Revolution (1985)

The first motif for see it is the feeling after its end. like the taste of the coffe grounds. because it is not a patriotic film, not exactly a historical one but eulogy of small and fundamental things, from the love of a father for his son to the love for a woman and the status of part of a great cause. Al Pacino does a great job. sure, it is far to be surprising. but in this film, he gives more than a remarkable performance. because he has the brilliant art to propose the rhytm, the force, the message, the bitter atmosphere and the wind of hope to the story. a film about sacrifice. one of films remaining, for a long time, in your memory. for its strange, freshh, authentic beauty. and for its truth behind the words of characters, from the middle of each scene. so, one of the impressive films for see it. again. and again.

Revolution is a very different war movie. Its a film based on war from the very bottom line of the war-front. Its not from the general or the leader but from the everyman... The sort of people at that time who where pushed to take a side and fight in a war over something that they never really understood. The great thing is that you watch this film and at the end of it come out no better a political understanding of the war, but rather an understanding of a characters struggle and failures during it. This i believe (i work in film as a camera assistant) is one of the best war films shot in terms of cinematography. The whole film is hand-held and rugged (ground breaking at the time) giving it a realistic feel. The production values, grubby set designs and thousands of extras in costumes and make-up deserves the large depth of field given in the shooting style so that we can appreciate this all on the screen. Obviously shoot on film it has had a beautiful push process giving a gritty and noisy look on screen...Its basically looks like a series of John Trumbull paintings of the war on celluloid.I have had the pleasure of meeting the director Hugh Hudson many years ago on the board of a panel when joining the industry as an apprentice cameraman. He was a kind and knowledgeable man of the film industry and was proud to be part of the British film industry and talent and was all for the fruition of this. I find it unfair that he is put to blame for the failure of this movie and the British film industry of the 80's and early 90's. This movie is no way as bad as so many other films out there and has aged well! Sadly its anti-war message mixed with a release in a cold war era in America.... Bad publicity and press due to a then confused audience topped off with a British man directing a film based on American history meant that it was destine for failure.

The Revolutionary War was waged here in the Americas'. Seeing this movie called " Revolution " directed by Hugh Hudson and written by Robert Dillon, one would expect a great outcome. However, I saw this film and as a Historian I expected so much more. The story begins in 1776 and continues to the end of the war. A father (Al Pacino) is visiting New York shortly after War has been declared. Straying away from his father, the son is inducted into the military, forcing the father to follow with the dubious promises of pay and compensation for his boat. Once fighting has been enjoined, they soon meet up with Sgt. Maj. Peasy (Donald Sutherland) a brutal , but very professional British soldier. From then onward, the two experience the confusing and often destructive effects of the war. Along the way, they are helped and sympathized by women of the revolution, like Daisy McConnahay (Nastassja Kinski). Unfortunately, the movie tests the limits of patience as our director includes scenes which should have been edited. The war becomes interesting with several easily recognized actors along the way, such as Robbie Coltrane and Graham Green, playing minor roles. Despite it's cumbersome length, the movie did have several realistic features, like the battle of Yorktown which were included in the final draft. Acting-wise, the cast made this movie and should be seen as most epics, over several nights. Good movie though. ****

Hey, I'm sorry, but this was a darned good flick. I've always been a history buff which usually means that I'm in for a disappointment when it comes to period pieces. No so, this movie. Yes, Tom and his son have an improbable journey but I understand it's a vehicle that allows the audience to get a view of the revolution from different viewpoints. Yes, Last of the Mohicans was a "beautiful" movie as was Patriot, but Revolution feels real.I think the only reason some people criticized the movie is because they had trouble with the Yank accent that Pacino used. What did they expect, for him to say, "Say hello to my little flintlock friend!"