Gettysburg and Stories of Valor, the third installment in the documentary series Civil War Minutes, ought to carry a large label indicating "For die-hard Civil War history buffs only." It's not a bad program at all, but it does have such a tight focus that it's likely to delight the kind of people who participate in Civil War re-enactments, at the expense of other viewers, even those who ordinarily enjoy historical documentaries.

The program is best described as a video anthology dealing with Civil War topics, in this case focused on events associated with the battle of Gettysburg. There are a total of 30 different segments included, and each is an entirely separate, stand-alone piece; there's no connecting narrative thread among any of them. With a total running time for the program of 180 minutes, that gives us an average of about six minutes per segment. Clearly, we're not going to be able to explore any larger topics related to the war, or to the battle, and indeed we don't: Gettysburg and Stories of Valor focuses on the minutia of the battle.

We hear about particular generals who are shot, and what happens to them (and learn exactly where on the battlefield they happened to be standing, or lying, as the case may be); we solve a long-standing mystery concerning a set of photographs (which only the most dedicated Civil War buffs will have even heard of, or find particularly mysterious); we get a glimpse of life inside a Confederate prison camp; and so on. Some of the topics are in fact genuinely interesting, but the fragmented nature of the documentary makes it hard to appreciate them. It's a purely anecdotal style of presentation, and while it pulls up some good material that might get overlooked in a more conventional documentary presentation, it's limited by its own style: there's no way to get to any greater depth or understanding of the subject matter on a larger scale.

It's an original format, to be sure; according to the commentary track, the genesis of the Civil War Minutes series was in an Internet television show, with five-minute segments that the creators often half-improvised. Gettysburg and Stories of Valor, the third volume in the series, clearly demonstrates the benefits of a more professional approach and a larger budget, as the production values are reasonably high, and the show has a generally polished appearance. Still, the fundamental nature of the Civil War Minutes format and its choice of topics makes it of interest only to viewers who already have a deep interest in, and familiarity with, the US Civil War.

The DVD

Gettysburg and Stories of Valor is a two-DVD set, with each disc in its own plastic keepcase, and both enclosed in a glossy paperboard slipcase.

Video

Viewers will be pleased to find that the program is presented in an attractive anamorphically-enhanced widescreen transfer, at the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. All in all, it's quite nice-looking, with a squeaky-clean print and good colors for the modern footage. Nothing is perfect, though, and the documentary has fairly heavy edge enhancement, which is quite apparent in a number of the scenes. There's also a distinct shimmer to the image in many of the shots where the camera pans over a still photograph or drawing.

Audio

The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack offers a pleasing listening experience, with narrator Keith Carradine's voice always sounding crisp and clear. There's really no surround sound to speak of, but the 5.1 track does win out over the 2.0 soundtrack which is also included, by virtue of greater clarity and depth.

Extras

Both DVDs feature a full audio commentary from writers Michael Kraus and David M. Neville, and director Mark Bussler. On the first disc, we also get a featurette called "The Cultural Significance of Gettysburg," with writers Kraus and Neville discussing the importance of Gettysburg in US culture, and including footage that didn't make it into the main program. On the second disc, in addition to the commentary track we get trailers for The Johnstown Flood, Civil War Life: Shot to Pieces and Civil War Minutes: Confederate.

Final thoughts

For viewers who are seriously interested in the US Civil War, Gettysburg and Stories of Valor will undoubtedly be a delight, with its thirty short segments focusing on the tiniest details of events, people, and places related to the battle of Gettysburg. For most viewers, however, this microscopic focus and fragmented narrative style is likely to be off-putting rather than involving, as it ignores the larger issues entirely. I'll suggest this as a recommended purchase for Civil War buffs and a rental for everyone else.