General Cornwallis and Colonel Tavington

[CivCynic]

If any of you have seen The Patriot, this thread pertains to you.

This thread is just a thread where people(who have seen The Patriot)post their reviews about General Cornwallis(played by Tom Wilkinson). I happened to think he was my favorite character! You may also post some of your favorite quotes by him in the movie!

My favorite lines are:

"Tavington! Damn him! Damn that man!" I especially loved the way he said it and the camera angle and mostly his eyes!

"These rustics are so inept. They nearly take the honor out of victory...nearly." I mostly like this phrase because it used some interesting words in it(I like to use fancy English).

"You only advance yourself through my good graces."(said to Tavington) I loved this line because, once again, it's just the way he says it that makes it hilarious in my view.

This thread also goes for Colonel Tavington(played by Jason Isaacs: Lucius Malfoy).

I liked Tavington because his face is just so funny when he says certain things and also because he's always being bullied by Cornwallis!

My favorite lines from him are:

"Rules of War! Would you like a lesson, Sir, in the rules of War?!" It's just the way he says it that adds merit to it.

"I hope one day my own meager contributions will be rewarded." The word "meager" just appealed to me for some reason and I like that line, especially from Tavington.

Well, I hope you have good reviews and opinions!

 

[Perfection]

That movie stank

 

[Garbarsardar.jr]

That movie stank so much, and furthermore the Nazi allegory with the british burning the villagers in the church was a big and useless lie...

 

[privatehudson]

A needed one though to provide the usual hollywood villan piece where the world has nasty evil foriegners fighting against brave intelligent clean cut americans

 

[CivCynic]

That movie stank

Have you taken a glance at the title of this thread? That goes for the rest of you as well, this isn't about the movie, just these two particular characters.

Furthermore, I thought the movie rocked.

 

[Perfection]

Yeah well those two particular chracters sucked too!

And if you want to read some fancy English, try reading Stephen Jay Gould's The Structure of Evolutionary Theory. I'm regarded in my school as the kid with widest vocabulary; yet I still need to read with the book in one hand and a dictionary in the other!

 

[Archer 007]

The most thinnly veiled propaganda piece in history.

 

[CivCube]

Maybe it's a good thing this isn't in World History....

 

[Constantine]

Maybe it's a good thing this isn't in World History....

There been atleast one thread on it there. It got tore to shreds.

 

[ellie]

seen it, didnt think much of the acting by the guy playing cornwallis or "plot".
I hope noone believes the film.
Although hollywood has a record of "adapting" history much worse than this of , i remember the enigma machine suddenly being an american theft. And they were making a tom cruise film in which he plays an american pilot who won the battle of britain

 

[JohnRM]

Yes, I just know there are some Americans out there thinking that the British commited such attrocities. Thanks Hollywood! As if the American public education system was not doing a good enough job dumbing down our population.

 

[Chaos_BF1942]

It was a pretty good movie. Not good for learning more about History.

So the British didn't commit any attrocities durring the war? You know there has been reports of them back then.

 

[philippe]

the patriot stank.I rather see combination between the patriot and the passion of christ.
all those rebels hanged onto the cross!

 

[joycem10]

Yes, I just know there are some Americans out there thinking that the British commited such attrocities. Thanks Hollywood! As if the American public education system was not doing a good enough job dumbing down our population.

No doubt the movie is bad history, kind of the Braveheart of America.

While not even close to the depiction in the movie (ie the slaughter of civilians) the "Tarvington" character was loosly based on an actual British Dragoon Colonel, Banastre Tarleton. His men, mostly Loyalists, refused to accept surrender from a regiment of Rebel troops in a battle in the Carolinas. There is some controversy as to whether it was ordered or the men acted on thier own initiative. This led to the Rebel giving "Tarleton's Quarter" to British troops in a later battle in the south.

The only other examples that can be found (to my knowledge) were the treatment of Rebel prisoners on British prison ships.

 

[Stile]

the patriot stank.I rather see combination between the patriot and the passion of christ.
all those rebels hanged onto the cross!

I guess you're vying for the role of Caiphus Tavington, high priest of a bunch of British thugs.

I liked the movie though I know it's not completely historically accurate. It was an American version of Braveheart, only better. Better I say because I liked the era more, the battles were a little more interesting, and it was less gory. Acting wasn't the best, but it was certainly entertaining.

 

[CivCynic]

People! Have you taken any notice that I want reviews and opinions on just Cornwallis and Tavington?! I don't really care how close the movie is to real history! I just want to know what you thought of the acting of these people alone. I don't care what you thought of the movie. Please keep on the topic.

The only people who have listened to me are Perfection, ellie, joycem10 and maybe Stile. Thank you.

 

[Hotpoint]

So the British didn't commit any attrocities durring the war? You know there has been reports of them back then.

The overwhelming majority of what we would now call war-crimes were commited by either the Rebels or American Loyalists. British Regulars were generally pretty clean by comparison (perhaps due to a combination of military professionalism and very harsh discipline).

One thing that is often forgotten is that 50,000 people in the 13 Colonies took up arms for the crown and that much of the fighting was in reality a bitter civil war and the two sides hated each other with a passion.

On the subject of the film itself ironically there really was a case during the War of Independence of the civilian populace of a town being slaughtered, put into a building (a school in fact) and burned... however it was the Rebels, or if you prefer "Patriots" doing it to a Loyalist Settlement (Gnadenhutten). Some 93 non-combatants were killed.

I liked the portrayal of Cornwallis in the film though. It showed his wit, professionalism and ability.

 

[ellie]

I suppose at the end of the day holywood is just giving americans what they want, heroic, good guy americans beating the bad guys.

 

[CivCynic]

Since most of you people aren't listening to me, I guess I'll allow you to have it be reviews on the movie.

I've come, in life, to be giving movie makers a little more slack because I've realized that when making a historical movie, you have to exclude or change some things because you also must make the movie interesting as well.

 

[insurgent]

Don't worry, B Boy. I found the movie somewhat interesting and rather exciting. And I liked the settings and the uniforms and all that. I happen to like historical movies, despite their (many) fallacies.

And yeah, those characters were amusing, although I think Colonel Tavington was a little to stereotype upperclass British bad-guy type. Cornwallis however, though stereotype as well, I kind of liked. He had this British stiff upper lip, the sportsmanship approach to warfare, and a military genius. I'm not sure that's accurate, but it's very amusing in the movie.