Page 8 - A Closer Look
at The Patriot Con't
Later in the theatrical cut, General Cornwallis upbraids Colonel Tavington for
his ruthless treatment of the colonists, citing that they need to show civilized
treatment to the enemy because after the war, they will all have to get along.
While Benjamin Martin frustrates Cornwallis' efforts to subjugate the inhabitants
and harasses his supply lines, he changes his mind towards Tavington's tactics
only after Benjamin Martin personally plays him for the fool while rescuing
some of his militia from hanging.
Unlike Braveheart's William Wallace, Benjamin Martin is not portrayed
as 'pure as the driven snow'. Yes, Martin/Marion's owning slaves is omitted,
but Martin carries around the guilt of his actions during the French and Indian
War, when in a fit of anger and revenge, Martin and his men wiped out all the
French and Indian men in Fort Wilderness toward the end of that war.
Martin's darker side begins to reemerge, when he and his men, all veterans from
the French and Indian War, kill several British soldiers during a raid even
as the British attempt to surrender. His son, Gabriel, takes him to task for
that behavior. Another quick criticism is that Benjamin Martin is not a Patriot,
but is only in the war for selfish motives, which is true. In this way, the
movie parallels the last big Hollywood attempt at the American Revolution, 1986's
Revolution. In that film, Al Pacino's Tom Dobb is only interested in
he and his son's well-being.
Revolution failed because Tom Dobb seemed to be related to the Corleone
family of The Godfather. Though the same shortcoming seems to apply to
The Patriot, upon closer inspection, it does not. As the filmmakers discussed
even before the movie was released, Benjamin Martin is not The Patriot, but
rather it Gabriel Martin who is The Patriot. Gabriel is the naïve and noble
ideal of what a Patriot should be. He even spends the winter at Valley Forge
with George Washington to hammer home the point that he is The Patriot from
the movie's title.
Fallout
The fallout from the movie has been extensive and continues as the movie enters
the home video market across the world. A website with an open letter decrying
Mel Gibson's participation in Braveheart and The Patriot can be
found at www.melgibson-sucks.com. History sites, including Discovery.com
and TheHistoryChannel.com
have lined up to point out historical inaccuracies great and small that can
be found in the movie.
One of the most interesting results of the film's release mirrors what happened
almost 220 years ago when Banastre Tarleton returned home to England. At the
time, he was heralded as a hero, in spite of his defeat at the Battle of Cowpens,
which had virtually destroyed British Light Troops in the South. Tarleton became
the toast of London, even moving into the Prince of Wales' social inner circle.
