Two old friends find themselves on opposite sides during the Civil War in a desperate battle atop an impregnable mountain.Two old friends find themselves on opposite sides during the Civil War in a desperate battle atop an impregnable mountain.Two old friends find themselves on opposite sides during the Civil War in a desperate battle atop an impregnable mountain.
Robert Clarke
- Union Officer
- (uncredited)
Kenne Duncan
- Union Officer
- (uncredited)
Roy Gordon
- Lt. Col. Fitzgerald
- (uncredited)
James Griffith
- Union Officer Reporting to Denning
- (uncredited)
Myron Healey
- Union Lieutenant
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.
- GoofsThere was no such thing as a "12 pound Brooke gun". Brooke guns were produced for use by the Confederate Navy and in some forts. They were never used as field guns by the Confederate field forces. Brooke rifles came in 6.4", 7", and 8". Brooke smoothbores came in 8", 10", and 11". None of these fired a round as small as 12 pounds. The guns shown appear to be 12-pound Napoleons.
- Quotes
Gen. Johnston: A good soldier dies only once, and death is someone he knows.
Featured review
Interesting Menzies visual reading of script.
William Cameron Menzies is perhaps the best production designer in American motion picture history (Gone With the Wind, et alia) and his work as director applies the design principles which he espoused, such as with this film, including a prime emphasis upon cinema as a graphic art, a visual rather than literal interpretation of a script, filling that metaphysical space between scenario and direction with an artist's point of view, while avoiding a potentially incorrect objective sensibility. The narrative tells of a pair of best friends and West Point classmates, Georgian Clay Clayburn (James Craig) and Yankee Will Denning (Guy Madison) who are wearing officers' coats of opposing artillery units during the War Between The States, and of the inevitable military engagement between them, featuring a most dramatic segment involving the difficult placement of Confederate cannons atop a mountain overlooking Union rail supply lines, shot with Menzies' intriguing pictorial effects and unique camera angles. An independent King Brothers production under the aegis of RKO, DRUMS IN THE DEEP SOUTH is not replete with good performances, although Craig is solid as is his custom, while Barbara Payton, as Clayburn's lover, tries hard and is at the pinnacle of her short-lived beauty, with Dimitri Tiomkin's lush score properly evocative for this generally prescriptive film.
helpful•163
- rsoonsa
- Sep 15, 2002
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Confederate Story
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $300,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 27 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was Drums in the Deep South (1951) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer