Wow! Such a good movie.

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Deeper than the descriptions

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

"Drums in the Deep South" is a very boring Civil War film that does absolutely nothing to explain the war and features a romance that is about as sizzling as one between siblings! As a result of being so dull and indifferently made, I can thoroughly understand why RKO let this one fall into the public domain. Why, oh why, would they bother renewing the copyright on something this unappealing and slow?The film begins with a little prologue where you are introduced to some old friends and their love interest. Only a few minutes later, the Civil War is on and the film now jumps ahead to only months before the end of the war. One old friend is on a mission from the Confederacy to slow down or stop the progress of Sherman and his men on their way to burn Atlanta and the other to make sure Sherman gets through. As a matter of record, anyone familiar with the war KNOWS that Sherman did indeed make it past Atlanta and burned it on the way to the ocean. The love story is boring. The ending is a foregone conclusion. The dialog is occasionally dumb and the actors are, for the most part, bland. Sounds like a great way to spend about 90 minutes of your life? Don't bet on it!

Directed by William Cameron Menzies & based on a story by Civil War author Hollister Noble, this movie has nothing to do with drums. Not even, one scene with drum boy. Instead, the movie tells the story of a small group of Confederate soldiers leaded by Maj. Clay Clayburn (James Craig) trying to mount, cannons onto a mountain, before a Union railroad convey comes to help burn the city of Atlanta, down. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, the original titled of this film, 'The Confederate Story' suite it better. However, it's hard to root for these protagonists. Not only, are they fighting for the wrong side, and clearly, had slaves on their cotton farm; but they're kinda self-centered jerks trying to commit adultery while the husband is fighting armies in Atlanta. They also seem to have a problem with caring for others. People die around them, and they barely show any reaction to their deaths. A good example of this, is the whole letter scene and a soldier falling down the cave. It seem like those scenes had didn't hold any water or weight to the characters. Another thing, so jarring about this movie, is how similar, the main characters are, to 1939's film, 'Gone with the Wind'. You really do see it, within the actor's performances. First off, James Craig is really trying too hard to evoke, Clark Gable in this film. While, he had success with his scenes of bravery to fight the war; sadly, he fails miserable as romantic lead, because he has little of Gable's well-crafted charm to back it up. Because of that lacking factor, you really don't feel any chemistry between him and Kathy Summer (Barbara Payton) at all. Then, there is Barbara Payton, whom comes off, as just depressing, stubborn, and evil looking. I was really hoping for a more heart-warming performance from her. It also sad to hear that at the time of the filming, Barbara has really sank deep into the bottle. You can really sense it, here with her, somewhat unemotional delivery and her bloated, blotchy appearance. Her eventual battles with alcohol and drug addiction, cost her everything. On May 8, 1967, the 39-year-old former starlet was found on the bathroom floor - dead from heart and liver failure. Despite the lack of mostly good acting in this. I found one actor to really shine, through this, and that was Guy Madison as Union Maj. Will Denning. You really feel the inner conflict, going through him. You see this man, sweat with every decision, he has to make. All, he wants to do is serve his country, but his friends happen to be for the other side. However, the DVD cover of this movie is a bit misleading. First off, Guy Madison is not the main lead in this film, he's more like a supporting character, and second off; his character doesn't arrive at the battle site, until the end of the 3rd act. I guess, the now new producers of this film, really wanted to target modern audiences, by making it seem that the movie is about Union forces, when it's not. I guess, it would make the film seem, better to sell to a general audience. It might seem like a smart marketing move to some, but for me. It's very sham-full deception. Since, the original producers, King Brothers Productions & RKO Pictures fail to renew the film's copyright. It resulted, with the film, falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of 'Drums of the Deep South'. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely or badly edited. Since many of them, come from extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation copies. Don't count on the audio and film footage to be good. My copy had awful loud echoing, static, and missing dialogue pauses. Not only that, but it had a lot of scratches, and discoloring in the film footage. Despite that, you can still, mostly see the wonderful recycle production design that William Cameron Menzies, use for this film, as well as producer, David O' Selznick's 1938's 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' & 'Gone with the Wind", here. Another thing that William Cameron Menzies did well, and pioneered, was the use of color in film for dramatic effect. You really do see it, here, in the models based on real-life, Wyoming location, 'Devil's Tower'. It was amazing. It's pretty obvious that director Steven Spielberg saw this movie and was "inspired" to use the Devil's Tower as a setting for 1977's 'Close Encounter of the Third Kind'. The mixer of real-life train scenes with model train explosions, was also well shot, well-edited, and well-made. The action scenes in the cave were also very intense to watch. The score by composer Dimitri Tiomkin, really provides the right amount of sound to the many battle or suspense scenes. However, I wish the movie was little more historic accuracy. A lot of their informative about how cannon fire, works, was a bit misleading. It doesn't help the fact that the author of the source material, was making things up as he goes, like when he said that Union General Sherman was having train being sent to him. In actual history General Sherman's troops advanced without a supply line and lived off the land until they conquered Atlanta, then continued to Charleston, South Carolina. This victory helped to reelect Lincoln and pretty much, help save the Union. So, to hear otherwise, it made for a very awkward watch. Overall: I have to say, this movie was mostly fine. Good, but nothing too memorable. An old gem, worthy of rewatching, despite some flaws. Check it out, if you're a huge Civil War fan.

