TV Documentary Review: 'The History Channel Presents: The Revolution'

© 2006 A&E Home Video 

In 2006, back when A&E Networks' History was still called The History Channel and occasionally broke from its increasingly lowbrow programming to air actual historically-derived content, it presented The Revolution, a 13-part documentary about the 26-year-long effort of the 13 American colonies to achieve independence from Great Britain and the birth of a new nation in the Western Hemisphere. Written by the miniseries' primary director, Alexander Emmert and Stephen Stept, The Revolution uses a blend of live-action re-enactments, illustrations, and documents from the period, animated battle maps, talking-head commentary by historians and military experts, and dramatic voice-overs to tell the complex and fascinating story of the creation of the United States.

Co-directed by Emmert with executive producer and co-writer Peter Schnall (who also did many of the production-related tasks), The Revolution (also known as The American Revolution) covers the same territory as PBS's earlier six-part miniseries: Liberty! The American Revolution, albeit with none of the gimmicks used by Ellen Hovde and Muffy Meyer (big name actors dressed in period costume breaking the fourth wall while dramatizing readings of actual diary entries, letters, and other documents) and more in-depth coverage of the Revolutionary War, thanks to its longer running time and twice the number of episodes in its broadcast run.

Interestingly, The Revolution does share some elements - other than its topic and main idea - with its PBS precursor. Both series use the services of professional Revolutionary War recreators when they depict live-action "battles" filmed near the actual battle sites (if they are not built over by urban sprawl). They both cover the same time span (1763-1789), and they're both narrated by the late Edward Herrmann, whose mellifluous voice was used by many filmmakers for documentaries shown on A&E, PBS, and History before his death in 2014. (Herrmann, whose last projects included providing voice readings for some of FDR's letters in The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, was nicknamed "The History Channel Guy" because he accepted so many narrator gigs from documentary producers.)

The series consists of the following episodes, each one has a running time of 45 minutes on DVD

1. Boston, Bloody Boston
2. Rebellion to Revolution
3. Declaring Independence
4. American Crisis
5. Path to World War
6. Forging an Army
7. Treason & Betrayal
8. The War Heads South
9. Hornet's Nest
10. The End Game
11. Becoming a Nation
12. Road to the Presidency
13. A President and His Revolution

They came of age in a new world of intoxicating and innovative ideas about human and civil rights, diverse economic systems, and self-government. In a few short years, these men and women would transform themselves into architects of the future through the building of a new nation unlike any that had ever come before.

From the roots of the rebellion and the signing of the Declaration of Independence to victory on the battlefield at Yorktown and the adoption of The United States Constitution, The Revolution tells the remarkable story of this important era in history. Venturing beyond the conventional list of generals and politicians, The History Channel introduces the full range of individuals who helped shape this great conflict, including some of the war's most influential unsung heroes.

Through cinematic recreations, intimate biographical investigations, and provocative political, military, and economic analysis, The Revolution breathes new life into one of the most pivotal periods in American history. -  DVD back cover blurb, The History Channel Presents: The Revolution

My Take

I used to watch The History Channel (now called, somewhat misleadingly, History) regularly in the early 2000s before the cable channel morphed into a depository of schlock TV and faux documentary series such as Axe Men, Ice Road Truckers, Pawn Stars, and Ancient Aliens. Like many of its cable network competitors that once depended on documentaries as their bread-and-butter programming, A&E and its various spinoff channels tend to air cheap to produce shows that attract large audiences. The History Channel Presents: The American Revolution was one of History's last major offerings to focus on real history with an intent to inform as well as entertain.

The History Channel Presents: The Revolution, in essence, takes what works in Liberty! The American Revolution and leaves out the kitschy (and pricy) stunt of casting stars such as Phillip Bosco, Roger Rees, Donna Murphy, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffmann to play-act as Revolutionaries and Englishmen. Instead, Schall and co-writers Alexander Emmert and Stephen Stept use actors - some of whom are only known in regional acting companies - and Revolutionary War reenactors in live action depictions of major and minor events.

Interestingly, these reenactments often feature no audible dialogue other than Herrmann's narration, but present the historical events like beautifully-shot and choreographed silent movies. The actor who plays George Washington in these dramatic recreations, Mark Collins, is tall and imposing in his 1700s period costumes. Even though his voice is never heard when he's onscreen, Collins' does a magnificent job of visually conveying Washington's many emotions, including the general's seldom seen fits of anger. 

The 13-episode series also features many respected historians who have written extensively about the Revolution and its immediate aftermath, including naval historian Evan Thomas, West Point history professor (and Army officer) John W. Hall, Caroline Cox, a history professor at the University of the Pacific, and author Bruce Chadwick (George Washington's War). They add their views and perspectives about the war, the events that led to its beginning as well as the consequences of the Revolution and make The History Channel Presents: The Revolution worth watching. 

In 2006, A&E Home Video released The History Channel Presents: The Revolution (in some markets, especially Europe, The History Channel Presents: The American Revolution) as a four-disc DVD box set. When it was in print and The History Channel brand still had some cachet attached to its name as a source of quality programs, it sold at Amazon and other stores for $28.99. 

Now, apparently, The History Channel Presents: The Revolution is out of circulation and no new home media releases are available. As a result, third-party sellers are offering the same DVD set for $144 and up.