Field of Lost Shoes
Field of Lost Shoes | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Sean McNamara |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Brad Shield |
Edited by | Jeff Canavan |
Music by | Frederik Wiedmann |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $6,000,000 |
Field of Lost Shoes is a 2014 American war drama film directed by Sean McNamara and written by Dave Kennedy and Thomas Farrell. The film stars Nolan Gould, Lauren Holly, Jason Isaacs, Tom Skerritt, Keith David and David Arquette. It is based on the true story of a group of cadets from the Virginia Military Institute who participated in the Battle of New Market against Union forces during the American Civil War. The battle was fought in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia on May 15, 1864. The film's title refers to the large number of soldiers' boots left on the battlefield due to the muddy conditions during the battle. Ten cadets died in the battle.
The film was released in Europe under the title Battlefield of Lost Souls.
Cast[]
- Luke Benward as John Wise
- Lauren Holly as Mrs. Clinedinst.[1]
- Jason Isaacs as John C. Breckinridge[1]
- Tom Skerritt as Ulysses S. Grant
- Keith David as Old Judge
- David Arquette as Capt. Henry DuPont
- Zach Roerig as Jack Stanard
- Gale Harold as Charles Semple
- Mary Mouser as Libby Clinedinst [1]
- Josh Zuckerman as Moses Ezekiel
- Nolan Gould as Robert / Sir Rat
- Max Lloyd-Jones as Sam Atwill
- Sean Marquette as Benjamin 'Duck' Colonna
- Erik Audé as The Hawker
- Courtney Gains as Capt. Chinook
- Werner Daehn as Gen. Franz Sigel
- Parker Croft as Thomas Garland Jefferson
- Alexa Yeames as The Girl at the Dance
- as Doctor
- as Martha Ann
- Michael Krebs as Abraham Lincoln
Production[]
The film's shooting locales include Powhatan, Virginia, Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Lexington, Virginia.[2] The film's world premiere was held on May 19, 2014 at the GI Film Festival.[3][4]
Reception[]
On Metacritic the film has a score of a 28% based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."[5] On Rotten Tomatoes it has a score of 40% based on reviews from 5 critics.[6]
The film was roundly criticized for its misleading depiction of Southern attitudes toward slavery. In a review of the film, , author of alternate history novels about the Civil War, criticized the portrayal of the VMI cadets as being opposed to slavery. A reviewer for the Hollywood Reporter wrote "Amazingly, none of the staunch Southerners seem to hold any negative feelings toward blacks, defending the Institute’s beloved cook “Judge” (Keith David) from persecution and stopping to rescue a young slave woman trapped under a fallen carriage."[7] Writing for the Orlando Sentinel, critic Roger Moore noted that "cadets sympathetically help slaves at every turn, even though this was the patrician class that insisted upon the war and the preservation of that 'peculiar institution.'"[8] Nick Shager's review in The Village Voice was entitled "Civil War Drama Field of Lost Shoes Argues No Confederates Were Racist."[9]
Further criticism came in a 2019 report by Tom Nash and Kristin Reed on the government transparency news site MuckRock. The authors, noting the revisionist nature of the film, found that the state of Virginia had given one million dollars in public money to fund the film.[10]
References[]
- ^ a b c "'Field of Lost Shoes': Film Review". hollywoodreporter.com. September 25, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ "Battle of New Market brings Hollywood to Lexington, VMI". roanoke.com. June 8, 2013. Archived from the original on June 12, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ "Reel Stories! Real Heroes!". GI Film Festival. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ "Opening Night At The GI Film Festival: Field Of Lost Shoes". Task & Purpose. May 27, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ "Field of Lost Shoes". Metacritic. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ "Field of Lost Shoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ "'Field of Lost Shoes': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ Moore, Roger. "'Field of Lost Shoes' is a sentimental look at Civil War battle". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ Schager, Nick. "Civil War Drama Field of Lost Shoes Argues No Confederates Were Racist". The Village Voice. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ Nash, Tom. "$1 million in Virginia public funding sponsored "Lost Cause" film in 2013". MuckRock. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
External links[]
- 2014 films
- English-language films
- 2014 war drama films
- American Civil War films
- American war drama films
- American films
- Battle of New Market
- Brookwell McNamara Entertainment films
- Films about war crimes
- Films directed by Sean McNamara
- Films scored by Frederik Wiedmann
- Films set in 1864
- Films set in Richmond, Virginia
- Films set in Virginia
- Films shot in Virginia
- Cultural depictions of Ulysses S. Grant
- Depictions of Abraham Lincoln on film
- 2014 drama films
- Lost Cause of the Confederacy