Last week I wrote about battlefields and, a little side, I referred to Gettysburg field, wandering through which I walked a cold morning in March this year. The fierce fighting on 1 the 3 July 1863 on the outskirts of this small town in Pennsylvania determined the fate, for North, American Civil War, hitherto favorable to the southern states. In Gettysburg died nearly fifty thousand men, about fifteen thousand daily. Today is a stage full of monuments, statues and tombs that people visit with reverence and hunger for myth. And once a year, days in July to commemorate the battle, volunteers from across America dressed in Confederate uniforms and unionists and play to represent the war stories, with blanks and false cañonería, big boy like children.
Months after, back to Spain, zapeaba a day on the TV looking for something of interest to entertain a while and I stopped at a thematic channel where announcing a film about the Battle of Gettysburg. It was a very detailed report on historical data, but especially with an impressive combat reconstruction Live. Hundreds of men, if not thousands, moved before the camera shooting guns, pistols and rifles; had cavalry and infantry; a great display of uniforms and flags; battle cries, men pretending to die and others who sought help from health to heal wounds feigned. “¡Caray!”, I said, "This report is due to cost millions of dollars". But knowing what they are capable of Americans when it comes to making films, the matter did not produce excessive strangeness.
¡Caray!”, I said, "This report is due to cost millions of dollars
However, as the story progressed, I noticed something that I found it quite odd: that almost all the extras in the movie were quite fat. How had not fallen in the film's producers realized that, in a bloody battle in a long war, soldiers have to be by force rather squalid? Before a battle, Gettysburg looked like the scene of a picnic in which people had swelled to eat hamburgers and play with the little wars now to digest the binge.
And immediately I understood everything. The story was filmed one of those days of July to commemorate the event, free volunteers from across America, well-fed and naturally in McDonald’s, to represent the historic battle and revive the myth. A bargain for producers, in the end.
I heard that, in Spain, are catching on this type of war celebrations. Specifically the battle of the Ebro and I think also of Brunete. Civil wars are very much on whether, so is. So you know the filmmakers where to go, in time of crisis, for blockbusters at bargain prices. But, please, to handle the extra weight.
