Customer Reviews

Thc Pres:American Revolution

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I bought this the other day and stood glued to my television and v c r watching it! I think this is the best documentary ever done about the American Revolution with excellent voice overs by Kelsey Grammar as Benedict Arnold and Cliff Robertson as George Washington. The battles are much more detailed than other films. There is a lot of detail given to the principals involved on all sides of the Revolution as well as family members who were affected by or help effect the American Revolution. Although not as much detail is given to the Bill of Rights as in the P B S "Liberty", nonetheless the facts presented are accurate. If not always thorough, these documentaries like other movies and films wet the appetite of the viewer so that he or she in want of more - will research the suject on their own. This documentary is six tapes (fifty minutes each tape) long and follows George Washington from the French - Indian Wars through the Revolution and not only to the Constitution and Bill of Rights, but where he retreated with his troops - hoping the British would sign the Treaty of Paris and not attack again - in an attempt to re-take America. This last point is usually omitted in most documentaries and should not be!

The rewriting of American history which commenced by New England historians in 1865 was not just a moral whitewash for the war just completed. They went back to the origins of the Republic and refashioned the Revolutionary War as well. What people seem to forget is that while the conflict began in the north, the British defeats that led to surrender occurred in the South. Yorktown was the logical consequence of wounds inflicted first by "partisans" (as they were called) along the Santee and PeeDee rivers in SC.
While the VHS series is quite good (and I do recommend) this truncation which perpetuates the notion of the south as a sideshow is not corrected. The contributions of Marion, Horry, Sumter and even Greene do not depict the real turning point. In reality more battles took place in SC than any other colony. The best documentary has yet to be created.

I found this series to be both informative and entertaining. Things were brought out in this film that I never learned in school. Christopher Stones music is very good. He did music for Civil War Journal. I would like to get this CD if it's out there.

A good presentation. The information is good, narration by host (Bill Kurtis) is good, guest readers are good and pieces well chosen. My biggest complaint: the re-enactments are dissapointing. They are repetitive, and "small". A major battle often is represented by a handfull of people, often all that's shown is a few marching feet. Of the "big three" series, this one, "Liberty", and "The Revolutionary War" (with Charles Kuralt), I liked Kuralt's the best.

Being a bit of a history buff (disclaimer--I'm not a historian), I've looked for a long time to find good, authoritative information on the Revolutionary period--particularly information in video form. While I enjoy this set, it falls short of what I had expected. While in essence factual (sometimes even obscure facts are presented which keep it interesting), at other times, they miss the point and it is often explained from a purely British perspective. Oftentimes the underlying causes of the Revolution (or specific actions) are not thoroughly explained. It is worth owning, but if you have to pick one set on the subject, I would recommend "Liberty! - The American Revolution (1998)". In my opinion, that series shows the attitude of the combatants in a more comprehensive manner (including the noble and the base qualities of both sides), and is frankly more entertaining. Of course, I'm an American and quite patriotic, so I may be just a tad biased.