Guide to American Revolution Movies

Most likely, it's an indictment on the historical illiteracy and apathy of the moviegoing public, but Hollywood has made very few movies set in the American Revolution, otherwise known as the US War for Independence. And the ones that have been made have either lacked in historical accuracy, cinematic quality, or both. Here are the three most noteworthy efforts:

The Patriot

In terms of scale and cinematic eye candy, you can't beat Mel Gibson's 2000 hit, The Patriot. There was a mesmerizing quality to the film. It was sweeping and captivating, so much that it almost made you miss or overlook the flaws. Yes, there were some serious flaws.

First, the film waves the flag of patriotism without ever giving it any real depth or meaning. It seems that Hollywood just isn't able to really grasp America's founding principles. When we're taken through some of the debates on why the war was being fought, the movie just serves up some cliches about self-government and taxation without representation. Not much of a "Glorious Cause" (George Washington's words).

The second major flaw stems from the film's effort to compensate for the preceding one. Since it can't grasp the cause of the Revolutionary War, it decides to make one -- British barbarity. The film treats viewers to the spectacle of British soldiers shooting unarmed Continental prisoners and burning a church down full of women and children. Now, there were atrocities in the American Revolution, and in the film commentaries, even the makers admit the atrocities were on both sides. But The Patriot shows the British committing the worst of them, with the fictionalized Colonel Tavington being the main culprit. Tavington is loosely based on real British Bad Boy Banastre Tarleton. Tarleton was bad. No doubt about that - but burning churches with people inside???? I think not.

Still, for all its flaws, The Patriot is worth your time. And, frankly, it's the best big-screen film on the Revolution that Hollywood has ever made. (Of course, that's not saying much, since it's one of the only ones).

The Crossing - A&E Television