by Yazmin Ghonaim

THE PATRIOT Roland Emmerich (2000) The Patriot, written by Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) and directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Universal Soldier), focuses on the dramatic events that draw a man and his family into the American War of Independence. Offering a romanticized version of the real-life character (Francis Marion a.k.a. "The Swamp Fox") on which the protagonist is loosely based, The Patriot may be seen as a film which adapts historical elements discriminately in order to support its own treatment of the themes of patriotism, honor and family unity. During a decisive town meeting in South Carolina, Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), a widower and a father of seven, reaffirms his pacifist disposition and disappoints his idealist son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) and Colonel Harry Burwell (Chris Cooper: Me, Myself & Irene, American Beauty), who will join the American militia in battle against the Red Coat Army. However, when the English army, led by Colonel William Tavington (Jason Isaacs), reaches Benjamin's farm and becomes a threat to the lives of his loved ones, Benjamin's dormant warrior spirit awakens. Guided by a thirst for justice and independence, Benjamin entrusts his children to their aunt Charlotte (Joely Richardson: Under Heaven) and sets off to fight Colonel Tavington and lead his loyal men to fight for a new nation's liberty against English tyranny. The Patriot equates the protagonist's struggles to protect his family (and to avenge the death of one of his sons) to the patriotism with which he fights for a new and free nation. As these two plots intersect, The Patriot successfully defines its main character in terms of his paternalistic nature. Benjamin Martin's paternalism is further emphasized when his oldest son, Gabriel, is put under his command and supervision throughout their battles. Interestingly, this paternalism is also questioned in one of the film's most captivating scenes, where the Martin boys briefly witness their father's sanguinary tendencies as he coldly and efficiently murders a group of English soldiers. However, the success of the film's calculated plot points and of its visually attractive costumes, sets and battle scenes is impaired by its overly simplistic approach by which the complex concept of patriotism is visually represented. That is, while a narrative representation of patriotism is fairly established, its visual representation is reduced to the convenient and overused image of a wounded flag which is either ruined by the enemy or rescued and mended by the hands of those who see the object as symbolizing a noble objective. Furthermore, The Patriot's choice to associate the destruction of the family unit with all British characters, and to portray the preservation of the family unit as exclusive to all American characters accentuates the story's lack of a well-balanced conflict and exemplifies the film's overall shallow approach.		DVD Music Books Search by keywords:
Outstanding Features: Costume Design, Set Design The Patriot Movie Review © 2000 Cinephiles - All rights reserved Photo © 2000 Columbia Pictures