Archive: Arts & Entertainment

The Tompkins County Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission continues its Civil War film series this Sunday, February 3, with the showing of the film “The Red Badge of Courage.”  The screening will take place beginning at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street, Ithaca.  The Commission appreciates Cinemapolis’ cosponsorship of the event.  Admission will be by donation.

The film is based on the 1895 novel written by Stephen Crane, which was also the focus of a community read sponsored by the Civil War Commission, with assistance from Buffalo Street Books and the Tompkins County Public Library.

Regarding the story and its significance, Cornell University Associate Professor of History and Civil War Commission member Aaron Sachs notes, “We often count on writers of fiction to capture deeper truths about important historical events, but the only classic novel we have about the Civil War is “The Red Badge of Courage,” written in 1895 by a young man named Stephen Crane who was not even born until six years after the war ended.  When the book was published, many veterans of the war praised its vividness and authenticity and even claimed that they remembered fighting alongside the author!

“The story follows an 18-year-old Union private who struggles with an inner conflict between deep-seated fear and the desire to act heroically in battle. It is both utterly specific in its evocation of a particular historical moment and also timeless in its exploration of the individual's duty to his community and desire for self-command.”

The film is the second in a series of Civil War feature films and documentaries sponsored by the Civil War Commission, Cinemapolis, and the Tompkins County Public Library, which will take place over the next three years.

Sunday’s screening of “The Red Badge of Courage” will be followed by a moderated discussion.

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