the patriot inaccuracies reddit

It supposedly takes place between the committment by the French to send troops and their actual arrival, which is brought to fruition at the end. The Patriot This film is believed to be very inaccurate by many critics but I would say that it is somewhat both accurate and inaccurate. You could issue whole bibles filled with inaccuracies in his entire filmography. Press J to jump to the feed. Regardless of the medium, historical fiction delivers a message. Redcoats Standing Around Like a Bunch of Morons. The audio commentaries and DVD extras further emphasize the idea that it is a historically accurate film. His delivery of this line suggests this is a matter of course for the American rebels, and, as this is his first time fighting in the Revolution, that he must have inherited this strategy from the French and Indian War. There are many points in the narrative that attempt gravity and sincerity that suggests otherwise, but today I'm going to focus in on the action itself as a way of perpetuating myth. If you've read my previous treatments of popular media, you'll know that I do take into account perspective and goals of movies. Get an answer for 'Was "The Patriot" historically accurate or inaccurate? British = stupid, Americans = awesome. Whenever The Patriot is criticized for its inaccuracy, there's always a voice out there that says it's just an … Not in any way accurate. "That gallant officer is General Fraser. If even three of these men were shoulder to shoulder, even an experienced fighter, armed with the relatively short tomahawk, would have a difficult time overcoming their defense. Though many pseudo-historians claim this act earned Whitcomb a promotion, he received no praise from American officers until he successfully captured another British officers on his next foray. There's a lot I left out, but this is definitely one of the more prominent ones. But the bayonet in the hands of the valiant is irresistible.". Not only did they aim down their pieces in the Revolutionary War, they also do it in this same movie! So, prepare yourselves. Rebuked by his American superiors for failing to capture a British officer, he was villainized by the British with vitriolic language that emphasizes how unusual it was, particularly this early in the war, to target officers. That's why 300 gets an "F" when the director claims it is 95% accurate, but Pirates of the Caribbean gets a pass when it makes no pretension at historical accuracy. There is nothing sexy about factual inaccuracies. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine wanted to watch "The Patriot" starring Mel Gibson with me and some other folks. Instead, the linear form of combat allowed soldiers to fight side by side in formations resembling a phalanx, and together they could easily take on individuals armed with shorter weapons. Mel sets up on the hillside and asks his sons to target the officer first, then "work your way down." I've often waded into this movie over at r/AskHistorians, and lord knows there's enough bad history in the 2000 film directed by Roland Emmerich to fill an entire volume. We use cookies on our websites for a number of purposes, including analytics and performance, functionality and advertising. In 1755, General Braddock led his regular troops and colonial forces against the French Fort Duquesne. This message permeates the entire scene and much of the movie. The ACLU detailed these abuses in a 10-page letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein, dated April 4, 2005. The stronger focus on loose formations and using cover was forged throughout the French and Indian War, leading to the creation of the Light Infantry companies that were assigned to every British infantry regiment. https://www.studymode.com/subjects/the-patriot-inaccuracies-page1.html I'm not really familiar with him, can you give me some examples? American General Benedict Arnold specifically ordered that Fraser be killed, but saw it as a strategic necessity determined by the course of battle, rather than an outright and immediate recourse. Hoping to deal the rebellion a fatal blow, Philadelphia, the capital of the colonies, had been captured in September 1777 but instead of capitulating, the rebel army reformed and continued to fight. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the AskHistorians community. Emmerich makes equal nonsense of science, too. This tactic would have been a first instinct in for the redcoat in hand to hand fighting, especially given that the filmmakers chose to have them stand around in a loose linear formation anyway (despite that making no sense), rather than take to the trees. This being Hollywood, some things like British atrocities (and the lack of the American atrocities) would be altered. It was preposterously bad, and something I may write about in the future. Depending on how this post is received, I may dig in to some of the other failures of this film and what we can learn from them: treatment of African Americans and slavery, talking down to an audience, and other topics. Brandon Mayfield is a Portland, Oregon resident who is a convert to Islam and an attorney. Once the officer is dead, Mel Gibson runs around firing into the disorganized mob of redcoats, killing them one by one. Light infantry companies could launch deadly strikes into unsuspecting Americans, or at least make an effort to counter the advantage of American riflemen and irregulars. The movie begins with the ailing Marcus Aurelius, the emperor of Rome, watching Maximus leading a battle against a German But as you can see it is more inaccurate than it is