This documentary was always going to stand or fall on the portrayal of Grant and credit must be given to the Casting Directors Suzanne Smith & Bonnie Rodini for casting the criminally underused JUSTIN SALINGER. While Salinger might not be the perfect lookalike, it was clearly far more important to cast an actor capable of playing the many subtle nuances and complexities of the man and Salinger does a superb job here with his performance of Grant and I felt he was closer to the man than anyone to have portrayed him previously. While praising the actors, I am also going to single out the young man who played the Union private in the first episodes excellent opening sequence, ARTHUR FALKO - Again, extremely good casting, it was as if this one individual was wearing the entire history of the war on his face in those opening moments. Anticipation, fear, dread and later bravery and valour. I expect to be seeing a great deal more of him on our screens in future.
The series format jumps from documentary commentary and anecdotes from various historians and it was nice to see dialogue offered from both a male and female black historian on the man and the conflict in which he fought. This was a war over which the issue of slavery was key, so it felt quite right too and made this aspect of the series, far more interesting to watch than just having the usual older generation historian faces chipping in their valulable, but rather well worn comments.
The most engrossing segments of the show however are the dramatic segments and it was these and Salingers performance that kept me engaged in the show.
While I would have perferred to see a straight up drama mini series about the man without any of the historical commentary, this never the less is an extremely well made piece covering the life and motivations of one of the most equally loved and hated Commanders of the Civil War. I found it both educational and enligtening. Despite the more restrictive budget for a peroid piece the drama scenes are extremely well handled and critism by armchair historians about drill and uniforms are poorly founded. The uniforms are authentic, the drill of the early Union army appropriately poor in the early episodes, as was the army's state at this time. People need to remember, just because you read something in a book, doesn't make it a verbatim mode of action for every individual. War is complex, conscripted soldiers are not veterans, nor at first a professional army. It would be some time before the Union became one.
It would be great to see more in the series in a similar fashion. This was very enjoyable and I hope will engage a younger audience in the subject. That is the most important thing of all. The youth are, after all, the best hope for keeping history alive in the future.
