Revolutionary War films often face uphill battle in Hollywood

July 4, 2000
Web posted at: 1:19 p.m. EDT (1719 GMT)

From Paul Vercammen
CNN Showbiz Today Correspondent

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- "The Patriot" may be holding off most enemies at the box office, but the Revolutionary War genre hasn't made much of a stand in Hollywood over the years.

The push for American independence was last seen in sweeping movie form in 1985's "Revolution" with Al Pacino. But it was a bomb -- not the type bursting in air, either -- and it reminded everyone that re-creating the revolution is expensive.

"When you get a cast of thousands, you're going to spend millions of dollars," said David Hochman of Entertainment Weekly. "You're immediately talking a hundred-million-dollar production with these movies."

Hollywood has shelled out for plenty of A-list stars to fight for liberty -- with mixed success -- from Cary Grant in "The Howards of Virginia" (1940) to Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in "The Devil's Disciple" (1959).

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And then there's John Ford's acclaimed "Drums Along the Mohawk," (1939) starring Henry Fonda in a story based on Walter D. Edmonds' acclaimed novel.

"I studied that one quite closely," "Patriot" director Roland Emmerich said.

Critics also give high marks to "1776," (1972) the musical adapted from an award- winning play.

"They say that the way it portrays the debate among the Founding Fathers over the issues is more sophisticated than any other Revolutionary War film," said Jonathan Kuntz, a professor of film history at the University of California-Los Angeles.

"The Patriot" also is earning some stripes in a genre where few filmmakers dare do battle.

"I think it's important to say it doesn't glorify it," said Mel Gibson, who plays a South Carolina farmer drawn reluctantly into the war. "It makes it horrible and the characters in it think it's horrible, and the people are scared, and it tells you it's not a cool thing."

"Patriot" writer Robert Rodat notes that his film shows conflict in America's front yards.

"This war is much more like what's going on in Kosovo or parts of Africa right now, where your family is right there," he said.

Although "The Patriot" may have taken some liberties with the past, film historians commend its overall historical accuracy.

"It has fictionalized characters and fictionalized situations, but it doesn't go too far in that direction," Kuntz said.

Revolutionary War films