Field of Lost Shoes (2015)

 

 

Field of Lost Shoes follows a small group of cadets from the Virginia Military Institute who fought in the Battle of New Market in 1864. Desperate for men towards the end of the war, the Confederacy was forced to call the students into battle, resulting in the death of several cadets.

While critics appreciated the staging and filming of the battle scene, the film was widely criticized for an outdated pro-Confederate narrative. Some reviewers also complained that the movie’s portrayal of the cadets’ opposition to slavery was inaccurate.

 

FURTHER READING

Books

William Davis, The Battle of New Market, Harrisburg: Stackpole Books, 1993.

Anthony Edgeworth, The Institute: Virginia Military Institute, Wellington: Edgeworth Editions, 1997.

Keith Gibson, Virginia Military Institute, Mount Pleasant: Arcadia Publishing, 2010.

Articles

Paul Coker, “The Battle of New Market Heights: Freedom Will Be Theirs by the Sword,” The Journal of Southern History 78, no. 4 (Fall 2012)

Film Reviews

Frank Scheck, “Film of Lost Shoes: Film Reviews,” The Hollywood Reporter, September 25, 2014.

Gary Goldstein, “‘Lost Shoes’ Finds Its Target Eventually,” Los Angeles Times, September 25, 2014.

 

 

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