The Civil War: War is All Hell (1990)
**** (out of 4)
The eighth and next to last episode takes a look at the events leading to the end of the war. Subjects include Sherman's March, John Bell Hood, the battle at Ft. Sumter, the high prices of food in the South, the South letting blacks fight for them, John Wilkes Booth, the fall of Richmond and the eventual surrender by Lee and the South. This episode in Ken Burns' terrific series is certainly one of the very best as the amount of drama built up by the director is hard to match from any documentary that you might see. It's obvious how badly defeated the South were at this time in history yet we still got stories of their bravery in trying to fight forward. It's pretty easy to see why the South is still so angry over their treatment and especially when you learn about Sherman's march where he destroyed so much and without much reason. Other great topics include the meeting between Grant and Lee once the South was to surrender as well as the emotions of their chat. Another great moment looked at Lincoln's re-election and the plans he had for the future. Film and history buffs are certainly going to enjoy this documentary as it's just so well made and captivating that it's hard to imagine anyone not being happy with it.