1780: Redcoats vs. a Pennsylvania Farmer

Honore is the sort of yeoman farmer British officers considered trash. However, their ability to shoot straight, live off the land, and blend into their surroundings helped America win the Revolutionary War. A rogue contingent of Redcoats learns that the hard way in Dustin Fairbanks’ 1780, which is now available on VOD.

Grizzled Honore had Patriotic sympathies, but surviving Brandywine dampened his fervor. He also had personal responsibilities to tend. First and foremost was reclaiming custody of Miles, the son he hardly knows. That is a long, tragic backstory that will be revealed over time. Regardless, Honore largely made his own separate piece, until Miles finds a dead Continental soldier on his father’s property.

Except, Abner is only “mostly dead.” He still has some breath left in him, and even starts to recover a bit after resting in Honore’s cabin. However, Roberts and his men were hunting Abner and his comrades, for reasons they wish to keep out of official reports. Nevertheless, Roberts still believes officers should act like gentlemen, at least to some extent. In contrast, his junior officer, Wallace, is a sadist who prefers scorched earth tactics.

Since Thomas, Honore’s every-man-for-himself neighbor, led the Redcoats right to Honore’s farm, Roberts and Wallace inevitably discover he is sheltering Abner. This leads to a standoff, with the Patriots at a clear tactical disadvantage. Regardless, Honore’s first priority is protecting Miles.

1780 is small but resourceful film that boils down the Revolutionary War to a microcosmic level. PJ Marshall is terrific as Honore, following in the taciturn but charismatic tradition of Clint Eastwood and Gary Cooper. He inspires confidence, especially when aiming a musket. Kevin Spcaey (whose presence should not be begrudged, since he was vindicated in a UK court of law), is a little shticky as slimy Thomas, but he is probably still somewhat out of practice.

The British Are Coming, Graphic Novel Adaptation

It seems like the Burning of Falmouth is been largely forgotten today, in an era when politicians nourish historical grievances over atrocities, both real and exaggerated, in order to politically exploit them. Yet, our young nation suffered such British war crimes during the years that led up to 1776 (but that doesn't interest those politicians). While news of these outrages stoked patriotic fervor, incompetent leadership undermined the Continental Army on the battlefield—like Benedict Arnold, even before, you know.  On the other hand, George Washington inspired confidence, but he desperately needed supplies. At least these are the major themes that stand out from the graphic novel adaptation of the first part of the first book in Rick Atkinson’s Revolution Trilogy, the third of which has yet to be published. Obviously, there is much more to come, but Nora Neus started the process of translating Atkinson’s history into a sequential graphic format in The British Are Coming: The Graphic Edition, Vol. 1, illustrated by Federico Pietrobon, which releases tomorrow.

Aptly, it starts with the Boston Tea Party. Back then, Boston hated paying taxes, especially without representation. Over in England, Parliament considered the Colonies a revenue center, so they levied new taxes accordingly. The Coercive Acts were passed and Boston was specifically targeted to make it an example. Instead of submitting, the other Colonies rallied to support the city. Against this backdrop, the Royal Navy’s bombardment of Falmouth generated sufficient outrage to convince most middle of the road Colonists the it was time to dissolve their political bonds to the British Empire.

Obviously, the graphic edition was conceived with the Semiquincentennial celebration in mind. Indeed, why let all that good space on bookstore theme tables go to waste? In this case, it will be a worthy use of the publisher’s coop money. Atkinson’s history is solid (and so far, free of Progressive ad hominem attacks on the Founding Fathers). Washington is rightly praised and Arnold is appropriately scorned.

Sons of Liberty: From the Streets of Boston to 1776

It is always bad news for an oppressive government when the wealthy elites start making common cause with the drunken rabble. Such was the case at the Second Continental Congress. Bostonians Sam Adams and John Hancock had little in common, but they both loathed to pay British taxes. Together with their fellow Patriots, they changed history and ultimately founded our great nation. Their early skirmishes on the streets of Boston and the campaign to unify all thirteen colonies are dramatized in the History Channel’s three-night mini-series Sons of Liberty (promo here), which begins this Sunday.

