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The Patriot (2000)
 | Information at Internet
Movie Database |
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Cinema in Focus,
a social and spiritual commentary by Hal Conklin and Denny Wayman. |
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Movie Parables
review. |
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Review, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Health -
Spiritual Practices for Human Being. |
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Looking Closer, review by Jeffrey Overstreet, "searching for truth, beauty
and meaning in the movies." |
| Hollywood
Jesus visual review |
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"The Patriot
and the Hatred of the Unenlightened," Steve Lansingh, TheFilmForum:
Christian Conversation about the Movies. |
| Themes
 | Anger
 | From the movie the Patriot, begins in the barn while
credits are still going, Mel Gibson has just finished building a rocking
chair, sits down in it gingerly and a look of satisfaction comes across
his face. As he begins to rock, the chair collapses. He picks up the seat
of the chair and hurls it a pile of similar woodworking mishaps. As he
grabs the bottom of the chair to throw it as well, he notices his small
daughter watching him, shaking her head. The clip ends with a lame,
sheepish "sorry" from Gibson. |
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| Call
| Halfway through the movie, the son walks into a church
to recruit for the militia. Very moving as the
plea is initially rejected, then a girl speaks
up. Men begin standing, the music builds, a basic tear jerker.
(Erin Baggett) |
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| Confrontation with Evil
| Col. Tavington is a brutal blood-thirsty commander
in a time when officers were suppose to be gentlemen. It is obivious
throughout the movie that it is going to come down to Benjamin
Martin and Tavington in a face to face battle. Only when Tavington
is killed will the evil be ended. |
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| Freedom
| Both sides in the revolutionary war offered freedom to slaves
who would fight. Among Martin's militia there is one slave who is
there because his owner assigned him to the army. One of the
interesting sides to the revolution was that it was a struggle for
liberty by those who owned slave. At various times, the slave
marks how much longer he has to serve to gain his freedom. When
the big battle comes, one of the soldiers notes that his time is
up. Then the slave says that he knows, he's there of his own
accord now. |
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| Father Figure
| Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is slow to become involved in the
war because he is a father and has a family to care for. Even
while fighting, he is first and foremost a father -- and we are
reminded of the pain of parenthood at various times through the
film. He also has to stuggle with the father's role vis a vis free
children. He forbids Gabriel from returning to the army to which
Gabriel replies, "I'm not a child!" Benjamin returns:
"You're MY child!" (Darrel Manson, Artesia
CA) |
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| Prayer
| A number of scenes of Benjamin Martin at prayer. See review at Hollywood
Jesus. |
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