329:question:329--week_4_questions_comments-2018
Differences
This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.
| Both sides previous revisionPrevious revisionNext revision | Previous revision | ||
| 329:question:329--week_4_questions_comments-2018 [2018/09/25 13:32] – [The movie as a primary source of its time] lwiley | 329:question:329--week_4_questions_comments-2018 [2018/09/25 13:36] (current) – [The movie as a primary source of its time] lwiley | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Line 109: | Line 109: | ||
| ====== The movie as a primary source of its time ====== | ====== The movie as a primary source of its time ====== | ||
| - | Mel Gibson, an Australian known for his performances as a victim of English cruelty and incompetence in Gallipoli and Braveheart, clearly has an ‘axe to grind’ against the British, (pun intended) and continues that quest in The Patriot. | + | **Mel Gibson, an Australian known for his performances as a victim of English cruelty and incompetence in Gallipoli and Braveheart, clearly has an ‘axe to grind’ against the British, (pun intended) and continues that quest in The Patriot. |
| + | ** | ||
| The Patriot was made after the World War II blockbuster Saving Private Ryan (1998), which shares the same head writer. The way the British are portrayed, specifically Tavington and the British seemed to be overly embellished to fit the good guy vs. bad guy formula that worked in Saving Private Ryan and other war movies of the late 90’s/ | The Patriot was made after the World War II blockbuster Saving Private Ryan (1998), which shares the same head writer. The way the British are portrayed, specifically Tavington and the British seemed to be overly embellished to fit the good guy vs. bad guy formula that worked in Saving Private Ryan and other war movies of the late 90’s/ | ||
| Line 131: | Line 131: | ||
| One thing that struck me in particular about the readings in comparison to the film was the relative lack of the revolutionary forces’ brutality. While there certainly was both the immediate visceral violence that comes with warfare, the militia forces did not demonstrate much cruelty after their first instance of killing those who surrendered. The film did not show the militia forces dealing with loyalists except those who had first proven themselves to be the “bad guys” and thus were completely justifiable to kill. The film seemed more focused on hitting some broad strokes with any negative aspect of the militia, such as the involuntary enlistment of slaves, and simply brush away these actions after the characters are scolded for doing a bad thing and then let free. --Sky Horne | One thing that struck me in particular about the readings in comparison to the film was the relative lack of the revolutionary forces’ brutality. While there certainly was both the immediate visceral violence that comes with warfare, the militia forces did not demonstrate much cruelty after their first instance of killing those who surrendered. The film did not show the militia forces dealing with loyalists except those who had first proven themselves to be the “bad guys” and thus were completely justifiable to kill. The film seemed more focused on hitting some broad strokes with any negative aspect of the militia, such as the involuntary enlistment of slaves, and simply brush away these actions after the characters are scolded for doing a bad thing and then let free. --Sky Horne | ||
| ====== The "So, what?" question ====== | ====== The "So, what?" question ====== | ||
| - | This movie is practically a textbook definition of American patriotism (hell, Patriot is in the title of the movie). American war films like this carry a common motif of romanticizing our history as something of a morale-booster or a feel-good nostalgia trip. Of course there are plenty of issues with over romanticizing; | + | **This movie is practically a textbook definition of American patriotism (hell, Patriot is in the title of the movie). American war films like this carry a common motif of romanticizing our history as something of a morale-booster or a feel-good nostalgia trip. Of course there are plenty of issues with over romanticizing; |
| **I found an interview from Mel Gibson from after the movie was released where he said " "If one were to adhere to historical accuracy all the way, you'd probably have the most | **I found an interview from Mel Gibson from after the movie was released where he said " "If one were to adhere to historical accuracy all the way, you'd probably have the most | ||
| Line 141: | Line 141: | ||
| When it comes to historical accuracy, this movie succeeds in certain ways that our other Mel Gibson movie failed. Pocahontas’ biggest weakness was the way it took actual historical figures and reworked their characters until they might as well be completely different people. The Patriot, on the other hand, has the good grace to change the names of historical figures when they change the stories. If this was a movie about Francis Marion fighting Banistre Tarleton, then it would be one thing, but instead the movie is about Benjamin Martin fighting William Tavington. This allows the movie some leeway, but the movie takes it too far, because although the characters are fictional the Revolutionary War was real, and everything that happens is just a little too Hollywood Clean. Yes, there are slaves in the movie, but the characters we are supposed to like don’t have them. Yes, there are atrocities committed by both sides, but the characters we are supposed to like feel real bad about it. It makes an attempt to say something real about war, but it gets bogged down in, well, patriotism. (Justin Curtis) | When it comes to historical accuracy, this movie succeeds in certain ways that our other Mel Gibson movie failed. Pocahontas’ biggest weakness was the way it took actual historical figures and reworked their characters until they might as well be completely different people. The Patriot, on the other hand, has the good grace to change the names of historical figures when they change the stories. If this was a movie about Francis Marion fighting Banistre Tarleton, then it would be one thing, but instead the movie is about Benjamin Martin fighting William Tavington. This allows the movie some leeway, but the movie takes it too far, because although the characters are fictional the Revolutionary War was real, and everything that happens is just a little too Hollywood Clean. Yes, there are slaves in the movie, but the characters we are supposed to like don’t have them. Yes, there are atrocities committed by both sides, but the characters we are supposed to like feel real bad about it. It makes an attempt to say something real about war, but it gets bogged down in, well, patriotism. (Justin Curtis) | ||
| - | The British treatment of the population poorly as they waged war which in the movie and in history caused many of the populace to switch from their neutral positions to support of the Patriots.(Notes) The church that was burned down was very period accurate as there were family boxes that would have been in most churches as well as a raised pulpit. https:// | + | **The British treatment of the population poorly as they waged war which in the movie and in history caused many of the populace to switch from their neutral positions to support of the Patriots.(Notes) The church that was burned down was very period accurate as there were family boxes that would have been in most churches as well as a raised pulpit.** https:// |
| Thank you Ellora for finding that clip of Gibson. If they wanted to make an accurate representation of those events with no added drama, or romance, then it would have been made into a documentary. I believe this movie accurately represents the emotions and situations people had to go through during the war. - Johana Colchado | Thank you Ellora for finding that clip of Gibson. If they wanted to make an accurate representation of those events with no added drama, or romance, then it would have been made into a documentary. I believe this movie accurately represents the emotions and situations people had to go through during the war. - Johana Colchado | ||
329/question/329--week_4_questions_comments-2018.1537882328.txt.gz · Last modified: 2018/09/25 13:32 by lwiley