Not surprisingly, Sam Adams was a terrible tax collector. When his leniency evolves into outright insurrection, Loyalist Governor Thomas Hutchinson calls for his head. For the sake of stability, the wealthy merchant John Hancock tries to play peacemaker, paying off Adams’ debts and convincing the future revolutionary leader to cool his rhetoric. However, Hutchinson soon radicalizes the moderate Hancock by clamping down on both his legitimate mercantile and smuggling operations (which were largely indistinguishable in duty-despising 1760s Massachusetts). Tensions build until blood is finally shed in 1770, concluding the first night with the Boston Massacre.

At this point Dr. Joseph Warren enters the story, not just to tend to the wounded, but also as a prominent patriot in his own right. Those who know their history will understand what lies in store for him, but at least he gets the mini’s only love scene with Margaret Kemble Gage, the New Jersey-born wife of the brutal new military governor, Gen. Thomas Gage. Their affair may or may not have been true, but there is enough historical speculation to justify its inclusion here.

Meanwhile, the reluctant Sam Adams accompanies Hancock and his brother to the First Continental Congress. Although it is not very productive from his standpoint, they meet two key allies, a lecherous old eccentric named Ben Franklin and the quietly commanding George Washington. Essentially, the second part of Sons sets the scene for Lexington and Concord, as well as the vote-counting at the Second Continental Congress, which will play out in the third climatic night.

By focusing on less celebrated Founding Fathers like Hancock and Warren, screenwriters Stephen David & David C. White help distinguish Sons from HBO’s John Adams and the old 1980s Barry Bostwick George Washington miniseries, its natural comparative titles. Frankly, the best part of Sons is the way it celebrates the idiosyncrasies and unruliness of the early Patriots. Was Franklin a bit of a hedonist? You bet—and a genius too. Clearly, they had to be wired slightly differently to challenge the mighty force of the British Empire, but they were also highly intelligent (both strategically and tactically), courageous to a fault, and indeed willing to sacrifice their lives, fortune, and sacred honor.

Ben Barnes is suitably intense either brooding or raging as the mercurial Sam Adams, whereas E.T.’s Henry Thomas is stuck playing the far less cool John Adams as a bit of a worrywart. Of course, nobody has more fun than Dean Norris, who gleefully captures Franklin’s sage insight and mischievous humor. Ryan Eggold also adds a nice bit of romantic dash as the good Dr. Warren. Yet, the biggest surprise is how well the historical Hancock holds up as a central figure and how convincingly Rafe Spall portrays the steady blossoming of his leadership and integrity.

As period productions go, Sons is okay, but not exactly sumptuously detailed. Nonetheless, Canadian director Kari Skogland keeps it moving along at a brisk trot. To their credit, she and the screenwriter tandem never water down the colonials’ complaints amount intrusive government and confiscatory taxation, making it rather timely for Twenty-First Century American viewers. Definitely recommended for those who enjoy historicals, especially those that come with a bit of ale-swigging, Sons of Liberty premieres this Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings (1/25-1/27), on the History Channel.

The American Revolution, pts 2 & 3

Timothy Murphy was the original American Sniper. With his grooved rifle, Murphy singled-handedly turned the tide of the Battle of Saratoga and pretty much the entire war along with it. He is exactly the sort of scrappy unassuming hero that continue to get their due in the second and third installments of American Heroes Channel’s three-part The American Revolution (promo here), which continues right after Monday night’s’ premiere with The Empire Fights Back.

Ironically, the Revolutionary War never looked good for the Patriots until they finally won it outright. Things looked particularly grim when George Washington’s Continental Army was stranded in Brooklyn. That was bad news even in late August 1776, especially with the Redcoats advancing from Long Island and the British Navy hastening to cut-off the East River. It would be Joe Pesci-esque Col. John Glover who organized their daring retreat, allowing them to fight another day.

