The Battle of Aiken Rides Again...

I just returned home from a great evening downtown. I went to the world premier of the homegrown movie 'The Battle of Aiken'? held at the historic Imperial Theater.

This movie was excellent. My assumption was that it would be an amateur attempt at movie-making. Instead, it was a great small budget film, worthy of more than the five dollar admission charge.

One of my favorite Augusta people produced and starred in the film. Brad Owens did a commendable job of playing Hugh Kilpatrick, a Union general. With little acting experience, Owens was a fine example of an arrogant, stubborn and obnoxious leader. Trip Courtney did a fine job of playing against type, as a sadistic officer with the Union army.

This production was a year in the making and it shows. The battle scenes were well thought-out, with realism the main focus. The sound effects were well done, and the locations were scouted with an emphasis on being true to the time period. Never did the production look or feel campy; the dialogue was well-written; with some of the dialogue being direct quotes from the actual participants.

One of the stand-out actors was the character of Frank. This young man was amazing! His dialogue/accent was on target, and he was completely believable as the trusted family servant. I hope that he continues with his acting career.

At the end of the film, the producers, director and cast took questions from the audience. Most of the actors came in costume, which was interesting and amusing all at the same time. The long rifles, pistols and other guns propped up on the seats of the theater took some getting used to! The Q&A period was a great way to end a film that was a group effort in every sense of the way. The directors, writers, producers and actors have something to be proud of with this endeavor.

This film is playing all day Saturday, August 27th. Showings start at 2pm, and continue every 2 hours till 10. Please go, support your local arts. Take your kids, as there is really no actual violence, very little in the way of profanity, and they might actually learn something. I did.