Liberty Amer.Revol.

 

 

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'Liberty! The American Revolution' is a wonderful PBS series, a six-part treatment of the period leading up to and including the American Revolution in the mid-to-late 1700s.

As this series shows, the seeds of the American Revolution were planted long before the actual conflicts began. This was not an overnight decision on the part ofthe colonists or the British; intense negotiations and political attempts were made for years prior to the outbreak of hostilities. The colonists largely came from Britain; the leadership certainly looked to Britain for political, moral and cultural guidance, as well as primary trade and security vis-a-vis the Spanish, the French, and the Native Americans. American leaders were, by and large, British leaders too -- George Washington held a commission and fought with the British in the French and Indian War.

This was a family break-up in many ways -- the series' astute use of the actual words of the people of the time show the emotions that conflict, the love-hate relationship both sides embodied. The first episode shows the beginnings of discontent on both sides, with the colonists beginning to be stressed over being ignored by the British leadership, and the British leadership, in the form of George III, newly ascended to the throne, and various high-powered ministers, feeling that the colonists were rather ungrateful toward their (so-they-considered-themselves-to-be) rightful lords.

Liberty, ironically, was what George III and his first minister, William Pitt, were all about. The Seven-Years War was won as a fight for liberty; the colonies in America and elsewhere were won over to Britain, who had a parliamentary democracy (however poorly enacted) as opposed to absolute monarchy (such as in France). So, the break-up between Britain and the American colonies becomes all the more troublesome -- not only were the opposing sides practically family, but largely believed the same things.

The series never makes the direct comparison, but one can get the sense of Jonathan Swift here, that the battles are fought over relatively minor things (like which side of the egg to crack) -- in the scheme of world politics then and now, the controversies were relatively slight. However, the issues of taxation, governance and respect were important, not perhaps so much for what they were, but for what they did portend as future treatment, and the colonists did not like being second-class citizens in a British-dominated world, even if, to the British leadership, being second-class British was better than being almost anything else. There was also the spectre of the Irish tyranny, perpetrated by the English, that loomed large as a possibility. Sadly, one cannot say that these fears were unjustified.

The series is intriguing, introducing sides to the conflict that one doesn't recall from grade-school and high-school civics classes -- the conflicts among the colonies themselves; the dissent among the colonies who often wanted a repair rather than a break with Britain; and the personal reflections and fears of the founding fathers and mothers (yes, there were many women involved in this process). Using diaries, correspondence, official documents and media reports of the time, the show weaves together a narrative history that achieves a good popular balance between historical detail and narrative reporting.

The writers' admiration for the founding Americans, their bravery and their intelligence, is very apparent. Their concern to present the British in a fair and balanced light is also apparent, and often portrayed as trying to be reasonable and responsive to many of the colonial concerns, if not always pleasant and courteous to the colonial leaders themselves. The writing is interesting and thoughtful, and done in a popular tone that gives personality to the people who figure in the events.

The final episode looks at the aftermath of the war, and the struggle for unity as a nation. George Washington's statement that liberty could be both a blessing and curse was taken to heart -- when the Constitutional Convention met to amend the Articles of Confederation, it went far beyond its original mandate, and it was telling that not all colonies sent representatives, and not all that were sent agreed to stay through the proceedings.

A great series in many ways, it makes a great gift for anyone (or to oneself) with an interest in history. It also has a companion volume available,

