Customer Reviews

The History Channel Presents The Revolution

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

A great examination of the American Revolutionary War by the History Channel. Includes interviews with historians, battlefield maps and examinations of troop movements, letters from the battlefields, and actor portrayals of battles and historical figures.

The Revolution starts out with the examinations of the cause of the revolution, such as colonial resentment of taxes levied after the Seven Years' War without any representation. It follows this through the forging of the Declaration of Independence and the battles of the Revolutionary War. It finishes up with the problems facing the nation after the war.

I don't think I had a good enough realization in school with how hard times were for these soldiers as they waged war. This video goes into detail with the troubled supply lines that plagued Washington's army, the heavy desertion and mutiny (which Washington clamped down on with some extraordinary tactics), and the many failed battles that occured in the first few years of the Revolutionary War. It covers internal conflicts between such characters as Horatio Gates and George Washington.

Also discussed are Benjamin Franklin's efforts in France to recruit the French navy and John Paul Jone's foray into Britain and Ireland.

The first half of the series covers the battles in the north and the remaining few episodes discuss how the battles move south into Savannah, the back woods of the Carolinas, and finally Yorktown.

One problem with the series is that they tend to recycle the interviews and footage throughout.

US history books tend to lionize the founding fathers, but this series (and books such as the Founding Brothers) show how none of these people was perfect, and shows their faults as well as their strengths. I came away with this series (which I downloaded from iTunes, BTW) with a much better understanding of the Revolutionary War.

I've watched countless documentaries about The Revolutionary War and this is one of, if not the best I've seen. It is a comphrehensive look at the war, its causes, battles and political struggles starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 and ending with Washington taking the oath of office in 1789 as the first President. Historian and Author comments provide insight and facts that help put the viewer in the mind set and feel of this conflict. Some history buffs will notice inaccuracies in uniforms and weapons but it does not take away from the overall quality of information presented. I highly recommended this DVD set.

*

There is left little for me to add to the Reviews already given here, but such little I gladly offer.

Andrew Violette's Review (see below) is clear, succinct and contains the best part of what I look for in a good review. I will say however, that I would disagree that the very few instances of repeated material throughout is in any sense or manner a detraction from the whole.
After all, inculcation is itself a perfectly legitimate method of `teaching' and imparting important, complex and/or meaningful information, and the visual scenes which may be repeated here and there are in no way detracting, as the whole is done with impeccably good taste, style and an almost epic grandeur.
Indeed, the few instances of repetition are so brief and far between, one hardly notices. If the content itself weren't so forceful in beauty and import the first time, one would probably not notice it at all.
In all events, rather than finding such to be a fault or `problem' in the series taken as a whole, I regard it simply one more aspect which deepens and enriches its instructional value.

On the whole, "The Revolution" is a Masterful documentary production, brilliantly executed, sweeping and breathtaking in scope and in every sense, a First Rate production for a `Principle Events and Characters' overview of the American Revolution (with emphases placed squarely on the Martial aspects - as well it should be: as is rightly said by one historian - "The Army is the Revolution").
I know of no other like Documentary Series which so lavishly and tastefully achieves this rather daunting task.

We all know that in life and `this world' as it were, we rarely if ever encounter anything we deem `perfect' in every sense. So what?
That one might find something to criticize can surprise no-one, yet it is a shame I think to allow such to detract from what is as a whole a genuinely masterful achievement.

My husband and I frankly tire-ourselves at times criticizing the `usual' self-serving, ignorant, poorly directed, mismanaged, bungled & botched documentary on this or that historical subject.
To come across a documentary series such as this is such a refreshing exception, I cannot help but sing its praises.
Without the faintest hint of hesitation, I recommend this Superb series to anyone interested in the American Revolution, be they wholly ignorant of the subject, amateur history buff or professional historian.
Whether one is learning something new from beginning to end, or learns nothing new whatever, it is simply a delight to behold and, I will say - worth every *American* penny spent.

For the Review comments of John Aldrich (see below), all I can think is that he must unfortunately have gotten either defective disks or have some other technical issues.
I have seen no `white dots' or lines and that it is in letterbox format (which I genuinely cannot stand), frankly, I hadn't even noticed until I made conscious effort to look.
Nothing is lacking in the brilliantly clear DVD quality one has every right to expect; nor is there any shortcoming as regards the manner in which it was filmed. It certainly doesn't look like `video.'
I thought it looked brilliant when watching it on cable and recording to DVR - the DVD version only seems yet more clear and glittering, to me.

In short, a positively First Rate production in every respect and highly recommended.
One documentary series I will joyfully watch again & again with repeated, if not ever-increasing pleasure and appreciation.
If only this achievement might become the Standard by which all future documentaries are produced - I would have No complaints ...

