Liberty! The American Revolution

An excellent series, absolutely riveting - bought it on DVD and saw it in two sittings. I could write miles of praise about this documentary-in-the-best-sense-of-the-word, basically based on contemporary documentation, but I will add one tiny speck of criticism; in the last-but-one episode, we almost get the impression that the British campaign in the South was supposed to lash out at the institution of slavery (there is some reference to the "All men are created equal" phrase in the Declaration of Independence being hypocritical), but of course the British could not have minded slavery in 1781 since they themselves would not abolish it for another fifty-two years. At the very end of the series, Dr. Pauline Meier puts forth a very interesting thought: that the world tends to forget its heritage from the American revolution simply because - unlike the French revolution and the Russian revolution - it succeeded. When all is said and done, this is the revolution that launched world democracy.

"Liberty! The American Revolution" is about as good a series on the American Revolution as you can find and it not only is about what led to the war as well as the war but also the period AFTER the war when the Colonies were 13 independent nations in need of a stronger central government. How this led to the Constitution is discussed in the final episode. Exceptional production values, nice historical re-creations and an interesting script make this one to watch. As a retired history teacher, I found very little to complain about except in episode five--which made it sound as if the Colonies BEAT the British. This is a misconception. The British cut their losses and left the Colonies because they were involved in a world war with France, Spain AND Holland--so the Colonies ALONE were not victorious--it was clearly a group effort. Well worth seeing--and it's not too surprising since it's from PBS video--and those folks seem to make one amazing documentary after another.

Let me begin by saying I'm a Brit through and through (currently live in Japan though), and a pretty patriotic one to boot.

Even so, I loved this series, despite the fact that we were supposed to be the "enemy" and we lost.

I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of most U.S. made historical documentaries, because I usually find them lightweight, childish, naieve, biased and too focused on what I consider minor details. I can't stand most of the stuff served up on the History Channel, for example. So I wasn't expecting too much when I came across this PBS series.

But what a pleasant surprise! At the end of watching this series I felt it was on a par with anything produced in Britain and I came away with a much better understanding of the background and sequence of events during the revolutionary period.

What I liked:

1. Well paced. 6 episodes at 40 minutes each was just right I felt.

2. Nicely balanced between the U.S. and U.K. version and interpretation of events; several British historians were interviewed and they served as a good counterweight to their American counterparts.

3. In depth explanation of the events leading up to the outbreak of hostilities in the 13 colonies; they didn't try to put all the blame on George III or British authorities.

4. Talking heads really brought to life the letters and diaries of the men and women of that time. Far nicer than just listening to a narrator read it all out.

5. Good balance between coverage of battles and tactics with the bigger picture and strategies

6. Surprisingly impartial and fair to the British pov, considering that Americans usually have a huge uber-patriotic blind spot when it comes to this period in their history. The British weren't overly demonised or portrayed as dummies in redcoats (as was the case with awful films such as "The Patriot"). This documentary shows that terrible atrocities were committed in the name of the revolution and in the name of surpressing it. I felt this was a sign of maturity and 'closure' on the part of the makers.

7. The role the French played in securing the victory at Yorktown for the Americans was given fair prominence. The makers of this documentary seem big enough to not be mealy-mouthed about this, which makes a refreshing change from the usual myopia on this topic.

There were some fairly emotional scenes as well. Although I consider myself objective and impartial when it comes to history (I think we have to be, to attain that higher truth of which Descartes spoke), I felt surges of patriotic pride when the British army performed well (such as British army engineers scaling that mountain to secure the surrender of Fort Ticonderoga, the capture of New York, or Clinton's successful initial campaign in the American South). Conversely, I really felt sorry for "our lads" at times, being 3,000 miles from home when they were outnumbered and cut off deep in rebel territory. I hope Americans will try to understand why I feel this way... it's hard for us to be impartial all the time.

Overall, I was left with a sense of the greatness of Washington, Franklin and Jefferson. I was also pleased to learn that Cornwallis was a far better field commander than history has given him credit for and that he was badly let down by Clinton in New York.

I salute PBS and ask all Americans interested in art, culture and the pursuit of historical truth to keep supporting this wonderful institution you have. It represents the best traditions of your wonderful country.

God Bless America and God Save the Queen!

Around 4/5ths of this documentary is great. It really goes into the roots of why things happen, and is presented very clearly.

However, the other fifth of the time are segments with actors dressing up as historical figures and reading out things they had written. The acting is so incredibly awful, and just comes across as corny. Thus, it really takes away from the seriousness of the rest of the documentary. It is so bad that I just have to fast forward all those sections.

Extra! The Empire gets the boot in the Rim Colonies! Emperor vilified by common rabble! Imperial forces attacked by Rebel forces! Headlines from "The Tatooine Gazette"? No. The start of an experiment in self government and a war that secured no enemy territory and succeeded where later revolutions failed. With no video, film cameras, or CNN, how does one make the world of 1763 real? By having actors read from speeches and papers of the principal movers and shakers of the day. The actors are to be commended for fleshing out long-dead historical figures, especially "King George III" and "Maj. Gen. Burgoyne." It is an interesting journey, as the American colonists change over time from respectful subjects of King George III to concerned tax rebels, an aroused militia, committee members drafting petitions, to "Common Sense" citizens seeking Independence. This series deserves the DVD treatment, with behind the scenes sections about the many reenacters and preservation societies that show how the world of John and Abigail Adams worked/works. A&E's look at the same subject used paintings and voiceovers to cover the same ground, but Ken Burns' "The Civil War" had photographic impact that oils couldn't capture. I hope that PBS will broadcast this soon, or as a July 4th special for those who missed it the first time.