Gods and Generals
Russell Fisher of Dawson found himself a little disconcerted when he saw the new Civil War drama “Gods and Generals’ at the movie theater.
“It was a little weird because you see yourself getting killed and then you’re here,’ he said. “We went into the battle and were blown up by the artillery fire.’ “We were blown up a couple of times,’ said Fisher’s brother, Harry, also of Dawson.
The two men played Union as well as Confederate soldiers in the film that hit theaters nationwide this past weekend, placing eighth in the box office report. Based on the Jeff Shaara novel of the same name, “Gods and Generals’ stars Robert Duvall as Robert E. Lee, Jeff Daniels as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Stephen Lang as Thomas “Stonewall’ Jackson.
The brothers, who are re-enactors from the 105th Regiment, Company E, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry of the Union Army, saw the film this past weekend and were well pleased by the effort.
“It was great. I paid special attention to all the characters we met and how Stephen Lang portrayed Stonewall Jackson. A lot of the things that were said were word for word what Stonewall Jackson actually said. Jeff Daniels was good as Chamberlain. They portrayed them so well,’ said Harry.
“It was fantastic,’ agreed Russell. “I liked everything. There was nothing boring. It’s one of the best films since ‘Gettysburg’ and I’m not just saying that because I’m in it. It’s a real good movie.’
“Gettysburg,’ produced in 1993 and starring many of the same actors, was made from “Killer Angels,’ the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Shaara’s father, Michael Shaara. With backing from media mogul Ted Turner, writer, producer and director Ron Maxwell created both films. “Killer Angels’/”Gettysburg’ tells the story of the most famous battle of the Civil War. “Gods and Generals,’ written after “Killer Angels,’ reports the beginnings of the Civil War leading up to Gettysburg. The final book in the trilogy is “The Last Full Measure,’ which picks up after Gettysburg and continues until the end of the war.
Besides the Fisher brothers, two other local residents played extras in “Gods and Generals.’ They are Richard Angelo of Brownsville and Lee Lyngvar of West Brownsville. Both portray townspeople from Fredericksburg who were caught up in battle between Union and Confederate forces.
While neither Angelo nor Lyngvar had yet seen the film when interviewed by the Herald-Standard, both were excited by their experience and had kind words to say about the film crew and the actors.
“It was a lot of fun because the people had such a good sense of humor,’ said Angelo.
“But it was a lot of hard work,’ noted Lyngvar.
Both Angelo and Lyngvar were filmed in several scenes, including Angelo listening to someone make a speech and Lyngvar racing after a wagon as the Army follows behind her. Both were also filmed returning home to Fredericksburg after the battle.
“I’m curious to see if I have any exposure,’ said Angelo.
Filming on “Gods and Generals’ was done in 2001. This was the Fishers’ first movie but they hope to be included in “The Last Full Measure’ when filming begins.
Harry is a semi-retired industrial electrician from Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel. He is married to Dolores and the couple has two children: Julie and Harry Jr. Julie is married to Todd Miller and they live in Fallsburg, Pa., with their children Angela and Melanie. Julie works at Linden Hall and Todd is a contractor. Harry Jr. lives in Dawson and works for Copper Industries in Monessen.
Russell works at Blank Welding in Elizabeth and is married to Carol. They have three children: Edna, Russell and Emily. Edna is in the Air Force in Korea. Russell, who is employed as an electrician at Irwin Works, is married to Melissa and they live in Belle Vernon. Emily teaches school in the state of California.
Harry was the first to join the 105th Pennsylvania Regiment and persuaded Russell to become a member. Locally, the men appear at re-enactments at Perryopolis Pioneer Days as well as West Overton and make treks to Gettysburg (they’ll be there for the 240th anniversary this year), Manassas and Cedar Creek near Middletown, Va., and Phillippi, W.Va. Harry is also a member of the musical group Acoustic Shadows of the Blue and Gray, which records and performs music of the Civil War era. The group is recording a new CD that Harry said would be available this summer.
Russell said he also likes going into schools when he has an opportunity to educate youths about the Civil War. Unfortunately, he has noticed that many people don’t have much knowledge of the war.
“They ask questions that you can’t believe, like which side did you fight for, and you’re wearing the uniform,’ he commented. “It’s not really funny. It’s sad because they don’t know what happened in American history.’
The Fishers have credited their captain, Ed Kelley of the 105th, for making arrangements to be in the film.
They traveled to Harpers Ferry, W.Va., just after Thanksgiving 2001 to be extras, working four weekends in November and December. They were present for battle scenes in Maryland and Virginia. In particular, they filmed at Fredericksburg. Using their own uniforms, they worked mostly as Union soldiers, but when needed, the Fishers switched sides and donned Confederate uniforms.
