This saga of the life of the notorious Civil War
abolitionist John Brown features a showy performance by TV's Dr. Gillespie, Raymond Massey, who originally played this part 15 years before. It is a story of the bond between Brown and his seven sons who have enough conflicts between themselves (mostly over their individual choices in women) let alone Brown's mission. Jeffrey Hunter is the leading son, with the young woman he loves, Debra Paget, aghast at her future father-in-law's actions in the name of religion. Brown believes in God's law, not man's law, so he breaks quite a few of them while preparing for his big day at Harper's Ferry.
While I can't vouch for the validity about this film's historical accuracy, I can say it is a good representation of what could have happened back in the 1850's. Certainly the domestic conflict between Brown and the individual sons (one who goes insane) could be a fictional account as far as the details are concerned, but you do need some dramatic license to create an interesting on screen story. You're obviously not supposed to really like Brown because he is indeed nuttier than a southern pecan pie, and his obsession with his mission does often make him irrational. But since this is history, you can forgive that and the doubt of whether or not it's true, and enjoy it for the unforgettable performance by one of the greatest film and stage actors ever, Massey himself a veteran of civil war history having played Abraham Lincoln as well, and it does become fascinating.
While I can't vouch for the validity about this film's historical accuracy, I can say it is a good representation of what could have happened back in the 1850's. Certainly the domestic conflict between Brown and the individual sons (one who goes insane) could be a fictional account as far as the details are concerned, but you do need some dramatic license to create an interesting on screen story. You're obviously not supposed to really like Brown because he is indeed nuttier than a southern pecan pie, and his obsession with his mission does often make him irrational. But since this is history, you can forgive that and the doubt of whether or not it's true, and enjoy it for the unforgettable performance by one of the greatest film and stage actors ever, Massey himself a veteran of civil war history having played Abraham Lincoln as well, and it does become fascinating.