 9. Confederate Hollywood From the beginnings to rather recent times portrayals of Confederates have been a mainstay of American cinema. After all, the Confederacy is a rather large and interesting slice of American history. Given the virulent malice today against everything Confederate, it might surprise many folks to see that during Hollywood’s Golden Age an astounding number of major stars of American cinema have had no objection to portraying Confederates, usually as sympathetic characters. Many of such films showed Confederate flags in favourable contexts and sometimes in glorification. What has changed in recent times is that there have been evil Confederates appearing more often on the screen and the once popular theme of good Southerners oppressed by Reconstruction has disappeared. The list below presents Northern and foreign actors who have played more or less attractive Confederates. The list does not include 1) those who portrayed very villainous Confederates; 2) those who were Southern-born or have Southern background; and 3) portrayals of Southerners not in the Confederate period:
In the Enola Gay President Truman, considering whether to drop the atomic bomb, is seated in front of an array of flags, one of which is Confederate, or possibly a Mississippi or Georgia flag. Robert Redford plays an actor wearing a Confederate uniform in (X) Inside Daisy Clover. In **The Ghost and the Darkness Michael Douglas is a famed lion hunter, an American who is described as having come to Africa because his people lost a war. In (T)Warm Springs Franklin D. Roosevelt is inspired by the example of Confederate general Francis Nicholls, who lost an arm and a leg in the War but went on to become Governor of Louisiana. In (T)Texas (1941) William Holden calls a carpetbagger “a dirty Yankee.” In the postwar setting of (T)The Missouri Traveler (1958) Lee Marvin survives unscathed a lavish presentation of the Southern flag and anthem. This series originally appeared on the Abbeville Institute site.
15 Comments
Paul Yarbrough
6/8/2025 08:32:23 am
Dr. Wilson,
Joseph Johnson
6/8/2025 11:41:03 am
Dr. Wilson or Paul have you read Anthony Esolen's review of Ford's The Searchers?
Paul Yarbrough
6/8/2025 12:55:16 pm
I have not. But I will see if I can find it. Thank you
Joseph Johnson
6/8/2025 01:58:59 pm
Word and Song by Anthony Esolen.
Paul Yarbrough
6/8/2025 02:07:54 pm
Thank you
Paul Yarbrough
6/8/2025 03:37:24 pm
He seems to think it was the greatest western ever made (with The man Who Shot Liberty Valance a close contender)
Clyde N Wilson
6/8/2025 03:24:38 pm
Esolen is an anti-South "conservative writer. "The Searchers" is a great film and has a bit of Southern flavour, but the only character with a distinct Southern accent is a buffoon. The original "Alamo" is similar, with John Wayne as Davy Crockett in his silliest role ever, and the great Southern heroes played by Midwesterners and a Brit.
Paul Yarbrough
6/8/2025 03:34:19 pm
Esolen has "rave" reviews for Uncle Tom's cabin. Nuff said.
Joseph Johnson
6/8/2025 03:58:19 pm
Esolen also lauds Longfellow.
Joseph Johnson
6/8/2025 04:02:15 pm
Esolen's favorite Presidents are Lincoln and J.Q. Adams. 6/8/2025 04:19:15 pm
As far as Hollywood goes, aside from GWTW, "The Outlaw Josie Wales" and "The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James" will do it for me.
There’s a 2015 Western featuring both Sutherlands, Donald and Kiefer, that presents some engaging Yankee-versus-Rebel dynamics. Kiefer stars as John Henry Clayton, a Yankee veteran and notorious gunfighter who returns to his home town — among other things to argue with his father (portrayed by his father), a pietistic and pacifistic preacher. Trouble ensues when members of a local gang hassle John Henry, trying to make a name for themselves by taking on the famous outlaw. There are also land-grabbing motives at work. The only noble member of the gang is Gentleman Dave Turner, another professional gunfighter and, significantly, a Confederate veteran. At one point, the two true tough guys discuss their presence, on opposite sides, at the Battle of Shiloh.
Clyde N Wilson
6/11/2025 05:05:49 am
Dear Tom Riley, I believe you forgot to mention the name of the film
Tom Riley
6/11/2025 06:08:22 pm
Right you are, sir. That’s what I get for posting under the influence of whiskey. Title is “Forsaken.”
BrianTheRebel1861
6/13/2025 08:41:51 am
So, Trump just supported Israel in striking Iran. Are you ready to admit that he’s a yankee Zionist fraud yet? Or do you have more copes? Leave a Reply. |
