Product Details

• Actors: Nigel Bennett, Richard Clarkin, Juno Mills Cockell, Paul Craig, Danielle Desormeaux
• Directors: Brian McKenna
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 2
• Run Time: 184 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000XJLTL2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #390,786 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

A docudrama covering events from 1812 to 1815, plus the recent repatriation of remains from Fort Erie to the United States.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A forgotten war, February 24, 2008

By 

I. Chiang (Silicon Valley, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The War Of 1812 (DVD)

Although I've already seen this topic in the THC (The History Channel) version, the part about the war with Canada is neglected there. I'm happy to see this film detailing this aspect.

Since the U.S. are not well prepared for the war, the invasion to Canada is quite embarrassing. Five attemps are all repulsed by the Indian-Canadian(British) alliance. The Michigan Territory is even occupied and is prepared for the Indians. The U.S. learn from failures and improve gradually. Finally, they hold and win some crucial battles and reach the agreement of the negotiation.

The Canadian do an excellent job to defend their land. Their later invasion to the U.S., however, is defeated. Overall, they are still the winner and earn their pride and nationalism. The British humiliate the U.S. by burning down the Washington, but failed in Fort McHenry and then are vastly defeated in New Orleans(truce has been assgined, but not reaching the battlefield yet).

Although the U.S. do win some battles, they are not the winner of this war since many goals are not achieved as planned. They, however, learn the lesson from the war and it contributes much later.

The most unfortunate in this war should be the Indians. They are abandoned by the British in the war and can't make their dream come true. Even today, their contribution to the Canada is not fully recognized.

The strength of this film is the Canadian campaign, which is detailed. For other parts, the THC version gives you more information. In my opinion, it will be a good idea to have a balanced view by seeing both this one and the THC version.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1812 from a Canadian Perspective, July 31, 2010

By 

Steve Conslaw (INDIANAPOLIS, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: War of 1812 (DVD)

Other reviewers have dinged this video for its Canadian origin and bias. Since every narrative has a point of view, I look at the Canadian perspective as a pro and not a con. The War of 1812 is not well taught in schools in the US. The expansionist nature of this war was downplayed in school. I'm kind of a history buff, but I was unable to explain the war to my son, so I checked out this video from the library and started some reading. This video suggests that the desire to annex Canada was the main purpose for the US in declaring war on England. It's not that simple, but to the extent that's true, the War of 1812 was certainly not a victory for the US. The real losers of the war were the Native Americans. The First Nations cast their lot with the British, and the British, perhaps by necessity, abandoned them to end the war. The fact that the tribes actively fought against the Americans meant that there was no sympathy for them when the landgrab to the west began in earnest.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A film for the openminded, June 5, 2011

By 

Achilleansky - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: War of 1812 (DVD)

When this film starts, the actors will seem cheesy at first, but once you get absorbed into it, you will think the actors are actually the historical people they are portraying. This series takes all views of the war into account, but is predominately from a Canadian, British, and Indian viewpoint. This being said, the film does treat the American viewpoint fairly. In any war nobody is completely innocent.

At the beginning of every episode (four total), there will be a quick recap (which makes sense this was probably a weekly series) of General Hull's declaration of invasion to Canada, General Brock's reply that the British and canadian forces will not be conquered, and the Native Americans eagerness to side with the British and fight for their freedom.

Disc one is a strong start. It begins with America declaring war on Great Britain, due to British ships seizing American ships in search of deserters and impressing them into the British Navy. This is acknowledged as a blunder in the film. In retaliation, America declares war and prepares to invade Canada, the film taking the point of view that the U.S felt entitled to ruling the entire North American continent. The British and Canadian forces are vastly outnumbered and can't get reinforcements because of Britain's conflict with France. This forces the British to form an alliance with the first nation's Chief, Tecumseh, promising to give them an Indian nation. But even with this alliance, Canada is still vastly outnumbered. When the American invading force arrives and declares its purpose of invasion, the British General Brock realizes he must go on the attack, and feels justified in doing so, because America's invasion of Canada is an act of war. What follows are the brilliant tactics of Brock defeating and humiliating America's invading force with Psychological warfare (the Indians playing a huge role in this) and poker bluffs, and Britain temporarily gains control of the Michigan territory, which they plan to make the Independent Indian nation. At its end, the American invading forces have been completely parried.

