MovieChat Forums > The Crossing (2000) Discussion > Great movie!

Great movie!

posted 19 years ago by Fluke_Skywalker
7 replies | jump to latest

I remember watching this on a cold, snowy day on tape shortly after it's debut and I was blown away. I honestly wasn't expecting much, given that it was a basic cable made for TV movie, but I was so wrong.

The actors are great, especially Jeff Daniels. If you only know him from Dumb and Dumber, this movie will forever change you perception of him. It also looks fantastic and far more expensive than it surely was. And the writing is excellent as well. It plays as if written for the stage.

Of all of histories wars, the American revolution seems to get the shortest shrift on film. You can count on one hand the number of Revolutionary war films of late (That were worth a damn anyway). Heck, Hollyweird makes more war films set in space for crying out loud. I'm sure much of it has to do with the fact that Hollyweird has no desire to make films that might possibly be deemed patriotic (Oh icky poo!)... or worse, portray America as the good guys. (So xenophobic!) How this script got past the aging hippies who run A&E I'll never know, but thank God it did.

"Use the Force, Fluke!"

[–] wolfgirv 19 years ago

This was recommended by someone on imdb and I had to import it to Australia. What a pleasent surprize it is too! Always enjoyed Jeff Daniels in 'Gettysburg' and 'Gods and Generals' and this is equal to that work. Despite any historical inaccuracies this is history at its most interesting. To a outsider the famous crossing of the Delaware is brought to life and reveals its signifance in Revolutionary American military history. I only wish a score soundtrack of Gary Changs work was available. The wonderful Zimmer/Thin red line inspired piece during the attack on Trenton was very fine indeed. Overall an excellent and entertaining film.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] ski505 18 years ago

I found the character interaction and planning of the battle very well done and captivating. Unfortunately,the battle itself was terrible and the Hessian uniforms looked like they came right out of a second rate costume store. So,,all told,,i really liked everything right up until the battle starts. After that is was so lame.

[–] jakoury 18 years ago

Yes I agree! The planning of the Battle was very good and so was everything leading up to it. The battle itself was totally wrong and did not show a lot of the major events that took place, such as Rall's two failed attacks and the fact that four Americans were wounded. Also most of the Hessian Uniforms were almost, almost, correct, maybe a tad "farby" as us reenactors would say. Overall an okay movie!

[–] jquark 18 years ago

Given the limited budget of an A&E-production, I can certainly understand the decision to take a few liberties with known historical information and to compress the essence of the battle into only a few minutes of screentime. It did correctly show that the Americans ability to place their cannons on high ground was one of the important components of the battle's lopsided casualty figures.

One notable missing item was that there wasn't a blizzard raging during the march to Trenton (nor even snow on the ground, which would've illustrated some of the shoeless soldiers leaving bloody footprints during the march), but when you're not on a mega-budget one has to make due with the weather that's present at the location shoot!

Anyhoo, the focus of the movie was not on the Battle of Trenton itself, but on the desperate condition of the Continental Army as of mid-December 1776, and Washington's audicious "all-or-nothing" gamble in launching an amphibious winter attack.

[–] jquark 18 years ago

Link to the lyrics to the bawdy heaving chantey "Sally Brown" -- the third verse is the one that's chanted by the rower ferrying George Washington's boat.
http://ingeb.org/songs/osallybr.html

O, Sally Brown's a bright mulatto,
Way, ho, a-rolling go;
She drinks rum and chews tobacco,
For I spent my money 'long with Sally Brown.

[–] jnwa3 11 years ago

Agree. One of the best!!