Let's be realistic.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I gave this movie a '10' primarily because of the acting skills and filmography. Being a Southerner, at times some movies about the South are a little hard to swallow. I found this movie very interesting as it gave insight not only into situation but the feelings and thoughts of the characters. I especially enjoyed seeing Mr. Ed Grady in the roll of Robert E. Lee. It sometimes amazes me that he is so versatile and yet has not shown up in more movies. I believe we should have more movies in which the actors are so well suited to their parts, rather than just using some of the more established names in the movie industry as 'draws', whether they have the ability to 'become' the character they are portraying or not.

I found the show lengthy but interesting. The story is told in flashback sequence...a style I find particularly annoying. It also does not contain subtitles which add to viewing. Diane Lane is magnificent and Southerland does well also. One foible is that the boy Marsden shown in many of the Civil War battleground sequences has dark brown eyes while the adult Marsden (Southerland) clearly has light blue eyes. Tyson does a great job in her role as the housekeeper/former slave girl. The character of Marsden shows little or no love or care for his wife and children just doing whatever he pleases whenever he wants to...pretty accurate and indicative of a husband from the South at this time in history....

Along the lines of Miss Jane Pittman, even has Cicily, I stayed involved all the way through, enjoyed it enough to buy a copy so that I could view it without commercials. Donald is a brute, the widow deserves all the bonuses that she got, in the end. a good tale. easier to stay with that the book.

a lot of people don't know that she continued to receive his pension after he died. The government didn't plan on her living as long as she did.Not too many people get one over on the Government legally. Way to go girl. I liked this story because My great grandfather was one of the last surviving Union soldiers. He died in 1932 at the age of 90.