Interviewed last January, Russell said of the film experience, “They worked us hard. We did take after take after take. One take we did, the director said it was perfect. Then they screened it and said we have to do it again because one man had his glasses on.’
“They were contemporary glasses,’ Harry noted.
The movie crews worked hard to make certain that everything looked authentic, down to giving the re-enactors fake money of the time, a housewife (sewing kit) and hard tack to carry.
“There were people there we called the Mud People because they came and dirtied you up,’ said Russell. “I just bought this uniform and when they were done it looked like I had it 10 years.’
The two brothers said they had opportunities to speak with Lang and actor C. Thomas Howell, who portrayed Chamberlain’s brother Tom.
“They’d sit there and talk to you and take their picture with you,’ said Harry.
Interviewed again Monday after seeing “Gods and Generals,’ Harry reported the Fishers “saw little glimpses of ourselves’ in the film.
In particular, Harry noted, “Taking the wall at Fredericksburg. They made 10 or 12 attempts. Of course, they never took the wall. We took so many charges. We were behind Jeff Daniels so my character is a flash in the pan. But it was exciting to be there. And knowing we were there was exciting. I was very pleased.’
When they weren’t playing members of Chamberlain’s 20th Maine, the brothers took on Confederate attire.
“Russell and I had to play both parts,’ Harry noted.
Russell said he didn’t see the Fishers as their Confederate counterparts in the film “but I saw the spot I was in.’
Angelo and Lyngvar happened to find out about “Gods and Generals’ by chance. The two were returning home from visiting Lyngvar’s sister in Virginia when they stopped in Hagerstown, Md., for a break and discovered representatives from the film company searching for extras.
Retired from PennDOT and various state jobs, Angelo has been working as an extra in films since 1958, when he appeared in “Mr. Rock’n Roll’ in New York City. The film, which starred Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Alan Freed, told the story of the beginnings of the medium.
Angelo has also appeared as an extra in “Route 66′ with Martin Milner and Diane Baker during a trip out West in 1964, doing a square dance. In 1969, he worked in “Rabbit Run’ with James Caan, enjoying a conversation with the star before the shoot.
During the 1980s and ’90s, Angelo worked as an extra in a number of television movies, including HBO movies “Million Dollar Getaway’ and “Equal Justice.’ The latter starred Sarah Jessica Parker and Angelo had a cup of coffee with her. He did a movie on Jock Yablonsky with Charles Bronson.
Angelo was also employed as an extra in major films made in Pittsburgh and Fayette County, including “Maria’s Lovers’ with Robert Mitchum, John Savage and Nastaja Kinski; “Mrs. Soffel’ with Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson; “Bob Roberts’ with Tim Robbins; “Sudden Death’ with Jean Claude Van Damme; Stephen King’s “Dark Half;’ “Dogma’ with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon; and “Silence of the Lambs’ with Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.
“Jodie Foster was very friendly. She stayed at Linden Hall a couple of days. That was an experience. I didn’t think the movie would go as far as it would,’ he said of the film that won an Oscar for best picture.
Angelo also did a commercial for “Lean Cuisine’ with Arnold Palmer in Latrobe. He called the legendary golfer “the best of the bunch.’
But as far as the film crews, Angelo raved about the people who made “Gods and Generals.’
“It’s something how Hollywood – what a genius they have to bring out a movie like this,’ he said.
Both Angelo and Lyngvar also enjoyed the opportunity to see such stars as Duvall, Lang and Bruce Boxleitner, who played James Longstreet.
Lyngvar, a retired nurse with two children, noted of these men with their Civil War beards, “Some were so made up that you couldn’t see who they were.’
But Lyngvar received a special thrill when she was in make up the same time as Duvall and later had a chance to speak to him on the street.
She recalled: “He was one of my favorite actors. In ‘Lonesome Dove,’ he was great. So I called ‘Hey, Lonesome Dove! That was one of my favorite movies’ And he said, ‘That was one of my favorite movies, too.’
Duvall charmed Lyngvar: “He goes right in with everybody and eats with everybody. He’s a very good actor. Very amiable. You don’t even think of him as an actor, but as a person.’
These days, the nation is talking about “Gods and Generals’ as the film gets attention with its nation release.
Russell said, “I’ve heard critics degrading it. I guess they don’t understand their history too well.’
But both the Fishers think the film is an excellent vehicle to interest people in history.
Said Harry, “If you want to see some real American history and live action, it would be well to see it.’