May 31, 2013

Filmmaker Maxwell to Bring ‘Copperhead’ to Gettysburg


By Brendan Raleigh

Foregoing the cinematic palette of rifle barrages, violent cannonades and sweeping infantry charges which characterized Gettysburg and Gods and Generals, film director Ron Maxwell is revisiting the American Civil War for a third time. But he’s focusing this time on the domestic issues associated with the conflict in his upcoming film, Copperhead, which is set to premiere on Thursday, June 27 at the Majestic Theater in downtown Gettysburg.

While Maxwell’s previous Civil War films have depicted the bloody battles and inter-officer disputes, his latest historical epic takes a drastically different philosophical perspective. He stresses that the movie emphasizes the conflict and suffering on the home front, rather than the battlefield, as one of the major features differentiating Copperhead from other Civil War movies.


“If the first two movies were taken together as cinematic meditation on why good men, ethical men, choose to go to war,” Maxwell says. “then Copperhead is the story of why good men, ethical men, choose not to go to war.”

Based on the 19th-century novella by Harold Frederic, Copperhead tells the story of Abner Beech, a member of the Northern anti-war group known as the Copperheads. The film also focuses on the community that attempted to silence his political outcries and the enormous strains the country’s division places on the lives of a Civil War-era family.

Although Maxwell says he took care to keep the film firmly planted in 1862, Maxwell noted that contemporary audiences will be able to relate to the movie and understand its themes.

“The fact that families are divided. The fact that fathers and sons are not communicating. The fact that communities are exercising peer pressure against a person who disagrees and is the dissenter. I think all societies can understand that. […] Audiences, depending on their point of view […] will certainly make connections to the modern world.”

Billy Campbell, portraying Abner Beech, has appeared in each of Maxwell’s Civil War movies, climbing his way up the cast list with each title. With only a single line in Gettysburg and a supporting role in Gods and Generals, Campbell has reached the top tier of the dramatis personae with his starring role in Copperhead.
Maxwell credits the deliverance of his vision for the movie to Campbell and the rest of the cast, saying the success of the final product is “entirely depending on the actors” and their ability to embody their characters.

“I enjoyed working with all of them all. It’s just a dream cast right across the board,” states Maxwell. “We have a range of first-timers to accomplished professionals, but when you watch the film, it’s seamless. They all just inhabit their roles.”

In spite of the film’s setting in the war-torn United States, Maxwell does not consider Copperhead to be part of a trilogy with Gettysburg and Gods and Generals. Rather, he is reserving that role for a title which would return to the battlefield as the Civil War comes to an end, yet he remains unsure whether he will get around to making the concluding film.

Even though Copperhead is not set in Gettysburg, Maxwell will return for its premiere nearly 20 years after Gettysburg’s initial release.

“We talked about opening up the movie in Washington or L.A., but to me, it seemed most appropriate to open the movie in Gettysburg because of my affection for the place […] When we started thinking the whole thing through, it was the perfect place to have our premiere.”


After nine months in the post-production process, Copperhead has been screened on several advanced dates, receiving an ovation from the audiences in each venue.

"The proceedings from each showing will go toward “The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership,” the non-profit organization tasked with hosting the Gettysburg premiere. More information about Copperhead can be found on their website at  www.hallowedground.org/copperhead."

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