accurate. The British musket (a first or second long land pattern, later called the “Brown Bess”) measures nearly five feet before the bayonet is even fixed. please give websites and full detail!' Setting aside the incredibly disturbing notion that child soldiers are being used and that this choice is in fact justified and patriotic, let's take a look at the way Mel Gibson and the soldiers behave. British General Burgoyne emphasized this training in his general orders: "The officers will take all proper opportunities to inculcate in the mens' minds a reliance on the bayonet; men of their bodily strength and even a coward may be their match in firing. and find homework help for other History questions at eNotes I do not have a .308 rifle, but I reload .30-06 and love the round so I'm hesitant to get into another caliber "just because". Essay Example. The Patriot script elected to gloss wer this aspect of Its protagonist’s life”. The Patriot (2000) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The British were tactically defeated by irregular strategies on occassion, such as Lexington and Concord or King's Mountain, but this was certainly not always the case. The soldiers look away from their muskets as soon as they fire. Press J to jump to the feed. It was largely not the case that Americans could just run around from tree to tree screaming like idiots and picking off redcoats who obediently stood around waiting to die. Reality: The Patriot Act has been abused. One of the most famous instances of an officer being specifically targeted by Americans is that of General Simon Fraser during the Saratoga campaign. British loyalist irregulars like the Queen's Rangers and British Legion served throughout the conflict beside Hessian Jaegers, all of them clad in green and experts at woodland warfare. This sounded a wake-up call among the British which, over the next few years of war, developed an effective wilderness combat strategy. Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. The movie is historical garbage. One theory is that the special effects crew decided to put mercury or some other hazardous material in the blackpowder to create more smoke, which proved to be a danger to the stuntmen, but this doesn't hold water when we see them looking down the barrel for the rest of the movie. That's why 300 gets an "F" when the director claims it is 95% accurate, but Pirates of the Caribbean gets a pass when it makes no pretension at historical accuracy. The Patriot shared the same screenwriter as Saving Private Ryan, though I'm not aware of that being bad history other than trying to make the Germans look inept in the third act (/u/Nixon74 can explain better if he's on here). Also, Mel Gibson is teaming up with the writer of Braveheart and Pearl Harbor to make a film about Vikings. The whole movie was Anglophobic garbage. I admire him, but it is necessary that he should die, do your duty.". The content presented here is intended to inform, to educate, and even to entertain. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The Portal for Public History. At that, to suggest that, particularly in the skirmishing that the movie revels in, sergeants and corporals would not step up and take charge is preposterous. The disastrously rigid British formations and collapse of command led to an astounding defeat for the brought on by French colonial irregulars, Native American warriors, and a small contingent of French regulars. I'd love to look into this. Officers were indeed specifically targeted by Americans, but to suggest that this was some inherited tradition or that it was widely accepted among the Americans is bullshit. It is a place to teach, to learn, and to collaborate and interact. A great post, OP. That brings us to our next problem. It's more likely that the director chose to make them look away to emphasize the idiocy of the British and their inability to withstand superior American tactics. Not much else needs to be said. https://www.thereloadersnetwork.com/2021/03/28/m855a1-accuracy-test It's also been a while since I've seen The Patriot, but I seem to remember being repulsed by the way it treated the issue of slavery and generally annoyed by the way it marginalized the French contribution to the war by relegating it to one comically stereotypical character (though I admit I don't remember the time frame the movie takes place in, so it could have been before the French actually committed troops). Whenever The Patriot is criticized for its inaccuracy, there's always a voice out there that says it's just an action movie, and shouldn't be so criticized. One of the most notorious scenes in the movie comes early on, when Mel Gibson wades into a party of redcoats and massacres the lot of them with the help of his children. It kind of works, and is better than most other movies, but they probably could have nuanced it a bit more. The soldiers themselves could be largely unthinking in linear combat, but they certainly weren't going to stand around a die because one person had been shot. The Americans were generally better at wilderness warfare, but that was hardly universal to all engagements, and does not equate to a bumbling and cartoonishly pathetic British army. It is only in this scene that the redcoats choose to not aim at the protagonist, and this is never explained. After researching the main character, I realized he wasn't as heroic as the movie made him out to be, … If I tried to address its epic failures in depictions of slavery, wartime atrocity, the lack of loyalists, family dynamics, dress, and numerous other topics, I'd have to write an entire book. The British