Sweet Liberty

A cinematic prophecy, foreshadowingThe Patriot. We LOVE this one. It shows EXACTLY what Hollywood usually does to history: chews it up and spits it out. The ageing matinée idol (played by Michael Caine) playing the youthful Ban Tarleton in a red uniform, because the director says US audiences won't know he's British if he's in green, is, unnervingly, exactly what was done in The Patriot with the Legion uniforms!

A historian writes a serious history book on the Southern Campaigns, which is bought by Hollywood. Chaos descends when the film crew descends on the small South Carolina town...

At Brattonsville in 1999, a historian on set for The Patriot told me that their crew was watching Sweet Liberty on video. Which says EVERYTHING.

Alan Alda deserves an award for prophecy...

All together now: "Defy authority. Destroy property. Take people's clothes off!"

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