Civil War Fiction in a Made-for-TV Movie

. . . an international production about a Louisiana family during the Civil War . . .

Production Companies

Antenne-2 (Fr)
Films A2 (fr)
Fílmax (Es)
International Cinema Corporation
Rai Due Radiotelevisione Italiana (It)
Société de Développment de l'Industrie Cinématographique Canadienne

Filming Locations

Baton Rouge, Louisiana
New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana
St. Francisville, Louisiana,
Paris, France

The Story

Louisiana tells the complicated story of a Louisiana family from 1860 to 1864. Virginia Tregan, family matriarch and main character (played by Margot Kidder), faces the death of her daughter, finding out that her late husband had another son, the death of her son, more than one near foreclosure on her plantation, the challenge of "race relations" during the Civil War and an unwelcome marriage proposal - all in 186 minutes of running time. Its a little hard to follow, but worth the effort.

I like Virginia Tregan much more than Scarlett O'Hara as an example of southern woman during the Civil War. Virginia Tregan never complained or whined, she got the relationship she wanted and she saved her 3200 acre plantation, Bagatelle. This movie is a tribute to the cleverness of women!

The movie begins with the election of Lincoln and the quick secession of the state. From the cheers in city streets, the movie takes you then to Bagatelle. Virginia Tregan is entertaining a cotton buyer from Paris, a Mr. Morley. Later that evening in a barn, Mr. Morley rapes and kills her daughter, Julie, who appears to be around 9 years-old. Mr. Morley then leaves Bagatelle to return to Paris. When it is discovered Julie is missing, the entire household, whites and blacks together, search for her. I was impressed by the "togetherness" of the races in the scene and in others.

When the family learns who committed the crime, Virginia is pressured to press charges. But she insists that they do not because Mr. Morley is a good customer. The family is shocked. So was my family watching with me. But I just laughed, "Look at that mom's face. She's gonna take care of that fella herself."

As the war begins, Virginia helps arm and supply area soldiers. When she is turned down for a loan, she travels to Paris to meet with her old associate, Mr. Morley, who not only trades in cotton, but in other goods, as well. She asks him to provide her with a number of guns, powder and pistils. He says that he has some, but they have already been paid for by the French government. She gets her own gun out saying firmly, "Its high time YOU paid, Mr. Morley." (And I got to say, "I told you so" to my family.) Mr. Morley leads Virginia and the men traveling with her to the docks where the supplies are loaded onto a boat Virginia has arranged for. After the loading is complete, Morley is still protesting, "What will I tell the French?!" Virginia says something like, "You won't have to tell them anything" before she shoots him and he falls into the water.

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