Movie reviews: Crossing and American Revolution: The Birth of a Nation

Movie reviews: Crossing and American Revolution: The Birth of a Nation
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Movie reviews: The Crossing and American Revolution - Birth of the Republic
The Crossing
The Crossing is an American historical film released in 2000 and directed by Robert Harmon. The film centers on the experiences of George Washington during the crossing of the Delaware River and is an adaptation of the novel, The Crossing by Howard Fast, and Jeff Daniels depicts the character of George Washington in the film (IMDb, 2000). It offers insights about the American Revolutionary War, giving a realistic experience to the actors. As the title depicts, it focuses on the retreat made by the Continental Army in 1776 across New Jersey to Pennsylvania. The army was on the run from the British after losing scores of soldiers who were killed in battle, taken as prisoners of war, or freed from the war. The army uses the only boats available to close the Delaware River, a move that helped them to gain an advantage in the pursuit made by the British. Despite the success in evading the British, General Hugh Mercer highlights the challenges the army might face, including the shortage of supplies such as food, medicine, clothing for the winter, and ammunition to fight the enemy. Suggestively, the film informs on the limitations that would compromise the triumph of the army, ranging from the relationships that existed among the leaders, the strategies, and the environmental factors. Despite the challenges, Washington presents a strategic attack that many deemed impossible, but he is able to motivate the soldiers to engage in the war and attain a stunning victory in the capture of the Hessian garrison with little consequences.
Arguably, The Crossing is one of the best productions that gives real insights about the American Revolution. The actors of the film such as Jeff Daniels enhance the reliability of the film in understanding the role played by Washington in the Revolution. In this light, the film is effective in expressing the experiences and environment of the war. Its clarity and subject matter are also reliable considering that it revolves on crossing the Delaware River and the actions of Washington and his army. The high realism of the film makes it an essential source of information for educators and students, as well as entertainment. It also offers excellent and fascinating scenes of the war, which help the audience to develop a conceptualization of the experiences during this part of the American Revolution. The length of the film also makes it appropriate for use in learning because people can repeat it several times without getting bored. The narrative offered is accurate in understanding the scenes and connecting the different events of the story.
Although the film is educative and entertaining, it is difficult to vouch for its absolute historical accuracy. Notably, the number of people presented as well as the number of deaths might contradict other historical sources, because of the challenges faced such as illnesses, food and ammunition shortage, and the adverse weather conditions. Additionally, the title of the film does not incorporate all the events presented in the film because one might think it is centered...