Field of Lost Shoes

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Field of Lost Shoes
Field of Lost Shoes poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sean McNamara
Written by
  • Dave Kennedy
  • Thomas Farrell
Produced by
  • Dave Kennedy
  • Thomas Farrell
Starring
CinematographyBrad Shield
Edited byJeff Canavan
Music by Frederik Wiedmann
Production
company
Release date
  • April 13, 2014 (2014-04-13)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
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 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 VMI cadets died in the battle.

Contents

Cast

Plot

Based on a true story, it follows a group of teenage cadets at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) who are called upon at the Battle of New Market, in May 1864, to help defend the Shenandoah Valley. [2] [3]

Production

The film's shooting locales include the VMI, Powhatan, Virginia, and Lexington, Virginia. [4]

The film's world premiere was held on May 19, 2014 at the GI Film Festival. [5] [6] It was released in Europe under the title Battlefield of Lost Souls.

Reception

On Metacritic, the film has a score of a 28% based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [7] On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 40% based on reviews from 5 critics. [8]

The film was roundly criticized for its misleading depiction of Southern attitudes toward 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." [9] 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.'" [10] Nick Shager's review in The Village Voice was entitled "Civil War Drama Field of Lost Shoes Argues No Confederates Were Racist." [11]

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 Commonwealth of Virginia had given $1 million in public money to fund the film. [12]

Novel

A 206-page novelization of the film by David Kennedy was released in October 2014. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexington, Virginia</span> Independent city in Virginia, United States

Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions, and is combined with it for statistical purposes by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Lexington is within the Shenandoah Valley about 57 miles (92 km) east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles (80 km) north of Roanoke, Virginia. First settled in 1778, Lexington is best known as the home of the Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of New Market</span> 1864 battle of the American Civil War

The Battle of New Market was fought on May 15, 1864, in Virginia during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War. A makeshift Confederate army of 4,100 men defeated the larger Army of the Shenandoah under Major General Franz Sigel, delaying the capture of Staunton by several weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Military Institute</span> Public college in Lexington, Virginia, US

The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States. In keeping with its founding principles and unlike any other senior military college in the United States, VMI enrolls cadets only and awards bachelor's degrees exclusively. The institute grants degrees in 14 disciplines in engineering, science, and the liberal arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Arquette</span> American actress (born 1968)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sergeant Wise</span> American politician

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William Henry Gilham was an American soldier, teacher, chemist, and author. A member of the faculty at Virginia Military Institute, in 1860, he wrote a military manual which was still in modern use 145 years later. He served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, and became president of Southern Fertilizing Company in Richmond after the War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley campaigns of 1864</span> American Civil War operations and battles

The Valley campaigns of 1864 began as operations initiated by Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and resulting battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia during the American Civil War from May to October 1864. Some military historians divide this period into three separate campaigns. This article considers them together, as the campaigns interacted and built upon one another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Holly</span> American–Canadian actress (born 1963)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">VMI Keydets football</span> Football program representing the Virginia Military Institute

The VMI Keydets football team represents the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. The Keydets compete in the Southern Conference of the NCAA Division I FCS, and are coached by Danny Rocco, named head coach on December 3, 2022. VMI plays their home contests at 10,000-seat Alumni Memorial Field, as they have since 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1899 VMI Keydets football team</span> American college football season

The 1899 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in their ninth season of organized football. Sam Boyle coached his second season for the Keydets, which featured only one game—a 39–0 win over Washington and Lee. Although the team only played one game in mid-October, the squad was assembled for practice in early September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1900 VMI Keydets football team</span> American college football season

The 1900 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in their tenth season of organized football. The Keydets went 4–1–2 under their new head coach Sam Walker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1910 VMI Keydets football team</span> American college football season

The 1910 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in their 20th season of organized football. The Keydets finished at 3–3–1 with second-year coach William Gloth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Classic of the South</span> American college football rivalry

The original "Military Classic of the South" was a football game played on Thanksgiving Day between Virginia Tech (VPI) and the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) beginning in 1913 and lasting until 1985. Unfortunately, as Virginia Tech continued to expand its student body, the game quickly became unmatched and VMI left the series in 1985.

The New Market Cross of Honor was a commemorative medal established in 1904 by the Virginia Military Institute Alumni Association (VMIAA) to honor Confederate veterans who served in the Virginia Military Institute Corps of Cadets at the Battle of New Market during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Garland Jefferson</span>

Thomas Garland Jefferson was one of the VMI Cadets killed at the Battle of New Market. He died three days after the battle from wounds suffered during it. He was 17 years old and the great-grand nephew of former US president Thomas Jefferson.

The 1924 VMI Keydets football team was an American football team that represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) during the 1924 college football season as a member of the Southern Conference. In their fifth year under head coach Blandy Clarkson, the team compiled an overall record of 6–3–1.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "'Field of Lost Shoes': Film Review". hollywoodreporter.com. September 25, 2014. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  2. ↑ McNamara, Sean (September 26, 2014). "Field of Lost Shoes - Apple TV". Apple TV. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Battle of New Market - VMI Archives - Virginia Military Institute". www.vmi.edu. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. ↑ "Reel Stories! Real Heroes!". GI Film Festival. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Opening Night At The GI Film Festival: Field Of Lost Shoes". Task & Purpose. May 27, 2014. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Field of Lost Shoes". Metacritic . Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Field of Lost Shoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  9. ↑ "'Field of Lost Shoes': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. September 25, 2014. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  10. ↑ Moore, Roger. "'Field of Lost Shoes' is a sentimental look at Civil War battle". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  11. ↑ Schager, Nick (September 24, 2014). "Civil War Drama Field of Lost Shoes Argues No Confederates Were Racist". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  12. ↑ Nash, Tom (February 11, 2019). "$1 million in Virginia public funding sponsored "Lost Cause" film in 2013". MuckRock. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  13. ↑ Field of Lost Shoes: Official Novelization of the Feature Film. ISBN   0692295070.
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