Wicked Spring

Starring:Kara Bartels, Bill Bishop, Paul Boccadoro, J. Damon Hendrix, Bourke Floyd, April Gammache, Keith Gibson (II), Curtis Hall, Anthony Hornus, Lindsey Ingram, Aaron Jackson, Terry Jernigan, Mark Lacy, Rebecca Lawlor, Brian Merrick, Ed Morrison, John Pagano, DJ Perry, D.J. Tucker
Studio: Allumination
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

What a waist of potential
Great Movie
Wicked Spring
A perfect and historically accurate little film
"This whole thing's been a big mistake."

Wicked Spring
Starring: Kara Bartels , Bill Bishop , Paul Boccadoro , J. Damon Hendrix , and Bourke Floyd
Manufacturer: Allumination
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000E6FNK
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Customer Reviews:

What a waist of potential.......2007-05-18

This movie could have been great, if there was more of an effort reality in the dialogue. The dialogue is a complete mess, I have been a civil war buff all my life, I've been a reenactor since I was 13 (portraying both sides), I have read every first hand account written by those soldiers that I could get my hands on. Some of these guys may have been illiterate, but they were not stupid, especially the seasoned veterans whom the two main characters are suppose to be. Its extremely hard to believe that they would have been able to go through a full night, especially on the field of battle, completely oblivious to the fact that they are sharing a camp fire with the enemy. It's amazing that through their whole night conversing that none of these strangers asked the other simply "what unit are you with?" or even picking up on the others accents. Even if they had known that they were enemies, the overall storyline could have still stayed intact, since it is well known that friendly exchanges between confederate and union soldiers did occur somewhat frequently outside of combat (although there would have to be some tweaking to Terry Jernigan character). Conversation dialogue for most (not all) is just simply cheesy.

Now for a few positives. The uniforms and equipment were very well researched and authentic. The battle scene in the beginning was very impressive. Personally after watching this DVD the while way through once, I now just watch the first 15 minutes and leave it at that.

Great Movie.......2007-04-01

For not being a big time in the movie house movie, this is VERY well done and worth the price!

Wicked Spring.......2006-03-29

In the dark woods of the Wilderness, lost Civil War soldiers blunder together and spend the night sheltering from the battle.

I liked a lot of things about this movie -- the way that a small number of participants were made to look like whole armies by using terrain (rather than just marching the same guys back and forth past the camera the way small-budget historical films often do); the realism of the battle and battle-aftermath scenes; the appealing, quirky and ultimately doomed characters; the lack of anything immediately noticeable as anachronistic. The film held my attention throughout and I found its conclusion both moving and thematically appropriate.

I wondered why the characters didn't figure out each other's allegiance until dawn (accents wouldn't help? Or the fact that the one guy had coffee and the other tobacco?). And I also question something I see over and over in Civil War movies: no one believes in what he's fighting for. Particularly Southerners. They're all just sort of innocent farm boys who are there because, apparently, they were too dumb to know better. Historically accurate film ought to portray the range of motivations that actuated Civil War soldiers on both sides to fight.

While I liked the dialogue-free quality of the opening scenes, I found their content cloying and only put up with them because I expected that there would be a big contrast coming up.

Having said all that, I liked Wicked Spring very much. I would compare it to much higher-profile Civil War movies such as Cold Mountain and Glory in quality.

A perfect and historically accurate little film.......2005-10-23

This little independent film is just perfect. It is poetry for the eyes. The backdrop of this movie is the American Civil War's Battle of the Wilderness. Written, directed, and produced by Kevin Hershberger the film unfolds like a canvas before your eyes. Shot on location throughout Virginia it gives the viewer a perfect feel for the times in which the story takes place. Six soldiers, a terrible battle, friends, enemies, and waiting love are all in this story. The acting is great too. Brian Merrick as Confederate Harrison Bolding and DJ Perry as Yank John Sunderlin really play well off of one and other. A good part of the story takes place at night when color and affinities are blurred. There is a good lesson here about war and humanity. If you are a Civil War history lover, buff, or whatever buy this DVD.

"This whole thing's been a big mistake.".......2005-05-24

After watching this indie film for the very first time over a year ago I initially gave it a four-star rating. But after repeated viewings I realized the many cliches and flaws and now have a totally different opinion. Simply put, the movie gets worse and worse the more you watch it! I've been a "hardcore" Civil War buff ever since I was old enough to read, but this movie suffers from a contrived and unconvinving plot, overall poor direction, and acting that ranges from wooden to wildly over-the-top, like Terry Jernigan (who IS that freak anyway?!?).

The first few minutes are totally without dialogue and rely on images of two men, one from the South and one from the North, as they each marry, have kids, and then leave their wives to go off to fight in the Civil War. Using no dialogue for these scenes was a bold move by the director, but having virtually no character development the viewer feels absolutely nothing (except maybe boredom) during these scenes. The one good thing is the terrific music by David G. Russell.

After the two men (DJ Perry and Brian J. Merrick) bid farewell to their wives, the movie then jumps to 1864, where the two men are taking part in the Battle of the Wilderness. The battle scenes are actually very impressive and the director does a good job of trying to hide the fact that the same reenactors are used to play both Union and Confederate troops. Despite the authenticity of the battle scenes (the medical personal even where correct hospital badges) there are numerous cliches, like a soldier dying in the arms of another (who then manually shuts his dead comrade's eyelids).

After the pretty exciting battle sequence the movie grounds to a slug's pace and the movie goes in a downward spiral from there. Six soldiers, three Confederate and three Union, get seperated from their units and meet in the Wilderness during the night. They build a fire and the six soldiers sit around and talk to one another, somehow unaware that they are on opposite sides. The light from the campfire makes it plainly visible to all but the apparently blind soldiers that there are three "Yankees" and three "Rebels". When dawn arrives the soldiers magically realize the error they've made and tragedy results. The end.

Among the six soldiers there were the typical types that you'd find in dozens of other squad-based war movies, like the wounded soldier (Mark Lacy) which the viewer knows doesn't have a chance, the scared "boy soldier" (Aaron Jackson) that's barely big enough to carry a musket, the smart and sensible soldiers (DJ Perry and Brian J. Merrick) who know the war is wrong and pointless, and of course the big bully (Terry Jernigan) who's always losing his temper. Getting the historical details correct, from the uniforms to the hardtack, plus the great music by David Russell, doesn't save this movie from being a near disaster. I recommend renting it only if you're a Civil War buff, but otherwise avoid at all costs.

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