Revolution (1985 film)
| Revolution | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Hugh Hudson |
| Written by | Robert Dillon |
| Produced by | Irwin Winkler |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bernard Lutic |
| Edited by | Stuart Baird |
| Music by | John Corigliano |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia-Cannon-Warner Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $28 million[2] (£19 million)[3] |
| Box office | $358,574[2] |
Revolution is a 1985 British
Revolution received many negative reviews upon release and was a financial disappointment. Its release was delayed in Pacino's native New York City.[4] Due to the disappointment, Pacino took a four-year hiatus from films until 1989's Sea of Love.
Plot
Fur trapper Tom Dobb reluctantly participates in the American Revolutionary War after his young son Ned joins the
Cast
- Al Pacino as Tom Dobb
- Donald Sutherland as Sgt. Maj. Peasy
- Nastassja Kinski as Daisy McConnahay
- Dexter Fletcher as Ned Dobb
- Sid Owen as Young Ned Dobb
- Joan Plowright as Mrs. Daisy McConnahay
- Dave King as Mr. McConnahay
- Steven Berkoff as Sgt. Jones
- John Wellsas Corty
- Annie Lennox as Liberty Woman
- Richard O'Brien as Lord Hampton
- Paul Brooke as Lord Darling
- Frank Windsor as Gen. Washington
- Jesse Birdsall as Cpl./Sgt. Peasy
- Larry Sellers as Honchwah
- Graham Greene as Ongwata
- Robbie Coltrane as New York Burgher
Development
The film was the idea of producer
Goldcrest agreed to finance provided a U.S. studio could be brought in to co-produce. Warner Bros. then agreed.[6]
Production
The movie was filmed largely in the old dock area of the English port town of King's Lynn, Norfolk. The main battles scenes were filmed at Burrator Reservoir on Dartmoor in Devon and on the coastal cliff top near Challaborough Bay, South Devon where a wooden fort was built. Military extras were recruited from ex-servicemen mainly from the Plymouth area. Many other scenes were filmed in the battle training area near Thetford, Norfolk, and extras were recruited from the King's Lynn area. Melton Constable Hall in Norfolk was used for some scenes.
Reception
Box office
Revolution cost $28 million to make, and it was a box-office disaster, grossing $346,761 in the United States.
Goldcrest Films invested £15,603,000 in the film and received £5,987,000, losing £9,616,000.[7]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 10% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 3.6/10. The site's critics consensus states: "Unlikely to inspire any fervor with its miscast ensemble and ponderous script, Revolution is a star-spangled bummer."[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 22 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[9]
Variety's staff commented "Watching Revolution is a little like visiting a museum – it looks good without really being alive. The film doesn’t tell a story so much as it uses characters to illustrate what the American Revolution has come to mean."[10]
A reviewer for the UK-based
Accolades
Revolution was nominated for four Golden Raspberry Awards:
- Worst Picture
- Worst Director - Hugh Hudson
- Worst Actor - Al Pacino
- Worst Musical Score - John Corigliano
The film won the Stinkers Bad Movie Award for Worst Picture.[14][15]
Director's cut
Revolution was rush-released in December 1985 for the Christmas market and for
The film was re-released in the UK in 2012 by the British Film Institute in a Blu-ray Disc/DVD combo. This edition came with both cuts of the film, as well as a booklet with essays written by Nick Redman, Michael Brooke and critic Philip French, who argues that the film was a victim of bad publicity and cultural misunderstandings, and regards the Revisited cut as a "masterpiece."[19]
See also
- List of films about the American Revolution
- List of television series and miniseries about the American Revolution
References
- ^ "REVOLUTION (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 30 December 1985. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Revolution (1985)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ Olins, Rufus. "Mr Fixit of the British Screen." Sunday Times [London], England 24 September 1995: 9[S]. The Sunday Times Digital Archive.] Web. 29 March 2014.
- ^ "Siskelandebert.org". siskelandebert.org. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ Eberts and Ilott p 346-348
- ^ Eberts and Ilott p 348-350
- ^ Eberts, Jake; Illott, Terry (1990). My indecision is final. Faber and Faber. p. 657.
- ^ "Revolution (1985)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Revolution reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Review: 'Revolution'". Variety. 31 December 1985. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ "Revolution". 10 September 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (25 December 1985). "The Screen: 1770s Epic, 'Revolution'". The New York Times.
- ^ "Pauline Kael".
- ^ "1985 8th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2006. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ^ The Stinkers 1985 Ballot
- ^ [1] Archived 16 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Solomons, Jason (22 March 2009). "Director Hugh Hudson on the shooting of Revolution with Al Pacino". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Revolution Revisited". July 2009.
- ^ "DVD & Blu-ray - Shop". filmstore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
Notes
- Eberts, Jake; Ilott, Terry (1990). My indecision is final. faber and faber.
