''Class of '61'' is a 1993 American

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

produced by Steven Spielberg as a projected television series about the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. It focused on men who were classmates at West Point and separated by the war between the North and the South. Filmed in Charleston, South Carolina and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, this work was the first collaboration between Spielberg and cinematographer

Janusz Kamiński Janusz Zygmunt Kamiński (; born June 27, 1959) is a Polish cinematographer and director of film and television. He has established a partnership with Steven Spielberg, working as a cinematographer on his films since 1993. He won the Academy Aw ...

Plot

The film follows the lives of several

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

classmates who fight on opposite sides of the American Civil War, which disrupts their previously close community. The film also follows the adventures of Lucius, a slave who escapes via the

underground railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

to freedom. The film cuts between the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

and the birth of Lucius' child into slavery.

Cast

Dan Futterman Daniel Paul Futterman (born June 8, 1967) is an American actor, screenwriter, and producer. Futterman wrote the screenplay for the film '' Capote'', for which he received an Academy Award nomination, an Independent Spirit, Boston Society of Fi ...

as Shelby Peyton *

Josh Lucas Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer (born June 20, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in various films, including '' American Psycho'' (2000), '' You Can Count on Me'' (2000), '' The Deep End'' (2001), '' A Beautiful Mind'' (2 ...

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...

* John P. Navin, Jr. as Burnett * Clive Owen as Devin O'Neil *

Sophie Ward Sophie Anna Ward (born 1964) is an English stage and screen actress, and a writer of non-fiction and fiction. As an actress, she played Elizabeth Hardy, the female lead in Barry Levinson's '' Young Sherlock Holmes'' (1985), and in other feat ...

as Shannen O'Neil * Laura Linney as Lily Magraw *

Andre Braugher Andre Keith Braugher (; born July 1, 1962) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective Frank Pembleton in the police drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999), used car salesman Owen Thoreau Jr. in the com ...

as Lucius * Barry Cullison as Sergeant Yancy *

Len Cariou Leonard Joseph Cariou (; born September 30, 1939) is a Canadian actor and stage director, best known for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'', for which he won the Tony Award ...

as Dr Leland Peyton * Dana Ivey as Mrs Julia Peyton * Robert Newman as Capt. Wykoff

Production

Renowned Civil War historian

Shelby Foote Shelby Dade Foote Jr. (November 17, 1916 – June 27, 2005) was an American writer, historian and journalist. Although he primarily viewed himself as a novelist, he is now best known for his authorship of '' The Civil War: A Narrative'', a three ...

acted as consultant, and documentary producer Ken Burns was acknowledged for his contributions. He had created the critically acclaimed '' The Civil War'' documentary series in 1990.

References

External links

* 1993 television films 1993 films 1990s action drama films 1990s biographical drama films 1990s historical films 1990s war drama films Action films based on actual events Action television films American Civil War films Drama films based on actual events American drama television films Films scored by John Debney Films about American slavery Films about death Films about dysfunctional families Films about friendship Films about religion Films directed by Gregory Hoblit Films set in 1861 American war drama films War films based on actual events War television films Cultural depictions of George Armstrong Custer 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{AmericanCivilWar-drama-film-stub