The War That Made America

When I tuned in to my local PBS station last night to watch "The War That Made America". I was expecting a dull documentary, instead I got a very good and believable reenactment of the major events of the time. Now I see the reasons for the American Revolution, and the part the Indian wars played. Larry Nehring IS George Washington, and he is perfect for that part. The narrative to the camera, also work fantastic. I'm looking forward to next week, to see the rest. It's good to see PBS really using the HD format to bring the 1700 right in to our living room.

I hope Larry Nehring is seen more in the future, since he is such a talented actor.

I found this documentary to very biased and skewed. If you watch it, you'll understand where the sympathies lie with the producer of this film. He/she has decided for you who the protagonists are and who the antagonists are in this war. Some major events were left out, presumably, because it would make the producer's protagonists look bad, and draw sympathy for the producer's antagonists. (If you are a reader, one good example of what I'm referring to can be found in a book entitled "Betrayals".) I wouldn't recommend this documentary for entertainment or education, unless the educator has an agenda. I don't need for someone to tell me how to think and try to sway my opinion on a particular historical event. In a documentary, please just give me the facts and let me come to my own political, ethical, and moral conclusions.

Like many western Pennsylvania history buffs, I had been really looking forward to this much-heralded PBS program that was produced by Pittsburgh's WQED. However, I must say now that I was somewhat disappointed. On the positive side, I believe that overall this film did a fair job of explaining the main issues and describing the events of the so-called French and Indian War. In particular, its presentation of the Indians' point of view was somewhat new and quite interesting, although it certainly was at time over-emphasized. Also on the positive side, the blend of narrative and action scenes was well done and came across somewhat better than many of these typical documentaries made up of "experts" interviews and picture stills (a la Ken Burns). On the negative side, many of the battles did have a somewhat "staged" look and many important aspects of the war were overlooked. Most of all I was very disappointed and frustrated by how little importance was given to Forbes's successful campaign of 1758 against Fort Duquesne as compared to the earlier failures of 1754 by Washington and 1755 by Braddock. In particular, I was somewhat incredulous that there was NO mention of Colonel Henry Bouquet, the Swiss mercenary in the British service who was most responsible for Forbes' success. Finally I could not believe the complete omission of the 1763 Battle of Bushy Run that started as a re-run of Braddock's defeat but ended up as the victory that decided the outcome of Pontiac's War thanks to the wiles of the same Colonel Bouquet who certainly must rank as one of the most successful British commanders of this war.

I am no expert on history, but I enjoyed the series immensely and learned a lot. This series filled in a lot of gaps for me. It's just too bad that PBS aired it late at night in the region where many of the Native actors from NY live. There was little or no publicity about the show in Central New York. I do hope this film is made available to schools and public libraries and will be rebroadcast, if it hasn't been already.

I also noticed some mistakes on your list of cast members. One actor is actually "Elmer John, Jr." and Curtis D. Fishinghawk was completely omitted. Many of the same actors met on this film and became friends, then later worked together on other projects. Through these projects I met John Bert who is very talented, organized and professional. John- I wish you well in future endeavors and appreciate your kindness toward me. Let me know if you need to go SU ball cap shopping again! I will promise not to get you killed on the highway!

For years, some of the best documentaries you can find have been made for Public Broadcasting here in the States. Shows like "The American Experience" and the documentaries of Ken Burns are just some of these great shows that not only educate but entertain. "The War That Made America" is every bit as good!It's expertly crafted--a quality production throughout. And, surprisingly, it was made with a very significant budget for PBS--$14,000,000. It shows, as the acting, narration and re-creations are great.

As far as documentaries go, there just aren't very many about the French-Indian War (also called the Seven Years War). This is odd since it was so important historically, as it decided the futures of both Canada and the United States. And, of the ones I have seen on the topic, there is no comparison--"The War That Made America" is simply the best. Fascinating and compelling throughout.

Note--despite the title, the documentaries have to do with both this war much of the American revolution--so perhaps "The WARS That Made Amerca" would be more accurate. Part four concludes with the ending of the war and then goes on to give an overview of events leading to revolution.