Cheap Class of '61 (Video) (Gregory Hoblit) Price

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Customer Reviews of Class of '61

An undiscovered gem for history buffs!
I remember when this first came out more than 10 years ago. I remember wondering why it wasn't a big hit, & I still feel that way now. I'm happy to say that I finally ordered a copy (used, of course) from Amazon.com in January. Not only did it arrive before I expected, but the picture quality was perfect! The plot follows three West Point cadets from the class of '61 who go seperate ways once the Civil War begins. One of the three is young George Armstrong Custer, who we all know from history books. I thought the three male leads (Dan Futterman, Joshua Lucas, & Clive Owen) were all terrific, as well as Sophie Ward, who provides the mandatory romance sub-plot! This is no masterpiece, but as you know good Civil War films are few & far between. Although I thought the slavery scenes took up way too much screen time & the battles seem low-budget quality, the dramatic power of the battle scenes is high quality. There's one scene I'm curious about, though: A company-size group of Confederates charges wildly towards a Union position & every single Rebel is killed. Now, I'm no expert on the battle of Manassas but I don't remember ever reading about a large unit being 100% wiped out in one charge! Oh well, it's still very dramatic. The main problem is how they mix scenes of a black slave woman giving birth with the battle scenes, which gets very annoying after a while. I love how the Union battery is obliterated at the end! Now, that scene I know isn't Hollywood, it really happened! Overall, I strongly recommend this for history buffs who want to see a great Civil War movie.

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EMOTIONALLY EXILIRATING! A WINNER!
"Class of '61" tells the story of the graduating West Point class of 1861 as the Civil War breaks out. It has fine performances and an exciting and almost 100% accurate recreation of the battle of First Manassas. A fine film! I hope it comes out on DVD soon! Grade: A+

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Excellent and Well worth a look!
Emotional and realistic portralial of the American Civil War and how it effected both north, south and those caught in the middle. Unlike some war movies which ignore the human cost this movie shows in detail the cost to the main characters. Class of 61' is one of the best movies that I have seen. The movie starts at West Point and shows us the last class before the war starts. The friendships between those of southern back ground and the northerns and how their friendships are torn apart by the war.