The Revolutionary War has been a significant time in American history. It inspired many novels, documents, and films. The Patriot, directed and starring Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger & Jason Isaacs. The controversial comparison of British soldiers to Nazi Germany is one example. This film is a powerful work of art which has changed the perceptions of many Americans about World War II.
Mel Gibson portrays Benjamin Martin, a widowed, childless man. After fighting in the French and Indian War, he lives a passive life. He believes himself to be a patriot but sticks to his loyalist views. The opposite is true with Benjamin’s children. His eldest, Gabriel, joins the Continental Army and fights against the Red Coats. Benjamin eventually loses Thomas, who gave his life to save Gabriel. Benjamin is suddenly filled with a newfound patriotism. Benjamin develops from a timid man into a brave, outgoing hero in the battle against British forces. Benjamin is finally successful in avenging the death of his sons. These stories portray a hero that rises up from nothing to become a larger-than-life character. Most men wouldn’t be able handle the things these characters did. Benjamin Martin is the hero in The Patriot. He has lost two children, which inspires him to fight and avenge them. He becomes an American patriot.
The British were portrayed in a negative light, and this was not reflected in the movie’s positive message. A lot of the actions in this film were compared with Nazi Germany. The Nazis are credited with the infamous church-burning scene, which never happened in reality. There is no proof that it ever did. The British did not fight this violently, and we actually saw the Americans engage in a lot more “guerilla-style” fighting. The movie also barely touched on racial matters, despite its powerful influence at the moment. For instance, slaves were never given a prominent role. They mainly worked in the shadows. We also see the inaccurate portrayal and treatment of workers. Abigail, the worker, was extremely close to family members, something rare at that time. Only one thing was accurate: slaves were treated as inferior to the other people. We saw in one scene a member of the militia ask an African-American soldier, “What is your fight for?” In reality, they had no idea. The patriotism shown here is not only in white people.
This was an excellent film that had a strong message. This is a good movie, even though it contains some historical inaccuracies. There are many interesting things to discuss. With the burning church and brutal killings, this film managed to transform a historically significant event into their own. Mel Gibson’s portrayal of an historical patriot was excellent because, despite his being a larger-than-life character, many patriots were like that.
