Group 7: Early American History: The 18th & 19th Centuries
Glory. 1989. — The 54th Massachusetts in the Civil War. Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman. This film has come to represent the contributions of about 180,000 African Americans who served in the Union army during the Civil War. In fact, the 54th Massachusetts was not representative in that most of its members were free northern Blacks instead of former or runaway slaves. No matter. The courage and discipline they displayed were reflected among most African American regiments, who fought bravely and well. Some historians believe they were the difference between victory and defeat for the Union.
Uncle Tom's Cabin. 1987. — History of Slavery. Based on Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 novel. Avery Brooks, Edward Woodward, Bruce Dern, Samuel L. Jackson, Felicia Rashad. This is a much condensed version of Mrs. Stowe's novel, but I think it captures the essence of the book nevertheless. Mrs. Stowe had particular targets in her book. See if you can discern that from the film. The book has never been out of print and has spawned many stage productions, including a ballet, "Topsy and Eva."
The Patriot. 2000. — American Revolution in the South. Mel Gibson, Chris Cooper. The Mel Gibson character is based loosely on Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox." Not the best film about the revolution, perhaps, but one of the few that has had commercial success. It is over-romanticized, and some of the incidents were made up, such as the church burning. The nasty British officer is clearly based on Banastre Tarleton, and the film was probably not unfair to him. It should be noted, however, that the brutality existed on both sides, as much of the fighting in the South pitted American patriots against American loyalists. The final battle is a fairly accurate portrayal of the battle of Cowpens.
Rough Riders. 1997 — Teddy Roosevelt and the Spanish American War. Tom Beringer, Sam Elliot. One of the best war movies ever made, according to some critics, though it may be a bit overlong. Tom Beringer has played a number of real people, including James Longstreet in Gettysburg. He seems to have Teddy Roosevelt down pretty well. The story of the actual fighting is pretty accurate, and Bucky O'Neil, played by Elliot, was a real character and supposedly died just in that manner, including the quote about the Spanish bullet. (The rifle shot that killed him was from a German rifle used by the Spaniards.)
Last of the Mohicans. 1992. — French and Indian War. Daniel Day Lewis, Madeleine Stowe. Based on the novel by James Fenimore Cooper about the Battle of Ft. William Henry in 1757. Critics have had problems with this film, but much of it strikes me as nit-picking. I think the interplay among the three cultures—Indian, colonial American and British—is revealing. Many of the characters—General Webb, Colonel Munro, the Marquis de Montcalm—were real people. The massacre did happen as shown. I visited Fort William Henry a few weeks ago and it is quite impressive, having been rebuilt according to the original plans, which somehow survived, though the fort itself was destroyed. When using parts of the film in class I always asked the students to see whether they could detect the coming revolution. See what you find.
Gettysburg. 1993. The Great Battle of the Civil War. Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen, Tom Beringer. Based on the fine novel by Michael Shaara, this film was made on the actual battle grounds, to the consternation of the Park Service folks at Gettysburg, who apparently had had enough of the filmmakers very soon after they arrived, not to mention the hundreds of re-enactors, without whom the film would not have been nearly as convincing. Although fictional, the book is very closely based on actual history—my guess being that Shaara had "Lee's Lieutenants" by Freeman at his elbow as he wrote. Critics have complained, of course, but again, it strikes me as nitpicking.
Amistad. 1998. A cargo of slaves rebel against their crew. Anthony Hopkins, Matthew McConaughey, Morgan Freeman, Djimon Hounsou. One thing really pleased me about this film, and that was the portrayal of John Quincy Adams. His presidency—one term—was hardly successful, but he served with distinction as a U.S. Congressman for 18 years thereafter. He was one of the leaders in the anti-slavery movement in Congress, a battle he fought with great courage. His supreme court testimony in the film comes from the actual record, though the building used in the film was, I believe, the Massachusetts Supreme Court building. For some reason they could not film in Washington. I don't think the portrayal of Van Buren was fair. He ran for President on the Free Soil, anti-slavery party in 1848 with Adams's son, Charles Francis, as his running mate.