Family, friends, backyard barbecue. You’re going to load up on burgers, hot dogs and french fries. Naturally, you will be exhausted from celebrating Independence Day.
Time to heave your starch-laden body into a club chair and enjoy some rousing entertainment.
Here are Seraphic Secret’s suggestions: four spectacular movies that are uniquely appropriate for this great American holiday.
1. “The Patriot”, 2000. I know, Mel is a bit off the rails when it comes to Jews. But look, this is a fantastic film. Set in 1776, South Carolina, gritty battle scenes alternate with high-romance serving up a consistent mixture of action, adventure and unabashed patriotic fervor.
The scene where Benjamin Martin (Gibson) ambushes a British column, aided by his pint-sized younger sons, is breathtaking. Watch for the reaction shots of the children as they fix their gazes on Gibson’s blood splattered face and realize in a stunning rush of clarity that daddy is a totally murderous warrior.
2. “The Crossing”, 2000. You’ve seen Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze’s famous 1851 painting of Washington Crossing the Deleware. This fine cable movie puts that episode in its proper context. Cold and dispirited, Jeff Daniels as George Washington does not stand heroically in the boat but huddles in his cloak, chilled to the bone.
Daniels might be one of our most underrated actors. His performance as Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in Gettysburg, 1993, is profoundly understated and convincing. His Washington is deeply human: dignified, stubborn, increasingly desperate, but determined to win freedom from British tyranny.
The battle of Trenton is beautifully choreographed. Pay close attention to Washington’s tight-lipped scene with the mortally wounded Hessian general. Washington’s clear moral compass is in direct contrast to the moral equivalence which is today’s fashion. A gem of a movie with an excellent script by Howard Fast from his own novel.
3. “Patton”, 1970. Three hours of the most original and riveting bio-pic ever produced. Francis Ford Coppola’s script captures all the contradictions of General George S. Patton’s character. Patton has the most brilliant opening scene ever filmed. Patton’s speech is a rousing, jaw-dropping ode to the necessity of violence in order to secure freedom. Some might be horrified by Patton’s mixture of pride, ruthlessness, spiritualism and piety, but like it or not, this is the kind of man who wins wars.
George C. Scott’s towering performance is so convincing that when I see footage of the real Patton I’m like: “Hey, that’s not Patton.” A testament to the mythic power of the movies.
As I said, the opening scene is the greatest, but the “slapping” scene might be my favorite. It has enough moral contradictions—i.e. great drama—to give most anyone a few sleepless nights.
4. “The Seven Samurai”, 1954. Yes, this is a Japanese movie. But director Akira Kurosawa’s epic, the greatest movie ever made, speaks directly to the American soul about the moral imperative of a just war.
The Seven Samurai takes place in medieval Japan, a time when bandits—the terrorists of their time—roamed the land looting, raping and killing defenseless farmers.
Down at the heels Samurai warriors are hired to defend one poor village. The Samurai do not negotiate with the bandits. They do not try and appease them. Nor do they wonder about, ahem, the root causes of banditry. The Samurai set strategy and kill the bandits one by one.
Every true warrior understands there is not deterrence and no freedom without the disproportionate use of force.
The climactic battle in the rain, where mud, blood and tears mix, is perhaps, the finest choreographed battle scene ever staged.
Every skilled director in Hollywood studies this masterpiece and tries—without success—to emulate Kurosawa’s cinematic style. We all stand in Akira Kurosawa’s shadow. This is the film that compelled me to become a screenwriter.
If you love movies but have not seen The Seven Samurai, you are without oxygen.
Karen and I wish all our friends and relatives a joyous Fourth of July, and an inspirational Shabbat.
Gut Vak.
So, I watched The Crossing on YouTube. It was a good movie but not the rousing saga I expected based on Robert’s recommendation.
However, I did love the history and it inspired me to look up Glover and the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton and the whole effect that these two battles had on the fact that we won the war.
And, I thank you much for that!
It’s hard for sagas to be rousing when viewed on You Tube, where the screen is either the size of a postage stamp, or, if maximized, the visuals are fuzzy as an angora sweater.
I checked the YouTube version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wpC8w0_k34) and even the 720 & 1080 versions were poor, interlaced and apparently upscaled from a very low res original. For shame!
Even worse than I expected!
Even in the best of times soldiers usually don’t sit around rough drafting political manifestos or theories. To have stayed a credible force in the field opposite an opponent better equipped, fed, trained, officered, through weather conditions of great severity is astounding and shows that these guys did have a “belief” bedrock that they relied on.
