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Field of Lost Shoes

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Field of Lost Shoes
A group of soldier holding their rifles and bayonettes in the air, a solder in the middle holds a flag
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySean McNamara
Written by
  • Dave Kennedy
  • Thomas Farrell
Produced by
  • Dave Kennedy
  • Thomas Farrell
Starring
CinematographyBrad Shield
Edited byJeff Canavan
Music byFrederik 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. The battle was fought in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia 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.

The film was released in Europe under the title Battlefield of Lost Souls.

Cast

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Production

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The film's shooting locales include Powhatan, Virginia, Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Lexington, Virginia.[2] The film's world premiere was held on May 19, 2014 at the GI Film Festival.[3][4]

Reception

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On Metacritic, the film has a score of a 28% based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[5] On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 40% based on reviews from 5 critics.[6]

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."[7] 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.'"[8] Nick Shager's review in The Village Voice was entitled "Civil War Drama Field of Lost Shoes Argues No Confederates Were Racist."[9]

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.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "'Field of Lost Shoes': Film Review". hollywoodreporter.com. September 25, 2014. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "Reel Stories! Real Heroes!". GI Film Festival. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "Field of Lost Shoes". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  6. ^ "Field of Lost Shoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  7. ^ "'Field of Lost Shoes': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. September 25, 2014. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
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