Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 13, 1993 TAG: 9303130223
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAY TAYLOR CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
ACTOR GIVES VMI A HISTORY LESSON
Actor Tom Berenger seems not to be one who lightly hands out compliments.Though he starred in the recent film "Sniper," he panned it Friday during a visit to Virginia Military Institute.
In the film, Berenger plays a Marine veteran who undertakes a treacherous mission in Panama. Too many liberties were taken by the editor, Berenger said Friday. "I felt slighted by it."
But Berenger, who has become semi-famous playing diverse roles such as the TV star in "The Big Chill," the cross-dressing killer in "Looking for Mr. Goodbar," and the sergeant in "Platoon," said he was awestruck by a preview of his newest film, "Gettysburg."
"I've kind of run out of superlatives for it, actually," he said. After watching the five-hour film, he and other cast members "were just stunned."
The cinematography, editing and acting all bristle with emotional intensity, he said. "It may be better than `Platoon' because of the epic nature of it," he said. It is one his his "four or five" best films, he said.
"Gettysburg" is a pet project of Ted Turner's and will air in five parts in November on the Turner Broadcasting Network.
"Gettysburg" is based on the historical fiction novel "Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1975. Berenger plays the controversial Gen. James Longstreet, second in command to Gen. Robert E. Lee at the three-day Civil War battle in Pennsylvania. "He had a lot of energy. He was very disciplined," Berenger said during a press conference sandwiched between a tour of the barracks and a dinner, reception and speech Friday night.
Berenger imparted a wealth of historical nuggets he had picked up while preparing for his role, including the fact that "a lot of people had diarrhea because they were eating the fruit" from trees.
Generally, "there was a lot of suffering going on" at Gettysburg, he said.
Berenger appeared at the request of VMI historian Lt. Col. Keith Gibson, who was a consultant for the film.
The star came to town also to help raise $300,000 for a statue of Longstreet to be built in Gettysburg.
Longstreet was a Georgian perceived to be at odds with Lee during strategy sessions for the three-day Battle of Gettysburg. The famous clash ended with spectacular losses for the South when Lee ordered a charge of the Union position, the infamous Pickett's Charge. Thousands of Southerners were slaughtered. Longstreet advised against the charge, but Lee overruled him.
Longstreet later became an anathema to some in the South because he took a patronage position in President Lincoln's Republican Party.
Berenger, 42, a man with rugged good looks and down-to-earth charm, seemed puzzled when asked if his new-found friends at the all-male military institute should be forced to share the parade grounds and barracks with women.
"I don't know. I think that women could be in combat," he said. "Russian women fought," he said, but those circumstances were "extreme."
Staff writer Robert Fries contributed to this story.