The Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence, The (1938)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Oscar-winning, Technicolor short centers in on the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the vote of Caesar Rodney (Ted Osborne) who will push it one way or the other. Knowing the history of Hollywood as I do, it's doubtful this film is too accurate in terms of history but that doesn't really matter as the film remains quite entertaining from start to finish. Shorts from this era only used Technicolor on films the studio thought were important enough for it so the colors adds a lot here. Even though the print shown on Turner Classic Movies is rather faded, the color of the outfits still manages to shine through as does the various scenes in the forest. Osborne does a fine job in his role as does John Litel as Thomas Jefferson and Walter Walker as Benjamin Franklin. The film ends with a mad horse dash as Rodney tries to get to the vote and we even get a nice fight and some gun play as well.

Movies about historical events spur viewers to dive into the reference library to check and expand on the facts presented. One such film that won the Academy Awards Best Short Subject, November 1938's "Declaration of Independence," dramatized the situation leading up to the July 2, 1776 signing of the document in Philadelphia to be presented to the king of England. The Warner Brothers re-enactment of the event is one of the very few movies dealing with the American Revolution.

"Declaration of Independence" was one episode in Warner Brothers' series of short films dealing with the history of the United States. The Oscar winner focused on the complexities of the tension surrounding those who wanted to break away completely from England while the Loyalists and Tories fiercely opposed such moves. At 17 minutes, the film condenses the events of the drafting, voting and signing of the statement to be handed over to King George III.

A few obscure but historically accurate points are made in the short movie. The delegates to the Continental Congress who decided on whether to write the declaration were a diverse group representing all 13 colonies. The body wanted unanimous approval from those colonies, but failed to achieve that goal since one of them, New York, abstained while Delaware's delegates were split before the deciding vote was to take place. Delaware's Caesar Rodney, who favored passage, was delayed in attending the conference and left his home state at the last minute. His 80-mile ride from Dover, Delaware, to Philadelphia, just as the final vote was underway, was as dramatic as Paul Revere's ride in Massachusetts a year earlier. Rodney and his horse are portrayed on Delaware's state quarter struck in 1999 depicting his galloping to Philadelphia to make his vote count.

The documentary also portrayed the author of the declaration, Thomas Jefferson, wanting to include an anti-slavery clause in the independence statement. But he was overruled by those who opposed, citing that a couple of Southern states as well as the New England ones would vote against its passage since the thriving slave trade was lucrative to those northern states' shipping merchants in the African human trafficking. The Technicolor short was directed by Crane Wilber, a former actor who was the male lead in 1914's "The Perils of Pauline." Wilber later became a writer, scripting the screenplay for 1953's "House of Wax."

Here's another of the flag-waving shorts that Warner Brothers produced in the late 1930s, covering historical subjects, but mostly to show off Technicolor; given the immense amounts of light needed to produce the three-strip image, there's a sepia cast to the entire procedure that modern color techniques tell us means the events portrayed in the movie took place long ago, just as a blue tint tells us the events take place at night.

Even with John Litel playing Thomas Jefferson, it's pretty much a pantomime, with people declaiming their lines. Cesar Rodney's beating down highwaymen trying to stop his gallant ride to attend the Congress and cast the deciding vote is nonsense. While his vote to sign the Declaration was key, he was not at home courting his future wife. He was lying at home, dying when they dragged him back to Philadelphia.

It's 1776. American leading figures are debating and coalescing around what is to become the Declaration of Independence. It's a WB short in Technicolor. The Technicolor keeps it of a time in cinematic history. It also isn't the best in depicting night. The actors are doing costumed stage acting. The characters do come fast and furious. There are so many of them. I'm sure school kids who studied history may recognize some of the names. I am surprised that they deem to mention slavery. It may not be crowd pleasing, but it is part of the WB drive to rally the nation for freedom as Europe descends into tyranny.

I'm apparently a poor student of American history as I had absolutely no clue who Caesar Rodney was prior to seeing this short film. The short's about the days leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The fate of the nation hangs on a deadlocked vote about whether to pass the Declaration or not. Apparently it's all down to one vote and that man, Caesar Rodney, isn't present to vote. From this we get the most dramatic parts of the short as Rodney rides likes the dickens, fighting off one obstacle after another, to arrive just in time to cast the deciding vote. It's all very Hollywood but also fun. I don't need to read up on the events depicted here to know it's loosely adapted from the real events. But, as I've always said, I don't watch movies to be educated; I watch to be entertained. This Technicolor short film is enjoyable and fun. For anything more, pick up a history book.