Washington was a strange general officer in his own right. To be able to maintain a force in conditions described above, in virtual contact for years with his opponent without being destroyed and winning very few battles, but victorious in the end, is a modern miracle.
Happy Fourth to all you Jewish guys from the odd Irishman!
I’ve read all four volumes of Forrest Pogue’s biography of Marshal. General Marshal would never have dismissed Patton in spite of what the movie says. You must remember that the technical advisor for the movie was Bradley whose reputation steadily declines as Patton’s rises every decade. Bradley disliked Patton and probably envied him. Bradley was petty as Terry Allen learned to his cost.
The Germans feared Patton and with good reason. Had he been supported in 1944, the war might well have ended by Christmas that year. Another hundred thousand lives might have been saved. Bradley and Montgomery ended with undeserved reputations which time has been deflating.
Eisenhower was a politician in a politician’s job. He was a better President than general. He knew that.
About The Seven Samurai, I’ve wondered but didn’t notice the couple times I’ve seen the film: I don’t think any of them had masters, so technically I think they’d be The Seven Ronin.
I really liked The Patriot, but, historically, it is nonsense — which I don’t mind. On balance, I think it a good thing that the USA fought for and won independence, and I recognise the importance of building a national myth around such things, but, seriously, British tyranny? Please.
On the subject of Japanese films speaking to the American psyche, I went to see the Japanese remake of Unforgiven a few weeks ago. On the one hand, it’s almost a scene-for-scene remake, which usually I would say was a pointless waste of time. But, on the other hand, what makes it fascinating is the way that the story transplants so effortlessly into Japan with so few changes. And it is beautifully made and acted.
I also loved the John Adams miniseries.
The history wasn’t too terrible considering the needs of drama. Mel Gibson’s character, Benjamin Martin, was loosely based on Francis Marion (http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/americanrevolutio1/p/American-Revolution-Brigadier-General-Francis-Marion-The-Swamp-Fox.htm). Jason Isaacs’s character, William Tavington, was loosely based on Banastre Tarleton (http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/americanrevolution/p/battle-of-waxhaws.htm).
but, seriously, British tyranny? Please.
That’s the term the Founding Fathers used in the Declaration of Independence:
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
Totally untrue. Patrick Henry style firebrand bull. It was unnecessary and strictly mercantile. The difference between Canada and the United States, in their formation, is about revolution and loyalty. And for the states, within a single generation, that so-called special relationship was formed. Wherever the British went, civilization followed.
Well, you may disagree, but Robert is not off-base for using the Founders’ own language.
I must also point out: The “special relationship” was not formed in a single generation. In fact, sixty years later we fought a bitter war with the British — the War of 1812. Not to mention British intervention on behalf of the South in the American Civil War, which was intended to weaken the Union, an effort carried out by Great Britian despite her strong anti-slavery stance.
On The Patriot I haven’t seen it in years but a friend of mine compared the British villian to a Nazi – a bit overdone? I don’t know but by history he did commit some atrocities. I’ll have to watch it again.
Mel does have his demons but his situation showed me that in Hollywood there are a lot of “friends” who will turn on you and sell your soul for a pittance.
On Patton I read that George C Scott became so in tune with his character that he would carry his swagger stick around the set.
There was a great article in one of the American History magazines by a relative of Ike Eisenhower (his son?) – for the life of me I can’t remember who – but he served with Patton and said that there were some things the movie missed on his character.
But I would agree one of the best movies.
On American history again I was reading something interesting about the start of the Revolutionary War – there was a region in Mass. That had begun warring with the British a good year before Concord, and it was such – armed farmers – that the British were cleared of the area.
If I find the article I will let you know.
Calling the British government tyrannical seems neither just nor accurate. They were imperialists and wherever they went democracy and positive progress followed and remains to this day. As for Mel Gibson’s film, I found it manipulative on the level contemporary rock videos. For a fine 4th film, Test Pilot, and its new Warner Archive release fists the bill. Clark and Spencer in anything., but never a guy named Melvin.
Calling the British government tyrannical seems neither just nor accurate.
But in fact, that was the term used by the Founding Father’s to describe the British government, as follows, from the Declaration of Independence:
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
May the Fourth be with you!
And, “The Crossing” is now on my list, having never even heard of it before.
And, apropos of serendipity, the first thing my 8 year old grandson was asking me about this morning as I was still getting out of my car after davening from shul, was how tall was Patton and when did he die (we were discussing Patton last night)
I whipped out my phone and verbally Googled “George C. Patton,” at which point my grandson said “no, it’s George S. Patton!”