Liberty! is probably the best historical documentary I have ever seen. Throughout the years, my civics, social studies, and history classes have been showing videos on the American Revolution almost every year. Most give the same information: the Tea Act, "No Taxation Without Representation," boycott, Boston Tea Party, "Shot Heard 'Round the World," all the battles, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. Besides the monotony, there was always a slight slant to the history. The videos, like the textbooks, often gave black-and-white views of the Revolution. All British were snotty and wrong; all Americans were humble and right. They talked of battles in the sense of numbers and victories, like keeping score of an extremely long game of tag.
Liberty!, I am happy to say, is different. For once, it is a documentary that shows the opinions of all sides. Those who remained loyal to the British are actually discussed and given viable reasons for their loyalty, unlike other stories that portray them as wealthy or indifferent people that were the enemies of the righteous. Also, it gives new light to the "colonists-band-together-for-a-mutual-cause" idea as the not-so-widespread opinion that America should detach itself from Britain and become its own nation. In fact, Liberty! sheds new light on many unmentioned factors of the Revolution. It displays conflict and change other than that between America and Britain.
The highlight of the series is how it shows all views. It gets and tells its information from a combination of expert historians and actual letters, journal entries, and other historic documents from the Revolution. While most documentaries do also, they dispense facts through a narrator. Liberty!, though having Edward Herrman as an excellent narrator, also uses actors and re-creations. The actors, in full colonial times attire and playing the writers of these letters, speak directly to the camera and bring the Revolution and the series down to a much more personal, intimate level. It makes the War more real to hear these people as though they were still alive today. I was especially touched by Abigail Adams' letters to her husband (the actress was both talented and beautiful) and was delighted with the Marquis de Lafayette, who was bouncy and enthusiastic.
The interviews with eloquent historians, too, give great details, back-story, and opinions. The balance between personal accounts, paintings, interviews, and filmed re-creations is a great asset to Liberty! They add reality, humor, horror, sadness, and power.
Liberty! - The American Revolution is a well-directed, realistic, personal, easy-to-understand, and definitely easy-to-stay-awake-and-watch documentary series. To top it all off, it has a great song at the end of each video. ; )

What a pity PBS chose to turn out a truly lousy DVD issue of this great series. Picture and sound are OK but there are NO special features and they hacked it up with tons of useless "chapter headings." The tape version is better.

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5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent primer on the period, and the people.
Must say I have only viewed the VHS version, thus far, and look forward to owning the DVD. This documentary sets the standard in my mind for historical perspective on a period so... Read more

Published on Feb 13 2004 by agsvcs

3.0 out of 5 stars Running on 5 stars until volume 3
Even better than the series "The American Revolution" (AR) and then stumbled over the same mistake. Read more

Published on Aug 15 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, But See Simon Sharma's History Of Britain Too!
As usual, this documentary shows the taxes imposed upon the colonists as being evil and tyrannical. This is a good documentary, but it is American made, so must be taken as... Read more

Published on July 6 2003 by andrew9344

2.0 out of 5 stars There should be 5 tapes with this series
I saw this originally on PBS and this set indicates that there are three 2 hour tapes on the box. Well, the tapes are only an hour long each and there are some "episodes"... Read more

Published on Nov 13 2002 by Matt Martinez

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent video "context" of the Revolution...
A wonderfully acted and directed "period" piece that brings the Revolution and the Revolutionary times to your VCR. Read more

Published on Feb 27 2002 by Thomas Moody

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Start
I enjoyed this series very much, and learned a lot of things about the American Revolution that I never knew (or forgot a long time ago). Read more

Published on Aug 4 2001 by Spruce Goose

5.0 out of 5 stars Spinnin' yarns from the fabric of truth
Perhaps better than any other filmed expedition into the Revolutionary past, LIBERTY! explains the WHY of the American uprising. Read more

Published on Mar 14 2001 by tropic_of_criticism

5.0 out of 5 stars Give me Liberty!
I debated heavily between buying this series and the History Channel series. I read most of the reviewer's comments prior to purchasing and decided on "Liberty". Read more

Published on Jan 2 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars A great history lesson
I have found this amazing documentary miniseries to be essential pre-July 4 viewing every year.

Yes, you may feel your favorite battle or historical figure have been given... Read more

Published on Nov 26 2000 by Kellyannl

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Excellent Video
After seeing the documentary on PBS I bought the video and quite frankly I never tire of watching many times over. It is wonderfully inspirational and enlightening. Read more

Published on Sep 3 2000

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