The History Channel Presents Washington the Warrior

The History Channel Presents Washington the Warrior
by Robert M. Wise

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Alexander Emmert, Grigorij Strelec, Jackson Bolt, Shea Patrick, Stacy Keach
Director: Robert M. Wise
Brand: A&E
Cinematographer: James Love
Cinematographer: Randall Love
Producer: Molly Ryan
Producer: Raymond Bridgers
Writer: Raymond Bridgers
Writer: Joshua Alper
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-08-29
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video

Movie Reviews of The History Channel Presents Washington the Warrior

Movie Review: Outstanding
Summary: 5 Stars

I thought this was just an outstanding presentation about Washington. I've watched probably several dozen History channel shows about the revolution and the colonial period, and this was my favorite. The production qualities are impressive. Thousands of extras were used, and the long lines of marching army columns can be seen to stretch off into the distance in some shots. It's very realistic.

The show covers Washington's career from his early 20s until his final victory in the Revolutionary war. It's fascinating to see how he learned from his early mistakes, eventually developing the skill and judgement that would stand him above his peers. As someone once said, judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement. He did this by losing almost every battle he ever fought. But he never lost big enough so that he didn't preserve enough resources to continue to fight on. it's basically no different from how guerrilla warfare has worked in the 20th century against more well equipped western nations.

Overall this is a very informative and enjoyable episode, and at two hours long, twice the usual length, which is enough time to get into details the other one hour shows don't. They interview some top writers and historians, including Joseph Ellis, author of a brief but very fine bio on Washington entitled His Excellency, George Washington. He's head of the history dept. at some first-rate mid-west college, can't recall where, but anyway, he's a respected scholar. As someone new to this area of history (except for what I had to learn in school like everyone else) I found this to be a painless and enjoyable way to learn more.

By the way, the show was filmed in Lithuania and a Lithuanian production company produced it. I'm half Latvian (which is just south of Lithuania) and was interested to see that some of these shows are being made in the Baltics. For one thing, the Hessians that Washington defeated by crossing the Delaware are related to the Lithuanians since they were from Prussia and the Prussian language is linguistically related to Lithuanian and Latvian. So it's actually quite apropos that an episode about the life of Washington was made in this part of the world.

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Summary of The History Channel Presents Washington the Warrior

As one of the nation's most recognizable faces, he appears in every American history textbook and graces the dollar bill. Yet although he acts as the iconic figurehead of America, little is known about the man behind the myth. Before George Washington became America's first president and an enduring national symbol, he was a soldier. In this landmark release, THE HISTORY CHANNEL? presents an intimate chronicle of Washington's little-known military life. Follow him from his first officer's commission in the Virginia militia through the difficult lessons of his youth and his 17-year retirement. Witness his reemergence as the soul of the American Revolution and see how he transformed a ragtag band of men into an army that could battle--and beat--the greatest military in the world. Featuring stunning location footage, gripping re-enactments, and candid interviews with historical and military experts, WASHINGTON THE WARRIOR narrates one man's epic journey to greatness--and the birth of a nation. DVD Features: Behind-the-Scenes "History in the Making"; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

He was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," and Washington the Warrior puts the emphasis on the beginning of that equation. The military career of George Washington is the well-chosen focus of this History Channel documentary, which will probably surprise the casual history buff. It gives the fascinating story of Washington's youthful ride into the Ohio territory to deliver a message to the French, a defining moment (and one that made Washington a celebrity after his diary of the journey was published). The film strongly suggests that the young Washington was in over his head in the early battles that followed, and that his career might well have ended after he led a British debacle at Fort Necessity, a stumble at the start of the French and Indian War. Glossing lightly over GW's years as a gentleman farmer, the doc picks up again with Washington's takeover of the Revolutionary army (he showed up at the Second Continental Congress dressed in his military uniform, leaving little question about his intentions) and the tenacious years that followed. The approach here is basically an illustrated lecture, with Stacy Keach intoning the story of Washington, and experts (mostly sounding enthralled with Washington's life) providing context. Meanwhile, armies of reenactors march through their paces in pretend battles. Jackson Bolt plays the mature Washington, with Shea Patrick as the younger version--and how refreshing to see the carved-in-marble George Washington as a guy in his twenties. CGI effects are a big boost here, and the location work is often flavorful. The re-creations have the flat, unconvincing quality of many such things--nobody ever gets their uniforms dirty--but the life being described is an important one, and the approach is foursquare. --Robert Horton

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