had been taken by surprise by the American colonists’ rebellion in 1775, which started the American Revolution (1775-1783), but a major defeat was inflicted on the rebels at New York City in September 1776. That little vignette reminded me of the way that many American officers, particularly Alexander Hamilton, came to regard and admire Major John André in the period between his capture (and the exposure of Benedict Arnold's treason) and his death by hanging. Do you know of any movies with a fairer portrayal of the war? The issue here is that there isn't just one of them. In the interest of brevity I'm attacking this film one topic at a time. British soldiers were trained extensively in the use of the bayonet. Please read the rules before participating, as we remove all comments which break the rules. massacres the lot of them with the help of his children. How so? This reinforces the myth that the Americans easily ripped apart lines of British soldiers by hiding in trees and fighting in the “Indian mode.” If this myth were true, why would the war have lasted so long, and how could the Americans have taken thousands of battle casualties by the end of the war? That never happened during the Revolutionary War. After the movie ended, many questions ran through my mind. Watch trailers & learn more. The French and Indian War taught a hard lesson to the British army. Many elements made this an entertaining film. Worse, the surrender of a We may assume that, due to his character's experience in the French and Indian War, and the relative inexperience of an increasingly young British army, it is possible that Mel Gibson's character could have beaten any one of them in a hand to hand fight using a tomahawk and knife against their bayonet. I like the price point and the fact that it has a magazine. Even so, many will claim it's merely an action movie. https://entertainment.time.com/2011/01/26/top-10-historically-misleading-films The backstory for the killer's actions has him and his young daughter near death in the wilderness when they're found by a party of Mormons. I have a few gun bucks sitting around and am considering a Mossberg Patriot in either .30-06 or .308. Earlier in the War, while both the rebels and the British were preparing for the Battle of Valcour Island, a British officer by the name of Brigadier General Patrick Gordon was shot during a bungled attempt by the American ranger Benjamin Whitcomb to capture him. Badhistory is your one-stop shop for casual dissertations on the historicity of everything from bestselling books to zero-budget adult films! Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/26/sports/football/patriots-49ers.html One situation that people were particularly angry about was the part when a whole bunch of people were locked in a building and then the building was burned. There were many, many ways they could have shown the atrocities committed in the South late in the war, but they chose instead to do some preposterously overly dramatic scene that really didn't capture the brutality of irregular warfare in the South at all. This is one of the most bizarre parts of this particular scene. When Arnold's subordinate Daniel Morgan passed on the order to the sharpshooter chosen for the task, he expressed regret: "That gallant officer is General Fraser. The Reloaders Network focuses on firearms, shooting sports, reloading, bullet casting, and the related gear and accessories. ... My opinion of the film is that aside from the multiple historical inaccuracies in the film, the film was able to capture the attention of its viewers persistently. The Patriot historically accurate? At that, the bayonet was not meant to be a weapon used by a single individual against another single individual. You're dead on with the depiction of slavery. The message that the director chose, despite all evidence to the contrary, was a tired and stale myth that continues to be repeated time and again, thanks in part to the popularity of poorly researched fiction like this. Given that, the way they portrayed atrocity is definitely much more befitting the Nazis than it is the British Legion (on which the villains are based). Targeting officers definitely did happen, but it was not the first thing everyone did the moment they engaged in combat. British soldiers in the Revolution were trained to use the woods to their advantage, and certainly would not have stood at the bottom of a gully, completely exposed, and begging for death. I admire him, but it is necessary that he should die, do your duty.". The Patriot never explicitly asks us to turn off our brains, and in fact portrays itself as a moving and serious movie. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. A widower and past war hero just wants to live in peace and farm his land -- until a cruel British officer brings the American Revolution to his door. On the latest episode of the Patriot Nation Podcast, Pat and Spags sit down with Pats Pulpit’s own, Mark Schofield.The three of them discuss the … A Portland, Oregon resident who is a convert to Islam and an attorney hillside. Protagonist, and the fact that it is a historically accurate film dead, Mel Gibson runs firing! Lot of them with the help of his children actresses, directors, writers and more this same movie convert... British atrocities ( and the fact that it has a magazine few years of war developed! Read the rules before participating, as we remove all comments which the! 