Hollywood vs. History - The 2000 film The Patriot is a story of Good versus Evil; a story of freedom.

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Evan Feist                                                                AP American History

Summer Assignment Choice I: Hollywood vs. History

        The 2000 film The Patriot is a story of Good versus Evil; a story of freedom.  Also, it is a story that was definitely geared toward a mainstream audience for the reason that it is more fiction than fact.  Although the film tells a captivating and exhilarating tale, it cannot be used to depict actual events.  There are many factual errors regarding the battles, time period, and even characters themselves.  

        The film did have some good elements along with all the misinterpretations.  It was mention several times and even shown at the end that the French army was aiding the Colonial army which most Revolutionary War film never point out.  This is one of the aspects that helped the Americans win the war.  One issue was that the colonial, especially the militia had a greater will to win because they’d be losing more.  Also the wagon that the militia took over with Cornwallis’s possessions and Redcoat uniforms really helped them in terms of negotiation and sneak attacks.  Also, many of the soldier’s family were killed so that was reason enough for them to fight and win.  Another thing that this movie does is show the disagreement that some soldiers had within the American army.  The plain idea that some people cared more about making sure individuals were safe as opposed to fighting for the cause and making those people statistics was a big issue because it shows one’s dedication as opposed to one’s sense of brotherhood.

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        There are quite a number of inaccuracies in the representation of battles in general including other incidents surrounding the war.  These other occurrences were regarding equipment, uniforms, and customs.  To start with, there were not many “official” battles; it was more like utter chaos.  The fighting was done in many small sneak attacks done throughout the forest and in the middle of towns.  The two near the beginning of the film were conveniently fought in open fields visible from the upper windows of houses 200 yards away, so bystanders have incredible seats for the show and can sit and talk ...

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