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.

Hollywood is known to take liberties with fact in its productions and certainly did so here. But for all that, this is a visually beautiful and very engaging short that won an Oscar (deservedly). The short runs as filler on Turner Classic Movies on no set schedule along with tons of other shorts. Recommended.

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.

Fun and entertaining to watch, but please don't learn your history from this short film. Full of inaccuracies and Hollywood license, the film shows the highlights all mashed together. Thomas Jefferson was not an original delegate to the Convention; he was sent in when another Virginia had to return home. The Declaration was not signed on July 4, 1776 -- the large parchment copy was not written until the middle of July and signing began on August 2, 1776. Caesar Rodney didn't ride to the convention after escaping from his fiancé's home. The slavery section of the Declaration was voted out by the entire Congress, not by the committee of writers Those are just a few of the "liberties" taken by the film makers.

Although this highly dramatic ride to break the tie in Delaware's delegation to the Second Continental Congress was surely important in keeping American independence from being stillborn it doesn't truly square with the facts. Caesar Rodney was not the dashing young patriot that you see here portrayed by Ted Osbourne nor was he the cancer ridden old man you see in 1776. And at least part of the journey was made by carriage from Dover to Philadelphia.

This short subject did win an Oscar in that category for Warner Brothers and it does tell a nice story. Rodney's ride to break the tie was an important event though the dramatic lily gets a good gilding here, the short is an enjoyable one.