My Interview with Director Ron Maxwell and Screenwriter Bill Kauffman on ‘Copperhead’

I recently had the privilege of talking with Ronald F. Maxwell — director of the Civil War epics “Gettysburg” and “Gods and Generals” — and Bill Kauffman — author of such books as “Dispatches From the Muckdog Gazette” and “Bye Bye, Miss American Empire” — about their collaboration on the upcoming Civil War era film “Copperhead.”

As I’ve mentioned before, I write for my community’s local newspaper, “The Batavian,” on a per diem basis.  And since Kauffman is a local author, this was kind of a big deal for us.

Kauffman and Maxwell wrote and directed this film, respectively.  Set in in an Upstate New York hamlet in the Spring of 1862, “Copperhead” explores life on the home front during the Civil War.  It chronicles the plight of Abner Beech (Billy Campbell), a farmer who takes a stand against the war and, in so doing, attracts the ire of his community.

Here is the link to the article, which offers (through the insights of Maxwell and Kauffman) a nice inside look at the movie:

http://www.thebatavian.com/dan-crofts/screenwriter-bill-kauffman-and-film-director-ron-maxwell-discuss-copperhead/37808

The film is set to be released June 28.  For more information and to find out how you can bring the film to your local theater, go to http://www.copperheadthemovie.com.

Note: Let me stress that my work for “The Batavian” is in no way related to “Into the Dance,” which is a merely personal blog.

Image obtained through a Google image search

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Civil War Epic ‘Copperhead’ and a Local ‘Shout-Out’

Just wanted to give a shout-out to Bill Kauffman, a well-known local author in my neck of the woods.

Kauffman wrote a screenplay based on Harold Frederic’s Civil War era novel “The Copperhead,” and his screenplay has just been made into a major motion picture!

“Copperhead” was directed by Ronald F. Maxwell (director of “Gettysburg” and “Gods and Generals”) and stars Billy Campbell, Peter Fonda and Angus Mcfadyen.  This is certainly very exciting for my community, in which Kauffman has been involved for many years.

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