The Revolutionary War (1995– ) User Reviews

The Revolutionary War is a must see

[phbolte · 10/10 · 11 August 2010]

I've watched this show a minimum of 3 times on The History Channel and The Military channel. I would recommend it be shown to every school age child in the U.S. Narrated by Charles Kuralt it depicts the beginning of the United States. Why we did what we did from Lexington and Concord to Yorktown with everything in between to include perhaps the greatest document ever to have been written. The Declaration of Indepence although Thomas Jefferson took from different sources and rewrote them. The final results of his effort are magnificent.

Just look and listen. Let Mr. Kuralt and other voices take you through our history. The very start of our history and be sure your children view it and LISTEN to the words as written by soldiers of the time. Both American and British. Especially one who started as a private at the age of 15 and ended up a Sgt. at Yorktown.

Every American should view this so they know where we came from and how much it took to gain independence from the most powerful nation in the world. And every American should never forget.

I'm just a guy. Nobody special. Not a TV or movie renewer. Just a guy who sees today that many Americans have no sense of where we came from and why and that's why this series is so important.

A Wonderful Series

[shlbycindy · 10/10 · 5 July 2014]

I watched this on the American Heroes Channel (formerly The Military Channel) over the 4th of July. It is an excellent documentary. Informative and entertaining. I agree with the review that says this should be required viewing for school aged children. The depictions are very realistic and it brings the battles to life and explains the hardships faced by George Washington and his armies. It went into depth about Benedict Arnold and explained his actions and how harmful they were to the Continental Armies. I knew he was a traitor but I had no idea as to the depth of his betrayal. Charles Kuralt gave an excellent narration too.

Best American Revolutionary War Documenatary

[pmims-42675 · 9/10 · 17 July 2016]

I wish it was longer. I found myself wanting more after it ended. I have always enjoyed studying American wars. And I think that I possess above average knowledge about American military conflicts. This documentary reminded me that there is always so much more knowledge out there. I learned about specific aspects of this war that I had never known about. I was surprised by some of the details of this documentary. From the research that I have done about this documentary, I have come to learn that it is incredibly historically accurate. You may see reviews that say otherwise but they are nitpicking on small controversial details. The bottom line is that there is not a better American Revolutionary War documentary out there. This documentary is a perfect combination of narration, reenactment, history professors' inside knowledge, and written correspondence such as letters, speeches, etc. I am not a fan of the new History Channel documentary where the entire special is an acted, scripted reenactment. I prefer the dry history specials of the past. I find them more captivating and interesting. This documentary is not completely dry but it is of that style. The viewer is bombarded with detailed information about one of the greatest wars in the history of the world. I recommend that every American watch this but I also think any person would enjoy this documentary because it talks about a very historic time in the history of the world. I loved it!!!

won the war and the peace but lost at the box office

[deanofrpps · 10/10 · 29 July 2003]

the american revolution pales in titles in films documentaries and tv shows when compared to the civil war. This documentary is well done and comprehensive and is highly recommented. Interestingly enough despite the importance of the event, the documentary shows that we have one main source on the war: the writings of Sgt Joseph Plum Martin.

Mighty fine documentary

[brian-s-1 · 7/10 · 16 June 2009]

First of all, this film came out before "Liberty" and "The American Revolution" which had big name personnalies to help carry them along. And yet, I think that this film/documentary stands on its own merits. Charles Kuralt of the old CBS show "On The Road" narrates with his folksy voice which gives it a nice feel. The Revolutionary War deals strictly with the military movements without going into a lot of politics of war. I wish it had got into more of the details of the battles and it could have used more of the quotes from the common soldiers. It uses live action modern reenactors for the battle scenes along with the oil paintings and drawings of the 18th century. Also the use of historians interjecting their expertize on the subject are done in a matter that dosen't empede the flow of the film. Tho it's far from perfect, but for it's time a mighty fine documentary......

The Multiple-Sided War

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 4 July 2008]

We probably have Ken Burns to thank for this miniseries on the American Revolutionary War. Five years previously, Burns had produced "The American Civil War," which was wildly popular -- for a PBS miniseries anyway. "The Revolutionary War" follows much the same format -- Charles Kuralt narrates, rather than John McCullough; letters from the period are read aloud with the author's name being appended. "The Revolutionary War" has reenactments instead of still photographs, for obvious reasons, and for whatever reason pays more attention to the actual battles and less to the quotidian details of life. We don't get much in the way of what the troops ate, or what the mood was back on the home front. And there are fewer of the heartbreaking dramatic expositions of the earlier film -- nothing about slavery or the irony of two old and loving friends trying to kill each other at Gettysburgh, like Hancock and Armistead. The overall tone is slightly drier.

But it's a good series, almost a necessary series, just as much as "The American Civil War." The reason I make this argument is that in neither the Revolutionary War nor the Civil War are we able to demonize the enemy. We're always able to spin World Wars I and II. After all, Germany was responsible for a genocidal program, and who knows anything about the Japanese? That was barbarism at its worst. But who can demonize the "enemies" we fought in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars? In the first, American patriots were fighting the British (and, surprisingly often, other Americans who, for one reason or another, they were feuding with). How can we demonize the British? We've been on the same side as the British through two very bloody wars in the past century. If the British are not our allies, then we have no allies.

And we can't very well demonize either side in the Civil War. Both sides were Americans who believed God was on their side. And the sides themselves were all mixed up. Many of the Founding Fathers owned slaves. Lincoln had married a woman from a slave state.

All of this throws the emphasis upon the agony of war itself, not upon the rude habits of the enemy. The approach taken to the conflicts must perforce be balanced, and it's about time.

I won't go into any details of the unfolding history because it's generally well known. (Kids: PS., the Americans won independence from the British.) As I say, this isn't nearly as dramatic as Ken Burns' series. Burns was an innovative genius at making documentaries and at promoting himself. The producers of this mini-series are less daring but, in a limited way, equally informative. Still, it needs to be taken one episode at a time because in the near-absence of drama and breathing spells you're liable to OD.

With whatever weaknesses this miniseries has, it ought to be seen by everyone in the US, especially by youngsters. It doesn't have the WHIZ and ZAP of a music video on MTV but sometimes education demands sacrifice and we sometimes need education in order to be smart rather than dumb. I was teaching a class in communications at a state university when Ken Burns' documentary was being shown. I asked the several dozen students how many were watching it. Answer: None. Oh, how we NEED more balanced documentaries about past wars. Maybe, as a result of watching them, we won't stumble into so many wars in the future.

historical accuracy issues

[ca3185 · 3/10 · 6 April 2014]

While accurate in time-lines there are serious mistakes in attribution to actual events and individuals who actually are historically notable for their efforts and contributions. History buffs are often misled by the cavalier or outright mistakes of editorial accuracy of how some events played out. As such it may be useful for patriotic cheer-leading but it is seriously weak and shallow in a historical documentary. It is well known for example that the when the news that led to the Battle of Kings Mountain, the Overmountain men were organized and led to the fight. It shouldn't be lost on the viewer that the frontier experience gave these individuals the ability to fight in a manor not well known to those who hadn't fought regularly against the natives of these lands. But it also should not be glossed over as though some ragtag bunch of woodsmen just showed up. Two leaders and future governors of the "lands on the other side of the Blue Ridge mountains" brought the militias from there that joined that fight that day.