User Reviews

J. D. Feigelson modified an Ambrose Bierce story to produce this tightly knit little film of life and death. The movie starts with Mathew Brady style photos of the battlefield dead and then as Joan Baez starts to sing; the Confederate sniper shoots a young Union soldier as he is kissing his mother and sweetheart goodbye to leave for the battle. With conservation of energy, the director has developed a character and mood in just a few minutes. When the sniper gets himself into a life or death situation in the film, we are left to decide whether we should feel for him or hope he gets his just deserts. Flashbacks to the sniper's childhood muddy your decision. It will be hard to guess the surprise ending. This is a film on which it is well worth spending 46 minutes of your time.

I saw this film in the very early eighties on television. Gordon Baxter was a local celebrity, doing his t.v. spots for his tire service business in southeast Texas. My father told me that the film was not to be missed, and indeed he was right, for upon remembering having seen the film I was swept up in how unique the memory of it is. It stands out as a singularly embroiling experience. The film is spare on dialogue, and the situation the soldier finds himself in is remarkably compelling. The thematic layering to his plight, which can't be revealed here due to it's extreme plot significance, is rich and subtly textured. This film may be considered a 'small' film but it is no less powerful for it's length and minimalistic approach. It is a masterful story of war, yet a poignant memoir, and a moralist fable, all at once. I don't know that I ever knew the title, but I suddenly remembered tonight that'Bax" had starred in it. Over the years I had forgotten that my father, once the film was over, told me "That was Gordon Baxter! Can you believe how good he was!" It added a funny twist to the memory of seeing this brilliantly conceived execution of cinema. The source material must be a masterpiece of writing. Can't wait to see this film again after 25 years. And finally, I pray no one in Hollywood decides to rip it off and remake it. Let it be the little gem it always has been.