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Directed by Michael Epstein Near the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland, along the Antietam Creek, the fate of our republic was decided. Here, 23,000 men were killed and wounded. It was the bloodiest day in American history. But Antietam's significance comes not from the horrific loss of life. Antietam matters because it marked the end of one union between the states and the birth of another. Before Antietam the North waged war simply to preserve the union, even if that meant leaving the institution of slavery untouched. Afterwards it fought for a new ideal, one that would make reconciliation between the states impossible: Freedom. Using innovative recreation techniques, interviews with historians and authors, as well as a wealth of period images to tell its story, 10 Days That Changed America: Antietam captures the drama and historical significance of this transformative moment in American history. Antietam also utilizes new approach to historic reenactment. Its central premise is that television recreations rarely, if ever, work in the context of non-fiction filmmaking. They more often than not are a distraction, pulling the viewer out of the time period. Simply put, they look like they were shot today in a medium unavailable at the time of the historical event. Our goal was to shoot reenactments that create movement in new ways (not simple pan and wipe moves popularized by Ken Burns). In effect, Viewfinder created a new form of moving image, but one that also suggested period accuracy for the Civil War. The overall impact was to immerse the audience entirely in the battle, giving them an intimacy and a sense of action never before experienced in a non-fiction film about the Civil War. It was as if Robert Capa had captured the carnage of Antietam on a series of wet-plate negatives. Available film excerpts: | ||
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Antietam Reviews:
As directed by Michael Epstein, this opening hour flashes photos in what amounts to flipbook fashion, creating a sense of movement and pace while capturing the horror of the battle as much through the sharp observations of its academic witnesses as its arresting visual imagery.
Epstein brings the Battle of Antietam to life with blistering photos from the era, sliced up and stylishly semi-animated in a stilted semblance of motion. The effect is startling. From the boots to the bullets to the bodies of the fallen, Antietam shies away from none of the grim horror of that day. Truly affecting stuff.
Director Michael Epstein (who made the marvelous American Experience episode "The Battle Over Citizen Kane," which earned both Emmy and Oscar nominations) cleverly turns archival photos into dynamic, three-dimensional recreations of the period.
Michael Epstein's spectacular recreation of the Battle of Antietam evokes the feelings of rage and despair in those of us who have always wondered why so much of human conflict ends in the death of courageous, if blindly devoted, soldiers on both sides of the disputes. . . Magically bringing archival and confected photos to an unending and at times literal still march across the screen, Michael Chin's camera and Eric Epstein's visual-effect wizardry bring us closer to the carnage than the mere listing of the fallen in newspapers published far removed from the fields of death.
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