250 Civil War Re-enactors
For the opening sequence, the filmmakers enlisted the help of 250 Civil War re-enactors. Jim Hatzell, whose first picture was Dances with Wolves, was one of them. He secured the job by emailing a photo of himself dressed in cavalry trappings to Andy Cannon, the re-enactment coordinator. Because many of the re-enactors were veterans of the military, they performed significantly better than the team had anticipated. By working swiftly and teaching him military stances, including how to salute properly, they saved Costner money and time. In other ways, the re-enactors acted as unofficial technical advisors.
250 Civil War Re-enactors
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