The American Revolution and Reconstruction

This essay will be focused on the comparison and contrast between the two films The American Revolution (2005) and The Reconstruction (2004). In order to successfully do the comparison, we would first comprehend and express the events as portrayed by the two films. A vivid description of the plot would form the platform for the close analysis of one film against the other.

The American Revolution film of the year 2005 covers the historical unraveling of events surrounding the struggle for independence in the United States. This film entails the historical happenings as early as the 1763 when Great Britain was still manning the colonies of the American continent with intense brutality. This period was marked by the massive exploitation of the resources of the US by these colonial masters with interludes of oppression of the subject states. The revolution then commences in 1775 with the sensitization of the American people to fight for their freedom for liberty. This war broke out simultaneously in all the 13 American colonies which were being controlled by the British which led to the inception of the union between the American states. This became the cornerstone for the foundation of the United States. The American Revolution came to a halt in October 1781 with the British according the United States its sovereignty in 1783.

The movie also covers a bit of the post independence period with the rebirth of a nation and the laying down of leadership structures in order to come up with a strong economic and political power. The director of this film navigates the audience through a number of historical events that are worth recognition through the various parts and scenes of the film. Some of the aftermaths of this revolution were the drafting of the United States’ constitution and its promulgation in 1787 with the Bill of Rights being established in 1789.  The republican form of government was also adopted where power was vested upon the people with most of the decisions being made by them. This film thus concentrates in the events surrounding The American Revolution leading to the emergence of a powerful nation. The efforts of the founding fathers of the nation are also portrayed in order to revamp the economy of the nation. Democracy is given preeminence deviating from the tyrannical rule that had been applied by the colonial masters on the people.

The Reconstruction (2004) is a movie that was showcased at Cannes and covers the historical events surrounding the World War II. The movie derives its origin from the earlier work of Samuel Fuller in his movie “The Big Red One.” This movie describes the life of a soldier during war and his attempts to subdue the enemy with reduced cases of casualties in their army. The turbulent atmosphere of the brutality of the war environment is also clearly depicted in the movie. The hardship a soldier undergoes during the battle is portrayed in this movie. The film covers the lives of four young dogface American infantrymen together with their sergeant (Lee Marvin). This is during the period of war from 1942 to 1945 when they participate in wars in North Africa, France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia and Germany. The soldiers in this movie have very little control of their lives and thus they end up in various activities which tend to raise the level of curiosity. This is due to their vulnerability to being easily subdued and killed by the opponent. The film reveals how they are rescued by troops on horseback in a Roman Amphitheater. This is after their effort had been thwarted by the enemy. These soldiers are given food by some group of older, Sicilian women during their moment of food inadequacy. They participate in the delivery of a baby in the tank which had been abandoned by the German troops. The movie also brings us to the picture of their expedition to attack the Germans inside an asylum. This troop also succeeds in the liberation of the concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.

The action of the American troops during the World War II in Europe is depicted. This involved the allied powers led by the US and Russia against the axis powers which included Germany, Italy and Japan. This war occurred as a result of the ideological differences and the massive expansion in the military and increase in tension by different countries. The war was also propagated by the emergence of dictators like Adolf Hitler of Germany, Benito Mussolini of Italy and Kantaro Suzuki of Japan. These believed that they were the most superior governments in the world and thus utilized that opportunity to expand their military defying the disarmament policy which had been signed earlier on. The unrestricted submarine warfare by the Germans propagated the US to join the war when the Germans sank the American tank carrying traders posing threat to their security. The commencement of this war trickled down to various parts of the world including the different colonies of most European countries in the world. The events to quell the war came due to the increase in the number of the allied power. Adolf Hitler also committed suicide upon sensing defeat. The major event that marked the end of this war in 1945 was the American nuclear bombing of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. This led to the emergence of the US and USSR as the world superpowers.

The above events as revealed in the two films have both similarities and differences. In the American Revolution, the director focuses mainly on the struggle for the independence of America whereas in the Reconstruction, the director is geared towards unveiling the fight against the tyrannical rule of the Central Powers in their verge to expand their territory. The movie covering The American Revolution is an original created work of the director whereas The Reconstruction is founded on an earlier creativity of Fuller in his movie “The Big Red One.” In The American Revolution, the US and Britain are presented as bitter rivals and they engage in war against one another. The Reconstruction represents the unity between US and Britain in order to fight a common enemy. In the latter case, these two countries have similar ideologies and both arise against the world tyrants and the spread of dictatorship.

The American Revolution breaks out and concentrates on the American territory without spreading to other nations whereas the events in The Reconstruction involve a several countries of the world. In the Reconstruction, the different sides tried to lure other countries to join them in the fight against the enemy. In The American Revolution, no external countries apart from the colonial masters were involved in the battle. However, Britain attempted to entice the undecided American citizens to join their side in order to subdue the freedom fighters. The American Revolution erupted despite the disunity among the Americans. This was also worsened by the fact that America had no trained soldiers to fight against the colonial masters. The decision to begin the movement comes as a result of the activists. In this revolution, the training of the soldiers continues as the war progresses with increasing experience with time. In this case, the USA has not attained independence and is under the total control of the colonizers. On the other hand, the events surrounding The Reconstruction involve a very strong nation (USA) with very determined presidents to curb the rising tyranny in the world and to ensure the increase in the international supremacy of the USA.

 The Reconstruction focuses mainly on specific soldiers and their achievements in attaining victory. These soldiers have been used to represent the entire war. The American Revolution involves the entire military of both the warfronts. The historical timelines of these two films are different. The American Revolution describes the happenings of the 17^th Century whereas The Reconstruction entails the 19^th Century.

Some of the similarities in the two films include the fact that America as a nation was actively involved in the two wars. In The Reconstruction, America becomes the major force in the victory of the allied powers. Most of the expeditions are done by American military. The revolution involves the American citizens who are fighting for their freedom from the hands of their colonizers. A common feature of these two films is the fact that they both involve war and revolve around the activities occurring during the battle. The American Revolution film focuses mainly on the struggle for independence of the US and the union of the different states to form a strong nation.

In the both movies, the Americans and the French express a united force of action as they battle against a common enemy. Sophisticated weapons are involved in the battle field in both of the two movies. These weapons lead to express serious repercussions on the opponents.  The soldiers in both films undergo moments of hardships in their attempts to defend their countries. The battle in both the films exists for a long period of time with The American Revolution covering (1763-1983) whereas the Second World War covering (1939-1945). In both of these films, the culminating leads to the strengthening of America as a nation. The Revolution led to the freedom of the American territory from the hands of the colonizers. The events in the Reconstruction led to the emergence of the USA as a world superpower. The USA thus began the massive campaign to sell the idea of capitalism to the previously non-aligned nations.

Both of these movies depict the fight that is geared towards the culmination of tyranny. The American Revolution involves bringing an end to the oppression of the colonizers whereas The Reconstruction is concentrated on the world dictators. In both the films, treaties are signed to mark an end to the battle. These form the basis of agreements that contribute to peaceful coexistence and surrender among the parties. It is the signing of the treaty in Paris that granted the USA their hard earned independence. The Reconstruction also involves the signing of the UN charter.