Sherman's March: A Meditation on the Possibility of Romantic Love In the South During an Era of Nuclear Weapons Proliferation is a 1986 documentary film written and directed by Ross McElwee.
McElwee initially planned to make a film about the effects of General William Tecumseh Sherman's march through Georgia and the Carolinas (commonly called the "March to the Sea") during the American Civil War. A traumatic breakup McElwee experienced prior to filming made it difficult for him to separate personal from professional concerns, shifting the focus of the film to create a more personal story about the women in his life, love, romance, and religion. Other themes include the specter of nuclear holocaust in the context of the Cold War, and the legacy and complexity of General Sherman's own life.
In 2000, the Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Sherman's March (2007) is an American Civil War television documentary first aired on the History Channel. The film is directed by Rick King and the executive producer is Jason Williams. The production combines narration with reenacted dramatic sequences as its foundation.
The film, narrated by actor Edward Herrmann, tells the tale of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, called "Uncle Billy" by his troops, and his five-week assault from Atlanta to the Atlantic Ocean (Savannah, Georgia) and then north to trap Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee.
Sherman's military campaign has become the mythic symbol of destruction during the Civil War. The opening sequence poses the question that reflects the film's theme:
te Sherman: Nobody resists, nobody gets hurt.
na: Excuse me, worker person? Will we need a bell to signal the start of a meeting, or could you just deduce that whenever two or more of us gather here.
na: Then we're gonna kill him. And eat him on kosher rye, as is our way.
ck O'Malley: This is a blues bar. Pouting is redundant.
cca's Friend: That, my dear, is a big, gay Yankee.
na: And if you tell anyone that I'm reading this fou-fou crap, I'll put your balls through your nostrils so fast that I'll have to duck.
cca Coltrane: I need the cat.
te Sherman: I don't even *like* lemonade.
ck O'Malley: If Nina sees you going over there, it's gonna be you on kosher rye. I don't wanna eat you, Pete.
te Sherman: Well, I didn't bring any bourbon, but I did pour soda down my pants to save you the trouble.
te Sherman: That. Is so. Not fair. cca Coltrane: Did you forget already, general? All's fair in love and war. te Sherman: And which is this, Becca?
Ross McElwee sets out to make a documentary about the lingering effects of General Sherman's march of destruction through the South during the Civil War, but is continually sidetracked by women who come and go in his life, his recurring dreams of nuclear holocaust, and Burt Reynolds. Written by Brett Coon
