The Crossing (TV 2000)

A dramatization of George Washington's perilous gamble of crossing the Delaware River and attacking the British forces at Trenton.

Director:

Robert Harmon

Writers:

Howard Fast (novel), Howard Fast (teleplay)

Stars:

Jeff Daniels, Roger Rees, Sebastian Roché

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Daniels	...	Gen. George Washington
Roger Rees	...	Gen. Hugh Mercer
Sebastian Roché	...	Col. John Glover
Steven McCarthy	...	Alexander Hamilton
John Henry Canavan	...	Gen. Henry Knox
Ned Vukovic	...	Gen. William 'Lord' Stirling
David Ferry	...	Gen. Nathaniel Greene
Nigel Bennett	...	Gen. Horatio Gates
Karl Pruner	...	Gen. Sullivan
Duncan McLeod	...	Williams
Andrew Kraulis	...	Billy
Kelly Harms	...	Tommy
Jonathan Watton	...	Cadman
Kris Holden-Ried	...	Capt. Heineman (as Kristen Holden-Ried)
Chris Williamson	...	Officer

Storyline

In 1776, less than six months after the Declaraton of Independence, the Continental Army, under the command of General George Washington, was on the brink of utter defeat. Low on men, cannons and supplies, Washington decides to risk everything on one last desperately daring attack on the town of Trenton where over 1000 of the feared Hessian mercenaries are garrisoned. However to do that, the army must cross the Delaware to a seemingly hopeless battle that would turn out to be more successful than Washington ever dreamed of.

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Plot Keywords:

george washington | defeat | mercenary | battle | cannon | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

George Washington: Sieg über die hessischen Söldner

Filming Locations:

Alberta, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&E Television Networks, Chris/Rose Productions, Columbia TriStar Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The friction between General Washington and General Gates portrayed in the film was very real. In fact, Gates was allegedly involved in a conspiracy known as The Conway Cabal, a plot to oust George Washington as Commander-in-Chief in 1778 and replace him with himself. Gates' name surfaced again in the Newburgh Conspiracy, another plot to oust Washington in 1783.

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Goofs

When Washington is lying on the bed the bottom of his boots are visible. The boots are curved for the left and right foot, but during the Revolutionary War, there was no such thing as a left boot or a right boot, they were straight.

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Quotes

Col. John Glover: The boats are ready, sir. The men are ready as they're going to be, provided we can cross that damn river at all.
Gen. George Washington: What was that?
Col. John Glover: About the men sir?
Gen. George Washington: No, something about not crossing the river? Glover, you have been a pain in my ass and a thorn in my side since the day I first met you. You'd have been a general by now, if not for your pithy bitching.

User Reviews

Did you know that Washington crossed the Delaware three times.

I didn't either. This and many other interesting facts are revealed in this exciting and dramatic portrayal of General George Washington. It is basically a war drama played out with high realism. The temptation to reduce this piece of history to some kind of patriotic passion play is studiously resisted. Washington himself is played with real aplomb by Jeff Daniels. There are many excellent and gripping scenes of combat. I was surprised to learn that this was made for television. All in all it is a high quality movie good for casual entertainment and only spiced by the guarantee of some education too.

For some reason or another commenting on this movie requires at least ten lines. As much as I enjoyed it, there was nothing about it that suggest a comment with ten lines or more. Seven or less was plenty.