*

I particularly liked the emphasis on the political aspects of the Revolution, in addition to the military. And the series focused on events often left out or shortened in documentaries, such as the southern battles. I would encourage history teachers to use this series in their classrooms.

The last two segments might have been skipped, since they didn't offer any new information. But they provided a recap of the series.

I usually like the PBS history better than history channel history, so I bought the PBS series on the Revolution first. I was a little disappointed at the lack of detail in the PBS series. This one by the history has the detail I wanted and is very interesting and well done. Being honest with you, you'd swear the series was taken directly from the book "Patriots" by J Langguth, because if follows the exact same approach, though there is no apparent credit given to Lagguth in the video series.

I've been a fan of American Revolutionary History for many years and so after joining Netflix, I ordered this documentary to see if I would like it. I only had to watch one or two episodes before I knew I was going to love this series. It has provided me with the clearest and most comprehensive understanding of the Revolution of anything I've studied so far, and I think the history and narrative are very honest and fair in their accuracy--not just another remake by some liberal with an underlying agenda of destroying our faith in our founding fathers and the revolutionary patriots who gave their lives to create the greatest, most free nation ever known on earth. Not sure why one reviewer said the DVD quality was poor because my DVDs are gorgeous to watch on a 1080p hi definition TV. I love the homes and architecture of the early American colonies. While there is no actual talking by anyone acting in this documentary, the readers and experts who do talk are very professional and make it interesting to watch. If you love American Revolutionary history or know someone who does, this would indeed make a great gift--for them or for yourself. Enjoy. I love it and very highly recommend it. I will wear these DVDs out as I watch them over and over again!

I really enjoyed the information presented on this video. This dvd series is great and captured the attention of my 8 year old who watched it with me!
Video is easy to watch and contains historical information presented in a format that makes the viewer want to continue to see what happens.

I teach American History and recently completed a master's degree in that field, which is to say, I'm a life-long student of history. First, I certainly appreciated that the producers/directors of The Revolution had to create a 1770's era backdrop from scratch, since the time in question was before photography. They surely succeeded, and they did so without the typical documentary talking heads syndrome. I'd recommend this film series to students of history, teachers, and for those who simply want to know much more about America's beginnings.

I'd also like to say that the producers/directors were smart to include issues concerning topics like Thomas Paine's Common Sense, slavery, the Royalist versus Patriot collisions, the goings-on in France with Benjamin Franklin, and the struggles at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. They, in other words, covered many topics that contributed to the outcome of the war, the creation of the radically innovative U.S. Government, and the installation of George Washington as America's first president, being sure not to focus just on key battles. One comes away from The Revolution with a solid understanding of why Americans sought to break from the British Empire and with an appreciation for the incredible luck and bloody resolve it took to do so. One also sees how smug and generally elitist the British were and how their arrogance cost them their thirteen colonies.

I read in other reviews that some people felt that the video series had too much redundancy in terms of certain video clips/scenes and the like. I suppose their might be a "little" bit if truth to that, but given the fact that the entire colonial era video backdrop had to be generated from scratch, which took lots of actors, costumes/uniforms, and time-era scene development, such criticism is surely moot. I even like the way the producers/directors utilized a sound track that created a kind of Bourne Identity-like anxiety - good work!

Several rounds of applause go to the producers and directors of The Revolution for making such a comprehensive, intelligent, and balanced video series!

Calvin Best
Dusty Hat Ranch
West Central Texas

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; 'tis dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated."

Thomas Paine's words are as essential today as they were more than two hundred years ago and this series is well worth your time if you have any interest in the American Revolution. Ken Burns' legacy as the father of modern documentary is felt throughout the 13 hours that comprise this splendid series by the History Channel; the combination of historical commentary, dramatic recreation, and maps detailing troop movement gives the viewer a supreb overview of the period driven by the revolutionary spirit of Rousseau, Locke, and Jefferson.

If there is any shortcoming to this series it is the fact that 13 hours is simply too little. I guess I'm never satisfied, but there's more to any story than meets the camera's eye...

It has often been said that you don't know who you are until you know where you have been. The story of the American Revolution comes to life through brilliantly portrayed scenes and narratives. A video is but a thumbnail sketch of all that happened, but it is certainly a primer in terms of preparing the reader for what comes next. I think to truly appreciate that American Revolution, you must see it and read about it from many different sources, both revolutionists and loyalists to get a real feel and understanding of what actually took place and why. View it and enjoy this DVD series, then begin the great adventure of reading about the American Revolution. All the materials available is like a great buffet and each selection tastes great.