Movie: The Patriot , a fitting movie for this past holiday.

B

Broken Arrow

Joined
Dec 1, 1999
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I just saw the movie the Patriot and came away very impressed! I wish more people in this country would remember the sacrifice that many others gave fo this country to be free. All the B.S. with the election and continuing erosion of the constitution really upsets me! I am not from this country, but I chose to be an immigrant and to serve in its military. I don't regret any of my actions.

By the way could someone post those pictures of the tomahawks used in the movie? I can't waith till the H.I. version comes out!
 
Hey gang! Before we get all misty-eyed please remember this was a movie! In fact, a movie of mostly fiction! We don't learn history from movies any more than we get good political information from Leno or Letterman. When a movie states, "Based on the novel (title), by (author), don't run out and develop a concept for your Doctoral Disertation in History on such. Another example -- U578. Yes it sort of happened. No it wasn't done by us Americans! The last movie that may have come even close to reality was "Gettysburg" based on the novel "The Killer Angels" by Jeff Shaara.

Don't buy meat out of the trunk of a car, don't act on stock tips from your brother-in-law, and don't get your history from the movies!

Bruce
 
While I have not seen "The Patriot," as someone with an MA in History, I can state unequivocally that much of the history in the movies is no less accurate than much of the "history" currently being manufactured in American universities.

This is a very sore spot with me, and anything else I say would almost certainly get me throw off this board.

Tom
 
An interesting thing is that there is a "revival" in the interest of tomahawks due to the movie. For you kukri nuts, there's a kukri on the wall in Nick Cage's "Snake Eyes" when interviews the boxer.
 
Tom, I could not agree with you more about history and the way it is being taught today. History, as with virtually every human endeavor, is, and always has been, tainted by a degree of subjectivity; however, ethical historians strive for objectivity, regardless of how elusive it may be. Today, history is often taught by persons who are historians in name only and who, more often than not, have an agenda other than imparting "facts" as defined by honest, scholarly research.

I saw "The Patriot," and thought it was entertaining, but I also thought "Rocky Horror Picture Show" was entertaining. And one presents just about as much actual history as the other. But let's face it, both movies were made for one purpose only -- to make money (the same purpose for which textbooks are published)!
 
TomF -

As the dentist said during the root canal, "I didn't touch a nerve, did I?". ROTFLMAO-and I can't get up!
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I swear that some history teachers could make learning about sex stiflingly boring.
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Thanks for getting passionate over history. Digging for the truth is subversive and radical ( didn't know that radical comes from the Latin "radix" or root, did you? ).Too bad that the losing side doesn't have a say about what happened.
 
I took my 12 yesr old nephew to see the Patriot twice, a very good & entertaining movie, IMO.
For you history majors/buffs, was Mel Gibson's "Ghost" based (very loosely) on Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox". Seems I remember reading, and this is going waaaaay back, that Marion was active in guerilla (spl?) type warfare in the Carolinas during the Revoluntionary War, and helped slow down the British until Cornwallis' defeat at Yorktown.
Just curious, thanks.
 
The Patriot is an excellant movie and highlights values which I fear are rapidly dying in this country. Think of it more as a motivational tool than a history lesson.

Now, if you want to learn some real history and have a good read to boot I encourage you to pick up a copy of "Ranger Mosby" by Virgil Carrington Jones. It can be had at Amazon for $12 or probably your local library. It chronicals the history of Col. John S. Mosby and his exploits as a Confederate Ranger. If any of our command staff in our armed forces had read this during Viet Nam we might have won! It's a fantastic book and is as entertaining as it is informative.

What does this have to do with Khukuris? Everything.
 
Coincidentally, I just saw The Patriot on Veteran's Day. I enjoyed it. Didn't take it as a history lesson... More an exploration about "violence" and how it may be necessary but also the cost involved.

As a father with two sons, I can relate to his opening lines:

I fear the sins of my past may revisit me. And the cost may be more than I can bear...
Click to expand...

Yet, seems each generation has to learn anew, from direct experience, how violence exists in their lives and how they relate to it...

sing
AKTI #A000356

[This message has been edited by sing (edited 11-13-2000).]
 
Steven- Yup. Nuf said. (or maybe
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Rusty- you're welcome.
Sing- sounds like you may have hit it just right. I've ben waffling on seeing the Patriot since most people seem compelled to call it "Braveheart with guns," and I didn't care for braveheart that much. I'll have to check it out.

Tom
 
Insyaa-Allaah! One of this day I would like to watch The Patriot.

In Malaysia --- we watch all sort of movies --- American movies, British movies, Indian movies (they called it as Bollywood movies), Chinese movie, Indonesian movies, Arab movies and our local Malaysian movies.

I guess I just agree with you all that you might not be able to understand history from movies. Anyhow any movie reflect the mind set of the producer or the script writter or the people of that nation. If you are sensitive enough you can always feel the hatred or the dreams or the ego or the desires in their heart by watching the movie! Coincidentally it is sort their way to translate history according to their visions or their mental paradigm!

I watched American movies and I saw the American dreams ... American ego ... their loves ... their their hatred towards certain races or religious groups ... their frustration! All mingling in those movies! I watched Indian and Chinese movies ... the same things! I watched local Malaysian movies ... also the same things!

Is there any truth of history in those movies! Of course ... but ... the truth was cosmetically coloured by "what they really wants" deep in their hearts!

You can enjoy the movie! You can learn something from the movie! I guess it is better not to derive any conclusion from the movie ... otherwise you are not you are any longer ... but you will be you are as what they wants you to be! Yes ... there are always hidden agendas behind each movie ... as long as there are hidden agendas in human hearts!

Alhamdu-i-(A)llaah! Lucky enough that we still can feel the warmness of love in those movies! I think love is the only universal truth that can not be hidden away from any movie!

Just my 1/2 cent ...

NEPAL HO!

[This message has been edited by mohd (edited 11-15-2000).]
 
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