Time to get ready for your July 4th celebrations. And what better way to remember what it’s all about than with a good film? Here are a few American Revolution films I recommend.
Note: You may want to consider buying DVDs. Since just last year, two of the six films listed below are now out of print and only available used and in limited quantity — expect these stories of American Revolutionary War heroes to disappear. These are stories some would rather not be told. More on the disappearing of great films here.
Sons of Liberty is just $10 on Amazon at the moment; not much more than it costs to pay for streaming. It’s one of my favorite picks for July 4th. Sons of Liberty isn’t your grade school telling of the Revolution; it transforms the image of the Founders from dry intellectual men of the past, about whom young people reluctantly read because someone tells them to, into the cool crowd of their time, which oddly enough they were.
DVD $10 | Streaming $7
Johnny Tremain is historical fiction mixed with fact that gives us an intimate view of the early events of the American Revolution through the youthful eyes of Johnny Tremain, apprentice silversmith. This is a Disney classic that is a great pick for kids.
DVD $7 | Streaming $2
1776 is a musical telling of the founding, that remains popular nearly 50 years after its release. It’s a fun watch and a good way to remember the events if you like a little song and dance in your movies.
Blu-ray $10 | Streaming $2
America: Imagine the World Without Her is partly a celebration of America’s roots, and partly a head-on counter attack against those who disparage that history. It challenges the Left’s dominant anti-American narrative — that America was built on plunder-and-conquest — by revealing that the country’s true story is one of unprecedented triumph over humanity’s history of plunder-and-conquest…through its unique idea of individual liberty.
DVD $9 | Streaming $2
Liberty: The American Revolution is the definitive full exposition of the events of the Revolution, a six-part PBS series that is often touching, exciting, inspiring, and full of wonderful details about individuals. Above all it gives a sense of the greatness of the people involved in the Revolution. Of the American Revolution films I’m recommending, this is one of the more serious tellings, but if you want the full story, this documentary series is it.
DVD $17 | Not available on streaming
George Washington: The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King tells the remarkable and little-known story of just how important this great man was. Not only was he the one who made the democratic dreams of Jefferson and Adams a reality, he was the first person in history to turn down supreme power over most of a continent. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Washington was offered the opportunity to become king. In that pivotal moment, he took out something few had seen him wear, a pair of spectacles. “Gentlemen,” said Washington, “you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country.” By the time he was done making the point that he and and his staff had not spent their lives and fortunes to establish another monarchy, but to give a birth to freedom, those calling for his kingship were reduced to tears…and thus ended what would otherwise have been a coup d’tetat. He’s the reason we have a democracy today.
DVD $19 | Not available on streaming