Copperhead (2013 film)

Copperhead

film poster
Directed by Ron Maxwell
Produced by Ron Maxwell
Screenplay by Bill Kauffman
Story by Harold Frederic
Starring
Music by Laurent Eyquem
Cinematography Kees Van Oostrum
Production
company
Swordspoint Productions
Brainstorm Media
Distributed by Film Collective
Release dates
  • June 28, 2013
Running time
118 minutes
Country Canada
United States
Language English
Box office $171,740[1]

Copperhead is an independent Canadian/American film directed by Ron Maxwell. It stars Billy Campbell. Shot at Kings Landing Historical Settlement in New Brunswick, Canada and set in upstate New York, it was released June 28, 2013. The film is based on a 19th-century novel, The Copperhead, by Harold Frederic. The title refers to Northern opponents of the American Civil War, known as Copperheads.

Plot

In a rural community upstate New York in 1862, farmer Abner Beech is a Northern antiwar Democrat. While his neighbors take up the Union cause in the ongoing American Civil War, Beech believes that coercion in resisting the secession of the southern states is unconstitutional, and gradually becomes more and more harassed for his views, derisively called a "Copperhead". His son, Thomas Jefferson Beech, enlists in the Union Army. Beech also arouses the ire of militant abolitionist Jee Hagadorn, whose daughter Esther (Lucy Boynton) loves Jeff.

Cast

Production

The film had the working title Copperhead: The War at Home. Filmed at Kings Landing Historical Settlement in New Brunswick, Canada,.[2][3] "Copperhead" was produced by Ron Maxwell and co-produced by John Houston.

Reception

"Well researched, intellectually admirable, and beautifully photographed . . . If every war has more than one side, this story of one man who dares to stand against the tide of history has a contemporary relevance that remains uncontested." <Rex Reed, New York Observer>

Box office

Copperhead opened in limited theatrical release June 28, 2013, playing in 59 theaters.[1] and was simultaneously released in video-on-demand platforms including amazon instant video where it is remains available.

Relation to director's previous works

Copperhead is Maxwell's third Civil War film, though the director does not consider it to be part of the trilogy he has planned along with Gettysburg (1993) and Gods and Generals (2003), as he expects to conclude the series with a final film based on Jeff Shaara's The Last Full Measure.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Copperhead". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  2. Vlessing, Etan (May 28, 2012). "Copperhead Shoot Embraces New Brunswick". PlayBack (Brunico Communications Ltd.).
  3. Patten, Dominic (June 5, 2012). "‘The Killing’s’ Billy Campbell Replaces Jason Patric on ‘Copperhead’". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  4. Raleigh, Brendan (May 30, 2013). "Maxwell’s ‘Copperhead’ to Strike on Screen for Civil War Anniversary". Frederick Gorilla (Frederick, Maryland). Retrieved May 30, 2013.

External links