Gettysburg, Ronald F. Maxwell's re-telling of four hot days during the summer of 1863 (based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara), is a spectacle that gathers power and momentum with every scene. Originally slated as a TNT mini-series, Gettysburg received the go-ahead for a theatrical run when Ted Turner realized the quality of the material he had on his hands. Those who are not daunted by the running time (two-hundred …showed first 75 words of 1010 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1010 total…is perfectly placed in the wake of Ken Burns' PBS series (Burns, incidentally, has a small role here as the aide to Union Gen. Hancock) for any who have a re-kindled interest in this segment of American history. For those with little more than a passing interest, Gettysburg is still gripping enough to captivate in its own right. Ambitious and successful, it is easily one of the most glorious U. S. productions of the year.