RIDE WITH THE DEVIL

US, 1999, 128 minutes, Colour.
Toby Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright, Jim Caviezel, Simon Baker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Tom Wilkinson, Jewel, Celia Weston, Mark Ruffalo.
Directed by Ang Lee.

Ride with the Devil is a Civil War story, set in the South among the Confederate forces.

It does not focus on the war in its wide sweep, rather focusing on a small group of young men. The film opens with a wedding, the genteel life in the South, the role of the blacks, the acceptance of slavery and the animosity towards abolitionists.

The main two young men are played by Toby Maguire, son of a German migrant who sides with the Union, and Skeet Ulrich from the southern family. They get caught up in a squad led by Jim Caviezel, with the fanatic and cruel member played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. They also meet with an older man and his negro friend, Simon Baker and Jeffrey Wright.

They become involved in skirmishes, take prisoners, try to get hospitality through the land where they are pursued by Union forces. They settle for the winter in caves. A young widow, Jewel, becomes friendly with the man, bringing them their food, and one of them falls in love with her. However, he is injured, and dies during the treatment. The young woman is pregnant and the other young man takes her to safety, being forced into marrying her and caring for her and her child.

The main and strong action sequence is a group of r and the raiders going into the north, to Lawrence Kansas, and massacring the inhabitants.

The war ends and the people of the South having to settle down into a new era.

The film was directed by Ang Lee, who made his mark in his native Taiwan with The Wedding Banquet and then moved to England to direct Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, then to the US with The Ice Storm and then this film. Lee achieved great international success with the versatility of his films, winning an Oscar for Best Foreign Language with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, then Oscars for directing for Brokeback Mountain and The Life of Pi, winning the Golden Lion in Venice for Brokeback Mountain and Lust, Caution.

1. The Civil War? Audience interest in the Civil War? In the South and the confederacy? In the North and the Union?

2. The scope of the film, characters in action, the focus on a group rather than military activity?

3. The work of the director, is range of films, versatility?

4. The title, the focus on the characters, the Civil War?

5. The visuals, towns and the countryside, the seasons? The musical score?

6. The focus on the two young men, Jake and Jack Bull, the life before the war, their friendship? In the South and its mentality? The families, the opening celebration? Issues of slavery, racism, abolition? civil rights? The disunity of the United States?

7. The characters, Jack Bull and his age, experience, family, friendship? Jake, German migrants, his father and his support of the union, local reaction
against him? The friendship of the two and the bonds?

8. The raiders coming from the north, the Jayhawkers, Quantrell, the destruction of the South, the cry of of vengeance? Culminating in the big raid on Lawrence, Kansas, the destruction, the frenzy, the killings, the heap of dead black men?

9. The reading group, Black John and his courage, leadership, his underlings, the violence of the raids, the attack on the Federal is, the animosity? Pitt and his fanaticism, George and Daniel, part of the group, the presence of a black man in a southern group, the raids?

10. The taking of prisoners, the issue of Adam, Jake writing the letter, giving him his freedom to carry it, his return home, killing Jake’s father?

11. The possibilities for shelter and food, Mrs Clark and her caution, the young girl, the men at the table, the attack, the women being allowed to pass through? The attack?

12. Sue Lee and her story, marriage, widowed? Helping with the food? Attraction to the two men? Jack Bull and his attraction, planning for the proposal, the sexual encounter, resulting in the pregnancy? The attack, the escape? Going to the farm, shelter? Sue Lee and her pregnancy, the birth, the assumptions that Jake was the father?

13. The visualising of the raids, the years passing, the re-grouping, the life in the cave, the snow in the winter?

14. Jack Bull and his being wounded, no doctor to help, the possibilities the gangrene, the attempt at removing his leg, his death?

15. Jake, being wounded, going to the Brown farm? Recuperating?

16. Pitt, his behaviour in the raid on Lawrence, his threatening Jake? In the cafe? His retreating? The later visit, Jake going to confront him, the crisis?

17. Black John and his harshness, Pitt in his madness?

18. George, his activities, participating in the raids? Bringing Daniel, Jake and Daniel becoming friends, Daniel’s story, after the war, his organising the minister for the wedding? His working the fields?

19. Settling down, the baby, Jake’s responsibilities?

20. The sense of hostility between North and South, for the duration of the war, the animosity towards Lincoln’s policies, against the abolitionists? Families and divisions, vengeance? The film offering an experience of war and the aftermath?