Shenandoah (1965)

Synopsis
The year is 1863. Wealthy Virginia landowner James Stewart, a man of peace despite his autocratic behavior, steadfastly refuses to take sides in the Civil War. Bit by bit, Stewart's isolationism--and his way of living--is torn apart. Stewart's daughter Rosemary Forsyth falls in love with Confederate soldier Doug McClure. His youngest son Philip Alford is captured by the Union Army and accused of being a spy (Alford is rescued from immediate execution by his childhood friend, an ex-slave). His farm is confiscated by Northern troops, and another son, Patrick Wayne and his wife, Katherine Ross, are murdered by looters. And his oldest son, Glenn Corbett, is accidentally killed. How all of these personal tragedies culminate in a successfully sentimental finale is the peculiar charm of Shenandoah, which proved to be a hit with audiences on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. James Lee Barrett's screenplay was later adapted into a successful Broadway musical, starring Northern Exposure's John Cullum in the Stewart role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide