Rebels and Redcoats: How Britain Lost America is a British television documentary series about the story of the American Revolutionary War, presented and narrated by Richard Holmes, in four parts. Throughout the entire program there are clear explanations about the politics going on behind the scenes, the impact of other nations, like Canada and France, battle tactics and strategies, and weaponry, all following a beginning-to-end timeline. The impact of each geographic area is frequently emphasized, as there were often a division of loyalties not just in regions but also in neighborhoods. While being a British production, the viewpoint of many different groups are discussed in detail, including the difficult choices Native American Indians and black slaves were forced to make in choosing allegiances.
| Rebels and Redcoats | |
|---|---|
 Titlecard | |
| Genre | Historical documentary |
| Narrated by | Richard Holmes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 8 July – 29 July 2003 |
The series was produced by WGBH Boston and Granada Television in association with BBC Wales. It was aired in two parts in the United States by PBS in 2004.[1] A book, written by Hugh Bicheno and with a foreword by Holmes, accompanied the series.[2]
Episode list
edit| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Shot Heard Around the World" | 8 July 2003 |
| 2 | "American Crisis 1776" | 15 July 2003 |
| 3 | "The War Moves South" | 22 July 2003 |
| 4 | "The World Turned Upside Down" | 29 July 2003 |
Reception
editWriting for the New York Times, Alessandra Stanley said:
[The documentary] is an engaging upside-down look at a period of American history that few Americans ever question. It may not be exactly fair – the British bias is blatant – but it is fairly accurate. Mostly, it gives viewers a sense of the world's more jaundiced view of a revolution that Americans cherish as a triumph of democracy and human rights. And a little like Michael Moore's polemical films, the documentary delivers its most striking indictments not in the facts but in the sly visual juxtapositions.
— Alessandra Stanley, New York Times[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Stanley, Alessandra (23 June 2004). "Television Review; British Eyes Look at 1776 and See Less to Approve". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ^ Bicheno, Hugh (2004). Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolutionary War (New ed.). London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0007156269.
External links
edit- Rebels and Redcoats at IMDb
- Holmes, Richard (17 February 2011). "The American War of Independence: The Rebels and the Redcoats". BBC History website. BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2013.