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. It taught me more about the American Revolution than I learned in high school. It has a Ken Burns like quality to it with costumed actors reading the words of the major people of the Revolution on screen along with commentaries by both American and British historians. The British point of view is not patronizing, condescending, or embittered about the lost of the 13 colonies that became the United States, but rather cooly detached and objective as it should be. Although somewhat short on details about some of the major battles, and though it treats Benedict Arnold's plan to turn over West Point to the British as a mere footnote, this documentary is good enough to satisfy any ardent historian.
The music for the soundtrack by Mark O'Connor is particularly beautiful and wonderful to listen to on its separate compact disc.
One another note: While some of the other videos of America's later history such as the Mexican American War, Civil War, and the Conquest of the West try to be more objective, critical, and politically correct, in light of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, this documentary reminds all Americans how we came to be and why tyrants - whether they are kings or terrorists must be defeated!
The real people of the American Revolution
A New York man tells of watching the British Fleet arrive in the harbor from his outhouse. A southern gentleman tells of seeing the horrible revenge of the Loyalists, who left four severed heads on a fireplace mantle. John Adams admits that he voted for Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence because Jefferson was more popular and a better writer than he. Using the actual words from letters and diaries, actors portray the people of the American Revolution, giving "Liberty! - The American Revolution" the feel of a news documentary. A splendid narrator gives viewers the scenerio and background stories. Visuals such as live reenactments and easy-to-follow battle maps make "Liberty! - The American Revolution" clear enough for a 12-year-old to follow, yet detailed enough to keep the presentation interesting for even the well-educated historian. The documentary not only presents the facts, it also delves into the psychological profiles of the famous and not-so-famous people who made the revolution a success. When the series is over, the audience understands what would drive loyal British subjects to declare independence and why the revolutionaries were willing to fight and die for freedom.
Great series - Lame DVD
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.
The four programs from the History Channel in this set profile America's Founding Fathers, noting right at the outset they were a "mismatched group of quarrelsome aristocrats, merchants, and lawyers." The story of how these disparate characters fomented rebellion in the colonies, formed the Continental Congress, fought the Revolutionary War, and wrote the Constitution is told by noted historians, and the production is enhanced with beautifully photographed reenactments as well as intelligent use of period paintings and engravings. The story begins with Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Boston, whose protests against British taxation led to the Boston Tea Party. Moving on to the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, the brilliant delegates from the South, particularly George... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Mark Hufnail - Melissa Jo Peltier DVD Release Date: Released the 30 January 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The political wrangles of a fledgling country may sound dull compared to the drama of a war, but the early history of the United States only gets more fascinating as the Revolutionary War is left behind. Founding Brothers, a documentary from the History Channel, examines the struggle to not only establish democracy, but to give it the economic strength and governmental structure that will allow it to survive and thrive. George Washington grappled not only with politics, but with questions of style and propriety--how should a president, as opposed to a king, behave? Understanding the conflicts between Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson will illuminate ideas that have shaped the government of the U.S. ever since. Founding Brothers provides a wealth ... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 30 July 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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His big series on the "Civil War" and "Baseball" get all the hype but,with Hal Holbrook narrarting and a "who's who" in history backing him up with the running color commentary, this is his most engrossing work. This documentary gives you a real sense of accomplishment when you have finished and if you can resist reading about the expedition after you've seen it, then check your pulse I think you need a doctor. The basis of the movie is the journals kept by Lewis and Clark during the trip. They were truly diverse men that could not only handle the hardships of the journey but, eloquently place the events in writing. Any fiction writer would be pressed to keep you as interested as the actual events recorded. This is fantastic stuff. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Hal Holbrook - Adam Arkin Director(s): Ken Burns DVD Release Date: Released the 28 August 2001 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
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The most successful public-television miniseries in American history, the 11-hour Civil War didn't just captivate a nation, reteaching to us our history in narrative terms; it actually also invented a new film language taken from its creator. When people describe documentaries using the "Ken Burns approach," its style is understood: voice-over narrators reading letters and documents dramatically and stating the writer's name at their conclusion, fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with still images (photographs, paintings, maps, prints), anecdotal interviews, and romantic musical scores taken from the era he depicts. The Civil War uses all of these devices to evoke atmosphere and resurrect an event that many knew only from stale history books. While Burns is a historian,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Ken Burns DVD Release Date: Released the 17 September 2002 This item is currently not available.
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Every American knows that George Washington crossed the icy Delaware River in the War of Independence, if only from Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze's famous 1851 painting. The made-for-cable-TV historical drama The Crossing, scripted by Howard Fast from his novel, corrects at least one piece of historical invention--Washington did not stand and pose for the occasion of Leutze's portrait--but, more importantly, it frames the event in the real-life drama that made it a decisive moment of American history. Jeff Daniels makes a fine General George Washington, the quiet, dignified, and increasingly desperate leader of the volunteer Continental Army. By December 1776, six months after the Declaration of Independence was signed, the tired and hungry army had retreated to the far banks of the... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Robert Harmon DVD Release Date: Released the 11 February 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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