My second pick is one of the few decent Hollywood movies regarding the Civil War and one which depicts one of the most improbable incidents of the war.  The Raid (1954) may be a small film in terms of scope, but it accurately and dramatically presents the siege of a town in northern Vermont (!) by Confederate forces late in the war, and does so with a balanced viewpoint.

A small group of Confederate soldiers escape from a Union prison in New York, and evade capture by traveling into neutral Canada.  Their leader (Van Heflin) plans a raid on St. Albans, and enters the town disguised as a Canadian businessman.  For a few weeks, he and other disguised Confederates prepare for the raid, lying to the friendly Northerners who could not be more hospitable.

The film’s greatest strength is its balanced perspective — both sides of America’s greatest conflict are presented, while the effects of war are symbolized by the absent husbands and fathers and the missing limbs of the survivors.  The leader’s moral dilemma is beautifully portrayed, and becomes thicker as the town accepts him and takes him to its bosom.  The movie is quietly but effectively directed by Hugo Fregonese and boasts a terrific cast: Heflin, Anne Bancroft, Peter Graves, Lee Marvin, Claude Akins, Richard Boone, Tommy Rettig, John Dierkes and Douglas Spencer.

Historical films of this type often seem hokey, artificial or just silly; that is not the case with The Raid.  Although the introduction of a love interest may seem phony, it is important thematically and remains believable throughout, even creating drama of its own accord.  It is a terrific movie, one that appears occasionally on Turner Classic Movies.  My rating:  ✰ ✰ ✰ ½.  (4:3)