The war of independence in feature films: The Patriot (2000) and the ‘special relationship’ between Hollywood and Britain

Abstract

It is one of the more curious points in film history that the American War of Independence has been largely neglected in feature films. Stories centred on the country's origins would seem to offer vivid cinematic material, and not least because there are so many dramatic episodes associated with the revolutionary period: the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's ride, the first shots fired in Lexington, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and Washington crossing the Delaware, to name but a few. Equally, the Founding Fathers would seem to make ideal cinematic heroes, and it is easy to envisage scenes in which a young George Washington admits to having chopped down a cherry tree, Thomas Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence and Benjamin Franklin experiments with electricity. Indeed, throughout the 20th century (and into the 21st) the Founding Fathers have remained among the best-known figures in American life. Their stories and deeds have been kept alive in the country's classrooms, from el...