The obvious connection between GONE WITH THE WIND and DRUMS IN THE DEEP SOUTH (and there are many connections) is its subject matter about Sherman's advance through Georgia, and the reign of terror that occurs for southerners who come into direct contact with the northern general and his men. Another important connection, from a technical standpoint, is the fact that GWTW's art designer is the director of this film. It wasn't the first time William Cameron Menzies had moved into the director's chair, and his previous experience in this genre makes DRUMS all the richer. The mansion scenes and the Georgia countryside are photographed in sepia, and there's a balmy almost lazy sort of feel to the opening scenes.All that rural idyllic charm gets jolted out of complacency eleven minutes into the story when war has been declared. And there's an incredible shot where leading lady Barbara Payton watches her husband see his West Point buddies off (now on opposite sides), and she closes the door to everything simple and sweet and innocent they've ever known.At this point the story follows James Craig, one of the husband's buddies fighting for the south. There are some army camp scenes, where his regiment strategizes how they will defeat or at least stall Sherman's advance through the territory. It all involves a place called Devil Mountain which looks out on to a valley, and down in the valley Payton and her genteel uncle have stayed on at the mansion. But the mansion is fraught with tension, because while her husband is off in battle, Payton's home has been taken over by Sherman's men and one of them has developed a strange attachment to her.What happens next is something you've never seen before, not even in GONE WITH THE WIND. She tricks the man to go outside to get a picture of his children from his knapsack. Then she hurries upstairs, grabs a mirror and signals Craig's men over at the Devil Mountain lookout. The northern soldier finds her upstairs, and catches her in the act. They engage in a fierce struggle. The uncle enters the room with a revolver. As he gets off a shot, the Union soldier fires back. The uncle is killed instantly, but the soldier is still alive. Payton doesn't want to help him, but when she sees the picture of his children that he brought in from his knapsack, she can't help but feel overwhelmed and decides to save the life of a man she considers the enemy.There are more twists and turns, and Menzies keeps it moving. The men at the lookout try to blow up not one but two trains bringing supplies through for Sherman. Also, the other West Point buddy (Guy Madison) who takes orders from Sherman returns to the area and is reunited with Payton at the mansion. She is definitely caught in the middle-- she remains friendly to the north so they will not destroy her home, but her loyalties are divided, and she continues to work as a spy to help her southern compatriots. As I said, it operates on many levels. But no matter what direction it goes, Menzies is always careful to show the south in a compassionate light. He shows that the Confederates still have compassion for their northern brothers. I think that's an important point to keep in mind, because this story really has no villains.

Director William Cameron Menzies served up one of the worst movies about the Civil War aka The War Between the States aka The War of Northern Aggression ever made. In "Drums in the Deep South" the story begins in Georgia on the eve of the firing upon Fort Sumter at a plantation mansion that looks like a prefab golf clubhouse. West Point grad Braxton Summers (Craig Stevens) returns from a business trip with a gift for his seemingly adoring spouse, Kathy (Barbara Payton). He mentions that he's invited two academy classmates, Clay Clayburn (James Craig) and Will Denning (Guy Madison) for dinner. At the mention of Clay's name, Kathy freezes with the intense emotion of a failed Method actress, signaling that she and Clay have a shared past.An awkward dinner follows ended by the bellicose announcement that war has begun. Will is off to serve the Union, Clay and Braxton will fight for the South.Fast forward - literally - to 1864 and Kathy lives alone at the mansion with her uncle and an occupying Union outfit looking for her husband while also protecting a threatened rail line needed by GEN Sherman for his advance through the Peach State. The federal soldiers are shown as crude, even cruel, but Kathy knows how to deal with them.Then Clay arrives with orders to destroy Union rolling stock at a critical point called "Snake Gap." Interestingly, Union forces did take a Georgia pass named Snake Gap during Sherman's offensive but the story that follows has nothing to do with the Civil War reality.Clay, a major, has to get cannon to the top of a prominence from which he can blow up the Yankee trains. And who should be in command of the Union detachment tasked to destroy the Confederate unit? Why Will, of course (Guy Madison was a stock "B" film staple.)Clay also finds time to renew his acquaintance with Kathy who'll do anything for her beloved Confederacy. This being a 1951 flick and she being a fine Southern lady, they don't make love but her anguished concern for the absent Braxton's safety evaporates as she and Clay plan to head for bliss anywhere but in a war zone. And away from Braxton who might take umbrage at his wife's desertion with his classmate.The rest of the story is silly and the military action is unbelievable, indeed impossible. The film is a rushed muddle of stereotyped roles and predictable outcomes.And, on top of that, the DVD transfer is very poor with washed out color, blurred dialog and text that doesn't fit the TV screen.Dimitri Tiomkin's score is good but nowhere near his best.Skip this one-"The Horse Soldiers" with John Wayne and William Holden is infinitely better, a fine example of this genre.4/10.