While Glover is definitely the ranking hero of Empire, the second and third episodes spread the overdue ovations around a bit more than the Joseph Warren-centric Rise of Patriots. In the two succeeding episodes, Oneida chief Han Yerry, Virginia slave James Armistead, Portuguese immigrant Peter Francisco, and teenaged girls Sybil Ludington and Betty Zane get their just due. At one time, the latter might have been familiar to some readers through the biographical novel written by her great-grandnephew Zane Grey, but name recognition for both Zanes has probably fallen off in recent years.

However, arguably the most intriguing figure of Empire is John Honeyman, a Patriot spy who was so successful, we are still unsure if that was really his name. There are several good candidates for movie treatments in AHC’s American Revolution, with Honeyman being at the top of the list (and requiring the most creative license).

Throughout Empire and the concluding Return of the Rebels, the series maintains it focus on heroism (as it well should, given the name of the network) and its implied endorsement of American exceptionalism (while still acknowledging without belaboring the gross inequities of slavery, which is a tricky balancing act). It also maintains the quality of the first episode, largely on par with some of the better (but often less heralded) PBS historical programs.

In fact, there is a real market for programming like American Revolution. People have an appetite for hook-y digestible history without a lot of ideological soapboxing that the History Channel is not serving the way it used to. Those serious but not necessarily scholarly military history buffs should definitely enjoy AHC’s American Revolution. Recommended for general audiences, episodes one and two air back-to-back this Monday (12/15), with the conclusion following this Tuesday night (12/16) on Discovery Communications’ American Heroes Channel.

The American Revolution: Forgotten Heroes Get Their Due on AHC

Losing one’s place in history is another unfortunate drawback to falling on the battlefield. Had he survived Bunker Hill, Dr. Joseph Warren probably would be remembered as a Founding Father on par with Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin. Instead, he sacrificed everything for liberty. Warren and scores of other overlooked patriots get their due in American Heroes Channel’s three-part The American Revolution (promo here), which premieres this Monday night, beginning with Rise of the Patriots.

It was Warren who dispatched Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride. He was a founding commander of the Minutemen, the organizer of an early patriot spy ring within Redcoat occupied Boston, and a leading orator for the cause. Yet, despite Warren’s prominence, Revere would become the iconic Minuteman. Through PBS-style dramatizations and several historians’ expert commentary, AHC’s American Revolution gives viewers a sense of how indispensable the good doctor was to the Patriot campaign in its earliest days.

Each installment will have a defining figure like Warren, but other notably overlooked Revolutionary War heroes will be peppered-in throughout the series. Rise, also duly salutes freed slave Salem Poor, whose courage at Bunker Hill seems tailored made for a dramatic treatment, as well as the irascible French and Indian War veteran Samuel Whittemore, who holds the distinction of being the oldest Revolutionary War veteran and apparently the hardest to kill.

The whole approach of the series is quite appealing. Clearly, there is a working assumption that freedom and love of country are worth fighting for. By focusing on the worthy but marginalized supporting players, it finds an angle to make familiar history feel fresh. No cherry trees or kite flying this time around. As an additional bonus, the talking heads are more engaging and in many cases more interesting to look at than is often the case in historical programming.

Frankly, the holiday season is a rather apt time to broadcast Revolutionary War programming, with the 238^th anniversary of Washington’s Christmas Crossing of the Delaware fast approaching. Appropriately, heroes of Valley Forge and the Battle of Trenton will dominate the second episode, The Empire Fights Back, premiering immediately following Rise. AHC’s Revolution then concludes this Tuesday with Return of the Rebels. Based on the entertaining and indeed educational Rise, the entire American Revolution should definitely be well worth watching when it premieres this Monday (12/15) on Discovery Communication’s American Heroes Channel.