Cheap Shenandoah (DVD) (James Stewart) (Andrew V. McLaglen) Price

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Customer Reviews of Shenandoah

The dangerous adventure demands the lives of two sons and one of their wives. Only after the chastened Anderson reluctantly abandons his search does his beloved "Boy", who had been safe all along after escaping, return home to him.

This perfectly cast, acted and photographed film likely held the finest role of Jimmy Stewart's career. At last the ever-mature actor was allowed to play an age-appropriate character who was NOT romantically linked to a woman who could have been his daughter (i.e. "Rear Window"/"Vertigo"/"The Man Who Knew Too Much"). - The theme song "Shenandoah" is an enduring favorite and very collectable as 45rpm vinyl record/LP.

Is It Possible To Remain Neutral
James Stewart is the irascible but devoted family man and Virginia farmer trying to keep his family together during the dying days of the Civil War. He forbids his boys (and he has lots of them!) from joining the War, despite the pressures being put on them by others. But in the end, despite his best efforts, Stewart can't keep his family from being touched by the tragedies of the War. It's hard to remain neutral when the world is falling apart around you.

The movie starts out in a light-hearted way, with Stewart's stubborness coming across with humour. But the film's tone changes throughout its running time and becomes darker, as his stubborness becomes more like arrogance, and the realities of war penetrate the family's isolation. Stewart learns some hard lessons. He can't control everything and everyone.

James Stewart dominates the film, with a forceful performance that anchors the film. The supporting cast is good, but no one is given enough time to really standout. There is enough action mixed with the human drama to keep the film moving along. Shenandoah isn't a landmark film or a great example of a western, but it succeeds very well in presenting a moment of crisis in a man's and his family's life.

The pacifist view

Jimmy Stewart (playing Charlie Anderson) is a pacifist who has 500 acres in Virginia during the "civil" war. He also is head of a family including six sons and a daughter, and is trying his best to ignore the war swirling around him. This apparently is set in northern Virginia, which borders Washington D.C. (the north) and the Southern forces.

Doug McClure and Patrick Wayne are two of the lesser lights playing supporting roles. The entire cast is well directed and plays their parts well.

A great job of casting, directing, acting, and a wonderful story. Forget the "allegories, allusions, irony, and metaphors." You ruin a picture like this trying to take it apart, or alluding to the political nuances that it is supposedly portraying on behalf of Hollywood propaganda. It is a moving story, and one of the great ones.

As for being "superficial" or "overacted" (one critic's complaint about old and classic movies), I find just the opposite is true. I find those categories better acted, with more depth and honest acting than most of the trash we get foisted off on us today.

Maybe it's just a generational thing.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books