Lincoln and Lee at Antietam - The Cost of Freedom began
as a follow up to my earlier Civil War program for PBS,
Gettysburg: The Boys in Blue & Gray. The battle of Antietam
seemed to be such a mystery and much overshadowed by Gettysburg.
Through my research and subsequent scripting of the film, not only
did I discover that Antietam is as pivotal a Civil War battle as
Gettysburg but also as important in how it indelibly altered the
course of American history.
The film was written, developed and produced over more than a one
year period as I intended to include visual elements which only occur
at certain times of the year. For instance, I filmed battlefield
landscapes in mid-September to historically match the time of the
battle, and even more importantly, I knew I wanted to close the
program with the Antietam Battlefield Illumination. This solemn
ceremony is only held once a year on the first Saturday in December.
My production team was granted rare permission by the National Park
Service to film at dusk on the battlefield illuminated by 23,000
candles which spanned across thousands of acres.
As I stood on the field that cold December night, I don't believe
words can adequately match the feelings I had. The epic scope of
the tragedy of this battle and the Civil War in particular could
not have been illustrated more powerfully.
This story had to be told in the most resonant way in the writing
as well as in the inclusion of the historians. I had never utilized
on-camera scholars in my earlier films but this project demanded it.
In my opinion, I assembled the very best - quite simply the finest
Civil War historians in America today. They are without peer in
their knowledge of this battle and this time in history. Not only
does their insight add to the drama but also serves to set the record
straight on many facts including President Lincoln's feelings towards
slavery. This was intentional. This man's legacy should not be up
for debate when the record is clear. Allen C. Guelzo, America's
only two-time winner of the Lincoln prize, is the foremost authority
on Emancipation, and his comments beautifully illustrate Lincoln's
personal struggle with this issue.
Rounding out the film visually are archival Civil War photos,
illustrations and reenactment footage. My approach to use of archival
images is of great respect for the power these images hold in and of
themselves. Although there are many surviving images of the dead on
the Antietam battlefield, I use them sparingly and only when they
will be most poignant or powerful. I never forget that they are
images of people, long dead but people none the less, who lived and
died for their cause.
In a film focused on the battle of Antietam, one must attempt to
show the battle as vividly as possible. To that end I employed footage
from previous Antietam commemorative battle reenactments. I contacted
the producer of those programs and secured the footage seen in the
production. My use of Antietam reenactment footage serves to capture
what this epic battle could have looked and sounded like. Again, the
footage is used in its most powerful way matched to first person
accounts of Civil War soldiers who actually took part in the battle.
To close, as with all of my films, I enlisted the music talents of
composer, Nicholas Palmer. There is no substitute for an original
score when you want to heighten the power of the narration or the
visuals. There are times in the film when the images are so moving
that no words can describe the scene adequately; that is when the
original music score aids the cinematography. The Antietam
Battlefield illumination ceremony is one of those times. After
working with me for several years, Nicholas knows the emotions I
want to convey in each scene. It is a great working partnership where
we actually push each other to be better. In previous films if a scene
did not live up to his musical score, I would re-edit the scene to
make it more powerful. It is all a quest to push elements to be the
very best they can possibly be.
Inecom's selection of Ronald F. Maxwell as narrator was the crowning
jewel. I had not worked with Ron previously, but of course, knew his
theatrical Civil War films Gettysburg and Gods & Generals.
Beyond his name recognition, his deep knowledge of the Civil War era,
his acting prowess and emotional inflection raised the narration to a
command performance.
After several months of writing, directing and producing this project,
I humbly believe it is my finest effort to date.
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