Review of Drums in the Deep South (1951) by Sean C — 31 Aug 2013

This film emphases a theme of The south lost cause theme is seen throughout the film.

I did not think that the 1861 portion of the film was very clear. I did not understand that Clay Clayburn and Will Denning who visited Braxton were lovers at one point or another to Kathy Summers. I did not understand that till later on in the film nor did I care at the beginning of the film. I did not understand that until latter on in the film. I thought that the film did not provide enough background early enough in the film to make me care about the characters or get personal enough to know the characters.

The north only does what they are told and follows orders making them sound Nobel and not ruthless like Sherman.

In the film they say that the only thing the south wants is to be left alone from the north. Slavery is hardly mentioned at all in the film. The only time slaves are seen is at the beginning.

From the top of a cave the Confederacy fire at the two Union ammunition trains for Sherman's army in 1864.

They present each side as ingenuity.

Ad showing the woman's role in helping the Confederacy by doing her duty and remaining loyal to his husband and towards the cause.

The southerners don't speak with a southern accent. Nor do we hear a distinct northern accent out of the Union men.

Devil's Mountain where the Confederates hide and establish a base away from the Union looks a lot like the Close Encounters of the Third Kind Mountain.

The woman Kathy Summers does her part for the Confederacy by concealing the location of the Confederates to the Union, retrieving the piano wire to be used for the cannons, and sending intelligence information to the Confederates about the Unions plans.

The Union realizes that the piano wire has been stripped out of the piano.

I thought that the Union went a little overboard at the end of the film when they decided to get ride of the Confederates by placing all their gunpowder in the mountain and destroying the mountain to get ride of the Confederates.

The film had a crummy ending by having the heroes the Confederates die and then have text in Support of the Union who killed the Confederates. Seems weird.

I thought that the film itself was not very good. It started out too similar to Gone with the Wind and then leaves this big gap until 1864 where most of the films story occurs.

To me the characters were not personal enough. I was not invested in them enough because they did not feel believable.

It was an interesting story idea but not done very well or believable.