Product Details

• Actors: Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland, Nastassja Kinski, Joan Plowright, Paul Brooke
• Directors: Hugh Hudson, Hugh Hudson
• Format: Color, Widescreen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: May 26, 2009
• Run Time: 115 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001TK80D4
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,644 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Revolution: Revisited" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This big and sometimes messy movie achieves the seemingly impossible: it demythologizes the American Revolution and lets us see it in a completely new light. Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire) has directed a starkly beautiful, powerfully visceral portrait of war from the point of view of the little people who are swept along in its wake. Al Pacino is Tom Dobb, a poor, illiterate trapper bringing up a young son when rebellion breaks out in New York. Dobb's small boat is requisitioned for the war effort, and he and his son become reluctant conscripts. It takes six months and some truly vile treatment by the British before the conflict becomes personal for Dobb and he makes the American cause his own. The Dobb family's tale intersects that of British Sergeant Major Peasy (a formidable Donald Sutherland) and his own son. As the tide of the war turns, the enemies' fortunes are reversed. Tom's love interest, Daisy McConnahay (Nastassja Kinski), is a fiery beauty who breaks from her family of wealthy Tories (British sympathizers) to fight for freedom. Kinski is wonderful as a living Lady Liberty, and Pacino has some extraordinary moments of raw emotion as Dobb. The film's highlights include authentic, grisly re-creations of famous Revolutionary War battles, including Yorktown and Valley Forge. This movie will draw you in, gradually but inexorably, as it creates its convincing and compelling world. --Laura Mirsky

Product Description

The American Revolution is more than the war of Washington and Jefferson, great issues and radical thought. Its also a struggle of ordinary people, unlettered in combat, politics and government. Al Pacino stars as a rough-hewn trapper drawn into the conflict in this compelling adventure framed by the violent summer of 1776 and the bloody victory of Yorktown in 1781. Revising the Theatrical Release exclusively for home viewing, director Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire) depicts Americas birth in a visceral style unlike most period movies. The production design, cinematography, John Corigliano score and strong cast (Donald Sutherland, Nastassja Kinski and Joan Plowright) combine for an effect revolutionary and powerful.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most unjustly maligned films of all time. August 10, 1999

By [e-mail]

Format:VHS Tape

The makers of Revolution made a few mistakes along the way, but those have been dwelt upon at length and are sufficiently summarized in the comments of other reviewers. What this movie did right was to show a fast-paced chronology of the American Revolution through the eyes of ordinary individuals actually caught up in the torrid flow of events. As a history major, I loved the details that they where able to throw into the two hours of viewing while also establishing characters that you could actually care about. It is a dificult task to please everyone when you put forth a work of historical fiction and the fact that they were able to trace much of the war while also telling an original story that crossed through events is worth praise. Casting Pacino as a Scottish trapper may not have been the best choice, but regardless, as a Pacino fan I still feel that this is one of his most emotionally satisfying roles and I think it's a shame he was so badly lashed for venturing out into new territory as an actor. I would highly recomend this movie to any history lover or any Al Pacino fan. Once you get beyond his attempt at a Scottish accent Pacino is brilliant and gives a moving performance, including a closing speech that still gives me chills.

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A better movie than most think May 31, 2002

By Adam Cole

Format:VHS Tape

I am surprised at the bad press this incredible film received. The suggestion that "The Patriot" was a more accurate reflection of the American Revolution is laughable - talk about pure Hollywood. "Revolution" far surpasses "The Patriot" in both its beauty, realism and emotional depth. This film didn't try to romanticize the war, or make it out to be exciting and noble. The film is stark and harsh. One can't watch it without thinking about just how horrific it could have been to live in those times.
I'm also confused by the arguments about Al Pacino's character being "Scottish." I've seen this film several times and I never had the impression that he was playing anything other than an uneducated man with a poor grasp of pronunciation. I can accept that he might have been speaking with an extremely watered down Irish accent (watered down by being away from the country of origin for many years perhaps), or even a point halfway between the typical North American accent and the English-Irish accent that the former was derived from - a sort of "Proto-American" accent. But what no-one seems to have noticed is that everybody else in the film also had this accent! (Unless you count the Tories and the English). I found Al Pacino's performance highly convincing, and if anything, I think it is some of his best work.
In short, if you want to see a good film about the War of Independence - a film that doesn't try to make it into a box office exercise (e.g, "The Patriot") - I could not recommend "Revolution" highly enough.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Effective and Entertaining Movie October 31, 1999

By A Customer

Format:VHS Tape

This movie has consistantly been trashed by numerous professional and amateur reviewers alike. Even Leonard Maltin, my personal favorite movie guy, rated it a "BOMB". I can`t understand why. Although it isn`t a perfect film endeavor, it does tell a story that`s never been told before...but obviously in a manner that many found extremely annoying at best. Aside from New York and L.A. movie houses, I don`t believe this film was released nationally at any time. Personally, I thought it was a very different type of movie, but effective and entertaining in a strange way. It gave me a feel for the time period, including an appealing atmospheric identity. Being an ex-NewYorker and exposed to the famous Revolutionary battlefields, that still exist throughout the metro area, I felt an aura of actually being present in that time period, with events occuring on both surrealistic and realistic levels. Al Pacino is a born/raised New Yorker and I believe captured the essence of his character very well. Pacino gave a solid portrayal of an 18th. century individual caught up in a violent period of American history....and lets not forget, without the hindsight of knowledge and understanding a contemporary person has of those past events and occurances. This movie has been unfairly criticized and overly maligned in my humble opinion. A unique film deserving of more praise then it has been awarded. See it for yourself.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not the American Revolution you learned about in high school August 8, 2002

By K. Bourn

Format:VHS Tape

"Revolution" demythologizes the mystique of the glorious American Revolution, and shows its darker side. Seen through the eyes of illiterate trapper and reluctant continental soldier Tom Dobb (Al Pacino), the cause is at times poorly led and brutal and sometimes extremely unjust.

Dobb unwillingly gets drawn into the fight when his young son enlists without his permission. When he can't get his son out of the army, he joins to watch over him. The Dobb father-son story intersects with the story of a vicious British officer (Donald Sutherland) and his son, and that of Daisy McConnahay (Nastassja Kinski), whose pro-independence beliefs put her at odds with her Tory family.

The film spans the early days of the revolution, when the continental army mostly amounted to a disorganized group of poorly trained farmers and others, to the snows of Valley Forge and finally to the surrender at Yorktown. The actors portraying the Dobb son do an excellent job showing his growth from a youngster who romanticizes the idea of fighting for freedom to a mature young man who will help build the young nation. His maturatation, in a sense, parallels the development of the patriot army.

Pacino received much criticism for taking on this role. His emotionally raw performance, however, drastically outweighs any drawbacks to having an Italian portray someone of British heritage. Tom Dobb is one of my favorite Pacino roles.

"The Patriot," which I also enjoyed, gave us the ultimately happy flag-waving Hollywood ending American revolution--albeit with serious brutal before that. "Revolution" starts out grim and, while the cause prevails, does not pretend that all suddenly became right with the world. I suspect it comes closer to reality.

Still waiting for the DVD....