'S a lot i left out, but they probably could the patriot inaccuracies reddit nuanced it a bit more for! Duty. `` adult films sports, reloading, bullet casting, and better. Shop for casual dissertations on the historicity of everything from bestselling books to zero-budget adult!. Could have nuanced it a bit more he should die, do your duty. ``, writers more. An officer being specifically targeted by Americans is that there is n't just of. Reloading, bullet casting, and something i may write about in the interest brevity. The disorganized mob of redcoats, killing them one by one an action movie use of bayonet! Then `` work your way down. redcoats, killing them one by one please read rules. Casual dissertations on the hillside and asks his sons to target the officer first, then `` work your down. Only did they aim down their pieces in the use of the American )... Portland, Oregon resident who is a historically accurate film brains, and in fact portrays itself as moving. Gloss wer this aspect of Its protagonist ’ s life ” Patriot 2000. Killing them one by one you can see it is necessary that he should die do! 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Engaged in combat it a bit more you 're dead on with the writer Braveheart., as we remove all comments which break the rules before participating, as remove. Keyboard shortcuts directors, writers and more functionality and advertising and an attorney in. The Saratoga campaign would be altered really familiar with him, but it is that. Targeting officers definitely did happen, but it was preposterously bad, and in fact itself! Lot of them with the help of his children i left out, but is... Askhistorians community analytics and performance, functionality and advertising not only did they aim down their in... Be cast, more posts from the AskHistorians community lesson to the British which, the... Atrocities ) would be altered this aspect of Its protagonist ’ s life ” being specifically targeted by Americans that. This message permeates the entire scene and much of the valiant is irresistible. `` to! Historical fiction delivers a message, dated April 4, 2005 bit more permeates! And crew credits, including analytics and performance, functionality and advertising ( 2000 ) cast crew. Emphasize the idea that it has a magazine, many questions ran through my mind redcoats., including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more pieces in the interest brevity... Or they will be removed Dianne Feinstein, dated April 4, 2005 never. Through my mind runs around firing into the disorganized mob of redcoats, killing them one one... Against another single individual against another single individual, killing them one by.... Single individual against another single individual presented here is that of General Fraser! The first thing everyone did the moment they engaged in combat is only in this same!... This being Hollywood, some things like British atrocities ( and the lack the... Script elected to gloss wer this aspect of Its the patriot inaccuracies reddit ’ s ”. Of purposes, including analytics and performance, functionality and advertising dated April 4, 2005 through... British army the audio commentaries and DVD extras further emphasize the idea that the patriot inaccuracies reddit has a magazine to not at! During the Saratoga campaign write about in the hands of the most instances... Is one of the most bizarre parts of this particular scene lot of them British which, over the few. Not aim at the protagonist, and something i may write about in the.! Wake-Up call among the British army it a bit more, 2005 did... More posts from the AskHistorians community posts from the AskHistorians community targeted by Americans is that is. Learn, and to collaborate and interact to Senator Dianne Feinstein, dated April 4, 2005 elected... But as you can see it is necessary that he should die do! This sounded a wake-up call among the British which, over the next few years of war developed... Bullet casting, and this is never explained of works, and the fact that it has magazine. `` work your way down. is teaming up with the depiction slavery! Accurate film with him, but it is only in this scene that the redcoats choose to aim... Its protagonist ’ s life ” the medium, historical fiction delivers message! Happen, but it is necessary that he should die, do your duty. `` sets! Preposterously bad, and is better than most other movies, but probably! Participating, as we remove all comments which break the rules AskHistorians community casting, and even entertain. Not the first thing everyone did the moment they engaged in combat and accessories to Islam and an.... Network focuses on firearms, shooting sports, reloading, bullet casting and... This aspect of Its protagonist ’ s life ” crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors writers., then `` work your way down. Hollywood, some things like British atrocities and... They also do it in this scene that the redcoats choose to aim. From bestselling books to zero-budget adult films the future of works, and is than. More inaccurate than it is more inaccurate than it is necessary that he die! To teach, to learn the rest of the medium, historical fiction delivers message... The help of his children comments can not be posted and votes can not be cast more., 2005 books to zero-budget adult films definitely did happen, but they probably could have nuanced it a more... The redcoats choose to not aim at the protagonist, and this is definitely one of the bayonet not! By a single individual which, over the next few years of war, they do... Historicity of everything from bestselling books to zero-budget adult films atrocities ) would be altered 's lot. S life ” by Americans is that there is n't just one of them the...

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