The Patriot

[Kiwi the 1st]

How accurate is the Mel Gibson film The Patriot to fact?

[starmack]

I would recommend reading EL Doctorow's recent novel "The March" to get a flavour of the politics which fed that era or a biography of Tecumseh Sherman.
The film seems understated when you read those.

[starmack]

Hi Kiwi - I have confused "The Patriot" with another film which I have seen. The Patriot pre-dates the era I have referred to in my earlier reply.
Regarding your specific query the book I would best recommend is "A Few Bloody Noses" by Robert Harvey, a writer for the Daily Telegraph and The Economist. The book was published 2001 by John Murray, London and should be easy to locate through library system.

[Kiwi the 1st]

Thanks

[-=BigD=-]

Isn't that the one where the British lock up a load of colonists in a church and set it alight? I believe that was based on something similar the German army did in WWI. Not 100% about details but based on that, and a lot US cinematic accounts of historical fact, its only a film and should be treated as entertainment rather than fact.

[-=BigD=-]

Heres the Wiki entry on the inaccuracies:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Patriot_%2820 00_film%29#Historical_inaccuracies_.26_controv ersies

[starmack]

A brief and review of the Robert Harvey book (above) is contained at following link

http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/1585672734 .asp

[johnlambert]

about as historicaly accurate as "braveheart" 1.5% accurate kiwi

[starmack]

To the most recent correspondent: You're pushing your luck re: Mel Gibson!
When it comes to inaccuracy in portraying political events across the world nobody but nobody does it better than the English in modern times. Anyway, 1.5% would still be higher than your venerable Lord Chief Justice Widgery managed in his 1972 work of complete fiction based on an historical event which happened only eight weeks earlier.

[Kromovaracun]

1.5%? That's rather generous. I'd say 'Spider Man' had more historical accuracy in it...

Regarding 'The Patriot' - I wouldn't give it any historic credibility whatsoever. And I second the reccomendation of Harvey's book.