Disc two can be seen as America strikes back. William Henry Harrison commands the invading army and quickly regains the Michigan territory, but the harsh Canadian winter forces him to delay an immediate invasion. Once they are able to resume, Harrison plans for two separate but close columns of regiments to invade Canada, so they can reinforce each other and cover greater territory. Unfortunately, one of the commanders doesn't follow orders and goes off on his own getting his regiment massacred by Canadian defenders. The American pows are taken to an Indian camp, where the majority of them are killed, in retaliation for the Indians bad treatment at the hands of American frontiersmen. A good portrayal is given by one American pow of his experience in that camp, which he survived. For America, Harrison proves to be a good commander and deals a huge blow to the canadian forces when Tecumseh is killed in one of his attacks. Attention is then made to the Indians, because they played a huge psychological and combatant role in Canada's defense. While a a memorial was left for Brock, a small rock with a plaque was left in tribute for the Indians defensive role in Canada, and Tecumseh's name was not even on it. America paid more tribute to him then Canada. The disc ends with the Indians being pretty much forgotten.

Disc three Focuses on the Brilliant generalship of Winfield Scott. An antiwar movement is growing in the northeastern U.S. These states are dependent on trade with Canada and Britain and the war threatens their prosperity. They meet at the Hartford convention and discuss possible secession from the union. This makes you wonder how many America's actually wanted this war? The president, James Madison, realizes that he must win some battles in order too keep his war from alienating his country and eventually employs Scott. Scott seems to be too much of an adversary for Canadian forces, but all of this changes at Lundy's lane. Scott's forces are surprised and British guns hail down on them from the cemetery. A fierce battle ensues for control of the guns between American and Canadian forces, but it's the Americans who claim the guns with a bold flanking maneuver. Both sides suffer massive casualties and although Americans still control the guns, America falls back in fear of a Canadian attack. Scott is wounded and America's last invasion of Canada is parried.

Disc four Focuses on Canada's fear that they cannot defend against another American invasion. Britain finishes is its conflict with France and comes over to aid them, counterattacking with a British invasion of America. British forces come to support Canada and land forces in the Chesapeake bay, diversionary attacks aimed at weakening American control along the U.S Canadian border. British forces march into Washington D.C under a flag of truce, but are fired upon by American soldiers shooting from the cover of a building. Chaos ensues and Washington D.C and its capital are burned. The British see this as justified, because of similar American acts committed on Canadian territories during America's invasion of Canada. Baltimore is attacked next, but American forces successfully defend Baltimore and drive British forces away. The Canadian Governor is called to lead his Navy to take a Strategic American fort near the U.S Canadian border, but he fails and retreats back to Canada. With their plan rejected by America, Both sides agree to end the war and sign a peace treaty at Ghent, 1814, and agree to go back to the way things were before the war. News of the treaty does not reach New Orleans, and Andrew Jackson defends the fort against a great British force. His fort is a great feat of military engineering, and combined with Jackson's great generalship, the British army is decisively defeated. At the disc's conclusion, American skeletons with army regalia from 1812 are found in Canadian ground during an excavation and great tribute is paid to them as they are sent back to America and buried with full honors.

Overall, this film has great acting, gives good portrayals of the thoughts, worries, and hopes of common men , is simple to follow, and gives the viewer a different perspective on the War of 1812. All too often, people see things from one angle and forget to look from other ones. If you are looking for an American history film on the War of 1812, then this isn't for you (try first invasion: the war of 1812). However, you'll enjoy this if you have an open mind. You will also need an imagination, as the effects are pretty poor, but this is more than balanced out by the film's depth and fine quality.