basic Civil War text for scope and intimate details, the film manages to paint a broad yet informative picture of the war through the years, profiling not only battles and people but the political landscape and the social consequences of war. It brings together the Civil War narrative succinctly and with neither fluff nor vivid imagery. It's very much a simple, no-frills look at one of history's most crucial periods. It will work well for general knowledge-gathering and classroom lesson reinforcement, but there's really no "ultimate" in The Ultimate Civil War.

The Ultimate Civil War is divided into the following seven chapters:

• Sins of the Fathers (52:06): Chapter one looks back at how the United States, a "beacon of liberty to the world" yet home to an enslaved population of peoples, came to a state of civil war. The chapter beings with a brief history of slavery in the United States, going so far back as the American revolution, the abolitionist movement, the fugitive slave laws, the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin, the consequences of the Kansas-Nebraska act, and the Dred Scott case. It also examines Abraham Lincoln's national election to the Presidency even while not on the ballot across the South, South Carolina's secession, the formation of the Confederate States of America, and the opening salvos of the war between the states.
• A Deep, Steady Thunder (49:04): The War has begun poorly for the North. Tens of thousands of men are enlisting to fight in Lincoln's army, but their enlistments are running short. Chapter two examines the role of Missouri in the early days of the war. It highlights the Battles of Wilson's Creek, Shiloh, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Malvern Hill, and Second Manassas. Also included is the Union's capture of Forts Henry and Donaldson, representing the first major Union victories of the war. A recurring theme throughout chapter two is the command of Union Generals, including George McClellan and the emergence of General Ulysses S. Grant onto the scene.
• Days of Infamy (48:46): Chapter three sets the stage for the Battle of Antietam, the deadliest day in American history. Studied in this chapter is the uniqueness of the state of Maryland in the war -- a slave state joined to the North -- as well as the possibility of European intervention, General McClellan's continued failure in leadership, and his removal from position in favor of General Burnside. This segment examines Burnside's plan to march on Richmond, the role of General Joseph Hooker in the war and his loss in the Battle of Chancellorsville. On the political front, the roots of the emancipation movement and the declaration thereof following the victory at Antietam is revealed. Also: the Battles of Perryville, Frederkicksburg, and Stone's River.
• The Turning Points (48:37): General Jackson's death caused Lee to shuffle his army for the battle in the North to be fought in a small town called "Gettysburg." The rebels were confident in defeating any Union general. Lee worked closely with Jefferson Davis on the invasion and would amass 70,000 men under his command, but many of them under new unit leadership. On the other side, Lincoln would choose General George Meade, a Pennsylvanian, to command the Union forces in the coming battle. The battle is described in some detail. Also: Grant's victory at the Battle of Vicksburg.
• Not War, But Murder (48:56): Union forces allow Lee's forces to limp back southward following the defeat at Gettysburg, and the war would follow them. Examined first is the 54th Massachusetts infantry, the first black regiment in the Union Army and its assault on the South Carolina Confederate stronghold of Fort Wagner. This segment also focuses on battles in Tennessee and Virginia's Overland Campaign, including the Battle of Missionary Ridge, the Battle of the Wilderness, the Battle of Spotsylvania, the Battle of Yellow Tavern, the Battle of New Market, and the Battle of Cold Harbor. Also: Andersonville and Elmira prisons and prison camps on both sides of the war.
• The Killing Fields (54:35): By 1864, Grant, Sherman, and Lincoln targeted the Southern economy -- a "total war" strategy -- first laying siege to Petersburg and hoping to break the back of the Confederacy. Part six examines Sherman's siege of Atlanta and march towards the sea, peace talks, prisoner exchange politics, and the 1864 Presidential election. Also included is a recount of The Battle of Monocacy, also known as "The Battle That Saved Washington." Also examined are the Battles of Fort Stevens, Kennesaw Mountain, Jonesboro, Fort Pillow, New Market Heights, Cedar Creek, and Nashville.
• New Birth of Freedom (52:11): The final chapter of The Ultimate Civil War begins with the end of the siege of Petersburg. It also looks at the suggestion of using slaves-turned-soldiers in the South with the promise of their freedom at the end of their service. This chapter also examines the fall of the Confederate capitol, Richmond, and the battle of Saylor's Creek, the last major engagement of the war. The Confederates surrender at Appomattox Court House, President Lincoln is assassinated, the reconstruction process begins, legislation and Constitutional amendments following the war are enacted, and the ensuing political landscape is examined. This segment also looks at the life of former slaves after the war, African American life in the United States in the years and decades following the war, and the nation's fascination with and remembrance of the war, its battles, and the men who fought them more than a century later.

Ultimate Civil War Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mill Creek's high definition release of The Ultimate Civil War is an ultimate disaster. Few and far between are the moments when the image isn't marred by some eyesore. The presentation is riddled with stair-stepped jagged edges, chaotic blocking, severe banding, random edge halos, aliasing, poor detail, and bland colors. While still images of photographs, drawings, and paintings show fairly crisp, well-defined lines and colors, there's often shakiness and shimmering running rampant. Details suffice in some of the reenactment scenes, but the eye is usually drawn to the mess of negatives rather than what is sometimes fair clothing, facial, or terrain textures. Colors are adequate, at best. Green grasses; the red, white, and blue colors of the flags; Union blues and Rebel grays; and other colors appear stable and largely accurate, though never particularly vibrant or naturally lifelike. Black crush is a problem in shadowy corners, and flesh tones range wildly across the entire spectrum. Some scenes take on a deliberately rough appearance, with artificial vertical lines "aging" the material. Still, the wide range and constant appearance of various technical faults make this one of the worst transfers of 2012.

Ultimate Civil War Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Ultimate Civil War features a lackluster Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack that gets the point across but does nothing to dazzle listeners. And that's perfectly fine, in this case. The Ultimate Civil War will likely see the bulk of its duty in classrooms where TV speakers or a couple of in-wall or mounted speakers will deliver the material to a halfway disinterested student body. The documentary produces slightly harsh narration. Nevertheless, intelligibility is fine. Slight lip synch issues are present, at times, when it would seem characters are meant to be speaking; the documentary opens with a Lincoln monologue that doesn't come close to matching the actor's lip movements. Music plays with adequate clarity across the front, and various pops and booms of infantry fire and artillery shelling also drift across to the side. There's no sense of real space, impact, or natural clarity to the track. It's a no-frills Documentary sound presentation, and if expectations are kept in check most listeners will find this to be a satisfactory presentation given the program's price, material, and needs.

Ultimate Civil War Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of The Ultimate Civil War contains no supplemental features.

Ultimate Civil War Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's very little "ultimate" about The Ultimate Civil War. This is a beginner's documentary, a program that nicely culls together the basics of the war between the states but doesn't dig deeply, leaning on the superficial to instruct its audiences on the basics of America's bloodiest war. There's certainly noting wrong with that; everything needs a starting point, and what better way to jump in than a budget Blu-ray? Unfortunately, Mill Creek's Blu-ray fails its technical tests. The video presentation is atrocious, the audio not much better, and there are no supplements of any kind. Recommended to educators looking for a decent classroom video and to Civil War newcomers looking to get their foot in history's door.