The American Civil War and its aftermath have proven an almost inexhaustible supply of material for movie-makers over the years. From Robert F. Maxwell's Gettysburg (1993) and Anthony Minghella's epic tragedy Cold Mountain (2003) to the unfairly-maligned Matthew McConaughey vehicle Free State of Jones (2016), the fateful conflict between the Union and the Confederacy has found favor with countless screenwriters and directors.

Now Apple is making another contribution to the genre with the Will Smith film Emancipation. It tells the true story of the slave known to history only as Peter (his name was sometimes also rendered as Gordon), whose image, bearing the scars of multiple whippings by plantation overseers, did so much to galvanize popular opinion in the North against slavery. Emancipation is gearing up for a limited release earlier next month. And the Apple Original is just one of several films set in the period to appear in recent years. So why is the genre having a moment just now? Here are a few things to consider.

Untold Stories That Resonate With Modern Audiences

First Look at Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman in Upcoming Biopic
Focus Features

Part of the appeal for filmmakers is that so many Civil War stories are still to be told. A case in point is Harriet (2019), Kasi Lemmons' award-winning film about the former slave and Union spy Harriet Tubman. As she was born into slavery, rescued dozens of slaves via the Underground Railroad, and went on to lead a Union detachment through Confederate territory on a daring raid to free hundreds of slaves, Tubman's life was remarkable. It is played out on the big screen with a stellar performance by British actor Cynthia Erivo, bringing her an Academy Award nomination.

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Also starring Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night In Miami..., Needle in a Timestack), Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures, Moonlight), and Clarke Peters (John Wick, Da 5 Bloods), Harriet is a stylish and considered portrayal of an individual whose experience as an African American woman in mid-century America was at once pioneering and yet entirely typical. Lauded in the press for her bravery and devotion to the Union cause, Tubman was discriminated against after the war's conclusion. She struggled to secure her pension, and her fortunes fluctuated in the ensuing decades before her death in 1913. Her unshakable belief in the virtues of equality lends Harriet a unique and powerful vision that continues to resonate with modern audiences.

Some New Angles on Civil War Stories

kiersey clemons antebellum lionsgate
Lionsgate Films

It's also true that some storytellers are taking Civil War themes and running with them, offering new perspectives on older tropes. Such experiments vary in quality, such as this year's Alice, a melange of Blaxploitation esthetics, and an anti-slavery narrative about a slave who finds herself in the year 1973. It received decidedly mixed reviews for its tonal peculiarities in spite of a knockout performance by Emmy Award winner Keke Palmer in the lead role.

Related: Antebellum Star Gabourey Sidibe Says Oscars Nomination Did Her No Favors in Hollywood

A more successful -- though far more brutal -- outing is Antebellum, a 2020 thriller starring Janelle Monáe as Veronica, a 21st-century woman who, apparently experiencing a nightmare, finds herself on a nineteenth-century slave plantation. While not always achieving the synthesis of a critique of slavery and a psychological thriller, Monáe is never less than compelling, as is Academy Award winner Gabourey Sidibe (Precious, Come As You Are) and Eric Lange (Narcos, The Man In The High Castle) as her tormentor.

Civil War Stories Seem More Relevant Than Ever

Emancipation
AppleTV+

Only those who have spent the last few years living under rocks could fail to see the broader canvas today's filmmakers paint on when they mine the Civil War for source material. The polarized politics that has swept much of the world, including the US, has put questions of racial equality and the lingering discontents of antebellum America at the center of media discourse. It's only natural that many of the stories and inflection points that were instrumental in shaping attitudes towards issues of race and slavery over which the Civil War ultimately came to be fought are revisited by today's filmmakers.

Emancipation is such a story. Antoine Fuqua's film relates the struggle of Peter to escape to the Union lines and join Lincoln's army, defying swamps, the elements, and the malicious attentions of the overseer (Ben Foster) sent to retrieve him. With Charmaine Bingwa (Black Box, The Good Fight) and Mustafa Shakir (The Deuce, Cowboy Bebop) in supporting roles and excellent production values, Emancipation offers an alternative perspective on the experience of the African American Union soldier. For example, Edward Zwick's Glory (1989) largely restricted itself to depictions of free men recruited in the northern states. Its solemn subject matter ensures that critical reaction to Smith's first film after his altercation with Chris Rock at the Oscars will remain firmly focused on the events on screen.