The American Revolution On The Silent Screen
It’s fascinating to see how American silent filmmakers portrayed events from U.S. history. Just think how much closer they were in time to events that are practically mythical to us today. In 1915, the Civil War had taken place only 50 years prior. In 1925, the American Revolution itself was barely reaching its 150th anniversary. And indeed, it’s easy to find an abundance of silent Civil War films, tales from the pioneer days, propagandistic WWI films, and of course an overwhelming amount of silent Westerns. But what about stories from the American Revolution?
These seemed to be much fewer and farther between, much like they still are today. Nowadays it’s easy to blame modern filmmakers for having a simple lack of interest in Revolutionary War stories or for audiences being less drawn to the aesthetics of powdered hair and knee breeches. But why the sparseness way back in the silent film days? Wasn’t this a time when there was a strong reverence for figures like George Washington and organizations like the Daughters of the American Revolution were very well-known?
in Picture-Play magazine.
Perhaps we can point to a few reasons. In cinema’s earliest days, the 1890s-1900s, films were very focused on contemporary events. The excitement over capturing “life as it really was” meant cameramen were quick to capture parades, military drills, footage of famous figures, street scenes, and any other contemporary events they could reach with their cameras. By the 1910s short fictional stories had grown in popularity, as did reenactments of historical events, yet Revolutionary War films were still relatively rare. Perhaps the 18th century costuming was a drawback for most studios with meager budgets.
It’s probable, too, that both filmmakers and their audiences had grown up enamored with Civil War stories and were more excited to see them on the screen. More than a few likely had fathers, grandfathers and other relatives who’d actually fought in the conflict. And then there’s the timing: as the film industry matured throughout the 1910s and epic battle scenes were growing more common, WWI started. Films with negative depictions of our British allies were, shall we say, frowned upon. By the 1920s, fatigue from the four-year Great War and a surging interest in all things modern perhaps meant that audiences were less interested in wigs-and-muskets tales.
With all that said, what are some prominent examples of silent Revolutionary War films? What kinds of stories did filmmakers find exciting or of enough importance to try to immortalize in film?
The Hessian Renegades (1909)
From 1908 to 1914, director D.W. Griffith made an astonishing 500 short films for the American Biograph Company. Aside from the plethora of dramatic stories, short romances, and even comedies, he would sometimes tackle subjects that drew from history. The Hessian Renegades told the story of a father who seeks revenge for the death of his son, an army dispatcher who’s killed by German mercenaries (“Hessian”). While the acting may seem stilted to our eyes, it’s done with sincerity and an eye towards the seriousness of the high-stakes story. As a bonus, it features Mary Pickford–then new to films–who disguises herself as a mercenary.
The Heart of a Hero (1916)
This feature told the dramatic story of Nathan Hale, he of the “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country” quote fame. It was based on the 1898 play Nathan Hale by Clyde Fitch, the most popular American playwright at that point in time. It includes one of those obligatory romances–in this case between Hale and his student–and a solemn outdoor death sequence. Directed with care and featuring costumes reportedly based on authentic 18th century clothing, it was praised for the respectful way it treated historic events but was also criticized by Moving Picture World for having a French, rather than American, director.
Betsy Ross (1917)
This if very fictionalized, feature stars Alice Brady as the famed maker of the first official U.S. flag. Much of the film centers upon Betsy’s rivalry with her sister over the affections of a British officer. Eventually there is a duel, both Betsy and her sister end up marrying different men, Betsy starts a small business, and she eventually gets suspected of harboring a spy (it all seems a bit off topic). We also see her receive her commission from George Washington himself to create the first American flag. This was made by the World Film Company in Fort Lee, New Jersey, one of the dwindling number of studios still making films on the East coast rather than sunny southern California.
Janice Meredith (1924)
This Marion Davies costume drama, well-funded by her significant other William Randolph Hearst, was not a major hit but did respectably well. It followed the exploits of the lively Janice Meredith, a Tory girl who flirts with both Americans and the British. She just happens to become involved in assisting Paul Revere on his famous ride and even George Washington during his fateful crossing of the Delaware. Marie Antoinette and Benjamin Franklin also make appearances. The lengthy film tried to be a bit of everything–dramatic, humorous, even a bit artsy. It also featured a character played by W.C. Fields, his first 1920s film role, and the silent era Harrison FordC.
America (1924)
In the 1920s, D.W. Griffith was hoping to create an epic film that would do for the American Revolution what his weighty The Birth of a Nation (1915) did for the Civil War. Lengthy and ambitiously presented, it jumped between both Patriot and Loyalist viewpoints and depicted many famous incidents such as the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Yorktown. Spies, Indian attacks, and large-scale battle scenes abound. While less controversial than his 1915 Civil War epic and certainly big on battlefield spectacle, plot points floated confusingly between various characters and critics felt the film was out of step with what was popular at the time. Nonetheless it makes for interesting viewing today, especially around any Fourth of July.
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–Lea Stans for Classic Movie Hub
You can read all of Lea’s Silents are Golden articles here.
Lea Stans is a born-and-raised Minnesotan with a degree in English and an obsessive interest in the silent film era (which she largely blames on Buster Keaton). In addition to blogging about her passion at her site Silent-ology, she is a columnist for the Silent Film Quarterly and has also written for The Keaton Chronicle.
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