Rebels & Redcoats (PBS Documentary)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: D Film: B-
Considering that this documentary encompassing all of the
Revolutionary War is PBS material, you shouldn’t expect it to have the higher
budget and production values of most A&E specials, but PBS could always
compete with the best. With that in
mind, we can forgive some of the faults that result. However, there were
some things I felt could have been addressed without eating up much, if any
more of the funding in Rebels & Redcoats. A slight annoyance
is that much of the narration takes place with the host (Richard Holmes) in
modern day, which pulls you out of the experience a bit. It’s kind of
unnecessary, considering there was enough of a budget to stage all the reenactments
found within. One odd combination of past and present takes place during
a public staging of a historic meeting; the actors are effective, and all in
period costumes, yet there are modern school children in attendance among
them. A private staging for taping would have been a better choice, in my
opinion - it could have been cropped closer to hide the lack of a large
crowd. Aside from these faults, the information provided is excellent,
and gives an unbiased British perspective of the events, which reveals some
misconceptions still taught in schools today.
One example is the Boston Massacre, where British soldiers
opened fire on American civilians, leaving three dead on the spot. One of
those killed was Crispus Attucks, a black man. This is all taught in
school, and they even mention that the citizens were taunting the soldiers.
However, when Paul Revere made his famous engraving of the scene, he
embellished the facts a little. Most notably, changing the skin color of
Attucks to white, to have more political impact. If Revere had shown a
black man, it likely wouldn’t have excited as much unrest in the people as it
did. Another purposeful alteration was showing a British sniper, firing
from an upper level window, giving the impression of a premeditated attack on
their part. This wasn’t the case at all, and the soldiers took no glee
from the attack, as the engraving may further lead you to believe. Had
they not been heavily provoked, they wouldn’t have opened fire, as the documentary
points out.
Other interesting facts abound. Something I enjoyed
seeing was The Turtle - the world’s first combat submarine. A
one-man machine, that and had a very interesting design. The inside was
lit with phosphorescent fungi. It attacked by drilling into the ship
above it and leaving behind a buoyant explosive. Topics range quite a
bit, and discussion of the various groups of people involved in the conflict is
good for balanced coverage. The film delves into slaves and indentured
servants being used in military service, and shows their point of view
throughout the war. George Washington originally opposed blacks fighting
in the war, but more soldiers were needed to further the war effectively, so
free black men were recruited despite his initial opposition.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 picture is adequate
for this material, but it could have been improved on to some degree. It
was shot on video, entirely in color, with slightly varying quality between
different types of scenes - such as host segments, reenactments, and
reenactments with a specific historical figure speaking dialogue. The
image is letterboxed, with no glitches or other problems present. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound is good, and though not optimal, even mono sound
would have been passable for documentary purposes. Pro Logic surrounds are mixed at best.
As the film progresses, things get more interesting, and
the host sequences become less noticeable. I was originally going to
recommend this mainly for classroom purposes, but it’s also very enjoyable for
home use. It held my attention pretty well, and most others should feel
the same. Originally a five-part series with each installment about half
an hour, it’s watchable as a whole in one or two sittings. Not a bad idea
to pick up if the price is right, though replay value isn’t that high outside
of the school setting. It may be a while till it’s aired again, and
accidentally missing one of the installments would be an annoyance. So if
you’re interested enough, go the easier route and find a copy to own.
- David Milchick
