Family Movie Night
By Karyn Bowman
A Town Crier Scarecrow
With Pumpkin Fest nearly upon us, the real challenge is how to make the “colonial” theme work.
If you dive into history, you might remember that the Lewis and Clark Expedition occurred around the turn of the 19th century. But more interesting to me are the forts that were built before then such as the ones on Mackinac Island and in Massac County in Southern Illinois.
I decided to try to think of movies for this time period and it took me a little while. There are movies about the founding fathers and the possible treasure they left for us to find.
Image from IMDb.com
I wondered how I could have forgotten about one American Girl doll movie about Felicity called An American Girl Adventure. For non-American Girl doll fans, Felicity is the ‘colonial’ girl whose stories often involve adventure during the time period in which our country was formed. We see first hand how hard life was at that time and how politics infiltrates everything.
This is a great movie for the younger family members and is not too cloying for the adults in the family. It has been a few years since I have seen the movie but I remember my daughter enjoying it very much.
Poster Image from IMDb.com
Another movie set in the colonial period may not be so kid friendly and that is The Last of the Mohicans” starring Daniel Day Lewis and Madeleine Stowe. The movie is set during French and Indian War as the British army tries to control the land.
Cora and Alice are the daughters of a British general who must suddenly learn to trust a white man who has been raised by Mohican Indians after their party is attacked and their father is killed. Hawkeye, along with his adopted father and brother, had been traveling to Kentucky when they promise to take this group to a safer place.
It is not a movie appropriate for younger children as there is much violence and a sensual scene between Lewis and Stowe. There are several deaths, including settler friends of Hawkeye, that are quite sad and one that is a mercy killing of sorts. It is a movie that is more appropriate for those who are in their teens and older. Just be aware that this is a long movie, worth the watch but long.
Finally, there are two movies that are about the revolutionary war. The first is The Patriot starring Mel Gibson as a father who joins the war after one of his sons is killed. It is a bloody violent movie that is better for those who are in their teen years and older.
Image from IMDb.com
The second movie is called Revolution starring Al Pacino. This little seen 1985 movie is reported to be more accurate than the Gibson flick. However, it is supposed to be just as compelling and interesting as we watch Pacino play a trapper who joins the war effort in order to protect his son.
Please let me know if you know of other movies set in that time period by dropping a note below.
Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 
Daniel Day Lewis in Last of the Mohicans made me swoon. Violent movie, but Daniel has a way of making it all better.
Never knew about Revolution. I’m putting it on my list of movies to see. Thank you!
I remember getting a huge crush on him at that time and could not believe he was the same guy who played Cecil in “A Room With A View.” It is my understanding he did a boot camp for several months to get that buff.
Ok, this is probably not the kind of movie you are looking for, but I immediately thought of “The Time of Their Lives,” an Abbott and Costello movie. The main characters play out a story during the Revolutionary War, then die and come back as ghosts, at which point there are ghostly shenanigans. It was the first thing I thought of, which probably tells you more about me than you wanted to know.
The thing is, I love obscure movies. Abbott and Costello were funny guys but their movies downgraded in quality in each successive movie. I am going to have to find this one.
I loved “Last of the Mohicans”. I remember when it came out and we had a run on the book by James Fenimore Cooper. There were a lot of disappointed young people. Cooper can be a bit dry. Anyway back to the movie, I’ll enjoyed watching a man in a breechclout. The music was also really good.
Yeah, the breeches. Hmmm. great memory.