Winchester [Va.] artist turned documentary film producer Radford Wine will preview his film for its national release at the NPS Antietam visitors center auditorium on Sunday, November 20 at 2 p.m. He will briefly explain the genesis of the video and his career moves from the marketing field to canvas artist to film maker. Wines’s 18 minute documentary titled A Message from the Tree – Antietam: A Very Different Look at War provides the viewer with a unique perspective on the bloodiest single day in U.S. history.
The violent scenes around Burnside’s Bridge are narrated by a sycamore tree that guarded the east end of the bridge. Every Union Ninth Corps soldier passed by the thin limbs of this tree as they tried to cross the bridge amidst the withering fire from the 2nd & 20th Georgia Regiments which held the high ground on the west side of Antietam Creek. This witness tree still stands there, but at fifty feet tall it now shades the bridge.
Wine’s narrative method is effective as he uses his lense to combine the written and spoken word along with visual images and music. The confluence of these senses provides a powerful link to this bloody battle and to America’s greatest tragedy, the War Between the States.
Stop by to see the film and meet Radford at Antietam this coming Sunday, November 20. For more on Radford Wine visit his art website www.radfordwine.com
To see a thought provoking perspective on the Battles of Sharpsburg visit www.messagefromthetree.com and Radford’s newest video about Gettysburg www.ifonlyispoke.com