Road to Independence

Product Description The year is 1774 and John Adams, a brash, young lawyer from Boston has just been appointed to the 1st Continental Congress. He is obnoxious and not very well liked until he meets the quiet, pleasant young man named Thomas Jefferson. These men along with Ben Franklin (Emmy Award winner Jay Thomas) George Washington and Patrick Henry discover that 2/3 of American colonists have no interest in their "glorious cause". Undaunted they embark on one of history's most famous yet incorrectly told epochs. Director Mike Church takes us on an exciting sometimes hilarious journey down America's Road to Independence. When sold by Amazon.com, this product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. Review Mike Church has really hit it out of the park this time! The Road to Independence tells a much-abused story in a thrilling way that is (get ready for it) historically accurate. Finally! No other movie does it so well. --Kevin R C Gutzman, JD, PhD Professor of History Western Connecticut State University In his stunning new animated film, The Road to Independence, Mike Church challenges the prevailing notions, such as they are, regarding the American Founding. Neither Abraham Lincoln nor Ronald Reagan, he notes, were of the Founding generation, but, within the political right especially, these two men greatly have fundamental shaped our understanding of 1776 and 1787. And, from the opening of the film to its end, Church points out that the prevailing interpretations of the Declaration of Independence especially if focused on all men are created equal are, at best, misinterpretations of the text and of the historical moment in which the text was written. He does this through Jefferson s own words from a 1821 interview. Indeed, the entire film is based on original research and primary documents, all of which reveal the essence of the Revolution. From a cinemagraphic standpoint alone, there is much to love in this movie. Some of the visuals are simply stunning, as are many of the camera angles and movements. The backgrounds, especially, are always interesting. In one modern scene, for example, an eager, intelligent student attempts to answer a question. Near this bespectacled boy sits a cynical girl, chained to her cell phone, a slave to texting, while the teacher professes what is true and best about the American Founding. In the background of this classroom, the famous picture of Friedrich Hayek, taken at the Institute for Humane Studies in the 1970s, hangs on the wall. It s a nice and important touch; he looks friendly and bemused. In the scenes from the 1770s, the animators have captured the essence of the time and of the Founders. John Adams is brilliant, driven, anxious, and full of integrity. He clearly loves Abigail (presented as extremely attractive), and teases her. Jefferson is pompous and stern, learned. Franklin is befuddled and dumpy. Dickinson is handsome and overly confident. Washington is, naturally, ramrod straight, and he suffers no fools. Mason is bright, inquisitive, and argumentative. John Quincy Adams is young, eager to please his father. Martha Washington is fearsome and wise. Colonel Patterson is effeminate and sniveling. Discussions or laws, rights, balance, and sovereignty abound throughout the movie. Virtue and manhood matter as well. Only those who are willing to fight for their rights (God given or not) have the right to enjoy liberty and independence. Church does an excellent job of making the ideas real; he also shows how important struggle and integrity are to any struggle and especially the willingness not to compromise for the sake of convenience or expediency. The animators have chosen to focus on the eyes and the mouth of each person capturing his or her personality while leaving the bodies rather stiff. The effect works, as it forces the viewer to consider the deep character of each participant of the story. Perhaps the best animation, though, comes from the opening credits. As the words of the Declaration scroll onto the screen, the name of all of those involved appears, then disappear, as the correct words of the Declaration continue. It s a brilliant and captivating effect. If the estimate given at the Internet Movie Database is correct, Founding Father Films spent over 125,000 dollars producing this film. After watching it, I have no doubt this is true. This is a film worth watching over and over again. There are many layers to it, and, while it moves quickly in terms of story and visuals, it also demands an intelligent eye and an active mind to enjoy it fully. It will prove equally effective as a movie in lassrooms, in church and civic meeting halls, and in family rooms. It is certainly scholarly and well researched, but it is also, at times, properly mischievous and intelligent, artful as well as direct. --Bradley Birzer, Professor of History, Hillsdale College There are so few movies out there abo
ASIN: B004AN1VJ2
VSKU: 4EKGRJ00C4L5_ns
Condition: Good
Binding: DVD
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!