Al Pacino Movie:

				Salesrank: 109181
		Our Price: $23.99
		Used Price: $23.80
		MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
This big and sometimes messy movie achieves the seemingly impossible: it demythologizes the American Revolution and lets us see it in a completely new light. Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire) has directed a starkly beautiful, powerfully visceral portrait of war from the point of view of the little people who are swept along in its wake. Al Pacino is Tom Dobb, a poor, illiterate trapper bringing up a young son when rebellion breaks out in New York. Dobb's small boat is requisitioned for the war effort, and he and his son become reluctant conscripts. It takes six months and some truly vile treatment by the British before the conflict becomes personal for Dobb and he makes the American cause his own. The Dobb family's tale intersects that of British Sergeant Major Peasy (a formidable Donald Sutherland) and his own son. As the tide of the war turns, the enemies' fortunes are reversed. Tom's love interest, Daisy McConnahay (Nastassja Kinski), is a fiery beauty who breaks from her family of wealthy Tories (British sympathizers) to fight for freedom. Kinski is wonderful as a living Lady Liberty, and Pacino has some extraordinary moments of raw emotion as Dobb. The film's highlights include authentic, grisly re-creations of famous Revolutionary War battles, including Yorktown and Valley Forge. This movie will draw you in, gradually but inexorably, as it creates its convincing and compelling world. --Laura Mirsky

Revolution [Region 2] Reviews:
Revolution Revised and Revisited on DVD
2009-11-23 - This was never a perfect movie, but it presents a complelling portrait of the Rev War. Here we have an attempt by the director and Al Pacino to try and correct some of the editing mistakes that were made upon the original movies release in 1985. It seems the production was somehow rushed and the result was a somewhat confused affair. Here some order has been attempted by having Al Pacino narrate the film as it goes along. This is an innovation that was only hinted at in the original. The result provides a clearer idea who Dodd was and a little about his background.

The ad for the DVD cover is a little mis-leading in that it claims this is a director's cut with over 40 mins of film added. This is simply not so. The only addition is a discussion between the director and Al Pacino discussing how they wanted to address the problems of the film. Some minor cuts have been made in the film from the original. The most signicficant change appears to be the end where the Dodd character does not reunite with the girl. This is a big change from the original and does alter the feel of the movie in that regard.

I like the fact that this film is out on DVD now, but I am disappointed that there wasn't any extra footage added to it. This is a bit misleading to the buyer. Still, I have always regarded this movie as portraying one of the best battle scenes ever done of the Rev War. The Battle of Brooklyn scene, while far bloodier than the original action, conveys the majesty and horror of 18th century combat in a way no other film has ever done. The action of the rest of the movie is anti-clamatic in comparison, but does attempt to show a progression of events during the Rev War and how it might have affected ordinary people caught up in it. The Donald Sutherland character as the British Sgt-Maj is truly awesome.

Still an imperfect epic, but with some attempt to clean it up a bit. Nice that its out on DVD and worth adding for those who like a gritty period work, and an unconventional role for Al Pacino who was surprisingly compelling. One can see that it was a role he relished and that the film is still special to him.

Unique
2009-11-14 - I love this film..True it seems a story of 1970's (An anti-war take on the American revolution )but the photography is so very good in this film it is pure eye candy to watch.Donald Southerland is parliculary great to watch as he plays a very complex and amazing character known as Sgt Major Bill Peasly-He all but steals the show in the film and it is Bill Peasly I am left thinking most about in this film.The last tragedy of this film is the soundtrack-what happened to such a great soundtrack-can't find it anywhere.Revolution is certainly a work worth purchasing, viewing as Pacino is great to see in a different role then his normally foul mouthed gangster roles but rather as a loving father in this film.

Revolution: Revisitied
2009-11-08 - I thought that this movie was excellent and has a great message. I think it is unforturnate that more Americans are not interested in their very own history. We truly are "the great experiment" as we were called back then when this country was being founded. The actors are A list and the scenery is authentic.

Virtually a new film....
2009-10-16 - REVOLUTION:REVISITED clears up the storyline of the original and delivers a gritty realistic film that puts the American Revolution into a tight and fascinating narrative.
Those who saw the original will be pleasantly surprised at Pacinos performance, in what is a rarity for him, a period film. Well worth seeing, and well worth adding to your collection on all counts.

It should be seen
2009-09-03 - I happen to be living in England when this film was made. The producers came to our base to recruit African Americans for minor roles in the movie. I went up to see the production in progress in Kings Lynn, an old Dutch town on the Fens. It was built around the same time as old New York and the buildings in the center looked like what you would imagine an old Dutch settlement like New York would have looked. THe whole town was involved as extras. All they had to do was take down the electric, remove the parking meters and cover the street with dirt and you had old New York. Some ships masts were planted behind the buildings and it looked like a harbor. The costumes and production values in this movie are superb. The best since "Barry Lydon" in the 1970's. Pacino and Southerland were very good and believable. Kinski is always good to look at and she was an obvious star and not just an extra on the set. Pacino, by comparison, was hardly recognizable as a movie star. His make up and costume was that good. The rest of the movie was set on farmland near the town of Swaffam in East Anglia and on the southwest shore of England along the Channel. It's too bad the movie was so miss marketed at the time. But here it is again and really better than ever because it's a lot cheaper than it would have been had it been a hit.